New Found Glory covered "Don't You (Forget About Me)" by Simple Minds in 2007 for the second edition of their From the Screen to Your Stereo covers series. This cover breathes new life into this classic '80s song and almost sounds as good as the original. No matter which version you listen to, it always reminds you of The Breakfast Club.
Rock Hits
12 Pop-Punk Covers of ’80s Songs
The '80s were a great time for music, and many pop-punkers were just discovering music in their youth around that time, so it makes sense you'd find plenty of pop-punk '80s covers.
There's no other time quite like the 1980s, which is arguably the best era for music. In the '80s the music world exploded with glam rock and new wave, paired with big hair, guyliner and lots of denim. The cover songs below will take you back to the '80s, but with many of the acts adding their pop-punk stamp to their newly revised versions.
Punk Goes the 80s is an album that was released in 2005 that featured tons of '80s covers. You can find several of the songs from that compilation in the list below. Take a listen to these covers of '80s songs by bands such as Green Day, Blink 182 and more, which have a whole new sound to them.
And if the '80s isn't your decade, you can head here to check out pop-punk covers of '90s songs.
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New Found Glory, “Don’t You (Forget About Me)”
Originally by Simple Minds (1985)
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blink-182, “Dancing With Myself”
Originally by Billy Idol (1982)
Blink 182 released their cover of Billy Idol's "Dancing With Myself" in 2000, which was a part of the soundtrack of the surf movie Loose Change. Some describe this punk cover of the song as "so bad it's good."
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Amaru, “Hungry Like the Wolf”
Originally by Duran Duran (1982)
Amaru's version of Duran Duran's "Hungry Like the Wolf" was released in 2010. Take a listen to this great punk version of the song. The original has been featured in tons of movies such as Old School, Big Fat Liar and Shrek 2.
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The Used, “Burning Down the House”
Originally by Talking Heads (1982)
"Burning Down the House" was originally released by Talking Heads in 1982 and The Used's cover was released in 2009. This song was featured in the movie Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen in that same year.
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Goldfinger, “99 Red Balloons”
Originally by Nena (1983)
This cover of "99 Red Balloons" was released in 2000 by Goldfinger. The original version, from German act Nena, reminds us of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and this cover brings back all those '80s feels.
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The Ataris, “The Boys of Summer”
Originally by Don Henley (1984)
Here's another great pop-punk cover of an '80s song. This time it's "The Boys of Summer" by The Ataris. This cover of the Don Henley classic came out in 2003 and was on their album So Long, Astoria.
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Relient K, “Manic Monday”
Originally by The Bangles (1986)
If you didn't know the original version, you'd think this cover of "Manic Monday" by Relient K is exactly how this song is supposed to sound. This cover of a Bangles song, originally written by Prince, was featured on the album Punk Goes 80s.
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Amber Pacific, “Video Killed the Radio Star”
Originally by The Buggles (1980)
Amber Pacific's cover of "Video Killed the Radio Star" also turns up on the Punk Goes 80s album issued in 2005. The original version by The Buggles was the very first music video featured on MTV.
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JamisonParker, “Everybody Wants to Rule the World”
Originally by Tears for Fears (1985)
Emo duo JamisonParker covered this Songs From the Big Chair favorite by Tears For Fears in 2005. Their take is definitely a lot slower and moodier than the original.
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Sugarcult, “I Melt With You”
Originally by Modern English (1982)
Here's another song featured on the Punk Goes 80s album — Sugarcult's cover of "I Melt With You." This punk version by Sugarcult is just as good as the original.
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Good Charlotte, “Lovesong”
Originally by The Cure (1989)
Good Charlotte covered "Lovesong" by The Cure and in the video below Benji Madden dedicated it to his daughter. This version of the song gives it a whole new vibe.
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Alkaline Trio, “The Metro”
Originally by Berlin (1982)
Alkaline Trio's cover of "The Metro" has a completely different, harder sound to it, and we dig it more than the original. Alkaline Trio's version was released in 2007.