Musically, the seventies transitioned to the eighties quickly. In 1980, disco and punk declined in popularity and metal arose to fill the void. Although disco records enjoyed a solid year, the genre imploded. Punk excess and bad behavior led record execs to repackage their acts as “new wave.” Meanwhile, heavy metal emerged from the seventies primed to evolve into a dominant force in rock n roll and pop music.
Disco annoyed hard core music fans. On July 12, 1979, thousands showed up at Chicago’s Comiskey Park to blow up disco records. The event turned into a riot as fans took out their frustrations. The anti-disco mania led the rioters to tear up the ballpark. The disturbance was more than a drunken mob. People hated disco and wanted to bury it. To many, the fad had run its course once Ethel Merman released a disco album.
Disco Demolition Night should have tipped off the record industry that a backlash had developed. By early 1980, many acts had already recorded their works and the disco market had not yet been shamed into the proverbial musical closet. Several disco songs hit the charts including Diana Ross’ “Upside Down”, Lipps Inc.’s “Funkytown”, and KC and the Sunshine Band’s “Please Don’t Go.” After the final major disco offerings left the charts, the genre seemingly passed into oblivion. However, dance music continued to remain popular with the public over thirty years later. Ironically, modern dance music is simply repackaged disco.
Punk rock experienced a similar decline. The punk attitude annoyed polite society. Most people could not fathom why fans enjoyed being spit on by their favorite bands. The major punk acts, such as The Clash and The Ramones, became mainstream. In fact, The Clash incorporated elements from all genres. Meanwhile, the Sex Pistols disbanded when they realized they had become what they railed against. On top of this, the high profile murder-suicide of Sid Vicious and Nancy Spungen brought forth a flurry of questions about the punk scene that continued into 1980. Meanwhile, the next generation of punks took the genre into a decidedly non-commercial realm. For the punk acts that survived, the music industry redefined the genre as “new wave” for marketing purposes.
Questionable and criminal behavior did not confine itself to the punks. Older rock stars found themselves in court often in 1980. Paul McCartney was arrested for marijuana possession and Ron Wood for cocaine. Don Henley shocked the public after his arrest for possessing quaaludes, cocaine, and marijuana. Henley might have escaped public scrutiny if he did not have a 16-year-old prostitute with him.
By 1980, the public had come to accept drugs as part of the rock star lifestyle. Boredom and wealth bred drug and alcohol addiction. Alcohol killed Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham and AC/DC singer Bon Scott. Bonham downed 40 vodka shots, threw up, and then suffocated on the vomit. Likewise, Scott died after a night of heavy drinking. The coroner declared his demise “death by misadventure.” In reality, Scott died of alcohol poisoning.
While Led Zeppelin disbanded rather than replace Bonham, AC/DC hired Brian Johnson as their lead vocalist. Johnson’s first album with AC/DC, Back in Black, served as his public introduction and tribute to Bon Scott. To date, the album has sold over 49 million copies and helped popularize heavy metal. By the end of the decade, metal, and its variations, dominated popular music. 1980 proved pivotal in metal’s development as the dominant rock genre.
AC/DC was not the only metal act to replace lead singers in 1980. Black Sabbath replaced Ozzy Osbourne with Ronnie James Dio. The newly constituted version of Sabbath released Heaven and Hell. Iron Maiden debuted in 1980 with Paul Di’Anno on vocals. The band replaced Di’Anno with Bruce Dickinson in 1981. The following year, they broke into the mainstream with The Number of the Beast.
Other metal shined in 1980 with their original lead singers. Motorhead released Ace of Spades which heavily influenced acts that followed. A few months earlier, Judas Priest abandoned the darkness on 1978’s Killing Machine for a more commercial sound on British Steel. To many, British Steel represents the first true metal album in that it abandons any pretense of rock’s blues and R&B roots.
As the music scene changed, John Lennon emerged from self-imposed exile to release Double Fantasy. He conceived the album while sailing from Newport, Rhode Island to Bermuda. The trip allowed him to take count of his life and inspired his return. The album featured songs by Lennon and his wife, Yoko Ono. Nearly three weeks after the new release, a deranged fan, Mark David Chapman, stalked and murdered Lennon outside his New York home. Lennon’s senseless death reinforced the despondency of the Carter years and the skyrocketing crime rate.
Music changed in 1980. Fans forced disco and punk to the bargain bin. Meanwhile, older rock stars found themselves in trouble with the law. Led Zeppelin broke up following the death of their drummer. AC/DC continued on despite losing their singer. Metal filled a void for music fans craving something real. Meanwhile, John Lennon’s murder accentuated the state of the U.S. in the Carter years while providing a warning for other stars about sociopath fans.
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