The Quintessential '80s Song? A One-Hit Wonder, Of Course!
The Monroes came and went in 1982 with "What Do All the People Know?" then disappeared. But the song remains the same.
Four minutes, eighteen seconds. Perfect '80s pop bliss.
I give you: “What Do All the People Know?” - the 1982 single by the Monroes, out of San Diego.
The Monroes weren't a family band. Think of the Ramones, with each member adopting Monroe as their (stage) last name.
The quick on the band: Signed on to a Japanese record label, had the hit record, then saw the label abandon the U.S. market. They tried to soldier on with CBS but went nowhere and slowly fell apart.
So...much of the ’80s was littered with other one-hit wonders. But none had the quintessential EIGHTIES tune in their pocket like this one.
Have a listen yourself. IMHO, the song is propelled by the right combination of: (1) an insanely catchy hook, (2) larger-than-life keyboard riffs, (3) perfectly placed guitar stylings, (4) tight rhythm section, and (5) the cherry on top, which are the dual lead vocals harmonizing like nobody's business.
The Monroes are gone, largely forgotten as a footnote in the early history of MTV - which is ironic because they never got around to actually making an official video at that time.
Even so, the song lives on. After all, isn't that what music is really about?
But what do all the people know?
