| List of years in music (Table) |
|---|
| … 1970 . 1971 . 1972 . 1973 . 1974 . 1975 . 1976 … 1977 . 1978 . 1979 -1980- 1981 . 1982 . 1983 … 1984 . 1985 . 1986 . 1987 . 1988 . 1989 . 1990 … |
| Related time period or subjects |
| … 1977 . 1978 . 1979 – 1980 – 1981 . 1982 . 1983 … … 1950s . 1960s . 1970s – 1980s – 1990s . 2000s . 2010s … … 19th century – 20th century – 21st century … |
| Art . Archaeology . Architecture . Literature . Music . Science . more… |
- January 1 - The year starts off with a strong disco backlash, which causes the majority of musicians to abandon the use of real instruments in an attempt to distant themselves from anything associated with disco. The decade will be dominated by electronically made music and numerous musicians who had played in disco orchestras find themselves without a job. Cliff Richard is appointed an MBE by Queen Elizabeth II. The only other pop music acts to be created MBEs are the Beatles and Elton John
- January 1 The Melbourne Music scene explodes with independent bands, with various influences from US and UK Punk/New Wave. The Zorros audition Drummer Greg Pedley on new years day.
- January 7 - At the age of 45, songwriter Larry Williams is found dead in his Los Angeles, California home of a gunshot wound to the head. Investigators are never able to determine whether his death was a murder or suicide.
- January 13 - The Beach Boys, Grateful Dead, and Jefferson Starship perform at a benefit concert at Oakland Coliseum for the people of Kampuchea.
- January 16 - Paul McCartney is arrested in Tokyo for possession of a half pound of marijuana. The remaining part of McCartney's tour had to be canceled.
- January 25 - Paul McCartney is released from a Japanese jail and is kicked out of the country by Japanese authorities.
- January - Daniel Amos and Randy Stonehill wrap up the first part of the Amos and Randy Tour in Toronto. Both artists are joined on stage by Larry Norman for an encore. The event makes the news on local television and newspapers.
- January - The Buggles created their Music video for their song Living in the Plastic Age.
Contents |
February
- February 8 - David Bowie and his wife of nearly 10 years, Angie, file for divorce. Bowie gets custody of their 9 year old son, Zowie
- February 14 - Lou Reed marries Sylvia Morales in New York City's Greenwich Village
- February 19 - Bon Scott, lead singer of AC/DC, dies in London. Although common folklore cites pulmonary aspiration of vomit as the cause of his death, the official cause was listed as "Acute alcohol poisoning" and "Death by Misadventure".
- February 29 - Buddy Holly's trademark eyeglasses and the Big Bopper's wristwatch are "rediscovered" in old police files by the Mason City, Iowa Sheriff. Holly and the Big Bopper were killed in a plane crash on February 3, 1959 along with singer Ritchie Valens.
March
- March 1 - Patti Smith marries former MC5 member Fred Sonic Smith
- March 3 - Sotheby's Auction house in London auctions off a Rivera Hotel, Las Vegas napkin signed by Elvis Presley for 500 pounds. Other items auctioned included four American dollar bills autographed by the Beatles, for 220 pounds and a collection of personal letters belonging to the Rolling Stones, also for 220 pounds
- March 8-March 16 - Tbilisi Rock Festival (1980): the first state-sanctioned rock music festival in the Soviet Union.
- March 14 - Record producer Quincy Jones receives a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame
- March 19 - Elvis Presley's autopsy is subpoenaed during the trial of Dr. George Nichopoulous, who would later be found guilty of overprescribing drugs to Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis and other clients.
April–December
- April 13 - The Broadway musical Grease closes its run of 3,388 performances, making it the longest running show on Broadway up until that time.
- April 14 - A member of the New Jersey State assembly introduces a resolution to make Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run" the official state song.
- April 17 - As the "official guests of State", Bob Marley and the Wailers perform at Zimbabwe's Independence festival. Marley calls the event the "greatest honor of my life."
- April 30 - The Roger Daltrey film, McVicar, opens in London.
- May 18 - Ian Curtis, vocalist of pioneering post-punk group Joy Division, hangs himself in his Macclesfield home. His death comes just days before Joy Division are scheduled to begin their first U.S. tour.
- June - Rock and Roll pioneer Bill Haley performs for the last time during a tour of South Africa. After this tour, his health deteriorates and he dies in February 1981. July 1980 marks the 25th anniversary of Haley's "Rock Around the Clock" reaching No. 1 on the American singles charts.
- August 23 – The Heatwave festival near Toronto featured The B-52's, the Talking Heads, The Pretenders, Elvis Costello and many others.
- August 31 - Karen Carpenter marries Thomas Burris in their shortly-lived marriage of three years. "Because We Are in Love" is played at their wedding.
- September 20 - Ozzy Osbourne's breakthrough debut album Blizzard of Ozz is released in the UK.
- September 25 - Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham found dead at age 32.
- November 21 - The Eagles' Don Henley is arrested when cocaine, Quaaludes, and marijuana were found in his hotel room after a nude 16 year old prostitute had drug-related seizures. Henley is also subsequently charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
- December - Duran Duran signs with EMI after finalizing its lineup and touring as a support act for Hazel O'Connor.
- December 4 - Led Zeppelin disbands after John Bonham dies.
- December 8 - John Lennon is shot dead outside of his apartment building in New York City.
Other events
- Record labels established in 1980
- Record labels disestablished in 1980
- The single "Groovy Ghost Show" by Casper is one of the first recorded hip hop music from Chicago, Illinois
- The Hee Bee Gee Bees release cutting parody of Bee Gees' disco-style single. Though not a hit in the UK, it is a huge success elsewhere, particularly in Australia, and helps to encourage the Gibb brothers to diversify stylistically
- Network Riddum Band's Breaking Out is the first occurrence of the term
- Phil Collins signs a contract with Atlantic Records to distribute his solo records in the US and in Europe outside the UK (on WEA label)
- Aerosmith lead singer Steven Tyler is injured in a motorcycle crash that leaves him hospitalized for two months.
Bands disbanded
This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
- Seals & Crofts
- Bachman-Turner Overdrive break up (they reform periodically over the years)
- The Eagles break up (they reform in 1994)
- The Germs
- George Clinton dissolves Parliament-Funkadelic
- Horslips
- Gentle Giant
- The Buggles
- The Tourists disband and become Eurythmics
- Boys Next Door disband and become The Birthday Party
- Wire disband (they reform in 1985)
- Joy Division
- Led Zeppelin
Bands formed
Albums released
- See also: :Category:1980 albums
Awards
- BBC Young Musician of the Year: Nicholas Daniel, oboist
- Boy Edgar Prijs: Rein de Graaff
- Country Music Association Awards
- Eurovision Song Contest 1980
- Grammy Awards of 1980
- Harriet Cohen International Music Award
Charts
List of Number 1 Hits
Biggest hit singles
The following songs achieved the highest chart positions in the charts of 1980.
| # | Artist | Title | Year | Country | Chart Entries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pink Floyd | Another Brick in the Wall (part 2) | 1980 |  |
UK 1 - Dec 1979, US BB 1 - Feb 1980, Canada 1 - Jan 1980, Sweden (alt) 1 - Feb 1980, France 1 - Feb 1980, Austria 1 - Feb 1980, Switzerland 1 - Jan 1980, Norway 1 - Jan 1980, Germany 1 - Jan 1980, Eire 1 - Dec 1979, Poland 1 of all time, US CashBox 3 of 1980, Holland 3 - Dec 1979, Australia 4 of 1980, KROQ 6 of 1980, POP 7 of 1980, South Africa 8 of 1980, Germany 9 of the 1980s, Europe 11 of the 1970s, Italy 12 of 1980, US BB 15 of 1980, RYM 18 of 1979, TheQ 28, Virgin 39, Belgium 50 of all time, Scrobulate 51 of live, RIAA 296, Rolling Stone 375, Acclaimed 392, OzNet 594 |
| 2 | Diana Ross | Upside Down | 1980 |  |
US BB 1 - Aug 1980, Sweden (alt) 1 - Aug 1980, France 1 - Aug 1980, Switzerland 1 - Aug 1980, Norway 1 - Aug 1980, New Zealand 1 for 3 weeks Oct 1980, Australia 1 for 4 weeks Aug 1981, UK 2 - Jul 1980, Holland 2 - Jul 1980, Austria 2 - Oct 1980, US CashBox 4 of 1980, Germany 4 - Sep 1980, Canada 8 - Sep 1980, Italy 8 of 1980, South Africa 11 of 1980, Australia 15 of 1980, POP 22 of 1980, US BB 30 of 1980, Scrobulate 42 of disco, RYM 83 of 1980, Germany 87 of the 1980s, Acclaimed 1364 |
| 3 | Barbra Streisand | Woman in Love | 1980 | |
UK 1 - Oct 1980, US BB 1 - Sep 1980, Holland 1 - Sep 1980, Sweden (alt) 1 - Oct 1980, Austria 1 - Dec 1980, Switzerland 1 - Oct 1980, Norway 1 - Nov 1980, Germany 1 - Jan 1981, Eire 1 - Oct 1980, Australia 1 for 2 weeks Sep 1981, South Africa 2 of 1980, Italy 3 of 1981, France 7 - Oct 1980, US CashBox 9 of 1980, Australia 21 of 1980, Germany 36 of the 1980s, RYM 157 of 1980 |
| 4 | Lipps Inc | Funkytown | 1980 | |
US BB 1 - Apr 1980, Holland 1 - Apr 1980, Austria 1 - Jul 1980, Switzerland 1 - May 1980, Norway 1 - Jul 1980, Germany 1 - Jun 1980, UK 2 - May 1980, Sweden (alt) 2 - Jun 1980, US BB 4 of 1980, POP 5 of 1980, Scrobulate 7 of disco, Australia 9 of 1980, US CashBox 10 of 1980, Germany 14 of the 1980s, Italy 30 of 1980, RYM 73 of 1979, Acclaimed 520 |
| 5 | John Lennon | (Just Like) Starting Over | 1980 | |
UK 1 - Nov 1980, US BB 1 - Nov 1980, Canada 1 - Nov 1980, Switzerland 1 - Dec 1980, Australia 1 for 4 weeks Dec 1981, Austria 2 - Feb 1981, Norway 2 - Dec 1980, Sweden (alt) 3 - Nov 1980, Germany 6 - Jan 1981, France 9 - Nov 1980, US BB 12 of 1980, Australia 18 of 1981, Italy 29 of 1981, RYM 32 of 1980, POP 49 of 1980, US CashBox 57 of 1980, Germany 298 of the 1980s, OzNet 683, Acclaimed 1637 |
US and UK #1 hit singles
(in chronological order)
Other significant singles
- See also: :Category:1980 singles
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Published popular music
- "Come Follow the Band" w. Michael Stewart m. Cy Coleman from the musical Barnum
- "Desire" w.m. Barry Gibb, Maurice Gibb & Robin Gibb
- "Do Right" w.m. Paul Davis
- "Fame" w. Dean Pitchford m. Michael Gore
- "He's So Shy" w. Cynthia Weil m. Tom Snow
- "Memory" w. T. S. Eliot & Trevor Nunn m. Andrew Lloyd Webber from the musical Cats
- "My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys" w.m. Sharon Vaughan
- "Never Knew Love Like This Before" w.m. James Mtume & Reginald Lucas
- "Nine to Five" w.m. Dolly Parton from the film Nine to Five
- "No Night So Long" w. Will Jennings m. Richard Kerr
- "The Winner Takes It All" w.m. Benny Andersson & Bjorn Ulvaeus
Classical music
- George Crumb - A Little Suite for Christmas, A.D. 1979 for piano
- Mario Davidovsky - Consorts for symphonic band
- Mario Davidovsky - String Quartet No. 4
- Trygve Madsen - Sonata for Tuba and Piano
- Krzysztof Penderecki - Symphony No. 2 - "Christmas"
Opera
- See also: :Category:1980 operas
- Philip Glass - Satyagraha
- Kirke Mechem - Tartuffe
- William Mathias - The Servants (libretto by Iris Murdoch)
- David Warrack - Drummer
Musical theater
- Barnum Broadway production opened at the St. James Theatre on April 30 and ran for 854 performances
- Brigadoon (Lerner & Loewe) - Broadway revival opened at the Majestic Theatre on October 16 and ran for 133 performances
- Camelot (Lerner & Loewe) - Broadway revival opened at the New York State Theatre on July 8 and ran for 56 performances
- Colette London production opened at the Comedy Theatre on September 24 and ran for 47 performances
- A Day in Hollywood/A Night in the Ukraine Broadway production opened at the John Golden Theatre on April 2 and transferred to the Royale Theatre on June 17 for a total run of 588 performances
- Forty-Second Street Broadway production opened at the Winter Garden Theatre on August 25, transferred to the Majestic Theatre on March 30, 1981 and transferred to the St. James Theatre on April 7, 1987 for a total run of 3486 performances
- The Life and Adventures Of Nicholas Nickleby London production opened at the Aldwych Theatre on June 5
- On The Twentieth Century London production opened at Her Majesty's Theatre on March 19 and ran for 165 performances
- Sweeney Todd (Stephen Sondheim) - London production opened at the Drury Lane Theatre on July 2 and ran for 157 perofrmances
- The Umbrellas Of Cherbourg London production opened at the Phoenix Theatre on April 10
- West Side Story (Leonard Bernstein) - Broadway revival opened at the Minskoff Theatre on February 14 and ran for 333 performances
Musical films
Births
- January 25 - Alicia Keys
- January 28 - Nick Carter, The Backstreet Boys
- February 15 - Conor Oberst, Bright Eyes
- February 18 - Regina Spektor
- February 27 - Cyrus Bolooki, New Found Glory
- March 21 - Deryck Whibley, Sum 41
- March 31 - Maaya Sakamoto
- May 18 - Svetlana
- June 20 - Tony Lovato, Mest
- June 26 - Jason Schwartzman, Phantom Planet
- July 10 - Jessica Simpson
- July 20 - Mike Kennerty, The All-American Rejects
- July 26 - Dave Baksh, Sum 41
- September 11 - Mikey Way, My Chemical Romance
- September 13 - Teppei Teranishi, Thrice
- October 5 - Paul Thomas, Good Charlotte
- October 12 - Soledad Pastorutti
- November 3 -
- November 17 - Clarke Isaac Hanson, Hanson
- November 18 - Dustin Kensrue, Thrice
- December 5 - Trent McAlister, musician (bassist) / songwriter
- December 10 - Sarah Chang, violinist
- Chris Gaynor, The All-American Rejects
- December 18 - Christina Aguilera
Deaths
- January 2 - Larry Williams
- January 6 - Poley McClintock, jazz musician
- January 7 - Carl White, the Rivingtons
- January 29 - Jimmy Durante pianist & entertainer
- January 30 - Professor Longhair pianist
- February 19 - Bon Scott, lead singer of AC/DC, alcohol poisoning
- March 26 - Jon Paulus (32), the Buckinghams, drug overdose
- March 26 - Ted Shapiro, songwriter & pianist
- March 28 - Dick Haymes, (63), Argentinian-born US singer and actor
- March 30 - Annunzio Mantovani, Italian-born British orchestra leader and composer
- April 28 - Tommy Caldwell, Marshall Tucker Band, car accident
- May 18 - Ian Curtis, lead singer of Joy Division, suicide by hanging
- June 16 - Bob Nolan, country singer and songwriter
- June 20 - Allan Pettersson, Swedish composer
- June 21 - Bert Kaempfert, German composer, bandleader and arranger
- June 27 - Barney Bigard, jazz clarinetist
- June 28 - Jose Iturbi, pianist
- July 5 - A. J. Potter, Irish composer
- July 15 - Ben Selvin, The Dean of Recorded Music
- July 23 - Keith Godchaux, Grateful Dead, car accident
- August 17 - Harold Adamson, lyricist
- September 12 - Lillian Randolph, actress and singer
- September 15 - Bill Evans (51), jazz pianist
- September 25 - John Bonham, Led Zeppelin
- October 27 - Steve Peregrin Took, bongo player for Tyrannosaurus Rex, choking
- December 7 - Darby Crash, The Germs, suicide
- December 8 - John Lennon, The Beatles, gunshot
- December 29 1980 - Tim Hardin, Singer Songwriter - If I Were A Carpenter Heroin Overdose.
