re: What song is the "epitome of 1980s pop music", in your opinion?

"Tainted Love." It's a one-hit wonder, which seems in hindsight to be more common in the 1980's than in any other decade, and new wave was the 80's' most unique of the "we love it we love it we love it oh my god turn that shite off I'm so fricking sick of this queer shite" genres the decade afforded us.