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1980 (song)

2004 single by Estelle

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General referenceInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionJan 11, 2026
Entity authorityQ4579129 ↗
Source-derived summary

"1980" is a song by British rapper and singer-songwriter Estelle, released as her debut single and as the lead single from her debut album, The 18th Day (2004). In the song, which samples Tony Orlando and Dawn's "Lazy Susan", Estelle talks about her childhood in London; she titled the song "1980" for the year she was born. The single reached number 14 on the UK Singles Chart and was the highest-charting single from her debut album. The single also reached number 36 in Australia and Sweden. Estelle performed the song during her set at the BBC 1Xtra urban music event.

Music video

The music video for "1980" depicts events that took place in Estelle's younger years, which are featured in the lyrics of the song. The video features members of Estelle's family and leads into album track and the B-side for "1980", "Don't Talk" at the end of the video. This video, as well as the video for follow-up single "Free", was directed by Andy Hylton.

Editorial summary

Begin with the source’s own compact description: “1980 (song)” is 2004 single by Estelle. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through song, single and Estelle, not as a finished interpretation.

Editorial reviewA dependable orientation record for establishing vocabulary, names and a first evidence trail. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1980, 2004—that can be checked directly. The linked authority record independently contributes the date 2004-09-13. For this dossier, song, single and Estelle is the immediate research focus.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

The phrase “2004 single by Estelle” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.

Evidence profile

Named sources, stable identifiers and responsible institutions provide the strongest route from overview to verifiable evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jan 11, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q4579129. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1980 and 2004.

Critical limits

Overview language is designed for orientation and should not be treated as a substitute for the evidence cited beneath it. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.

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  • Search vocabulary
  • Locating named sources
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The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.

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  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “1980 (song)”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow 1980 (song) primary sources, 1980 (song) archive and song research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “1980 (song)” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.