New Wave Songs by Theme

How movies across decades changed the meaning of iconic 70s and 80s new wave songs. From Simple Minds to Yello to the Psychedelic Furs, discover how unforgettable movie scenes transformed songs into shorthand for rebellion, romance, luxury, existential dread and self-acceptance.

From duets to creative collisions, explore how new wave artists found synchronicity through 80s collaboration - teaming up to create some of the genre’s most compelling and unexpected moments.

Six new wave songs that fool the listener - where melody, imagery, and context mislead and surprise. You’ll never hear these '80s songs the same way again

Six more weird new wave head-scratchers that defy expectations - from absurd B-52s chaos to Depeche Mode’s synth hoedown and Falco’s theatrical excess. Explore the strange detours and identity shifts that made these 80s songs unforgettable.

Some new wave songs are catchy. Others make you wonder what was in the studio air. Revisit the weirdest of the '70s and '80s - opera rap, pirate hip-hop, crying guitars, and more.

From Cars to Television Man, five new wave songs of the '70s and '80s where cars and screens become tools of isolation: long before smartphones existed.

Explore winter through seven '80s and '90s new wave tracks that capture cold as mood and metaphor from icy synths to emotional freeze frames that go beyond holiday cheer

Celebrate a new wave Christmas with synth-tinged, bittersweet ’80s holiday tracks — from Wham!’s Last Christmas to Siouxsie and the Banshees’ Israel.

Discover how unexpected artists like Tom Jones and Eddie Vedder reinvent '70s and '80s new wave classics like Burning Down the House in inventive covers.

Discover five surprising new wave covers - from the Flying Lizards’ Money to Kim Wilde’s You Keep Me Hangin’ On - where ’80s acts reinvented classics.

Explore how ’80s new wave bands like XTC, Devo, and the Police turned office life and factories into unforgettable songs

Explore how new wave artists sang about each other in the '80s and beyond - from the B-52s’ tribute to Debbie Harry to Billy Idol’s self-mythologizing tracks.

Explore new wave’s spooky side with eerie '80s tracks by Duran Duran, the Cure, Oingo Boingo, and more: perfect songs for your Halloween dancefloor.

Explore new wave one-hit wonders like Safety Dance, Break My Stride, and Tarzan Boy, unpacking why these '80s tracks became timeless singles.

Explore five modern songs - from Justin Timberlake’s SexyBack to Dua Lipa’s Break My Heart - that sound inspired by ’80s new wave melodies, rhythms, and riffs.

New wave '80s hit songs like Don’t You Want Me and Tainted Love, alongside their edgy evil twins. Deep cuts that twist mood, theme, and sound in unsettling ways.

Explore new wave’s sun-soaked side through '80s hits like Katrina & The Waves’ Walking on Sunshine and Bananarama’s Cruel Summer, where synths meet summer vibes.

Unearth under-the-radar new wave tracks from 1979 to 1981. Think deep cuts by the Cars, Depeche Mode, Human League, and more.

Explore new wave’s most iconic '80s music videos, from Talking Heads’ Once in a Lifetime to A-Ha’s Take On Me, and how visuals shaped the genre on MTV.

Discover new wave hits that were actually covers. Like Soft Cell’s Tainted Love and Blondie’s The Tide Is High, and how they became ’80s classics.

Explore how new wave’s sound captured Cold War anxiety, with tracks like Nena’s 99 Luftballons and Frankie Goes to Hollywood’s Two Tribes echoing '80s nuclear tension.