5 High School Hits From The '80s That Will Stir Up Emotions In Every Boomer

The '80s stand out as a time when music came alive, as a smorgasbord of genres vied for everyone's attention. The best part? It all felt innovative, so that's why people could make compilations including everyone from Cyndi Lauper to A-ha and Journey, even though each act is radically different from the other. Good music was just good music, and few people cared what it was labeled at the time.

Naturally, there was an abundance of high school hits that every boomer remembers from this era. They are the songs that remind them of their mullets, perms, psychedelic colors, and afternoons of when MTV still played music videos. Yeah, everyone has their own favorites and personal attachments to specific tracks because of unique memories, but there are a couple of bangers that activate the brain's amygdala and unleash all the feels every time they're played now.

People often ask, what was it really like to be a teenager in the '80s? Well, here are five songs that formed part of the soundtrack of that special decade.

High school is a time for dreamers. A time to dream of what the future could look like. No song encompasses the feeling of "the next" quite like Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'." Off the band's 1981 album "Escape," the anthem comes across as its own unpredictable — pardon the pun — journey, starting off apprehensively with uncertainty before exploding with excitement and embracing the unknown. Its message proves to be equally powerful and resounding to the listener, since it's a song about taking a chance on dreams, even if they might not be too clear in the moment.

The reason that "Don't Stop Believin'" connects is because it's a genuine message. As Journey keyboardist and guitarist Jonathan Cain told Songwriting Magazine, it's inspired by his own life story of how he signed a record deal, got dropped, and started to lose hope in his music career. He phoned his father and asked if he should give up and come home. His father said, "I know it seems tough right now but I believe the greatest blessing is just around the corner, so don't stop believing, Jon." Those words stayed with Cain.

At the time, "Don't Stop Believin'" turned into a No. 1 hit, as "Escape" topped the Billboard charts; however, there's a case to be made that the track has become even more popular in the 21st century. Perhaps it's all those boomers ensuring that their families know all about Journey's seminal track.

Sometimes, songs make everyone think about certain movies of the era, and a textbook example is Simple Minds' "Don't You (Forget About Me)" and John Hughes' 1985 coming-of-age masterpiece "The Breakfast Club." It's a classic rock song made famous by a movie, but it's also a defining and nostalgic track for the people who grew up in the '80s.

"Don't You (Forget About Me)" was written exclusively for "The Breakfast Club" by Keith Forsey and Steve Schiff, rather than the Scottish band. Simple Minds was only approached to record the single by their record label, but initially passed, preferring to record their own music. However, after they met Forsey, they decided to do it, and the rest is history.

Funnily enough, this '80s high school hit was actually inspired by the school experience. As Forsey told The Guardian, the conversation between Brian Johnson (Anthony Michael Hall) and John Bender (Judd Nelson) in "The Breakfast Club" sparked a memory in him. "When they were away from everybody else, the two of them actually recognized each other," Forsey said. "It reminded me of when I was going to school. If you were in the school playground, the bad guys would be pretty bad to you, but if you met them at the bus stop in the morning, there was some bonding there."

The power ballad is synonymous with prom and school dances, as only the best ones deserve to be slow danced to. In terms of the '80s, is there a better one than Foreigner's "I Want to Know What Love Is"? The track begins in calm fashion, as Lou Gramm's vocals croon over a soft melody that moves the heart (and feet). The drama crescendos in the bridge and into the chorus, as the track explodes into a plea of someone asking for their own love story.

Released in 1984, "I Want to Know What Love Is" is a single from Foreigner's album "Agent Provocateur," and arguably the band's most recognizable song. No one could escape the track in the '80s, as it reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100 in 1985. It's also likely the song that kicked off a million romances, some of which lasted the test of time, while others faded into melancholic memories of a life that may have been.

Whichever way, "I Want to Know What Love Is" is a must-add to any '80s high school mix. It's also one of the 500 greatest songs of all time, according to Rolling Stone.

Nowadays, Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up" is known for its Rickroll meme qualities, but people forget how big the track was in the '80s. Astley may have had a youthful and boyish appearance, but his powerful and booming voice captivated teenagers who caught this earworm and certified dancefloor igniter.

The cheerful and bouncy pop song took over the world in 1987, as its irresistible and anthemic qualities had everyone singing along to it. It peaked at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 and went platinum five times. Plus, it continues to remain in the pop culture zeitgeist for its outstanding karaoke qualities.

As it turns out, Astley unintentionally came up with the title and chorus of the song in a conversation with one of the songwriters. "I'd been going out with a woman called Gaynor for ages," Pete Waterman told The Guardian. "One morning, I came off the phone after a long call to her and Rick quipped: 'You're never going to give her up.' It stuck in my mind."

Joan Jett's "Bad Reputation" is punk rock to the core. The track accelerates out of the starting blocks at a million miles an hour before Jett spits out, "I don't give a damn 'bout my reputation." That's essentially the entire message of the song; it's all about embracing who you are, not caring what trash others talk about you, and rejecting society's definitions of who you are meant to be.

In 1980, "Bad Reputation" established itself as the rebel yell of that generation. For every high schooler who felt pressure from teachers, parents, and peers, this track was the ultimate middle finger to anyone and everyone who dared to tell you how to behave. As a matter of fact, Jett told SiriusXM that the song is all about her and her state of mind at the time after the Runaways ended. "Really, if you listen to the lyrics, it's autobiographical," Jett said. "It's really what happened." 

While "Bad Reputation" didn't chart as high or receive the same mainstream attention as Jett's cover of "I Love Rock 'n' Roll," its words resonated with the defiant. And isn't that the very definition of punk rock?