It Goes to 11 — Music

Say what you want about the ’80s, but you can’t say they failed to stand the test of time. Hundreds of all-time hit numbers and chart-toppers, box office bombs like Ghostbusters, the style, the spirit. You might as well just take a look out of your window and you’ll likely see someone wearing certain kind of ’80s t-shirt. But what we’re here to discuss are the music singles. We’ll be bringing you cold, hard facts based solely on sales numbers. And when you think about it for a bit, it becomes more than clear that the ’80s brought some mean smash hits...

An obvious antecedent to today’s so-called “bling,” the ostentatious dookie chain (gold ropes of varying length) emerged as the fashion prop of choice for hip-hop artists — both aspiring and established — in the 80’s, thanks in large part to the growing influence of Yo! MTV Raps (which yours truly watched with some regularity as a teenager from the safety of his parent’s suburban living room). Like other messy historical conundrums, it is difficult to pinpoint or establish the true origins of this phenomenon/trend, but certain figures, long associated with this look, come to mind as possible candidates. Below, I’ve embedded five...