Mark Menard

Intrepid former writer/content producer for Audacy News. Currently a free agent based out of New Orleans. Saints and Pelicans fan.

[Mark Menard @MarkMenard13]

Remembering the world of actual verification before the April Fool enacts his inane new initiatives on his special day.

[Mark Menard @MarkMenard13]

Synth-driven electro-rock with touches of industrial-style percussion had made Depeche Mode a rock band that could still pack a dance floor in even the trendiest clubs, but controversy swirled around this single from their fourth album.

#Top75of1984

https://t.co/9nTgGcZSh5

[Mark Menard @MarkMenard13]

So far on this countdown, we’ve seen a number of heavy metal legends show up, and we’ve discussed the impact MTV had on their success.

But when it comes to metal’s most memorable music video of 1984, there’s really no debate.

#Top75of1984

https://t.co/sWaEk3k4Md

[Mark Menard @MarkMenard13]

He had sung classic rock and written disco anthems, but through it all, Dan Hartman's real love was classic Motown.

So writing a song for the fictional group The Sorels in the 1984 film Streets Of Fire was squarely in his wheelhouse...

#Top75of1984

https://t.co/8JvbWCKYfR

[Mark Menard @MarkMenard13]

One of the most powerful and soulful voices of the 80s spent the first part of her career juxtaposed against cold electronic beats and synthesizers courtesy of her musical partner, and the stark contrast gave them a sound like no one else.

#Top75of1984

https://t.co/WUgE3LT4dn

[Mark Menard @MarkMenard13]

When he and his then-girlfriend/musical partner Stevie Nicks both joined the British rock band Fleetwood Mac, they reinvigorated it into an absolute musical force.

But Lindsey Buckingham always kept one foot in the band and one foot out...

#Top75of1984

https://t.co/26eVkMkF6s

[Mark Menard @MarkMenard13]

Formed in 1980, R.E.M. were almost immediately embraced as indie darlings and underground stars.

Four years later, they were releasing their sophomore LP and quickly becoming a truly foundational band in American alternative rock.

#Top75of1984

https://t.co/qnOcSEjThY

[Mark Menard @MarkMenard13]

English metal gods Iron Maiden referenced the Doomsday Clock as they dug into Cold War tensions and how some politicians get rich on war profiteering:

“The golden goose is on the loose and never out of season.”

#Top75of1984

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[Mark Menard @MarkMenard13]

Whether it's due to greedy bosses or schoolyard bullies, we’ve all felt a feeling of helplessness at one time or another.

And when life weighs you down, a certain heartland rocker has just the “F-U” anthem to pick you back up again.

#Top75of1984

https://t.co/j1UuTdQeKm

[Mark Menard @MarkMenard13]

Some of 1984's best songs take inspiration from the heightened anxieties of the “Me Decade” but very few could say they wrote something from one of the true epicenters of Cold War symbolism and took it global the way the band Nena did.

#Top75of1984

https://t.co/L65QA4TyYa

[Mark Menard @MarkMenard13]

Culture Club blasted out of the gate with two huge hits in 1983 - “Do You Really Want To Hurt Me?” and “Time”. Both just missed topping the pop chart, halting at #2.

But their sophomore album would help them grab that elusive chart topper.

#Top75of1984

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[Mark Menard @MarkMenard13]

1984 was the year that Queen inexplicably fell out of favor with American audiences.

And I really can’t tell you why because their output never wavered through their final albums before iconic frontman Freddie Mercury's death in 1991...

#Top75of1984

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[Mark Menard @MarkMenard13]

After years of bubbling up from the streets, breakdancing was mainstream by 1984. And the electro style of hip-hop came with it.

Perhaps the most authentic breakdance cut to garner national attention came courtesy of a crew from Brooklyn.

#Top75of1984

https://t.co/poN8BPbkXm

[Mark Menard @MarkMenard13]

Plucked from obscurity by Quincy Jones, James Ingram exploded onto the scene thanks to key leads sung on Jones’s album The Dude.

When it was time for his solo debut, one of music's most distinctive voices joined him for a top-notch collab.

#Top75of1984

https://t.co/e5adMSNWBo

[Mark Menard @MarkMenard13]

He first came to prominence as frontman for The Babys, but in 1980 the group called it quits.

That’s when John Waite decided to bet on himself as a solo artist, and it didn’t take long for the record-buying public to justify that decision.

#Top75of1984

https://t.co/CXN3Ljcspx

[Mark Menard @MarkMenard13]

If you’re looking for the most rocking song about muddling through the grind of life and dealing with juggling everyday hypocrisies and simple daily survival, look no further than this gem gifted to us by the band led by Chrissie Hynde.

#Top75of1984

https://t.co/kYYCsUVLRE

[Mark Menard @MarkMenard13]

Yes, America’s fascination with New Wave was waning, but as evidenced one position ago, there was still juice to be squeezed out of the genre when the right song came along.

Enter Australian synth-rockers Real Life...

#Top75of1984

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[Mark Menard @MarkMenard13]

Though they would eventually evolve past their synth-pop beginnings, the band Talk Talk were very much enthralled with electronic soundscapes on their first two LPs. And it was that sound that would send them scaling pop charts worldwide.

#Top75of1984

https://t.co/KRmAjnKUgx

[Mark Menard @MarkMenard13]

Was just minding my own business picking up dinner and suddenly I was driving a getaway car. And I wasn't mad about it.

#HeistMusic #IGuessIDidntKnow

[Mark Menard @MarkMenard13]

Hard to believe we were nearly halfway through the 80s before the woman who arguably owned the decade from a pop stardom standpoint even began her rise.

But once her climb started, Madonna only got bigger and better with each new album.

#Top75of1984

https://t.co/idZ0L58VNC

[Mark Menard @MarkMenard13]

With a title that was elongated to avoid confusion with another big '84 hit (more on that one later), this energetic banger cajoling a crush to take things to the next level was the biggest single from the Pointer Sisters' most hit-laden LP.

#Top75of1984

https://t.co/fGgI1Xeixm