0.4 Musical examples

a-ha - Take On Me (1985)

The song’s instantly recognizable synth hook is a Yamaha DX7 riff, an archetypal example of FM synthesis defining the sound of 1980s pop. The DX7 could produce novel timbres that earlier analog synthesizers could not, and this track puts them front and center.

Whitney Houston - Saving All My Love for You (1985)

The DX7’s famous “E.PIANO 1” patch was prominently featured in the instrumental backing track of many Whitney Houston recordings.