Now that almost 30 years have passed since the year 1980, it is a good time to look back at the 1980s, the lost generation or golden age of pop music. As in Democrat vs Republican, Real Madrid vs F.C. Barcelona, and Freud vs Jung, framing the 80s music is one of those holy wars with no place for the coward's favorite, both. Are you with us, or them.

As someone who grew up during the 80s, I believe it was the golden age. One of the No.1 hit songs says "Karma Karma Karma Karma Karma chameleon" and Madonna sang about feeling like a virgin. She did. Is this a great era or what?

Amazingly, some of them still draws a huge crowd at concerts of carries a long list of devoted fans. Hereby I tried to profile them.

• Invincible: U2, Bon Jovi, Sting, R.E.M.
  Still generates hit songs after all these years. Receding hairlines, bulging bellies, and deepening crow's feet remain almost hidden (Sting's hair has the most staying power of all singers). Ultimately gains self-consciousness and branches into charity. Often ridiculed (especially Bon Jovi), but everybody admits that their songs are catchy.

• Incredible one-hit: Kate Bush, Suzanne Vega, Peter Gabriel
  They are musical genius, visionary, etc. who are much more than a single song. But alas, there is only one or two songs that is still played. Somebody needs to ask them about the number of their nightmares which have the titular song as the BGM (the one for Suzanne Vega starts with Luka, for sure).

• Low-key staying power: ZZ Top, AC/DC, Depeche mode
  Die-hard fans listens to whatever songs they produce. Have an incredibly strong style no one can (or want to) imitate. Everybody knows their name, but no one can sing any of their songs. The movie industry has its own version: John Malcovich.

I will be butchered by the fanboys of the respective artists by putting them into the same group (but threesome with ZZ Top and Depeche Mode and Kate Bush sounds pretty enticing).