I'm not of the belief that certain time periods have better music than others. I tend to believe that music is music, and that people have their tastes and those tastes conform to certain era. With that said, there are certain eras in music that have their own time-specific appeals: 20s Jazz, mid-century blues, early 2000s indie rock, and of course 1980s pop, peaking with the mid 80s. All of the following songs were released in a time period between 1984 and 1986. 

The first song in this medley is a song from the musician known as "The Boss," Bruce Springsteen. This is my favorite of his works, a truly electric anthem of yearning and misplaced energy. This is "Dancing in the Dark." 

Next up is a song that just happened to pop up next in the Youtube playlist, but which I've long been a fan of. This song is probably known more for its video (featuring Paul Simon and his real life best friend Chevy Chase) than the song itself, but that doesn't for one second mean that the song isn't an absolute banger. This is "You Can Call Me Al" by Paul Simon. 

Next is a song that you either love or hate. Pencil me into the former category. This is "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" by Wham, a song I will always associate with disastrous but fun gasoline fights. 

Last up is a song that needs no introduction, another known as much for its (at the time, very innovative) music video as it is for the song itself. This is "Take On Me" by Swedish pop group Aha.