My 20 Favourite Instrumentals of the 80s

Lately my blog has been doing numbers and one of the most popular posts recently is my 20 favourite instrumentals of the 60s and 20 favourite instrumentals of the 70s posts. Since classic rock certainly includes the 80s, why not continue this successful series and share my favourite instrumentals of the 80s? As usual with my favourites lists, there’s no ranking, these are just awesome instrumentals. Only one rule: each instrumental has to be by a different musician. If an obvious super famous instrumental isn’t on here, it doesn’t mean I don’t like it, I just make it a point to highlight music I think deserves a lot more attention. Growing up when I listened to the radio I got tired of hearing the same old songs so I like going off the beaten path and finding some gems.

1. “Oscillate Wildly” by The Smiths (1985)

The Smiths are a polarising band in my experience. You either love them or you hate them. I love The Smiths and I’m not going to apologise for that. Most people who hate The Smiths hate them because of Morrissey being whiny and problematic. If you can’t stand Morrissey, I have some good news for you, The Smiths have a few good instrumentals: “Oscillate Wildly”, “The Draize Train”, and “Money Changes Everything”. “Money Changes Everything” was such a good instrumental that Bryan Ferry added lyrics to it and it became “The Right Stuff”.

It was tough for me to pick a favourite instrumental, but “Oscillate Wildly” ultimately wins because of how beautiful it is. It’s dark, it’s haunting. I could picture it being closing credits music for a movie or TV show. This Johnny Marr composition is the b-side of The Smiths hit “How Soon Is Now?”. Johnny Marr said of it: “There was never any plan for it to have lyrics. It was always going to be an instrumental and Morrissey encouraged me all the way.” While Morrissey didn’t write it, I have a feeling that he was the one who named it, of course after one of his biggest idols Oscar Wilde. However, the title could have been a reference to something Molly Haskell had written. Maybe it’s not a matter of “or”, maybe it’s both? I joke that it would make a great term for stimming.

The instrumental has never been performed live. Not by The Smiths, Johnny Marr, or Morrissey’s band. If you want to read a good writeup of the instrumental, check out this Substack post.

2. “Sirius” by The Alan Parsons Project (1982)

If you’re from Chicago, you know this instrumental, especially if you followed The Bulls in the 1990s. And if you’re a basketball player playing against The Chicago Bulls, you’ll hate this instrumental, as it’s basically the final boss music, especially when the announcer goes, “And now the starting lineup for your World Champion Chicago Bulls!” That has to be the best ever sports intro, period! So good the Nebraska Cornhuskers also used it for their football team’s tunnel walk at home games.

“Sirius” wasn’t a hit, it was just the opening track for the album Eye in the Sky and it segues very nicely into the title track (also worth a listen). So how did the Chicago Bulls get ahold of it? Their announcer Tommy Edwards heard it in a cinema and really liked it and wanted the Bulls to use it as their intro music. This was during a time when basketball team intros weren’t with a lot of fanfare. It worked so well because it had this really good buildup, futuristic sound with the Fairlight synthesiser, it wasn’t a pop song that got old, and it didn’t have any associations with anything else so now you hear it and you immediately think of the Chicago Bulls, especially Michael Jordan. Perfect timing too because in 1984 it became the Bulls intro song and that was the year he made his debut with the Chicago Bulls.

For a while there, Alan Parsons had no clue that a basketball team were using his music. Most people don’t even know his name unless they’re music nerds, but he worked with two of the biggest groups in rock and roll as a sound engineer, The Beatles and Pink Floyd. He worked on two of classic rock’s greatest albums: Abbey Road and The Dark Side of the Moon.

3. “YYZ” by Rush (1981)

This is another favourite of mine. Named after the IATA airport identification code for the Toronto Pearson International Airport, Rush are shouting out their hometown and I love their unapologetic Canadian identity! If you know Morse code, then you’ll recognise that they’re playing “YYZ” in the intro. Rush had easily one of the best rhythm sections in rock music: Geddy Lee and Neil Peart, iconic! Alex Lifeson, legendary guitarist too. It’s a fan favourite.

This is yet another example of a song that is better live. Check out this version of “YYZ” from A Show of Hands with a long drum solo by Neil Peart!

4. “Wonderful Land” by Mike Oldfield (1980)

I really love Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells and Ommadawn and here’s another instrumental I love, this one’s a cover of The Shadows’ 1962 instrumental “Wonderful Land”, one of my favourite ever instrumentals. Like “Apache”, this one was also composed by Jerry Lordan and the original had this beautiful orchestral sound thanks to producer Norrie Paramor. Hank Marvin came up with the title, referring to the United States. I think he does The Shadows proud here! I love that fuzzy tone in the intro and I think with it being such a timeless, beautiful instrumental, it sounds great in this 80s rendition. One thing I love about Mike Oldfield is he can play a lot of instruments!

5. “Silver Wheels” by Heart (1980)

This instrumental is an oldie but goodie from Heart’s early years and Nancy would often play this acoustic instrumental right before “Crazy On You”. Which is the song I named this blog Crazy on Classic Rock after! It reminds me a lot of Steve Howe’s acoustic guitar playing with Yes.

6. “Перекати-поле” by Kino (1988)

This one’s a deeper cut. You might not know about Kino, unless you’re Russian, a big music nerd, or hear me rambling about how great they are. They’re a rock band from the USSR, founded in 1981 by half Korean half Russian frontman Viktor Tsoi, who I kind of think of as a Russian James Dean. Like Dean, he died young in a car accident. The classic lineup were Tsoi, Yuri Kasparyan, Igor Tikhomirov, and Georgy Guryanov. They are easily one of Russia’s most loved rock bands, with their song “Khochu Peremen” being used as a protest song. Thanks to the internet, they’ve gained an international cult following.

I love the beat in the intro, the drum machines, synths, fuzzy guitar, and the bit at the end with these hip-hop like record scratches. It reminds me a bit of New Order. This instrumental was made for the movie Игла (The Needle) which starred Viktor Tsoi. His appearances in movies no doubt boosted his profile.

7. “Thieves Like Us” by New Order (1984)

As a big fan of John Hughes movies, gotta be I’m from the Chicago area, I remember an instrumental of this song being used in the movie Pretty In Pink! Now this is a song I want to do my makeup to while getting ready for a day or night out!

8. “The Magnificent Dance” by The Clash (1981)

The instrumental version of The Clash’s rap song “The Magnificent Seven” (which came out six months before Blondie’s “Rapture” by the way!), this was the b-side to it. I love that funky bassline played by Norman Watt-Roy.

9. “Feel The Chant” by Spandau Ballet (1981)

This is the instrumental of “Chant No. 1 (I Don’t Need This Pressure On)” and I heard that song while doing research for my book Crime of the Century: Classic Rock & True Crime because brothers Martin and Gary Kemp played the Kray twins in a 1990 biopic.

Another great funky instrumental from 1981, this one was an influence on Paul Weller for The Jam’s later funky songs like “Precious”. This to me just sounds like the perfect funky song for a gay nightclub in the 1980s.

10. “Papa’s Got A Brand New Pigbag” by Pigbag (1981)

I found out about this instrumental thanks to the book Into The Groove by Justin Lewis. It was a top 10 hit in the UK and Ireland and once again, another influence on Paul Weller. The title is a reference to the Godfather of Soul James Brown’s classic song “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag”. Another great bassline here!

11. “An Ending (Ascent)” by Brian Eno (1983)

Brian Eno’s music is some of my favourite music to fall asleep to and I mean it in the best possible way. These ambient instrumentals are so calming and I especially love any song that’s outer space themed. This instrumental plus my glow in the dark stars, RGB LED light strips, and my lava lamp projector and I’m feeling relaxed!

12. “Surfing With The Alien” by Joe Satriani (1987)

And now for something completely different! You love virtuoso hard rock guitar instrumentals? Look no further than Surfing With The Alien.

13. “The Moon Rose” by Masayoshi Takanaka (1981)

Masayoshi Takanaka is one of those musicians where you can hit shuffle and you can’t go wrong. His music is so consistently good and a great introduction to city pop and jazz fusion if you’re not already into it. This instrumental came from this concept album based on Italian artist Ul de Rico’s book The Rainbow Goblins. Did you know that Masayoshi Takanaka released an album with Little Richard in 1992, which was Little Richard’s last album of new recordings?

14. “Ripple Dance” by Casiopea (1980)

Another great Japanese jazz fusion group, Casiopea are often people’s gateway into the genre. I love their live album Mint Jams. Another artist so consistently good that you can hit shuffle and you really can’t go wrong!

15. “Right Start” by Talking Heads (1980)

Everyone loves “Once in a Lifetime”, this was the jam that started it all. Technically an outtake, but it’s so good I have to include it in this list.

16. “Let’s Start The Dance III (Instrumental Club)” by Bohannon (1981)

Criminally underrated artist. Name checked by Tina Weymouth in the Tom Tom Club’s “Genius of Love”. If you still don’t know his name, you’ll know someone he had worked with like Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, The Temptations, The Supremes, The Four Tops, and Ray Parker Jr. Johnny Marr of The Smiths said that his song “Disco Stomp” was an influence on the song “How Soon Is Now?”

17. “Last Train Home” by Pat Metheny Group (1987)

Is that electric sitar I hear? You know I love a good sitar song, be it a regular sitar or an electric sitar! Gotta love how well an electric sitar works for all genres, including jazz fusion!

18. “Shut Up ‘N Play Yer Guitar” by Frank Zappa (1981)

Love how straightforward and apt this title is. It’s from “Inca Roads – Hammersmith Odeon 17 February 1979). If you love jazz fusion and you love guitar solos, you’ll love the box set of the same name. It’s what it says on the tin, electric guitar instrumentals and no one’s talking (well for 99% of the album).

P.S. Electric sitar lovers, you’ll love the songs “Trecherous Cretins” and “Canarsie”

19. “Peter Gunn” by Art of Noise and Duane Eddy (1986)

I love instrumental rock and that was a big part of the sound of the late 50s and early 60s. From 1958-1961 there was a private TV series called Peter Gunn, which had an iconic theme composed by Henry Mancini (who would also compose the Pink Panther theme). One popular cover of the theme was performed by twangy guitarist Duane Eddy and it became a top 10 hit in the UK and a top 30 hit in the US. Almost 30 years later, electronic group Art of Noise joined forces with Duane Eddy to make a new version of “Peter Gunn”, once again it was a top 10 hit in the UK and it did well on the dance charts in the US.

20. “The Ides of March” by Iron Maiden (1981)

Great heavy metal instrumental and the opener of their sophomore album Killers. Only wish that this was longer! Great guitars and drumming! This is one of two instrumentals on the album, the other being “Genghis Khan”. Both have historical themed titles.

So that concludes my list! Did you enjoy any of these instrumentals? Did you feel like I’ve missed any? Have your say in the comments section below! 🙂

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