Editing Synth-pop (section)

===Commercial success (1981–1985)===
{{See also|New Romantic|Second British Invasion}}
[[File:Ultravox 04111981 01 600.jpg|thumb|alt=A colour photograph of members of Midge Ure of the band Ultravox performing on a stage with a microphone and a guitar|[[Midge Ure]] performing with [[Ultravox]] in [[Oslo]] in 1981]]
The emergence of synth-pop has been described as "perhaps the single most significant event in [[melodic music]] since [[Beat music|Mersey-beat]]". By the 1980s synthesizers had become much cheaper and easier to use.<ref name="Reynolds2005p328">{{citation|title=Rip It Up and Start Again Postpunk 1978–1984 |author=S. Reynolds |year=2005 |isbn=978-0-571-21570-6 |page=328 |publisher=Faber & Faber |author-link=Simon Reynolds }}</ref> After the definition of [[MIDI]] in 1982 and the development of [[digital audio]], the creation of purely electronic sounds and their manipulation became much simpler.<ref>{{Citation |author=M. Russ |year=2004 |title=Sound Synthesis and Sampling |edition=3 |isbn=978-0-240-52105-3 |page=66 |place=Burlington MA |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_D2cTt5DPmEC&q=Sound+Synthesis+and+Sampling }}</ref> Synthesizers came to dominate the pop music of the early 1980s, particularly through their adoption by bands of the [[New Romantic]] movement.<ref>{{cite journal|author=N. Rama Lohan|date=2 March 2007|title=Dawn of the plastic age|journal=Malaysia Star|url=http://ecentral.my/news/story.asp?file=/2007/3/2/music/16390129&sec=music|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120609123956/http://ecentral.my/news/story.asp?file=%2F2007%2F3%2F2%2Fmusic%2F16390129&sec=music|archive-date=9 June 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> Despite synth-pop's origins in the late 1970s among [[New wave music|new wave]] bands like Tubeway Army and Devo, British journalists and music critics largely abandoned the term "new wave" in the early 1980s.<ref>{{citation|title=Are We Not New Wave?: Modern Pop at the Turn of the 1980s|author=T. Cateforis |year=2011 |isbn=978-0-472-03470-3 |page=254 |publisher=University of Michigan Press |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-MVrM3zKrHQC&q=Are+We+Not+New+Wave&pg=PA51 }}</ref> This was in part due to the rise of new artists unaffiliated with the preceding punk/new wave era, as well as aesthetic changes associated with synth-pop's movement into the pop mainstream. According to authors Stuart Borthwick and Ron Moy, "After the monochrome blacks and greys of punk/new wave, synthpop was promoted by a youth media interested in people who wanted to be pop stars, such as [[Boy George]] and [[Adam Ant]]".<ref name=Borthwick/>

The New Romantic scene had developed in the London nightclubs Billy's and the Blitz and was associated with bands such as Duran Duran, [[Visage (band)|Visage]], and [[Spandau Ballet]].<ref name="Rimmer2003">{{Citation |author=D. Rimmer |year=2003 |title=New Romantics: The Look |isbn=978-0-7119-9396-9 |place=London }}</ref> They adopted an elaborate visual style that combined elements of [[glam rock]], [[science fiction]] and [[romanticism]]. Spandau Ballet were the first band of the movement to have a hit single as the synth-driven "[[To Cut a Long Story Short]]" reached number 5 on the UK Singles Chart in December 1980.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/18710/spandau-ballet/ |title=Spandau Ballet |publisher=Official Charts }}</ref> Visage's "[[Fade to Grey (Visage song)|Fade to Grey]]", characteristic of synth-pop and a major influence on the genre,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hiphopelectronic.com/no-daw-its-old-school-bangers/synthpop-songs-visage-fade-to-grey |title=Fade to Grey by Visage |publisher=hiphopelectronic }}</ref> reached the top ten a few weeks later.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/18728/visage/ |title=Visage |publisher=Official Charts }}</ref> Duran Duran have been credited with incorporating dance beats into synth-pop to produce a catchier and warmer sound, which provided them with a series of hit singles,<ref name=AMsynthpop/> beginning with their debut single "[[Planet Earth (Duran Duran song)|Planet Earth]]" and the UK top five hit "[[Girls on Film]]" in 1981.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/19319/duran-duran/ |title=Duran Duran |publisher=Official Charts }}</ref> They would soon be followed into the British charts by a large number of bands utilising synthesizers to create catchy three-minute pop songs.<ref name=Cateforis2009>{{Citation|author=T. Cateforis |title=The Death of New Wave |url=http://iaspm-us.net/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/Cateforis.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723150252/http://iaspm-us.net/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/Cateforis.pdf |archive-date=23 July 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In summer 1981 [[Depeche Mode]] had their first chart success with "[[New Life (song)|New Life]]", followed by the UK top ten hit "[[Just Can't Get Enough (Depeche Mode song)|Just Can't Get Enough]]".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/20192/depeche-mode/ |title=Depeche Mode |publisher=Official Charts }}</ref> A new line-up for [[the Human League]] along with a new producer and a more commercial sound led to the album ''[[Dare (album)|Dare]]'' (1981), which produced a series of hit singles. These included "[[Don't You Want Me]]", which reached number one in the UK at the end of 1981.<ref name=Reynolds2005pp330-2>{{citation|title=Rip It Up and Start Again Postpunk 1978–1984 |author=S. Reynolds |year=2005 |isbn=978-0-571-21570-6 |pages=320–2 |publisher=Faber & Faber |author-link=Simon Reynolds }}</ref>

Synth-pop reached its commercial peak in the UK in the winter of 1981–2, with bands such as [[Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark|OMD]], [[Japan (band)|Japan]], [[Ultravox]], [[Soft Cell]], Depeche Mode, [[Yazoo (band)|Yazoo]] and even [[Kraftwerk]], enjoying top ten hits. The Human League's and Soft Cell's UK number one singles "Don't You Want Me" and "[[Tainted Love]]" became the best selling singles in the UK in 1981.<ref name="officialcharts.com">{{Cite web|title=The Official Top 50 best-selling songs of 1981|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/the-official-top-50-best-selling-songs-of-1981__32604/|access-date=2021-05-12|website=www.officialcharts.com|language=en}}</ref> In early 1982 synthesizers were so dominant that the [[Musicians' Union (United Kingdom)|Musicians' Union]] attempted to limit their use.<ref name=Reynolds2005pp334-5>{{citation|title=Rip It Up and Start Again Postpunk 1978–1984 |author=S. Reynolds |year=2005 |isbn=978-0-571-21570-6 |pages=334–5 |publisher=Faber & Faber |author-link=Simon Reynolds }}</ref> By the end of 1982, these acts had been joined in the charts by synth-based singles from [[Thomas Dolby]], [[Blancmange (band)|Blancmange]], and [[Tears for Fears]]. Bands such as [[Simple Minds]] also adopted synth-pop into their music on their 1982 album ''[[New Gold Dream (81–82–83–84)]]''.<ref>{{cite news |title=The best synth-pop albums of the 1980s |url=https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/best-synth-pop-albums-1980s-vinyl-deals-amazon/ |access-date=10 November 2023 |work=[[Far Out (website)|Far Out]]}}</ref> [[ABC (band)|ABC]] and [[Heaven 17]] had commercial success mixing synth-pop with influences from [[funk]] and [[soul music]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.classicpopmag.com/2015/02/abc-lexicon-love-classic-album/ |title=Classic Album: The Lexicon Of Love – ABC |date=25 February 2015 |access-date=20 June 2022 |publisher=Classic Pop }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.classicpopmag.com/2022/03/album-by-album-heaven-17/ |title=Heaven 17 albums: the complete guide |date=7 March 2022 |access-date=20 June 2022 |publisher=Classic Pop }}</ref>

Dutch entertainer [[Taco (musician)|Taco]], who has a background in musical theatre, released his own synth-driven re-imagining of Irving Berlin's "[[Puttin' On the Ritz]]"; resulting in a subsequent long-play, ''[[After Eight (album)|After Eight]]'', a concept album that takes music of 1930s sensibilities as informed by the soundscape of 1980s technology. The proliferation of acts led to an anti-synth backlash, with groups including Spandau Ballet, Human League, Soft Cell and ABC incorporating more conventional influences and instruments into their sounds.<ref name=Reynolds2005p342>{{citation|title=Rip It Up and Start Again Postpunk 1978–1984 |author=S. Reynolds |year=2005 |isbn=978-0-571-21570-6 |page=342 |publisher=Faber & Faber |author-link=Simon Reynolds }}</ref>

[[File:Eurythmics Rock am Ring 1987.jpg|thumb|left|[[Eurythmics]] ([[Dave Stewart (Eurythmics)|Dave Stewart]] and [[Annie Lennox]]) on stage in Germany in 1987.]] 
In the US (unlike the UK), where synth-pop is sometimes considered a "subgenre" of "new wave" and was described as "technopop" or "electropop" by the press at the time,<ref name=Cateforis>{{citation|title= Are We Not New Wave?: Modern Pop at the Turn of the 1980s|author= T. Cateforis |year= 2011|isbn= 978-0-472-03470-3|page= 52,62|publisher= University of Michigan Press |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=-MVrM3zKrHQC&pg=PA62}}</ref> the genre became popular due to the cable music channel [[MTV]], which reached the media capitals of New York City and [[Los Angeles]] in 1982. It made heavy use of style-conscious New Romantic synth-pop acts,<ref name=Cateforis2009/><ref name="Reynolds2005pp340&342-3"/> with "[[I Ran (So Far Away)]]" (1982) by [[A Flock of Seagulls]] generally considered the first hit by a British act to enter the ''Billboard'' top ten as a result of exposure through video.<ref name="Reynolds2005pp340&342-3"/> The switch to a "[[New Music (music industry)|new music]]" format in US radio stations was also significant in the success of British bands.<ref name="Reynolds2005pp340&342-3"/> Reaching No. 2 in the UK in March 1983 and No. 1 on the US [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] six months later, ''Rolling Stone'' called Eurythmics' single "[[Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)]]" "a synth-pop masterpiece".<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Eurythmics Perform 'Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)' in 1983 |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/eurythmics-sweet-dreams-are-made-of-this-live-1983-924796/ |access-date=19 April 2022 |magazine=Rolling Stone}}</ref> [[Bananarama]]'s 1983 synth-pop song "[[Cruel Summer (Bananarama song)|Cruel Summer]]" became an instant UK hit before having similar success in the US the following year.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Rolling Stone Staff|date=25 June 2022|title=The Best Summer Songs of All Time|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-summer-songs-of-all-time-43407/|access-date=10 November 2023|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]}}</ref> The success of synth-pop and other British acts would be seen as a [[Second British Invasion]].<ref name="Reynolds2005pp340&342-3"/><ref>{{cite magazine |title=Anglomania: The Second British Invasion |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/anglomania-the-second-british-invasion-52016/ |access-date=3 May 2019 |magazine=Rolling Stone}}</ref> In his early 1980s columns for ''[[The Village Voice]]'', music critic [[Robert Christgau]] frequently referred to British synth-pop as "Anglodisco", suggesting a parallel to the contemporary genres of [[Eurodisco]] and [[Italo disco]], both highly popular outside the US.<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[The Village Voice]]|url=https://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/cg/cgv11b-82.php|title=Christgau's Consumer Guide|last=Christgau|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Christgau|date=30 November 1982}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[The Village Voice]]|url=https://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/cg/cgv4-83.php|title=Christgau's Consumer Guide|last=Christgau|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Christgau|date=26 April 1983}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[The Village Voice]]|url=https://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/cg/cgv6-83.php|title=Christgau's Consumer Guide|last=Christgau|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Christgau|date=28 June 1983}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[The Village Voice]]|url=https://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/cg/cgv8-83.php|title=Christgau's Consumer Guide|last=Christgau|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Christgau|date=30 August 1983}}</ref> Indeed, synth-pop was taken up across the world alongside the continuing presence of [[disco]], with international hits for German synth-pop as well as Eurodisco acts including [[Peter Schilling]], [[Sandra Cretu|Sandra]], [[Modern Talking]], [[Propaganda (band)|Propaganda]],<ref>{{Citation |author=J. Bush |title=Propaganda |publisher=AllMusic |url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/propaganda-p5190/biography }}</ref> and [[Alphaville (band)|Alphaville]]. Other non-British groups scoring synth-pop hits were [[Men Without Hats]] and [[Trans-X]] from Canada, [[Telex (band)|Telex]] from Belgium, [[Yello]] from Switzerland,<ref name=Jenkins2007p171>{{citation|title=Analog Synthesizers: Understanding, Performing, Buying: from the Legacy of Moog to Software Synthesis|author=M. Jenkins |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-240-52072-8 |page=171 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=c3EHIpo0DKwC&q=Men+Without+Hats+Trans+X+Telex+Belgium+and+Yellow&pg=PA171 |author-link=Mark Jenkins (musician) }}</ref> and [[Azul y Negro]] from Spain. The synth-pop scene of Yugoslavia spawned a large number of acts,<ref name="top 10 yu">{{cite web|first= Stefana |last= Vulević |title= Top 10 synth-pop i electropop bendova u bivšoj Jugoslaviji |website= Treći svijet |date= 8 October 2019 |access-date= 16 November 2022 |url= https://trecisvijet.com/top-10-synth-pop-i-electropop-bendova-u-bivsoj-jugoslaviji/}}</ref><ref name="five great yu">{{cite web|first= Đorđević |last= Nikola |title= Five great Yugoslav 1980s synth-pop albums |website= Emerging Europe |date= 5 June 2021 |access-date= 17 November 2022 |url= https://emerging-europe.com/after-hours/five-great-yugoslav-1980s-synth-pop-albums/}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|first= Aleksandar |last= Dragaš |title= Electornic Yugoton: Sintisajzersko blago bivše Jugoslavije |website= Jutarnji list |date= 7 November 2014 |access-date= 9 December 2022 |url= https://www.jutarnji.hr/kultura/glazba/electronic-yugoton-sintisajzersko-blago-bivse-jugoslavije-576862}}</ref> a number of them enjoying huge mainstream popularity in the country, like [[Beograd (band)|Beograd]],<ref name="janjatović35">{{cite book|last=Janjatović|first=Petar|title=Ex YU rock enciklopedija 1960-2023|year=2024|publisher=self-released / Makart|location=Belgrade|page=35}}</ref> [[Laki Pingvini]],<ref name="janjatović172">{{cite book|last=Janjatović|first=Petar|title=Ex YU rock enciklopedija 1960-2023|year=2024|publisher=self-released / Makart|location=Belgrade|page=172}}</ref> [[Denis & Denis]],<ref name="janjatović80">{{cite book|last=Janjatović|first=Petar|title=Ex YU rock enciklopedija 1960-2023|year=2024|publisher=self-released / Makart|location=Belgrade|page=80}}</ref> and [[Videosex]].<ref name="janjatović313">{{cite book|last=Janjatović|first=Petar|title=Ex YU rock enciklopedija 1960–2023|year=2024|publisher=self-released / Makart|location=Belgrade|page=313}}</ref>

[[File:Trevor Horn (cropped2).jpg|thumb|upright|[[Trevor Horn]] (pictured in 1984), frontman of British new wave synth-pop group the Buggles, also produced Frankie Goes to Hollywood's 1984 album ''[[Welcome to the Pleasuredome]]'']]
In the mid-1980s, key artists included solo performer [[Howard Jones (British musician)|Howard Jones]], who S.T. Erlewine has stated to have "merged the technology-intensive sound of new wave with the cheery optimism of hippies and late-'60s pop",<ref>{{Citation|author=S. T. Erlewine |title=Howard Jones |publisher=AllMusic |url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p91510 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110217225957/http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p91510 |archive-date=17 February 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> (although with notable exceptions including the lyrics of "[[What Is Love? (Howard Jones song)|What Is Love?]]" – "Does anybody love anybody anyway?") and [[Nik Kershaw]], whose "well-crafted synth-pop"<ref>{{Citation|author=S. Bultman |title=The Riddle: Nik Kershaw |publisher=AllMusic |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-riddle-r10807 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110512225512/http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-riddle-r10807 |archive-date=12 May 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> incorporated guitars and other more traditional pop influences that particularly appealed to a teen audience.<ref>{{Citation |author=J. Berens |date=July 1985 |title=What makes Nik tick, a tiny teen idol speaks out |journal=Spin|issn=0886-3032 |volume=1 | issue = 3  |page=14 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ImJFcBcCvUoC&q=nik+kershaw+teen+idol&pg=PA14 }}</ref> Pursuing a more dance-orientated sound were [[Bronski Beat]] whose album ''[[The Age of Consent (Bronski Beat album)|The Age of Consent]]'' (1984), dealing with issues of homophobia and alienation, reached the top 20 in the UK and top 40 in the US.<ref>{{Citation|author=A. Kellman |title=Bronski Beat |publisher=AllMusic |url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/bronski-beat-p16100/biography |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110803070649/http://allmusic.com/artist/bronski-beat-p16100/biography |archive-date=3 August 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and [[Thompson Twins]], whose popularity peaked in 1984 with the album ''[[Into the Gap]]'', which reached No.1 in the UK and the US top ten and spawned several top ten singles.<ref>{{Citation|author=S. T. Erlewine |title=Thompson Twins |publisher=AllMusic |url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/thompson-twins-p5644/biography |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110805094238/http://allmusic.com/artist/thompson-twins-p5644/biography |archive-date=5 August 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 1984, [[Frankie Goes to Hollywood]] released their debut album ''[[Welcome to the Pleasuredome]]'' (produced by [[Trevor Horn]] of the Buggles), with their first three singles, "[[Relax (song)|Relax]]", "[[Two Tribes]]" and "[[The Power of Love (Frankie Goes to Hollywood song)|The Power of Love]]", topping the UK chart.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Pollock |first1=Bruce |title=Rock Song Index The 7500 Most Important Songs for the Rock and Roll Era |date=2014 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |page=384}}</ref> The music journalist [[Paul Lester]] reflected, "no band has dominated a 12-month period like Frankie ruled 1984".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Lester |first=Paul |author-link=Paul Lester |date=28 August 2014 |title=Frankie Goes To Hollywood: 'No one could touch us – people were scared' |work=[[The Guardian]] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/aug/28/frankie-goes-to-hollywood-30-years-welcome-to-the-pleasuredome |access-date=2 December 2023}}</ref> In January 1985, Tears for Fears' single "[[Shout (Tears for Fears song)|Shout]]", written by [[Roland Orzabal]] in his "front room on just a small synthesizer and a drum machine", became their fourth top 5 UK hit; it would later top the charts in multiple countries including the US.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Grogan |first1=Jake |title=Origins of a Song 202 True Inspirations Behind the World's Greatest Lyrics |date=2018 |publisher=Cider Mill Press |page=112}}</ref> Initially dismissed in the music press as a "teeny bop sensation" were Norwegian band [[a-ha]], whose use of guitars and real drums produced an accessible form of synth-pop, which, along with an MTV friendly video, took their 1985 single "[[Take On Me]]" to number two in the UK and number one in the US.<ref>{{Citation|author=K. Hayes |title=a-ha |publisher=AllMusic |url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/a-ha-p3491/biography |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110828011052/http://www.allmusic.com/artist/a-ha-p3491/biography |archive-date=28 August 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref>