New Wave is a difficult music genre to explain. It is the deluge of music in the 1980s: it is punk from the 70s, post-punk, alternative, New Romanticism, electronic, synthpop, party music, goth, rock, pop, ska and even blue-eyed soul and rockabilly; it is the music that defined a decade and a half – the music of an entire generation.
The Influence
New Wave can be split into many categories and styles, but they all come from similar influences, the three artists that many New Wave musicians claim to have inspired their musical career are Roxy Music, David Bowie, and Kraftwerk.
Roxy Music’s fusion of punk and glam rock blended with electronic elements is reminisced by many New Wave artists, leading Roxy to being considered one of the first New Wave bands, with lead singer Bryan Ferry having a successful solo career after the band’s [second] split, as well as synth player Brian Eno becoming a catalyzing producer in the New Wave scene, producing such acts as Talking Heads, Devo, U2, while also playing on David Bowie’s ‘Berlin Trilogy’ of albums.
Bowie’s impact on New Wave is no less substantial than Roxy Music’s, if not more so; being a glam rocker and blender of musical styles, Bowie’s music became foundational to the broad spectrum of what became New Wave from his simple soft rock debut single “Space Oddity” in 1969, his 1972 glam rock album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, to his 1975 album Young Americans which featured soul, funk, and R&B music, and finally his New Wave resurrection with Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) and Let’s Dance in the early 80s.
Finally, Kraftwerk played a pivotal role in the use of synthesizers in mainstream music, yet had less commercial success than either Bowie or Roxy Music; Kraftwerk, a German band, had a style that seemed dreamy and very electronic appeal, even making breakthroughs in bringing technology into music, however, Kraftwerk, speaking German failed to garner success in any country outside of Germany, although they still influenced many New Wave bands, with Martin Gore of Depeche Mode stating ‘For anyone of our generation involved in electronic music, Kraftwerk were the godfathers.’[1] Despite being so influential on the New Wave scene, Kraftwerk only had one number one single “The Model/Computer Love,” which topped the UK charts in February 1982.
A significant amount of the upbeat tempos and modified styles also came from American R&B and soul, just as the Beatles had done; by remarketing the African American music and modifying it for White American audiences, many bands grew to significance. Some bands even covered R&B songs, such as Soft Cell’s “Tainted Love,” a cover of Gloria Jones’ 1976 song, or Blondie’s 1980 cover of the reggae song “The Tide is High.”
The Style
The style of New Wave music is an odd combination of many genres that grew to prominence in the 1980s alternative scene, most artists of the genre came from the UK creating the Second British Invasion, the first of which being in the 60s led by acts such as the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. Although much of the music was inspired by the works and styles of Roxy, Bowie, Kraftwerk, and African American music, much of the alternative music in the 1980s was a direct result of the early New Wave punk scene in the UK, led by the Sex Pistols, Generation X, the Buzzcocks, and the Clash. These bands spread to the US causing the rise of the Ramones, Blondie, and X. By the late 1970s, punk had fallen out of fashion; this split caused the formation of post-punk, goth, electronic, and New Wave’s unique post-disco rock style, such as that of Australian band INXS and Adam Ant.
- Punk: the earliest forms of New Wave were expressed through the rise of punk rock, a reformation of the 60s mod scene led by such bands as the Who; punk was characterized by its loud sound, its reliance on guitar, and most importantly its highly politicized lyrics usually yelled out instead of being sung, usually about anarchism, such as the Sex Pistol’s song “Anarchy in the UK,” the punk scene also revolutionized the use of drums in popular music.
- Post-Punk: formed at the end of the punk scene in 1977, although it followed punk’s style, it had an experimental approach and influences from genres typically outside of rock like funk, new disco, electronic, jazz, and dance. Post-punk’s lyrical content was more rounded than that of punk, it usually had origins in media of literature and movies, although politics, and emotions still were prevalent.
- Goth: a genre birthed from post-punk led by such pioneers as Siouxsie and the Banshees, the Cure, and Joy Division (which later became the electronic band New Order following lead singer Ian Curtis’ tragic suicide), gothic rock had dark musical and lyrical undertones inspired by gothic literature from the early nineteenth century, having lyrical themes of nihilism and melancholy.
- Electronic: rising from the use of synthesizers in 60s rock, such as that of the Who and the Doors. The earliest New Wave uses of synths to make electronic music was the German band Kraftwerk, but in 1979, former punk Gary Numan released his hit single “Cars,” which caused the electronic and synth-pop revolution in the UK. Musically, electronic and synth-pop was characterized by its reliance on synthesizer beats and drum machines, although physical instruments were still used, lyrically, thoughts of isolation and emptiness. Other bands such as Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), New Order, and the Human League also carried on the genre.
- Rock: although related to the rock of the previous two decades, New Wave rock brought on influence from outside genres like soul, ska, and jazz. These influences can be shown through the works of the Police, INXS, the Cars, and the New Romantic Movement (such bands as Duran Duran, ABC, and Culture Club). There was also the rise of indie rock – rock mostly self-produced by independent bands and having a dark, characterized by a wide variety from the Smiths, Adam and the Ants, and the Thompson Twins.
The Look
The fashion of the New Wave scene varied depending on the subgenre, New Romanticism, goths, punks, and rockers all had different fashion styles. By the early 80s, fashion had become diverse, although casual fashion was obsessed with neon colors used by such acts like Howard Jones and the Go-Go’s. Vintage fashion also began to return (mostly for females) following Madonna’s release of Like a Virgin, and the appearance of gothic fashion with the corresponding music genre. Formal and preppy fashion, which was characterized by Oxford shirts, sweaters, and corduroy, also became common, especially with the New Romantic and funkier New Wave music styles held by such bands as the Talking Heads, the Pretenders, Duran Duran, and ABC, the latter two being of the New Romantic genre, reviving Romantic era fashion with frilly shirts and tuxedos.
Retro fashion became common among party bands like the B-52’s, who revived 60s fashion, and also among rockabilly bands like the Stray Cats, as well as lead singer Brian Setzer’s solo career. Semi-formal fashion like V-necks and T-shirts paired with blazers, sports jackets, and sweaters were common among rock bands like the Police, the Cars, and Tears for Fears. In contrast to the neon craze in fashion, minimalism also was in the fashion scene of women in the 80s, shaping the fashion of both Debbie Harry from Blondie and of the members of the Bangles.
The last two forms of fashion are niche forms present mostly in the world of music and showmanship: the first one being futurism, such as dull gray mixed with pastel colors, often with jumpsuits and pale face makeup, and sparkly sequined androgynous clothing inspired by David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust person; the most notable example of futuristic fashion was DEVO. The final look of the New Wave scene, Period New Romanticism, as part of the New Romanticism subgenre, was reminiscent of the Romantic period… to the point: most notably, Adam Ant would wear period highwayman, pirate, and flamboyant dress-suit costumes. These costumes would be added upon by Adam Ant’s makeup, usually a solid white stripe across his lower face crossing the bridge of his nose.
New Wave is a complex genre made of many genres and styles from the 70s and 80s; it was intricate by the diverse influences of music, styles, and fashion that founded a generation of people and united them together.