The Human League reinvented itself from an arty Sheffield electronic outfit into a mainstream synth-pop juggernaut with 1981's Dare, built around Phil Oakey's deadpan baritone and Martin Rushent's crisp, hook-driven production. 'Don't You Want Me' became one of the defining singles of the synth-pop era, marrying icy electronic production to soap-opera storytelling. Their template of accessible, drama-driven synth-pop shaped the sound of mainstream '80s pop radio.

the sound in question

1981

Don't You Want MeHuman League