This week on the longest-running ’80s pop culture podcast, Steve Spears and Brad Williams return to one of their favorite recurring topics: unlikely cover songs of the 1980s. Did you know Eddie Money’s “I Wanna Go Back” was originally recorded by Billy Satellite? Or that Chaka Khan’s Grammy-winning “I Feel for You” began as a deep cut by Prince? Episode Timeline 00:00 – Welcome back to Unlikely Cover Songs of the ’80s 02:14 – “Wind Beneath My Wings” and its surprising origins 10:42 – Eddie Money vs. Billy Satellite: “I Wanna Go Back” 22:31 – Chaka Khan, Prince and “I Feel for You” 35:48 – The Clash cover Eddy Grant’s “Police on My Back” 46:17 – TV Party seggy 51:42 – Arcade seggy 56:03 – Book updates, Barnes & Noble signing and Classic Pop review 59:50 – Closing thoughts In this episode, the guys explore the surprising origins behind some of the decade’s most beloved songs, including: “Wind Beneath My Wings” by Bette Midler “I Wanna Go Back” by Eddie Money “I Feel for You” by Chaka Khan “Police on My Back” by The Clash Along the way, they discuss: Forgotten original artists MTV-era music videos Prince songwriting trivia Jamaican rude boy culture Accidental studio moments that became iconic And why ’80s music history is weirder than you remember Plus: Listener mail Arcade and TV Party seggies Updates on the Stuck in the ’80s book Upcoming Florida book signings And more nostalgic chaos from your favorite retro podcast If you love ’80s music, new wave, classic rock, MTV memories, and pop culture deep dives, this episode is for you. On Sale Now! Stuck in the '80s: 20 Years of Conversations with Pop Culture Icons Who Defined a Decade, by podcast creator Steve Spears, is finally for sale as both a paperback and ebook. Featuring more than 60 interviews from the podcast, along with insider stories and other previously unpublished insights, the book is available on most online bookstore websites including: Amazon Barnes and Noble Walmart Our Sponsors The 2027 lineup of The 80s Cruise has been announced. Join us Feb. 27 to March 6 onboard Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas along with Chaka Khan, Night Ranger, Loverboy, DMC, John Waite, Peter Hook & the Light, Public Image Ltd., DJ Jazzy Jeff, Bob Geldof and the Boomtown Rats, Stryper, The Romantics, Nick Heyward of Haircut 100, Bulletboys, Katrina of Katrina and the Waves, Slim Jom Phantom, the Plimsouls and more. Use the promo code STUCK when booking to get $250 cabin credit. For more information, go to www.the80scruise.com. Our podcast is listener-supported via Patreon. Members get special swag and invitations to patron-only Zoom happy hours with the podcast hosts. Find out more at our official Patreon page. The Stuck in the '80s podcast is hosted by creator Steve Spears and Brad Williams. Find out more about the show, celebrating its 21st year in 2026, at sit80s.com. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
