Stuck in the '80s Podcast

So many of the great songs of the '80s that we associate with our favorite artists are actually cover songs. How do we know? Because we've now done 14 podcasts about them! Today's show features the origins of songs made famous by Pat Benatar, Laura Branigan, Tracey Ullman, and Joan Jett. Our Sponsors The 2026 lineup of The 80s Cruise is here, along with our promo code. Royal Caribbean's Adventure of the Seas departs Port Canaveral on February 27 with stops in Nassau, Falmouth and Labadee. Artists include: Bret Michaels, Nile Rodgers & Chic, OMD, Billy Ocean, Gary Numan, Berlin, Taylor Dayne, Sugarhill Gang, Quiet Riot, Glass Tiger, Donnie Iris, Dazz Band, Heaven 17, Men Without Hats, Aldo Nova, Rob Base and Kool Moe Dee. Former MTV veejays Mark Goodman, Alan Hunter and Downtown Julie Brown will be there too. And now, if you're a first-time guest on the cruise, you can $250 in cabin credit when booking if you use the promo code STUCK. For more information, go to www.the80scruise.com. Our podcast is listener-supported via Patreon. Members get special swag and invitations to patron-only Zoom happy hours with the hosts of the podcast. Find out more at our official Patreon page. The Stuck in the '80s podcast is hosted by creator Steve Spears and Brad Williams. Find out more about the show, celebrating its 19th year in 2024, at sit80s.com.

Val Kilmer has left us. But he left us with an amazing collection of work that we will honor for decades to come. Spearsy and co-host Chuck Coverly highlight their favorite film moments from "Top Secret" to "Real Genius," "Top Gun," "Willow," "Tombstone and more in this special memorial show. Our Sponsors Our podcast is listener-supported via Patreon. Members get special swag and invitations to patron-only Zoom happy hours with the hosts of the podcast. Find out more at our official Patreon page. The Stuck in the '80s podcast is hosted by creator Steve Spears and Brad Williams. Find out more about the show, celebrating its 20th year in 2025, at sit80s.com.

Spearsy reviews "MJ: The Musical," the touring Broadway production about the life of Michael Jackson. We also cover our favorite memories of the 2025 voyage of The 80s Cruise. Seggies this week including Mystery Movie Moment and Name That '80s Tune. Our Sponsors Our podcast is listener-supported via Patreon. Members get special swag and invitations to patron-only Zoom happy hours with the hosts of the podcast. Find out more at our official Patreon page. The Stuck in the '80s podcast is hosted by creator Steve Spears and Brad Williams. Find out more about the show, celebrating its 20th year in 2025, at sit80s.com.

Remember our "Rock Dinosaurs" of the '80s series of podcasts? We did them about 14 years ago, and they were a blast. Basically we honored the bands we loved in the '80s that were already pretty successful during previous decades. This episode from 2011 honors the Bee Gees, Steve Miller, the Jacksons, Aerosmith and more. Our Sponsors Our podcast is listener-supported via Patreon. Members get special swag and invitations to patron-only Zoom happy hours with the hosts of the podcast. Find out more at our official Patreon page. The Stuck in the '80s podcast is hosted by creator Steve Spears and Brad Williams. Find out more about the show, celebrating its 20th year in 2025, at sit80s.com.

Have we ever done a St. Patrick's Day episode of Stuck in the '80s? I'm not sure, but we definitely did a "Drinking in the '80s" episode a long time ago. Listen as Spearsy recounts his memories of the episode and then the actual episode, which was recorded live at the Green Iguana Bar in St. Petersburg back in 2006. Our Sponsors Our podcast is listener-supported via Patreon. Members get special swag and invitations to patron-only Zoom happy hours with the hosts of the podcast. Find out more at our official Patreon page. The Stuck in the '80s podcast is hosted by creator Steve Spears and Brad Williams. Find out more about the show, celebrating its 20th year in 2025, at sit80s.com.

Pete Byrne of Naked Eyes was one of the first interviews I did solo for Stuck in the '80s. It was back in 2008 and I had just seen the band perform as part of the Regeneration Tour in Las Vegas. Pete and I had a great chat as he shared stories behind some of the band's biggest hits. Naked Eyes is playing on the 2025 voyage of The 80s Cruise, so it's a good time to revisit this classic interview. Our Sponsors The 2025 lineup of The 80s Cruise features Squeeze, Adam Ant, Christopher Cross, Sheila E, Men at Work, Andy Bell of Erasure, Warrant, FireHouse, Dokken, Information Society, Kurtis Blow, Honeymoon Suite, Faster Pussycat, T'Pau, Tiffany, Naked Eyes and Musical Youth. Tribute bands include Sunset Boulevard, Trial by Fire and The Reflexx. Listen to this week's show for a special promo code that will give first-time cruisers $200 in cabin credit. For more information, go to www.the80scruise.com. Our podcast is listener-supported via Patreon. Members get special swag and invitations to patron-only Zoom happy hours with the hosts of the podcast. Find out more at our official Patreon page. The Stuck in the '80s podcast is hosted by creator Steve Spears and Brad Williams. Find out more about the show, celebrating its 19th year in 2024, at sit80s.com.

If you're a fan of 1986's "Labyrinth," then you need to know about the touring production of "Jim Henson's Labyrinth In Concert." Steve talks to Black Ink Production's John Kinsner about this amazing project. See the tour schedule here: Labyrinthinconcert.com Seggies this week include "TV Party Tonight" and "Spin Me Round." Our Sponsors The 2025 lineup of The 80s Cruise features Squeeze, Adam Ant, Christopher Cross, Sheila E, Men at Work, Andy Bell of Erasure, Warrant, FireHouse, Dokken, Information Society, Kurtis Blow, Honeymoon Suite, Faster Pussycat, T'Pau, Tiffany, Naked Eyes and Musical Youth. Tribute bands include Sunset Boulevard, Trial by Fire and The Reflexx. Listen to this week's show for a special promo code that will give first-time cruisers $200 in cabin credit. For more information, go to www.the80scruise.com. Our podcast is listener-supported via Patreon. Members get special swag and invitations to patron-only Zoom happy hours with the hosts of the podcast. Find out more at our official Patreon page. The Stuck in the '80s podcast is hosted by creator Steve Spears and Brad Williams. Find out more about the show, celebrating its 19th year in 2024, at sit80s.com.

It's been 45 years since the Miracle on Ice?!? That's insane. Back in 2010, for the hockey game's 30th anniversary, we did a pretty damn good job honoring one of the greatest upsets in Olympic history. The episode features former co-host Sean Daly and St. Pete Times sports columnist Tom Jones. Enjoy the memories. Our Sponsors The 2025 lineup of The 80s Cruise features Squeeze, Adam Ant, Christopher Cross, Sheila E, Men at Work, Andy Bell of Erasure, Warrant, FireHouse, Dokken, Information Society, Kurtis Blow, Honeymoon Suite, Faster Pussycat, T'Pau, Tiffany, Naked Eyes and Musical Youth. Tribute bands include Sunset Boulevard, Trial by Fire and The Reflexx. Listen to this week's show for a special promo code that will give first-time cruisers $200 in cabin credit. For more information, go to www.the80scruise.com. Our podcast is listener-supported via Patreon. Members get special swag and invitations to patron-only Zoom happy hours with the hosts of the podcast. Find out more at our official Patreon page. The Stuck in the '80s podcast is hosted by creator Steve Spears and Brad Williams. Find out more about the show, celebrating its 19th year in 2024, at sit80s.com.

Do you remember the hit songs of 1988? George Michael, INXS, Michael Jackson - they all ruled the charts. But how many of the deeper hits do you remember? We honor the forgotten hits of 1988 with tunes from Paul Carrack, Bruce Hornsby, Roger, and Brenda Russell. Seggies this week include Mystery Movie Moment and Name that '80s Tune. Also, Please Please Tell Me Now. Our Sponsors The 2025 lineup of The 80s Cruise features Squeeze, Adam Ant, Christopher Cross, Sheila E, Men at Work, Andy Bell of Erasure, Warrant, FireHouse, Dokken, Information Society, Kurtis Blow, Honeymoon Suite, Faster Pussycat, T'Pau, Tiffany, Naked Eyes and Musical Youth. Tribute bands include Sunset Boulevard, Trial by Fire and The Reflexx. Listen to this week's show for a special promo code that will give first-time cruisers $200 in cabin credit. For more information, go to www.the80scruise.com. Our podcast is listener-supported via Patreon. Members get special swag and invitations to patron-only Zoom happy hours with the hosts of the podcast. Find out more at our official Patreon page. The Stuck in the '80s podcast is hosted by creator Steve Spears and Brad Williams. Find out more about the show, celebrating its 19th year in 2024, at sit80s.com.

While we enjoy/endure an unexpected break in new episodes, Spearsy decided to listen again to Episode 49 - Michael Jackson's Thriller. It's one of our favorite episodes and features co-hosts Sean Daly and Cathy Wos. We'll be back soon with two new shows. Our Sponsors The 2025 lineup of The 80s Cruise features Squeeze, Adam Ant, Christopher Cross, Sheila E, Men at Work, Andy Bell of Erasure, Warrant, FireHouse, Dokken, Information Society, Kurtis Blow, Honeymoon Suite, Faster Pussycat, T'Pau, Tiffany, Naked Eyes and Musical Youth. Tribute bands include Sunset Boulevard, Trial by Fire and The Reflexx. Listen to this week's show for a special promo code that will give first-time cruisers $200 in cabin credit. For more information, go to www.the80scruise.com. Our podcast is listener-supported via Patreon. Members get special swag and invitations to patron-only Zoom happy hours with the hosts of the podcast. Find out more at our official Patreon page. The Stuck in the '80s podcast is hosted by creator Steve Spears and Brad Williams. Find out more about the show, celebrating its 19th year in 2024, at sit80s.com.

Cast your mind back to 1977 - the golden age of disco. But in the UK, a lot of different songs were reaching the top of the charts. Here are a few that reached No. 2 on the British charts in 1977 but got no further. Featuring songs by the Sex Pistols, Space and Boney M. Seggies this week include TV Party Tonight and Spin Me Round. Our Sponsors The 2025 lineup of The 80s Cruise features Squeeze, Adam Ant, Christopher Cross, Sheila E, Men at Work, Andy Bell of Erasure, Warrant, FireHouse, Dokken, Information Society, Kurtis Blow, Honeymoon Suite, Faster Pussycat, T'Pau, Tiffany, Naked Eyes and Musical Youth. Tribute bands include Sunset Boulevard, Trial by Fire and The Reflexx. Listen to this week's show for a special promo code that will give first-time cruisers $200 in cabin credit. For more information, go to www.the80scruise.com. Our podcast is listener-supported via Patreon. Members get special swag and invitations to patron-only Zoom happy hours with the hosts of the podcast. Find out more at our official Patreon page. The Stuck in the '80s podcast is hosted by creator Steve Spears and Brad Williams. Find out more about the show, celebrating its 19th year in 2024, at sit80s.com.

Can you wrap your brain around the fact that our favorite albums from 1985 just turned 40 years old? This week we honor albums by Luther Vandross, Sheila E, the Hooters, Big Audio Dynamite and more. Seggies this week include Mystery Movie Moment and Name That '80s Tune. Our Sponsors The 2025 lineup of The 80s Cruise features Squeeze, Adam Ant, Christopher Cross, Sheila E, Men at Work, Andy Bell of Erasure, Warrant, FireHouse, Dokken, Information Society, Kurtis Blow, Honeymoon Suite, Faster Pussycat, T'Pau, Tiffany, Naked Eyes and Musical Youth. Tribute bands include Sunset Boulevard, Trial by Fire and The Reflexx. Listen to this week's show for a special promo code that will give first-time cruisers $200 in cabin credit. For more information, go to www.the80scruise.com. Our podcast is listener-supported via Patreon. Members get special swag and invitations to patron-only Zoom happy hours with the hosts of the podcast. Find out more at our official Patreon page. The Stuck in the '80s podcast is hosted by creator Steve Spears and Brad Williams. Find out more about the show, celebrating its 19th year in 2024, at sit80s.com.

In 20 years of Stuck in the '80s, we've yet to hear from any of Steve's friends from the actual 1980s. That ends with this week's episode: a conversation with former University of Florida student newspaper editor and now author Derek Catron. Derek talks about his new book "Final Deadline" and relives stories from their days in college. Read more about Derek Catron. Buy "Final Deadline" on Amazon. Visit the Independent Florida Alligator newspaper site online. Seggies this week include TV Party Tonight and Spin Me Round. Our Sponsors The 2025 lineup of The 80s Cruise features Squeeze, Adam Ant, Christopher Cross, Sheila E, Men at Work, Andy Bell of Erasure, Warrant, FireHouse, Dokken, Information Society, Kurtis Blow, Honeymoon Suite, Faster Pussycat, T'Pau, Tiffany, Naked Eyes and Musical Youth. Tribute bands include Sunset Boulevard, Trial by Fire and The Reflexx. Listen to this week's show for a special promo code that will give first-time cruisers $200 in cabin credit. For more information, go to www.the80scruise.com. Our podcast is listener-supported via Patreon. Members get special swag and invitations to patron-only Zoom happy hours with the hosts of the podcast. Find out more at our official Patreon page. The Stuck in the '80s podcast is hosted by creator Steve Spears and Brad Williams. Find out more about the show, celebrating its 19th year in 2024, at sit80s.com.

Who's ready for some deep cuts when it comes to '80s Christmas albums? This week's episode features tunes by Alabama, Dr. Demento, George Winston and Mannheim Steamroller. Plus, the return of "Stuck in the Arcade." Our Sponsors The 2025 lineup of The 80s Cruise features Squeeze, Adam Ant, Christopher Cross, Sheila E, Men at Work, Andy Bell of Erasure, Warrant, FireHouse, Dokken, Information Society, Kurtis Blow, Honeymoon Suite, Faster Pussycat, T'Pau, Tiffany, Naked Eyes and Musical Youth. Tribute bands include Sunset Boulevard, Trial by Fire and The Reflexx. Listen to this week's show for a special promo code that will give first-time cruisers $200 in cabin credit. For more information, go to www.the80scruise.com. Our podcast is listener-supported via Patreon. Members get special swag and invitations to patron-only Zoom happy hours with the hosts of the podcast. Find out more at our official Patreon page. The Stuck in the '80s podcast is hosted by creator Steve Spears and Brad Williams. Find out more about the show, celebrating its 19th year in 2024, at sit80s.com.

Is "Die Hard" a Christmas movie? We answer that nagging query and more with special guest Brian Abrams, author of "Die Hard: An Oral History." Our Sponsors The 2025 lineup of The 80s Cruise features Squeeze, Adam Ant, Christopher Cross, Sheila E, Men at Work, Andy Bell of Erasure, Warrant, FireHouse, Dokken, Information Society, Kurtis Blow, Honeymoon Suite, Faster Pussycat, T'Pau, Tiffany, Naked Eyes and Musical Youth. Tribute bands now include Sunset Boulevard, Trial by Fire and The Reflexx. Listen to this week's show for a special promo code that will give first-time cruisers $200 in cabin credit. For more information, go to www.the80scruise.com. Our podcast is listener-supported via Patreon. Members get special swag and invitations to patron-only Zoom happy hours with the hosts of the podcast. Find out more at our official Patreon page. The Stuck in the '80s podcast is hosted by creator Steve Spears and Brad Williams. Find out more about the show, celebrating its 19th year in 2024, at sit80s.com.

Hoosiers. Dead Poets Society. Vision Quest. The Goonies. The '80s were full of inspirational speeches in our favorite movies. We start a new series with this episode on our favorite inspirational moments from '80s classics. Also seggies with Mystery Movie Moment and Name that '80s Tune. Our Sponsors The 2025 lineup of The 80s Cruise features Squeeze, Adam Ant, Christopher Cross, Sheila E, Men at Work, Andy Bell of Erasure, Warrant, FireHouse, Dokken, Information Society, Kurtis Blow, Honeymoon Suite, The Alarm, Faster Pussycat, T'Pau, From the Jam and Musical Youth. Tribute bands now include Sunset Boulevard, Trial by Fire and The Reflexx. Listen to this week's show for a special promo code that will give first-time cruisers $200 in cabin credit. For more information, go to www.the80scruise.com. Our podcast is listener-supported via Patreon. Members get special swag and invitations to patron-only Zoom happy hours with the hosts of the podcast. Find out more at our official Patreon page. The Stuck in the '80s podcast is hosted by creator Steve Spears and Brad Williams. Find out more about the show, celebrating its 19th year in 2024, at sit80s.com.

After 20 years, can you blame us for not coming up with another original idea for a Thanksgiving podcast? Here's "Turkeys of the '80s" - our show from 2018, featuring Jen with One N and B-Rad as co-hosts. We honor the movies and music that were real "turkeys" in our beloved decade. Our Sponsors The 2025 lineup of The 80s Cruise features Squeeze, Adam Ant, Christopher Cross, Sheila E, Men at Work, Andy Bell of Erasure, Warrant, FireHouse, Dokken, Information Society, Kurtis Blow, Honeymoon Suite, The Alarm, Faster Pussycat, T'Pau, From the Jam and Musical Youth. Tribute bands now include Sunset Boulevard, Trial by Fire and The Reflexx. Listen to this week's show for a special promo code that will give first-time cruisers $200 in cabin credit. For more information, go to www.the80scruise.com. Our podcast is listener-supported via Patreon. Members get special swag and invitations to patron-only Zoom happy hours with the hosts of the podcast. Find out more at our official Patreon page. The Stuck in the '80s podcast is hosted by creator Steve Spears and Brad Williams. Find out more about the show, celebrating its 19th year in 2024, at sit80s.com.

Come relive the glory days of Stuck in the '80s and journey back to 2011 when Spearsy got the chance to interview former Journey frontman Steve Perry. Oh, it's a classic chat full of twists, turns and revelations galore. Our Sponsors The 2025 lineup of The 80s Cruise features Squeeze, Adam Ant, Christopher Cross, Sheila E, Men at Work, Andy Bell of Erasure, Warrant, FireHouse, Dokken, Information Society, Kurtis Blow, Honeymoon Suite, The Alarm, Faster Pussycat, T'Pau, From the Jam and Musical Youth. Tribute bands now include Sunset Boulevard, Trial by Fire and The Reflexx. Listen to this week's show for a special promo code that will give first-time cruisers $200 in cabin credit. For more information, go to www.the80scruise.com. Our podcast is listener-supported via Patreon. Members get special swag and invitations to patron-only Zoom happy hours with the hosts of the podcast. Find out more at our official Patreon page. The Stuck in the '80s podcast is hosted by creator Steve Spears and Brad Williams. Find out more about the show, celebrating its 19th year in 2024, at sit80s.com.

Come with me if you want to live! It's the 40th anniversary of "The Terminator." Share your favorite movie quotes and decide once and for all if AI is really something that's going to destroy the planet any day now. Our Sponsors The 2025 lineup of The 80s Cruise features Squeeze, Adam Ant, Christopher Cross, Sheila E, Men at Work, Andy Bell of Erasure, Warrant, FireHouse, Dokken, Information Society, Kurtis Blow, Honeymoon Suite, The Alarm, Faster Pussycat, T'Pau, From the Jam and Musical Youth. Tribute bands now include Sunset Boulevard, Trial by Fire and The Reflexx. Listen to this week's show for a special promo code that will give first-time cruisers $200 in cabin credit. For more information, go to www.the80scruise.com. Our podcast is listener-supported via Patreon. Members get special swag and invitations to patron-only Zoom happy hours with the hosts of the podcast. Find out more at our official Patreon page. The Stuck in the '80s podcast is hosted by creator Steve Spears and Brad Williams. Find out more about the show, celebrating its 19th year in 2024, at sit80s.com.

Do you hate the term "one-hit wonders?" How do you feel about "two-hit wonders?" Many of the bands we loved in the '80s only reached the Billboard Top 40 twice in their career. We celebrate four more of them today, including General Public and a-Ha. Our Sponsors The 2025 lineup of The 80s Cruise features Squeeze, Adam Ant, Christopher Cross, Sheila E, Men at Work, Andy Bell of Erasure, Warrant, FireHouse, Dokken, Information Society, Kurtis Blow, Honeymoon Suite, The Alarm, Faster Pussycat, T'Pau, From the Jam and Musical Youth. Tribute bands now include Sunset Boulevard, Trial by Fire and The Reflexx. Listen to this week's show for a special promo code that will give first-time cruisers $200 in cabin credit. For more information, go to www.the80scruise.com. Our podcast is listener-supported via Patreon. Members get special swag and invitations to patron-only Zoom happy hours with the hosts of the podcast. Find out more at our official Patreon page. The Stuck in the '80s podcast is hosted by creator Steve Spears and Brad Williams. Find out more about the show, celebrating its 19th year in 2024, at sit80s.com.