Better 29 years late than never...

If you've ever listened to Pete Townshend's "Let My Love Open the Door" and thought to yourself "my god-- why are there virtually no radio stations that dedicate themselves to 80's music?".... then you are not alone.

It's truly an underrated decade in American music history that is continuously passed over on the airwaves (besides soft-rock stations) in favor of "oldies" and "classic rock." Sure, you can argue that classic rock/motown/oldies get more airplay because they are simply (and objectively) better than most of the tunes that came from the 80's. You're probably right. It's obvious that 80's synthpop wasn't going to be as timeless as the politically and culturally charged anthems of the 60's. Similarly, few sane people would argue that Hall and Oates are on the same playing field as the Beatles, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, and the like.

Still-- there is something magical about the 80's. The keyboard effects and poppy-hooks are so addictive and fun to listen to that it's essentially audio-crack (or at least what I imagine audio-crack to be). You might not want to like it, but you do. Even rock and roll legends couldn't escape help themselves. Ponder this... Pete Townshend helped make The Who one of the greatest rock bands of the 60's and 70's (and some will argue ever). 1980 came and bam! He releases "Let My Heart Open the Door." It's inexplicable.

Enjoy this random mixtape of mash-ups that feature 80's songs.... and, of course, the original song that inspired it.

1. Divide & Kreate - Maneater Love (link removed)
2. EARLYBIRD - Girls Just Wanna Dance (link removed)
3. John Roman - Rich Girl Mashup (link removed)
4. Party Ben - Promiscuous With You (link removed)
5. Apollo Zero Reconstruct - Like Jesus or Not (link removed)
6. Go Home Productions - Pink Wedding (link removed)

7. Pete Townshend - Let My Love Open the Door (link removed)

MP3: DOWNLOAD the entire 80's Mixtape (click here).

A little more detail:

1. Nelly Furtado v. Bon Jovi

2. Whitney Houston v. Cindy Lauper

3. Hall and Oates v. Jay-Z v. 50 Cent v. Slick Rick

4. Michael Jackson v. Nelly Furtado

5. Madonna v. Depeche Mode

6. Pink v. Billy Idol

7. Pete Townshend original

Buy the album here.

Oh yea-- for those astute listeners.

Took me a few minutes to crack this code. But if the intro to Let My Love Open the Door sounded familiar to you even though you're pretty sure you haven't listened to the song in a while... no worries, it's on Girl Talk's Feed the Animal's "Play Your Part - Pt. 1" (about a minute in).