INTER SOUNDTRACKS | The 1980 Spotify playlist

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— Mar 23rd 2021

5 MIN READING

25 hits from the year when the Nerazzurri won their twelfth Scudetto

It’s time for the fourth instalment of Inter Soundtracks, where we provide you with playlists dedicated to successful Nerazzurri seasons. A leap into the past, with Inter’s triumphs being combined with facts and the most popular and significant songs from the relevant year!

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO OUR 1980 PLAYLIST -> https://spoti.fi/3sdCVf7

More than a book would be required to cover all that happened in 1980. Indeed, you’d be better off with an encyclopaedia. But we’re going to briefly look back on an action-packed year through 25 songs, music which accompanied big stories and events, important historical moments and epic sporting achievements.

It certainly was a big year, including for the Nerazzurri, who won the 1979/80 Scudetto. Bersellini’s Inter made a great start and didn’t look back, beating AC Milan twice and scoring four (a hat-trick from Altobelli) against Juventus along the way. With three games to spare, the Nerazzurri mathematically secured the Club’s twelfth league title thanks to a draw at home to Roma, a game which saw Roberto Mozzini equalise late on to send the Inter faithful into raptures. The Nerazzurri’s top goalscorer that season was Alessandro Altobelli, who netted 15. Evaristo Beccalossi, meanwhile, bagged seven, two of which came in the Derby against AC Milan. It was a great Inter side that was loved by Interisti. The Nerazzurri’s Scudetto celebrations coincided with a match-fixing scandal that resulted in Lazio and AC Milan being relegated to Serie B.

'Con Beccalossi e Pasinato vinceremo il campionato' ('With Beccalossi and Pasinato, we’ll win the league'), a chant that was frequently heard in the stands during a year where Italy hosted the European Championship. After an excellent showing at the 1978 World Cup, the tournament served as another stepping stone ahead of the Mundial ’82. With Rummenigge and a very young Lothar Matthäus in their ranks, West Germany emerged victorious on Italian soil, beating Belgium 2-1 in the final. As for the Azzurri, they came fourth. Rummenigge picked up the Ballon d’Or award, while the European Cup was won by Brian Clough’s Nottingham Forest for the second consecutive year.

While Pac-Man started to take the gaming world by storm, sports fans also got to enjoy two Olympics in the same year. Indeed, the 1980 Winter Olympics took place in Lake Placid, while Moscow hosted the summer Games. Particularly memorable was the 'Miracle on Ice', with the United States’ ice hockey team beating the heavily favoured Soviet Union, who had previously won four consecutive gold medals.

As for the Summer Olympics, no Americans participated: following the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, the United States boycotted the event. Some Italian athletes did get to celebrate, however: Pietro Mennea (in the 200 metres), Sara Simeoni (in the high jump), Maurizio Damilano (in the 20km race walk) and Patrizio Oliva (boxing, light welterweight) all won gold, while the men’s basketball team finished runners-up.

As previously mentioned, the political situation between the USA and the Soviet Union was tense as Ronald Reagan triumphed in the presidential election. For Italians, 1980 is primarily remembered for the Ustica (27 June) and Bologna (2 August) massacres. There were also tears and anger when the Italian journalist and writer Walter Tobagi was assassinated. Meanwhile, the assassination of John Lennon, who can be found in our playlist, made headlines around the world.

1980 was a great year for cinema. While Kramer vs. Kramer, Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep won Oscar awards, films such as Shining, The Blues Brothers, La Boum, Raging Bull and American Gigolo were all released. Meanwhile, Bianco, rosso e Verdone was a big hit in Italy.

As for music, the Saturday night show ‘Fantastico’ propelled hits from Hearther Parisi and Loretta Goggi into the limelight. Gianni Togni dominated the charts for week with ‘Luna’. Toto Cutugno won the Sanremo Music Festival with ‘Solo noi’, while Pupo’s ‘Su di noi’, which came in third, was very popular.

Songs from abroad also left their mark, with Pink Floyd riding the wave of success and dominating with ‘Another Brick in the Wall’. Surprise hits also emerged, like ‘Video Killed the Radio Star’ by the Buggles, which really took the music world by storm.

Produced and co-written by Italian musician Giorgio Moroder, Blondie’s ‘Call Me’ was another phenomenon from the year and the theme to the film American Gigolo. It reached the number one spot in charts throughout the globe. In the UK, ‘Don’t Stand So Close To Me by the Police was a real hit, while the names Abba, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, David Bowie, Stevie Wonder and Barbara Streisand give a clear idea of just how extraordinary a time it was for international music.