Recommended Western music for men in their 40s: world classics and popular songs

Walk Of LifeDire Straits

Dire Straits – Walk Of Life (Official Music Video)

A song by Dire Straits, who were active from the 1970s through the 1990s and enjoyed worldwide popularity for their unique musical style that added originality to roots music.

Released as the fourth single from their fifth album, Brothers in Arms—known as their biggest hit with sales exceeding 30 million copies—the track hooks you with an arrangement that’s catchy yet distinctly apart from the trends of the time.

Its light, exhilarating sound still feels irresistibly addictive even today.

It’s a number that, while pop, carries a unique sense of melancholy—one that makes Dire Straits’ lasting popularity easy to understand.

New FrontierDonald Fagen

Donald Fagen – New Frontier (Video)

It reached No.

70 on the U.

S.

charts in 1983.

Included on the legendary masterpiece The Nightfly.

Written at a time when awareness of nuclear war was rising—from the Cuban Missile Crisis through the U.

S.

–Soviet Cold War—it’s a song about a dance party held in an underground nuclear shelter.

The music video is excellent and totally mesmerizing.

With animation mixed with live action, it makes you wonder, “What does this mean?” and sets your imagination running.

Rather than criticizing nuclear war or the Cold War head-on, Donald Fagen serves it up with stylish irony—that’s his way.

Union Of The SnakeDuran Duran

Duran Duran – Union Of The Snake (Official Music Video)

They are a British band that made one of the biggest contributions to the MTV boom of the 1980s.

In Japan in particular, they enjoyed idol-like popularity and produced a string of hits.

The late Princess Diana was reportedly a fan.

Despite multiple lineup changes, the band is still active today.

Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)Eurythmics

Eurythmics, Annie Lennox, Dave Stewart – Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This) (Official Video)

Sweet Dreams, a hit in 1983.

Its distinctive intro and interlude stick in your ears, and once you hear it, you can’t get it out of your head.

The cool electropop sound gained popularity and reached No.

1 in the U.

S.

One of its draws was the androgynous, beautiful female vocals.

Mutha (Don’t want to go to school today)Extreme

Extreme – Mutha (Don’t want to go to school today) Official Video.

Formed in 1985, Extreme became a popular band with their distinctive sound that blends hard rock with elements of funk.

While their ballad “More Than Words” is particularly famous, their true appeal lies in the fusion of bouncy rhythms and hard rock.

This song from their debut album, “Extreme,” is packed with everything that makes them so compelling.

I Want to Know What Love IsForeigner

Foreigner – I Want To Know What Love Is (Official Audio)

Foreigner is an American band that churned out many hits from the 1970s through the 1980s.

Their hallmark is grand, keyboard-forward ballads.

Among them, the biggest favorite was the song known in Japan as “I Wanna Know,” which became a massive hit not only in the United States but around the world.

Waiting For A Girl Like YouForeigner

Foreigner – Waiting for a Girl Like You [Lyrics]

It peaked at No.

2 on the U.

S.

charts in 1981—an astonishing 10 consecutive weeks—earning it the nickname “the tragic Number Two.” For nine of those ten weeks, Olivia Newton-John’s “Physical” held the top spot.

That’s understandable.

However, even when “Physical” dropped to No.

3, it still couldn’t reach No.

1; at that time, Hall & Oates’ “I Can’t Go for That (No Can Do)” was No.

1.

Incidentally, the band later soothed their frustrations by finally scoring their first U.

S.

No.

1 in 1985 with “I Want to Know What Love Is.”