The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
Back in the Ronald Reagan days
When we put satellites in space
When boys wore skinny leather ties (Whoa Oh)
Like Don Johnson from Miami Vice
When M&M was just a snack
And Michael Jackson's skin was black
Back when the coolest thing in store (Whoa Oh)
Was a Commodore 64
Back to the 80's
Back to soul
Back to Rocky and Cherry Coke, yeah
Those were the days
And we go
Back to the 80's
And hey there Mr.T
To Twisted Sisters on MTV, yeah
Those were the days
I'll Come Back
To Iron Maiden and 7UP (whoa, yeah)
Bananarama and Breakfast Club
Come Back, Yeah
Come Back, Yeah
I'll Come Back
When Huey Lewis was the news
When we went flying with Tom Cruise
When shoulder pads and looking tough (Whoa Oh)
Lost a dare to David Hasselhof
Too many men with heavy makeup on
Too many poodles with guitars
Thanks for all the joy you've given us
You will always be our superstars
Back to the 80's
Back to soul (Back to soul)
Back to Rocky and Cherry Coke
Those were the days
And we go
Back to the 80's
And hey there Mr.T
To Twisted Sisters on MTV, yeah
Those were the days
I'll Come Back
To Iron Maiden and 7UP (whoa, yeah)
Bananarama and Breakfast Club
Come Back, Yeah
Come Back, Yeah
I'll Come Back
Hooray for Cosby and Rubik's Cube
Hooray for Dynasty and Moon Boots
Hooray for Devo and Barber Curls
Hooray for Poltergeist and Barbie Girls (Girls, Girls..)
(..We Love, We Love..)
Back to the 80's (We love the 80's)
Back to soul (We love it all)
Back to Rocky and Cherry Coke, yeah
Those were the days
Lets go back
Back to the 80's (to Ferris Bueller)
To Mr.T and Twisted Sisters on MTV, yeah
Those were the days
I'll come back
To Iron Maiden and 7UP (whoa, yeah)
Bananarama and Breakfast Club
Come Back, Yeah
Come Back, Yeah
Let's go back to the 80's
7up (We Love it all)
All the stars still standing tall
Let's go back to the 80's
Back to the 80's
Back to the 80's
7up (We Love it all)
All the stars still standing tall
Let's go back to the 80's
When we put satellites in space
When boys wore skinny leather ties (Whoa Oh)
Like Don Johnson from Miami Vice
When M&M was just a snack
And Michael Jackson's skin was black
Back when the coolest thing in store (Whoa Oh)
Was a Commodore 64
Back to the 80's
Back to soul
Back to Rocky and Cherry Coke, yeah
Those were the days
And we go
Back to the 80's
And hey there Mr.T
To Twisted Sisters on MTV, yeah
Those were the days
I'll Come Back
To Iron Maiden and 7UP (whoa, yeah)
Bananarama and Breakfast Club
Come Back, Yeah
Come Back, Yeah
I'll Come Back
When Huey Lewis was the news
When we went flying with Tom Cruise
When shoulder pads and looking tough (Whoa Oh)
Lost a dare to David Hasselhof
Too many men with heavy makeup on
Too many poodles with guitars
Thanks for all the joy you've given us
You will always be our superstars
Back to the 80's
Back to soul (Back to soul)
Back to Rocky and Cherry Coke
Those were the days
And we go
Back to the 80's
And hey there Mr.T
To Twisted Sisters on MTV, yeah
Those were the days
I'll Come Back
To Iron Maiden and 7UP (whoa, yeah)
Bananarama and Breakfast Club
Come Back, Yeah
Come Back, Yeah
I'll Come Back
Hooray for Cosby and Rubik's Cube
Hooray for Dynasty and Moon Boots
Hooray for Devo and Barber Curls
Hooray for Poltergeist and Barbie Girls (Girls, Girls..)
(..We Love, We Love..)
Back to the 80's (We love the 80's)
Back to soul (We love it all)
Back to Rocky and Cherry Coke, yeah
Those were the days
Lets go back
Back to the 80's (to Ferris Bueller)
To Mr.T and Twisted Sisters on MTV, yeah
Those were the days
I'll come back
To Iron Maiden and 7UP (whoa, yeah)
Bananarama and Breakfast Club
Come Back, Yeah
Come Back, Yeah
Let's go back to the 80's
7up (We Love it all)
All the stars still standing tall
Let's go back to the 80's
Back to the 80's
Back to the 80's
7up (We Love it all)
All the stars still standing tall
Let's go back to the 80's
Lyrics submitted by xBenji65
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Light Up The Sky
Van Halen
Van Halen
The Night We Met
Lord Huron
Lord Huron
This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Little Feat
Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve.
The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future.
Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere"
The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
Magical
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
love this song. The 80's were the greatest years. Their music, styles, etc.