You can't hurt me, I experienced all of the 1980s

 

It's fairly apparent that the world now thinks of the 1980s as "ye olden times."

I spent much of the past weekend watching baseball and anyone who grew up in that decade can't help but recognize the 1980s pop songs now passing for commercial jingles. Fleetwood Mac's "Everywhere" is selling Kohl's products, REO Speedwagon's "Can't Fight This Feeling" hawks Tums antacid. This isn't a new phenomenon, it's been going on for years, but it seems rampant now.

Businesses are trying to capitalize on the nostalgia factor used so successfully in "Stranger Things," and even people who didn't grow up in the '80s admit that there may have been no other decade with more catchy pop songs than the '80s. How do you explain the retro-appreciation for songs like "Take On Me," "Africa" and "Here I Go Again"?

I am proud to have lived through the '80s -- not merely as a kid -- but as a teenager and college student. I was conscious of the '80s from Jan. 1, 1980 to Dec. 31, 1989, from age 14 to age 24. I am happy the decade was so colorful. I don't consider it "cheesy" as some people older and younger than me do. And those who think the '80s are ancient history can't hurt me, because I know exactly where the fun was in that decade. Because I was there. For all of it. (I know the bad parts, too, but why do you want to talk about that?). So go ahead and call me old.

 

Thanks to that nostalgia factor and '80s music being everywhere still, I can return to the '80s as often as I want. I can also collect '80s cards for as long as I want.

Cards in the '80s were so varied and so attractive, with players who have so much meaning to me still, that it ranks at the top as far as the number of sets I'm collecting from any decade. Currently, in one fashion or another, I am collecting 1985, 1986 and 1987 Fleer, 1982 and 1983 Donruss, 1983 Kellogg's, 1981 Fleer Star Stickers, any '80s O-Pee-Chee, any 1980s box sets I don't have and, oh yeah, I might be finally doing something with 1988 and 1989 Donruss, too. (shh!) Also I won't turn away stuff like '89 Score

That's a lot. No other decade can match that, not even my precious '70s. The '80s has another advantage over other decades -- most of the cards are affordable.

So that's why when Matt of Diamond Jesters published his most recent Time Travel post (uh, check that, he's got a new one), I selected all '80s cards. My inventory for anything earlier than that is pretty darn low right now.

Here are the three:

While viewing this card did you hear the Human League's "Don't You Want Me"? How about "Abracadabra"? (for the record, I don't like this song). Or maybe "Personally" by Karla Bonoff? (If you said, 'yes' to that, I know you experienced all of the '80s, too).

Those are all 1982 songs and this is an '82 Donruss need. I probably shouldn't be nabbing cards like this as I still intend to finish the set by buying a full set somewhere, but I can't resist something I walked to the drug store to find.

 

I like grabbing 1980s OPC cards here and there, even if I don't really plan to complete any of the sets. This is nothing that I saw back in 1984 but I did hear Honeymoon Suite's "New Girl Now" and Kim Mitchell's "Go For Soda" in 1984 because that's what people who lived closed to the Canadian border in the mid-1980s heard.

Why on earth would I claim a 1988 Donruss card? Yes, I can hear you. I just think it's time that I get serious about completing this set finally. Unlike '82 Donruss, I have no desire to buy this set all at once. I'd rather just land cards here and there.

This card -- pulled from packs while "Pump Up The Volume" and "Electric Blue" played at the campus dining hall -- is foreshadowing for a post that's coming later this week that may have made the act of picking up old Claudell pointless.

 

That's all the Time Travel cards I claimed this time around -- I still need to send my corresponding cards out to Matt -- but that's not all of the '80s incoming cards.

 

Just today, this '86 Fleer need arrived in my mailbox completely by surprise. I sort of have an idea who sent it and it's appreciated. Just about all that's left on my '86 Fleer wants are stars and as much as I love the '80s, I don't like spending too much on those cards.

 

So, go ahead and consider the '80s ancient. They haven't made cards that I've wanted as much since. Popular music has been one steep decline since the '90s hit (heck, even '89 wasn't great). And it's clear that judging by the interest in '80s music and '80s trends -- the stolen base is BACK, baby! -- that the decade is missed.

 

And as long as my memories are around, nobody can hurt me with that "old" talk.