Those totally awesome '80s

This past Halloween, there was an "'80s" section in the local costume store. So the '80s have joined the '50s and '60s as iconic decades. Who would have thought that the heyday of my youth would be later celebrated and even admired by younger generations, much like the greasers were celebrated when I was growing up? That's just gnarly.

I loved the early '80s. Sure, that was the time I was picked on in junior high, but that's not what I remember most. I remember taping songs off the American Top 40 each Sunday; I remember my brother and I searching for the video arcade in any hotel my parents stayed at. (We found one in Kissimmee, Fla. that was rated one of the top 10 arcades in the country by a video game magazine at the time - I think either by Enter or Joysticks.) I recall learning BASIC. I definitely remember Jodi, Kathy, and Jen D. obsessing over Duran Duran.

Most '80s icons have been brought back and hammered into the ground thanks to VH1 and other nostalgia outlets. It's hard to find things that people forgot.

But recently I remembered three '80s songs that no one thinks about much these days.

1. Centipede

I completely forgot about this one until it was mentioned off-handedly in music writer Rob Sheffield's Book, "Talking to Girls about Duran Duran," which I read portions of recently while pumping breastmilk. (Hey, ya gotta do something.) It's by a Jackson sister.

2. I'm Gonna Tear Your Playhouse Down

This was one of those songs that dripped into the top 40 for a few weeks but didn't stay long. And yet, it hung around in my head. I don't think I've heard it since the last time it was in the top 40, but of course, it's locatable on YouTube. This guy definitely looks '80s.

3. Be Mine, Tonight

A Neil Diamond song my brother and I both liked. It actually was in a dream I had a few months ago, for some reason. I don't actually remember what the dream was about. It was not about Neil Diamond. It's a peppy little tune.

We never knew it for what it was worth; it was worth more than we understood...Be mine, tonight.