theDIHEDRAL Playlist

In case you haven’t been following along…

Each month this year, I’m creating a new climbing playlist for each decade going all the way back to the 1920’s.  A hundred years of music!  Not necessarily the best songs from each decade, but songs that I can envision on road trips, at the crag, at the gym, on training days, and on the send train.

We kicked things off in January with the 1920’s.  February and March brought in hits from the 30’s and 40’s, April gave us the classics of the 1950’s, and we reached a crescendo in trying to pick from an onslaught of magnificent songs from the 60’s.  The 70’s gave way to a new wave, which brings us into the 1980’s.

The 80’s were filled with whole new genres that would have staying power beyond what anyone could have predicted.  New Wave, Punk Rock, and Rap really made their mark, and I would happily listen to any playlist that was composed entirely of any one of those categories.  But, Metal, Pop, Funk, and Rock were also pushing the boundaries.  Names like Michael Jackson, George Michael, Madonna, Metallica, Parliament Funkadelic, Cyndi Lauper, Prince, and Phil Collins were showing the world just what making money in the music industry could look like.  I imagine coked out music producers in thin ties working with coked out managers having dodgy intentions booking coked out musicians who were changing the world for kids who just wanted to have fun.  I don’t know for sure, but it seems like there was a LOT of cocaine to go along with a LOT of great music in the 80’s. Oh, and when it came to climbing, there was lycra, lots of lycra!

The number of great songs left off this list is tragic.  Whittling the list down to 20 seemed sacrilegious, and then down to 10 was downright blasphemous, but rules are rules, and tough decisions had to be made!

I’m only picking ten songs from each decade.  So, here is where I depend on you to fill in the gaps.  If you have a song or songs that need to be added to the list, let me know and they are going on, no questions asked.

The 1980’s (In no particular order)

1. Debaser – Pixies
2. Freak Scene – Dinosaur Jr.
3. Waiting Room – Fugazi
4. 99 Luftballons – NENA
5. You Spin Me Round – Dead or Alive
6. Just Can’t Get Enough – Depeche Mode
7. Straight Outta Compton – NWA
8. I Want to Conquer the World – Bad Religion
9. Me, Myself, and I – De La Soul
10. Kiss Off– Violent Femmes

There were some really tough cuts including Tom Petty, The Cure, Rob Base, The Beastie Boys, a-ha, and The Smiths. In the past I cut out the biggest names based on their wide appeal, and stuck to that trend here. So apologies to the Madonna and Michael Jackson fans, but they get enough attention in other places. My final cut was “Hey Mickey”, which seems like it would be a really fun sing-along-song on a road trip, but ultimately that position had to go to the Violent Femmes! 80’s music was fantastic fun, and this playlist will be tough to top!

To take a listen, you can find the playlist HERE!

1. theDIHEDRAL is hosting a giveaway for free DIHEDRAL gear. We are promoting it on our Instagram Account which can be found HERE, but we also wanted to share the details on our webpage in case anyone who doesn’t follow us on Instagram wants to join in on the fun.
   • There are three chances to win a DIHEDRAL shirt of your choice!!!
     • 1. We will pick one lucky winner who follows our IG account, then, likes and shares the giveaway post, as well as tags two of their friends.
     • 2. We will pick one lucky winner who posts and tags @theDIHEDRAL (on Instagram) while wearing our gear.
     • 3. The person who posts and tags @theDIHEDRAL (on Instagram) while wearing our gear on the highest point by the deadline will also win a free shirt.
   • Deadline is the last day of Summer 9/21/24.
   • Our storefront can be found HERE!