Lost Notes

In 1980, anti-disco sentiment was at a high and Grace Jones was coming off a trilogy of disco albums. If she stayed stagnant, it felt like her career could be swept away.

Most know Minnie Riperton because of one part in one song. “Lovin’ You” was Riperton’s biggest hit, and she doesn’t sing that magic, piercing note until around the 3-minute mark.

In December of 1980, two exiled artists and freedom fighters attempted return to their home in South Africa for a concert.

Punk singer Darby Crash dreamed of immortality.

How Ian Curtis’ indecipherable words turned into the first single for a decade-defining band

In 1980, Sugarhill Gang had to follow-up on 'Rapper’s Delight' with a full-length album. Not an easy task.

Lost Notes: Stevie Wonder hit a slump in the late 1970s. Then his album ‘Hotter Than July’ hit big — really big

This season the poet and cultural critic Hanif Abdurraqib explores the year 1980.