Acceptable in the 80s

"Acceptable in the 80s" is a song by Scottish producer, songwriter and DJ 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.

"Acceptable in the 80s"
Single by Calvin Harris
from the album I Created Disco
B-side	"This Is the Industry" "Love for You"
Released	12 March 2007 (2007-03-12)[1]
Genre	Electro-funk[2] electro house[3]
Length	5:34 (album version) 3:35 (single version) 7:35 (demo version)
Label	Fly Eye Columbia
Songwriter(s)	Calvin Harris
Producer(s)	Calvin Harris
Calvin Harris singles chronology
"Vegas" (2007) "Acceptable in the 80s" (2007) "The Girls" (2007)
Music video
"Acceptable in the 80s" on YouTube

Music video

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]

Covers and samples

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, UK 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]

Track listings

10-inch (FLYEYE 001)

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Acceptable in the 80s"	5:33
2.	"This Is the Industry"	3:36

12-inch (FLYEYE 003)

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

Maxi CD (FLYEYE 004)

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

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2007–2008) Peak position Australia (ARIA)[7] 97 Australian Dance (ARIA)[8] 16 CIS (TopHit)[9] 51 Denmark (Tracklisten)[10] 14 Germany (Official German Charts)[11] 30 Ireland (IRMA)[12] 30 Scotland (OCC)[13] 9 UK Singles (OCC)[14] 10 UK Dance (OCC)[15] 2

Year-end charts Chart (2007) Position UK Singles (OCC)[16] 65

Certifications

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.

References

1. "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. 10 March 2007. p. 29.
2. Naylor, Tony (13 June 2007). "Calvin Harris: I Created Disco". NME. Archived from the original on 10 August 2014. Retrieved 18 June 2018.
3. Breihan, Tom (20 November 2023). "The Number Ones: Rihanna's "We Found Love" (Feat. Calvin Harris)". Stereogum. Retrieved 17 December 2023. ...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.
4. Anka, Chris. "Chris Anka A2 media: Video Analysis". Christopher Anka Media. Retrieved 21 June 2023.
5. "PETE & BAS AFFILIATES THE NORTHERN BOYS DROP OFF NEW BANGER "NOBODY LIKES ME"". GRM Daily. Retrieved 21 June 2023.
6. "Samples of Acceptable in the 80's by Calvin Harris". WhoSampled. Retrieved 21 June 2023.
7. "ARIA Top 100 Singles – Week Commencing 13th August 2007" ARIA Top 100 Singles. National Library of Australia. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
8. "ARIA Dance – Week Commencing 13th August 2007" ARIA Top 50 Dance Singles. National Library of Australia. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
9. Calvin Harris — Acceptable in the 80s. TopHit. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
10. "Calvin Harris – Acceptable in the 80s". Tracklisten.
11. "Calvin Harris – Acceptable in the 80s" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts.
12. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Acceptable in the 80's". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
13. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
14. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
15. "Official Dance Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company.
16. "End of Year Singles Chart Top 100 – 2007". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 18 June 2018.
17. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2023 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
18. "British single certifications – Calvin Harris – Acceptable in the 80s". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 19 January 2024.