Into the Groove
The 1980s: The Ultimate Decade in Music History - The perfect stocking filler for the pop aficionado in your life
Published on 2. October 2025
Book
Hardback
272 pages
978-1-78396-913-5 (ISBN)
Description
An epic compendium of stories and trivia from the 80s music scene
'It's almost indecently entertaining' The Mail on Sunday
'Justin Lewis tells pop's never-ending story brilliantly' David Quantick
The eighties was one of the most innovative periods in the history of pop music - and even forty years on remains one of the best-loved, championed by radio, television, advertisements, theatre and films, with many of the acts still performing and recording.
Into the Groove is a tale of pop and circumstance. It charts the global story of pop music month by month from January 1980 to December 1989, highlighting a variety of events and tracing the career paths of many noteworthy pop acts around the world, including Annie Lennox, A-ha, Roxette, Prince, Madonna, Kraftwerk, David Bowie, Whitney Houston, Sugarcubes - and many more. It celebrates genres of all kinds - the enduring and the faddish, the mainstream and the underground, from post-punk to acid house, from heavy rock to electronic, from hip hop to teen pop - showcasing many of the decade's key recordings, figures and events, while also revealing plenty of intriguing lesser-known stories to create a wry and diverse musical tapestry.
The perfect gift for any music lover or eighties aficionado, Into the Groove is an endlessly entertaining homage to the 1980s music scene.
'A treasure chest of pop riches ... I loved this book!' Samira Ahmed
'Forensic, forthright and downright unputdownable' Ian Wade
REVISIT THE ULTIMATE DECADE IN MUSIC HISTORY
? 1980: Blondie's Debbie Harry sings 'Call Me' with the Muppets on their TV variety series.
? 1981: Kicking off with 'Video Killed the Radio Star' by Buggles, MTV in the US becomes the first 24-hour TV music station in the world.
? 1982: Newcomers Culture Club replace an unavailable Shakin' Stevens for their Top of the Pops debut.
? 1983: The compact disc and the karaoke machine are launched in the UK.
? 1984: Rick Rubin's new Def Jam record label specialises in a mix of hip hop and rock, introducing LL Cool J and the Beastie Boys.
? 1985: Duran Duran, Madonna, Phil Collins and U2 are among the dozens of artists appearing at Live Aid for Africa, which raises millions to ease famine relief.
? 1986: 'Love Can't Turn Around' and 'Jack Your Body' become the first House records from Chicago to cross over into the mainstream.
? 1987: In Australia, Neighbours actor Kylie Minogue records her first single - with a cover of 'The Loco-Motion'.
? 1988: Seventeen-year-old MC Lyte, with Lyte as a Rock, becomes the first ever female rapper to release a full album.
? 1989: Members of New Order, The Smiths and Pet Shop Boys join forces for Electronic's single 'Getting Away with It'.
'It's almost indecently entertaining' The Mail on Sunday
'Justin Lewis tells pop's never-ending story brilliantly' David Quantick
The eighties was one of the most innovative periods in the history of pop music - and even forty years on remains one of the best-loved, championed by radio, television, advertisements, theatre and films, with many of the acts still performing and recording.
Into the Groove is a tale of pop and circumstance. It charts the global story of pop music month by month from January 1980 to December 1989, highlighting a variety of events and tracing the career paths of many noteworthy pop acts around the world, including Annie Lennox, A-ha, Roxette, Prince, Madonna, Kraftwerk, David Bowie, Whitney Houston, Sugarcubes - and many more. It celebrates genres of all kinds - the enduring and the faddish, the mainstream and the underground, from post-punk to acid house, from heavy rock to electronic, from hip hop to teen pop - showcasing many of the decade's key recordings, figures and events, while also revealing plenty of intriguing lesser-known stories to create a wry and diverse musical tapestry.
The perfect gift for any music lover or eighties aficionado, Into the Groove is an endlessly entertaining homage to the 1980s music scene.
'A treasure chest of pop riches ... I loved this book!' Samira Ahmed
'Forensic, forthright and downright unputdownable' Ian Wade
REVISIT THE ULTIMATE DECADE IN MUSIC HISTORY
? 1980: Blondie's Debbie Harry sings 'Call Me' with the Muppets on their TV variety series.
? 1981: Kicking off with 'Video Killed the Radio Star' by Buggles, MTV in the US becomes the first 24-hour TV music station in the world.
? 1982: Newcomers Culture Club replace an unavailable Shakin' Stevens for their Top of the Pops debut.
? 1983: The compact disc and the karaoke machine are launched in the UK.
? 1984: Rick Rubin's new Def Jam record label specialises in a mix of hip hop and rock, introducing LL Cool J and the Beastie Boys.
? 1985: Duran Duran, Madonna, Phil Collins and U2 are among the dozens of artists appearing at Live Aid for Africa, which raises millions to ease famine relief.
? 1986: 'Love Can't Turn Around' and 'Jack Your Body' become the first House records from Chicago to cross over into the mainstream.
? 1987: In Australia, Neighbours actor Kylie Minogue records her first single - with a cover of 'The Loco-Motion'.
? 1988: Seventeen-year-old MC Lyte, with Lyte as a Rock, becomes the first ever female rapper to release a full album.
? 1989: Members of New Order, The Smiths and Pet Shop Boys join forces for Electronic's single 'Getting Away with It'.
Reviews / Votes
'Into the Groove is a history of 1980s pop music, something the world probably needs more than it realises ... Like much of the music it describes ... it's almost indecently entertaining ... Pages of stories, anecdotes and fascinating facts ... Lewis writes well and lovingly on this ridiculous decade.' The Mail on Sunday'Into the Groove is beautifully researched and scrupulously presented - but Lewis's undoubted expertise is worn lightly, and this very much isn't a list of number 1s, or who was awarded what type of metallic disc. It's a human story of how pop music changed over the course of a decade, more important in the everyday lives of normal people than the comings-and-goings of governments and politicians. It's not just music history, it's history history, light of touch and all the better for it.' The Arts Desk
'Justin Lewis tells pop's never-ending story brilliantly. Every day he writes the book, and the book is amazing.' David Quantick, Emmy Award-winning writer and novelist
''With Into the Groove, Justin shows that there was so much more to eighties pop beyond the headlines of Wham!, Band Aid and SAW, and nudges the spotlight on to the one-offs and the semi-forgotten leaps forward. Forensic, forthright and downright unputdownable, the perfect pop book for anyone who came of age (or indeed anybody else) during pop's giddiest and most experimental decade.' Ian Wade, author of 1984: The Year Pop Went Queer
'Like a treasure chest of pop riches ... I loved this book!' Samira Ahmed, journalist and broadcaster
'Into The Groove is a brilliantly detailed topography of probably the greatest of all pop decades, the 1980s, whose music even those unborn back then still live with and love on a daily basis. Invaluable both for pop fans and pop historians.' David Stubbs, music journalist
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'A brilliant read' Paul Ross, talkSPORT Extra Time
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
Dimensions
Height: 216 mm
Width: 138 mm
ISBN-13
978-1-78396-913-5 (9781783969135)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Justin Lewis is a writer, researcher and editor, who grew up during the 1980s, and even started writing and presenting for local radio before the decade ended. His most recent book is Don't Stop the Music: A Year of Pop History, One Day at a Time (2023, Elliott & Thompson). He has an encyclopaedic knowledge of popular music and a deep understanding of what makes it such a passion for so many people. He has been an editor, writer and contributor to various print and online music publications for more than 30 years, including The Guinness Book of Hit Singles and The Rough Guide to Rock. He lives in Swansea, in Wales.