| "Acceptable in the 80s" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|   | ||||
| Single by Calvin Harris | ||||
| from the album I Created Disco | ||||
| B-side | 
  | |||
| Released | 12 March 2007 [1] | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 
  | |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriter(s) | Calvin Harris | |||
| Producer(s) | Calvin Harris | |||
| Calvin Harris singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Acceptable in the 80s" on YouTube | ||||
"Acceptable in the 80s" is a song by the Scottish musician Calvin Harris, taken from his debut studio album I Created Disco . It was released as his debut single on 12 March 2007. The single peaked at number 10 on the UK Singles Chart.
The music video, directed by Woof Wan-Bau, features many references to the 1980s, including the stereotypical large hairstyles and bright DayGlo colours. It also features scientists dissecting a sock puppet of what appears to be a genet, the products of which are used by a hair stylist and a TV chef, and to heal a grazed knee. [4]
A remix of the song with additional lyrics (retitled "Love for You"), was included as a B-side to the single.[ citation needed ]
Duran Duran partially covered the song during their 2021–2023 live dates, mixing the song's chorus with the group's own 1981 single "Girls on Film".[ citation needed ]
In 2022, English comedy hip-hop group the Northern Boys sampled the song for their single "Nobody Likes Me". [5] Acts such as The Airport District, Pittsburgh Slim and Out of the Blue have also sampled the song. [6]
| No. | Title | Length | 
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Acceptable in the 80s" | 5:33 | 
| 2. | "This Is the Industry" | 3:36 | 
| No. | Title | Length | 
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Acceptable in the 80s" (Tom Neville Remix) | 7:16 | 
| 2. | "Acceptable in the 80s" | 5:33 | 
| 3. | "Acceptable in the 80s" (Glimmers Remix) | 5:58 | 
| No. | Title | Length | 
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Acceptable in the 80s" (Radio Edit) | 3:31 | 
| 2. | "Love for You" | 3:49 | 
| 3. | "Acceptable in the 80s" | 5:33 | 
| 4. | "Acceptable in the 80s" (Tom Neville Remix) | 7:16 | 
Weekly charts
  | Year-end charts
  | 
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales | 
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA) [17] | 2× Platinum | 140,000‡ | 
| United Kingdom (BPI) [18] | Platinum | 600,000‡ | 
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.  | ||
...his first two singles, "Acceptable In The 80s" and "The Girls," in 2007, and both were top-10 UK hits. Both are thumping electro-house tracks with Harris' own goofy deadpan vocals.