Songfacts®:

• Robbie Williams wrote this song about growing up in Stoke-on-Trent, England, in the 1980s. Williams sings about losing his virginity, experimenting with drugs, and other teenage experiences. "The 80's" also includes a number of references to fashion and pop culture. As Williams puts it on his website: "It is bittersweet about a decade where I formed an opinion."
• This song mentions several hit singles from the '80s, including 2 Live Crew's "Me So Horny," A Flock of Seagulls' "I Ran (So Far Away)," Berlin's "Take My Breath Away," and Musical Youth's "Pass the Dutchie."
  
  "The 80's" also references Snap!'s "Rhythm Is a Dancer," although this song didn't come out until 1992.
• Williams made his debut as a solo artist with a cover of George Michael's "Freedom '90" in 1996, but the lyrics to this song, he reveals that he used to distance himself from Michael's band Wham! because he was called a "poof" – a British derogatory term for a gay man:
  
  And who are you calling "poof?"
  You like Wham!, man, I hate that stuff
  
  These lines are therefore supposed to showcase how much Williams has matured as a person.
• This song references the Falklands War – an undeclared war between Argentina and the UK. The conflict began on April 2, 1982, when Argentina invaded the Falklands Islands – a British overseas territory located in the South Atlantic Ocean. The war lasted a total of 10 weeks, with the Argentinians surrendering and returning control to the British on June 14. Williams questions the actions of the UK in the song, asking: "Why the Falklands, Mum, and what have they done?"
• According to Williams, this song was inspired by British rap outfits such as The Streets and The Mitchell Brothers. Williams elaborated on his love for hip-hop on his website: "I've always always wanted to be a rapper, I've always been jealous of rappers because of how comfy they are and how cool they look, they've always got a tracksuit on and trainers and I have to dress up 'cause I'm a pop star. I want to be a rapper but the world won't let me. The only reason I have craved my own niche is because it is not that easy. I love words and will continue to use them."
• In October 2006, Williams invited fans to make a music video for this song. Over 200 were submitted, with Williams and a panel of judges selecting two winning clips: "The 80's" by Vincenzo Ricchiuto and Massimo Sbaraccani and "£12.50" by Nahuel Lerena and Patricia Byrne. Both videos depict a Williams doppelgänger acting out various scenes from the song, with each team of directors receiving a prize of £7,500.
• "The 80's" features on Williams' seventh studio album, the hip-hop-influenced Rudebox. The song forms part of a two-piece autobiographical suite alongside "The 90's."
  
  Even though it peaked at #1 in the UK, Rudebox sold very poorly and was regarded as a commercial failure. Speaking to Q Magazine in 2013, Williams said he almost retired from music as a result: "I'd lost all my confidence and I was really scared of the world and scared of my place in it and scared of the industry."