Viking from Bluegrass now in the Land of the Fighting Irish

So everyone knows that the 80's were a fairly cheesy decade. However, the 70's were also a cheesy decade and the 60's had some of the cheesiest pop music ever made. And I guess depending on what decade you were raised in, it's always easy to laugh at either the decade of your parents' adolescence or maybe even your own teenage decade when you're old enough to look back and laugh at it. So judging "cheesiness" is completely subjective. With that said, even within the 80's World of Pop Music Queso, certain musical acts stand out as being the kings & queens of cheesiness. Also, I'm only including artists/bands who compiled a substantial volume of work because every era has one-hit wonders. No, these are the people who continuously poured out the audio cheese, filling the radio airwaves, department store sound systems, and our Walkmen & jamboxes with mind-numbingly cheesy pop hits...the kind you CANNOT get out of your head whether you want to or not (but especiallly if you want to).

Hall of Fame of 80's Cheesy Musical Artists (including their # 1 CHEESIEST HIT according to me)

Air Supply: Every Woman In The World
This might've been the first act any of you thought of in regards to Cheese Factor but they actually have some pop gems i.e. Making Love Out Of Nothing At All. Sometimes super-schmaltzy sells.

Chicago: You're The Inspiration
Since Chicago started out as a jazz band, I wanted to leave them off BUT they transitioned to "soft rock" in the 80's and that's the selection I pulled from.

In this case the sheer level of queso that Hall & Oates displayed on a regular basis makes it IMPOSSIBLE to narrow it down to one song. Seriously. So I picked three...
Hall & Oates: I Can't Go For That (No Can Do), Kiss On My List, Say It Isn't So
Plus here's a bonus visual so you appreciate the "Welcome Back Kotter" hairdo ;-)



The Jets: Rocket 2 U
This was the Hawaiian band made up of 10 brothers and sisters. Ma-ha-lo ;-)

Kenny Loggins: I'm Free (Heaven Helps The Man) from the Footloose Soundtrack
Like I've said before, Mr. Loggins was the King of 80's movie soundtracks

Loverboy: Lovin' Every Minute Of It
Tidbit from Wikipedia: Originally rejected by all the major record labels in the United States, the band signed with Columbia Records of Canada to help meet Canadian content laws. On March 20, 1980, Loverboy went into the studio with producer Bruce Fairbairn and engineer Bob Rock to record what would be their self-titled debut album.

Michael Bolton: How Can We Be Lovers
I realize that this clown mostly recorded n the 90's but I couldn't resist leaving this song off. After reading his wikipedia bio, apparently "Poodle Hair", as I like to call him, is a better songwriter than a singer because he's written some good songs for other people. Who knew?

Milli Vanilli: Girl You Know It's True
As we all know, this group had a VERY short-lived time in the spotlight ('88-'90) due to the screw-up at a live prformance on MTV where it was revealed that the dancers on stage were not the real singers (which caused their Grammy to be taken away) but I couldn't possibly leave them off.

New Edition: If It Isn't Love nothing is cheesier than stopping to talk during a song ;-)
I'm guessing you guys already know that this Boy Band consisted of 6 guys who went on to careers after New Edition: Bobby Brown (the most successful), Johnny Gill, Ralph Tresvant, and the 3 guys who made up Bell Biv DeVoe (Michael Bivins, Ricky Bell, Ronnie DeVoe).

The New Kids On The Block: Hangin' Tough
Yeah these guys were about as "tough" as cotton candy which makes this even funnier. In fact I think even Menudo could've kicked these guys' butts and they were way younger ;-) It took a lot for me not to just list every song they ever recorded but this one stands out as the most laughable.

REO Speedwagon: Can't Fight This Feeling
I'm not gonna lie, I freakin' love this song LOL (but I am willing to admit how darn cheesy it is). These guys started in the 70's and carried their super-cheese style right into the next decade with almost no changes ;-)

Wham!: Wake Me Up Before You Go Go
The lyrics in this song are ridiculous but tres catchy.

Honorable Mention
Menudo: no particular song because they were all pretty bad but we did watch their videos on Disney Channel

Billy Ocean: Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car

Tiffany: I Think We're Alone Now

Starship: Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now from the Mannequin Soundtrack
Similar to Chicago, Starship started off in a different genre (as Jefferson Airplane) and they changed, re-naming the band.

NOTE: By the way, as far as Hair Bands go, I'm leaving most of them off of here because I think they deserve their own list.