Deep cuts: Three '80s New Wave hits from great, but overlooked, albums

Let’s set the wayback machine to 1982.

The term “new wave” had finally become synonymous in the United States with synth-heavy dance pop with a little bit of the post-punk edge left in it. MTV was instrumental in creating a new take on the “one-hit wonder” phenomenon that was nothing new to popular music, and the network created a new avenue of exposure for many bands, including Modern English, The Psychedelic Furs, and Wall of Voodoo.

Thanks to a smattering of radio play and decent rotation on MTV, each of the three bands released a career-defining song in 1982. For Modern English, “I Melt With You” continues to be the song the band is known for, five decades later. It is the same with Wall of Voodoo’s “Mexican Radio.” Only The Psychedelic Furs have achieved notoriety for multiple songs, but “Love My Way” from 1982’s Forever Now is the band’s clear-cut signature song.

While these three songs create something of a calendrically cool trio, the real connective tissue here is that each of the records they come from are all fucking great and many music fans are completely unaware of the absolute gold there is to mine beyond their “hit” songs.

After the Snow from Modern English was released in April 1982, making it technically the oldest of the three records. From the outset, it creates a mood that is entirely dark-tinged, early ’80s new wave. It comes off as way moodier and more thoughtful than you might expect if you have only heard “I Melt With You.”

Like “Love My Way,” “I Melt With You” was prominently featured in the 1983 film Valley Girl, so the song’s early popularity was also tied to the iconic, early Nicolas Cage film. However, it has continued to find a life in the ensuing decades. Burger King even used “I Melt With You” in a commercial that received significant airtime in the early part of the 21st century. Honestly, though, the song is not even the best song on After the Snow.

For example, the opening track, “Someone’s Calling,” is way more memorable than “I Melt With You” once you’ve heard it. The guitar work from Gary McDowell, along with Richard Brown’s tribalistic drumming, is just fantastic. It is bold to say “Someone’s Calling” is more memorable than a genre-defining song like “I Melt With You,” for sure (and, like, totally), but give After the Snow a spin and see if you don’t agree that there’s something more compelling about “Someone’s Calling.”

If anything, you just might be surprised that more people don’t know that there were other great songs on the record that “I Melt With You” came from in the first place.
Tracks two and three, “Life in the Gladhouse” and “Face of Wood” are both incredible, as well. As you go through the eight tracks on After the Snow, you start to realize that “I Melt With You” is actually the outlier here and not the other way around. By the time you get to Modern English’s most famous song at track five, which kicks off the B side of the record, it is almost surprising to the ears to hear it because there is such a different feel to it.

When side two continues with the title track, “After the Snow,” the complex angularity that Modern English really excels at as a band is prevalent. Speaking of vinyl, you can grab a decent copy of After the Snow on Discogs.com and in local record stores for around $20 most of the time. This is pretty good bang for the buck if you are looking to add it to your media collection.

“Carry Me Down” is another great song off After the Snow. The chorus is awesome, too:
“There’s something in the air, but I know it can’t carry me
You know I won’t believe you
You know I won’t believe in time for now
There’s something in the air, but I know it won’t carry me down.”

Stephen Walker’s keyboard and violin work on the song are truly great, as is the flute, which is credited to “Faith.” Not sure who “Faith” is here (or what Faith’s last name is), but their work helps bring the song to anthemic heights.

Modern English still tours regularly and continues to release compelling records, including 2024’s 1234. The band is excellent live and regularly plays several tracks off After the Snow as part of their live set.

While it wasn’t featured on the Valley Girl soundtrack, “Mexican Radio” by Wall of Voodoo is certainly as catchy and memorable as an 80s classic track as “I Melt With You” or “Love My Way.” With the “Whoa-ohs” in the chorus and the wonderful video that MTV played in the daily rotation, “Mexican Radio” was something of an international hit song.

The thing is, Call of the West is a brilliant record. The former lead singer, Stan Ridgway, is one of the most underrated lyricists in rock and roll and his work here is kind of like a new wave Tom Waits. The record weaves one tale after another of urban isolation, distrust of conformity, and instant regret.

Nothing against Modern English’s Robbie Grey and Psychedelic Furs’ Richard Butler, but Ridgway’s lyrics just sink in deeper. This could be attributed to Wall of Voodoo’s sparse (by comparison) instrumental arrangements, but each song on Call of the West paints a compelling portrait of the darker side of American life at the time.

“Lost Weekend,” for example, is a mid-tempo dirge about a couple who spend a weekend searching for something that is just out of their reach. There is a distinctly cinematic quality in the songs on Call of the West that sets it apart from the other members of this trio of songs we’re highlighting. “Lost Weekend” and the song that comes directly after it, “Factory,” are certainly great examples of this aspect.

It doesn’t get much darker than “Look at Their Way” from side one. The late Marc Moreland’s guitar work on this one is top-notch. Ridgway’s lyrics compose a haunting tale that touches on incest, shame, and secrecy.

An interesting side note is that Johnette Napolitano of Concrete Blonde wrote their most popular song, “Joey,” about Moreland. The two collaborated in the band, Pretty and Twisted, in the mid-90s after Wall of Voodoo’s demise.
“Mexican Radio” kicks off side two and is followed by the equally entertaining “Spy World,” which pokes a bit of fun at the spy movie genre. “Hello, hello, this is Monkey Wrench, come in, calling Bunny Hutch headquarters…” starts the lyrics off, and Moreland and drummer, the late Joe Nannini (formerly of Los Angeles’ punk bands Black Randy and the Metrosquad, Plugz, and Bags), both shine on this track.

The dreamy instrumental “On Interstate 15” and the title track, “Call of the West,” close out the record. Both play up the Spaghetti Western theme that Wall of Voodoo was also known for in the early days of the band. The latter is a fitting end to a killer record. Great lyrics about a man drawn to the allure of the Old West that features the great lyric:

“Sometimes the only thing the western savage understands are whiskey and rifles and unarmed men like you, so you better hit the road…”

Call of the West was Ridgway’s last record with the band, as he went on to do multiple projects, including the fantastic song “Don’t Box Me In” from the Rumble Fish soundtrack in 1983 with Stewart Copeland (the Police). Other than a decent cover of Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire” and the song “Back in Flesh” from 1981’s Dark Continent (which was also featured in the great music film, Urgh! A Music War from 1981), much of the band’s work has drifted into obscurity.

Like Modern English, the Psychedelic Furs continue to rock to this day. “Love My Way” continues to be their most well-known calling card. On Spotify, the song has been played roughly as many times as “I Melt With You” (including all three versions) and “Mexican Radio” combined. The Furs also had top-100 hits in the United States with “Ghost in You,” “Heaven,” and “Breakback Heart,” and “Pretty in Pink” remains a staple track from the era.

“Love My Way” comes from the record Forever Now, which was produced by rock legend Todd Rundgren. Like Wall of Voodoo’s Call of the West, Forever Now is packed with underrated gems among its ten tracks. Released on September 24, 1982, it took a bit of time for “Love My Way” to hit the charts in the United States, but its inclusion in Valley Girl, as well as airplay on MTV, certainly helped.

The record features backing vocals by Flo & Eddie (The Turtles’ Mark Volman and Howard Kaylan) as well as instrumental contributions from Rundgren himself. While it is more like After the Snow musically, Forever Now sounds a tad more upbeat thanks to Rundgren’s pop sensibilities and occasional inclusion of saxophone, keyboards, horns, and marimba. Of the three in conversation, Forever Now is the most upbeat.

“Goodbye” and “Only You and I” are both excellent tracks from the first side. These follow “Love My Way” and will not disappoint fans of their more famous predecessor. “Sleep Comes Down” is also a pleasant ride from the band. Richard Butler’s vocals provide an interesting juxtaposition to the music that is pleasing to the ear and complex at the same time.
“President Gas” is a rock and roll gem that starts side two of Forever Now. It’s a driving song that’s got enough ‘gas’ in the tank to get any music fan’s motor revving. In fact, “President Gas” shows a side of The Psychedelic Furs that may be surprising to the more casual fan who is only familiar with their hits. The song has a bit of a political vent to it, which is something Butler was apt to do in those days. “Love My Way,” for example, is also a socially conscious song as it was meant to say that no matter who or how love, it’s all okay.

The pace continues to be upbeat with “Run and Run” and “Danger.” The latter of the two has some great interplay between guitarist John Ashton and Rundgren’s hired gun horn section of Gary Windo and Donn Adams. The inclusion of horns is another aspect that sets Forever Now apart from Call of the West and After the Snow.

When side two ends with “Yes I Do (Merry-Go-Round),” it’s easy to forget that “Love My Way” was even on this record. Fans of the Psychedelic Furs who haven’t explored this whole album will be more than pleasantly surprised. Even back then, most fans were more than happy to flip the record or cassette over and listen to both sides.

1982 was a great year for music on many levels, but these timeless new wave gems are still pretty darn compelling to this day. “I Melt With You,” “Mexican Radio,” and “Love My Way” are all great singles, but all three of the records in this particular trinity deserve to be heard in their entirety.