S3E19: MJ Region 3v14(Duran/Costello)

In today's bracket, we witness what appears to be one of the tournament's most brutal mismatches: 3-seed "Hungry Like the Wolf" preparing to devour 14-seed "Veronica" in what should theoretically be the musical equivalent of a nature documentary's final scene. Duran Duran's 1983 powerhouse didn't just define 80s excess—it practically wrote the instruction manual, complete with exotic locations, cinematic music videos, and enough synthesized atmosphere to terraform a small planet. This is the song that turned five Birmingham lads into global superstars, and convinced an entire generation that the proper response to romantic desire was to reference predatory wildlife while wearing enough eyeliner to stock a department store cosmetics counter. Meanwhile, lurking in the 14-seed position is Elvis Costello's "Veronica," a track that represents one of the decade's most fascinating late-game plot twists: the moment when America's most critically beloved underground darling finally cracked the mainstream code in 1989, armed with nothing but his highest-charting US single and a decade's worth of pent-up artistic credibility. The cosmic joke here is that while Duran Duran spent the early 80s conquering MTV and redefining what pop stardom could look like, Costello was busy being too cool for the room—until suddenly, just as the decade was closing, he delivered his most accessible moment. Can one perfect song from the 80s' final act compete with a track that helped invent what we think of as quintessentially 80s in the first place?How does one do THIS “bitey-face” without laughing? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit the80sest.substack.com