"Back to the 80s" is a song by Norwegian-Danish band Aqua. The song was written by members Søren Rasted, Claus Norreen, and produced by Rasted, for their second greatest hits album (2009). "Back to the 80s" was Aqua's first single in eight years, following the release of the 2001 single "We Belong to the Sea". "Back to the 80s" was released on 25 May 2009 as the lead single from Greatest Hits and topped the Danish Singles Chart for six weeks.
The song is a tribute to the pop culture of the 1980s, referencing numerous figures (e.g. Ronald Reagan, Mr. T, and David Hasselhoff), films (e.g. Rocky, The Breakfast Club, and Poltergeist), bands (e.g. Twisted Sister, Iron Maiden, and Bananarama), and trends (e.g. the Commodore 64, Coca-Cola Cherry, and the Rubik's Cube).
When the single was released internationally, the lyric "When M&M was just a snack and Michael Jackson's skin was black" was altered to "When M&M was just a snack and Arnie told us 'I'll be back'" (in reference to The Terminator), due to Jackson's death a month prior.
The song was released as a CD single in France on 9 November 2009. France is the only country receiving a CD release of "Back to the 80s", including the original song and two additional remixes.
"Back to the 80s" debuted on 5 June 2009 at number one on both the Danish Singles Chart and Airplay Chart. It claimed the mark for most weekly plays on Danish radio with 585. The single spent six weeks at No. 1 in Denmark and peaked at No. 3 in Norway and at No. 25 in Sweden.
In mid-May, it was announced that a video was being made. Due to a lengthy post-production process, the video didn't hit the internet until 10 June 2009. The video features the group in front of a variety of green screen created backgrounds, dressed in 1980s rocker fashions. The video is presented in "Aquascope", returning to the Aquarium-era tradition.