’80 From the 80s’, Michael Hearst Invites Talented Musicians to Cover 80 Classic Songs From the 1980s

Brooklyn musician Michael Hearst, who previously wrote a song for the Long-Armed Magnapinna Squid and an ode to odd instruments, has put together “80 From the 80s”, a wonderful project that incorporates his love for the music of that particular decade with his talented friends who were happy to perform 80 songs from the 1980s with him. Hearst amusingly presented the project in a K-Tel Records-style commercial.

From Krystle Warren’s deep-velvet rendition of Paul Simon’s “Call Me Al,” to Jonathan Coulton’s pitch-perfect falsetto on Crowded House’s “Don’t Dream It’s Over,” Hearst’s 80 From The 80s aims to entertain and perhaps provide a little bit of respite from the election season ahead, reminding us of a time when you could still “catch the deluge in a paper cup.”

Hearst said that he was inspired to do this when he was teaching his ten year old son about 80s music.

In 2024, inspired by the thought of teaching his 10-year-old son about 80s’ music, Michael began recording his own versions of classics, such as “Break My Stride” by Matthew Wilder and “Hold Me Now” by Thompson Twins. …Now the wheels were in motion, and Hearst was enjoying the ride way too much, thus he set about to record 80 of these reboots. 80 From The 80s!

The list of guest performers is quite impressive.

After inviting his close friend and fellow 80s music lover Claudia Gonson (Magnetic Fields) to pick a song to sing—she chose “Eyes Without A Face” by Billy Idol—he decided to reach out to other friends including Tanya Donelly (Belly), John Linnell (They Might Be Giants), The Magnetic Fields’ Stephin Merritt, and Syd Straw to pick songs to sing for the project. They, in turn, suggested some of their friends to join the fun: John Cameron Mitchell (Hedwig), A. C. Newman (New Pornographers), Amanda Palmer, Xavier Smith, and many more.