How 70s & 80s Ballads Have Stayed Relevant in Today’s Pop Culture
Analyzing how popular ballads relate musically and cinematically.
Ballads are one of the most enthralling music styles. They force us to sing along and weep with overwhelming emotion.
There’s no doubt the 70s and 80s are two iconic music eras where ballads shined brightest. Besides social media being a main source of relevancy, other factors kept classic ballads in memory.
In this piece, I will unpack the longevity of and influence of ballads in pop culture over the last five decades. More specifically, I will discuss the following:
- How melodies and the piano influenced for song-making
- How songs of the same name, but different sound can spark conversations within a song style.
- How covers become sonically and visually memorable.
- How radio airplay impacts our collective memory of older songs.
The Power of Melody
Song structure and music theory play vital roles in crafting the right ballad. Songwriting has always been a powerful craft. Artists have created some of the most beautiful tunes thanks to real-life experiences and environments. Writing and producing a song is also a technique that can be a complex process.
Melodies can be magical experiences. Songs can express happier emotions in major keys and sadder emotions in minors. Roberta Flack’s “Killing Me Softly With His Song” is composed in F Minor. Giving the song a sadder expression with the poetic lyrics. A ballad like “You Light Up My Life” is a D-major song with an uplifting mood.
A basic ballad like The Bangles’ “Eternal Flame” is another example. The song is interesting because the chorus is not evident. The verses and chorus swim together on this G major key song. The lyrics are melodious and easy to remember.
There’s a certain hypnotic energy when you play the right melody. We recently learned how Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie composed the melodies of “We Are the World.” The song’s melody became an earworm in the mid-80s. It sold millions of records around the world. People can never forget the hook.
The same applies to other 80s ballads. “Total Eclipse of the Heart” is not only epic because of the song’s duration, but the ballad structure. Even though the song is in F Minor like “Killing Me Softly…” it switches keys. The key changes create this iconic power ballad. The build-up call-and-response makes the song a theatrical masterpiece and how songs from movies creates cultural impact through ads.
Same Name, Different Song
It’s fascinating how songs with the same names, but different titles can reach the top of the charts. So far, The Kid LAROI and Justin Bieber’s “Stay” is the latest song to join the Billboard Club. It’s funny how older people can pause and recall a song of a similar name. This music recollection is sweet and reflective. People see how music can intersect different eras and create new styles. We see this when we hear two different ballads.
Adele and Lionel Ritchie both topped the chart with a song called “Hello.” When Adele’s “Hello” reached number one, the meaning of the song was compared to Lionel Ritche’s “Hello.” Both songs sparked a viral mashup where Adele and Richie both sing “Hello” to the phone’s receiver. Adele snaps her phone shut after Richie asks, “Is it Me You’re Looking for?” Adele didn’t mind them doing a “Hello-Off” on her BBC Radio 1 Breakfast show. These conversations are rare and fun tidbits for music critics. Adele fans also get to hear more of Lionel Richie’s music. Proves ballads can spark even the smallest of memes.
Covers
We’ve heard tons of covers over the years. Some are beautiful and others are reimagined in R&B, pop, and other genres. Covers can bring back classic songs to the modern age. Country covers like Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car” made her give her first performance in years. Her Grammy performance with Luke Combs saw a 241% increase in streams.
Covers have also been profitable for both artists. Céline Dion’s version of “All by Myself” became an iconic hit for her despite not writing the song. When many people look up the song, they look for Céline’s cover because of her climactic F5 note.
Thanks to Céline’s success, Eric Carmen makes royalties. It’s an everlasting hit, even on American commercials from Wendy’s to Expedia. Some older songs have more slow burn’s than others. Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” was a sleeper hit that would later reach popularity from two covers.
John Cale first covered the song in 1991, then Jeff Buckley would boost its fame. The Shrek movie also helped the song’s notoriety and again after Cohen’s death. No one can forget the songwriting from the classic folk-rock song. To this day, it’s featured on tons of more shows and movies.
The Piano
The piano remains a timeless instrument of interpretation. When it comes to ballads, they are one of the main elements of this style. There are trained pianists who create some of the best music. Some modern pianists are even known as musical pioneers.
Elton John is of course well-known as a pianist. He used his musicianship with the help of Bernie Taupin to compose a list of hits. Ballads like “Your Song” and “Rocketman” are classics to this day because of the great piano playing. Billy Joel is another example of a pianist whose music reached longevity through the years. He’s known as the “Piano Man” due to the song and his great catalog of hits.
If we were to go to more modern, Alicia Keys is the female artist to mention. She fused her classical piano skills with R&B music. Making her ballads like “Fallin’ ” and “No One” a 00’s treasure.
Radio Significance
We tend to underestimate the power of radio. We’re too busy streaming music to understand that the radio still keeps artists relevant. 106.7 Lite FM is one of the main radio stations keeping retro music alive. Easy listening and soft rock songs are continuing to boom across the country.
The New York Radio Station for years has given us a taste of 70s, 80s, and 90s music. Some fans may pleasantly hear their favorite Bon Jovi song in a local dental office. Foreigner’s “I Want to Know What Love Is” is another great ballad rotating on Lite FM. Hearing an older song on the radio is still equivalent to an older song resurging on TikTok.
A listener can hear a song on the radio and spread the word fast. When it comes to R&B, 107.5 WBLS does the same thing. They tend to play older number-one R&B hits from Motown to modern R&B. When Prince passed, they played “Purple Rain” in his honor. Thanks to both radio stations, there is a cross-generation for music lovers.
TV/Movies
We know how much music affects cinema. It builds the plot and creates scenic moments. There’s no doubt that movie success creates music success. Just look at the former Best Original Song wins at the Oscars. Berlin’s “Take My Breath Away” from Top Gun is an Academy Award-winning song that has stayed relevant for years.
Think of all the TV adverts in the past years. It even was a prom song for Season 3 of Glee. The following year, Dirty Dancing’s “I’ve Had The Time of My Life” happened to win the same award. If you’ve seen the Sandals vacation commercial, you may have heard the song. Or if you’re a Gen Z’er you may have seen the Odell Beckham Super Bowl ad. For boomers, there are just Patrick Swayze fans. Regardless, this is a duet that has never gone away. It is a karaoke song that makes anyone smile and get on their feet.
This year, we’ve seen how one movie scene can bring even 2000s pop to the surface. Saltburn’s finale put Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s “Murder on the Dancefloor” back on the UK charts. Even Daisy Jones & The Six had Fleetwood Mac fans nostalgic. There’s this wave of song credibility that is making new generations hear classic music. As long as this keeps happening, retro music will stay alive.
Final Thoughts
Artists can create the best earworm melodies. Songs in either major and minor keys can shape the way we react to ballads. Classic melodies are therefore stuck in our memory bank. A simple piano can give us a simple, yet beautiful ballad. Older songs can still exist years later just off the same penned title. The beautiful thing about cover ballads are that they can create longevity because of TV ads. Songs can still have a legacy due to radio airplay from stations like 106.5 Lite FM and 107.5 WBLS.
Music in general is a harmonious field. It revives us and brings us everlasting joy. Ballad music will forever shape an artist’s discography. The 70s and 80s ballad music is not going away any time soon thanks to pop culture and musical education. As long as people are educated on great music, we will keep the songs alive.
Thanks for reading! Comment your favorite 70s or 80s ballads.
