Story highlights Summer of 1984 was a far cry from the dystopian landscape of George Orwell's novel

Neon hues, bodacious hair and breakdance backspins ruled the season

In films like "Ghostbusters" and "Revenge of the Nerds," geeks ruled while jerks drooled

Prince, Tina Turner and movie soundtracks provided hits for the summer

In George Orwell's 1949 dystopian novel, "Nineteen Eighty-Four," the world is engaged in perpetual war, and citizens are under constant surveillance by a totalitarian dictator called Big Brother.

That's, like, grody to the max, dude.

In the summer of 1984, American pop culture was at a neon-hued, hair-teasing, ghostbusting fever pitch.

In the latest entry in our Summer List series, we're taking a look back at what made the summer 30 years ago stand out: from movie soundtracks to athletic feats to a political climate dogged by the specter of nuclear conflict.

Politics: 'Morning in America,' Mondale in mourning

The summer of 1984 fell smack dab in the middle of the Ronald Reagan era. With oil prices at a low and interest rates inching upward, the so-called Teflon President seemed virtually assured re-election over Democratic opponent Walter Mondale that November. Americans had been reeling from the loss of 241 Marines after an attack in Beirut, Lebanon, the previous fall, but the swiftly executed invasion of Grenada had reaffirmed the public's faith in Reagan's leadership.

Photos: Photos: Summer of 1974 Photos: Photos: Summer of 1974 Summer of 1974 – The summer of 1974 stands out in American history with the culmination of the Watergate scandal, leading President Richard Nixon to announce his decision to resign August 9. Click through the gallery for more world events and pop culture landmarks in 1974 that helped define the decade. Hide Caption 1 of 16 Photos: Photos: Summer of 1974 Summer of 1974 – French aerialist Philippe Petit dazzled onlookers below as he walked across a tightrope suspended between the World Trade Center's twin towers on August 7 in New York. Petit's long road to this feat was documented in James Marsh's 2008 documentary " Man on a Wire ." Hide Caption 2 of 16 Photos: Photos: Summer of 1974 Summer of 1974 – Streaking, or the act of running naked through a public place, became popular on college campuses in the 1960s and continued into the 1970s in what the press called an "epidemic." Hide Caption 3 of 16 Photos: Photos: Summer of 1974 Summer of 1974 – "CBS Evening News" anchor Walter Cronkite was voted "the most trusted and objective newscaster on television" in 1974 in a national opinion poll. As anchor of the "Evening News" from 1962 to 1981, "Uncle Walter" was the face of network, bringing Americans some of the biggest news events of the latter half of 20th century. Hide Caption 4 of 16 Photos: Photos: Summer of 1974 Summer of 1974 – American tennis pro Chris Evert's Grand Slam streak began at the 1974 French Open in June and continued for 13 consecutive seasons. The next month, she won her first singles championship at Wimbledon. Hide Caption 5 of 16 Photos: Photos: Summer of 1974 Summer of 1974 – The Oakland Athletics' journey to their third World Series in a row continued in the summer of 1974, culminating in a Game 5 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers. Hide Caption 6 of 16 Photos: Photos: Summer of 1974 Summer of 1974 – L.A. Dodger Steve Garvey was named the National League Most Valuable Player in 1974, the same year he made his debut at the All-Star Game. Hide Caption 7 of 16 Photos: Photos: Summer of 1974 Summer of 1974 – 1974 is considered one of the best years in movies , thanks to the ascendance of counterculture directors including Roman Polanski, whose hit "Chinatown" opened June 20. Hide Caption 8 of 16 Photos: Photos: Summer of 1974 Summer of 1974 – Martin Scorsese's groundbreaking hit, "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore," about a single mother's attempt to build a life, hit theaters May 30. As CNN's Todd Leopold writes, "Alice" and other films of 1974 " reinforced the confusion of the times ." Hide Caption 9 of 16 Photos: Photos: Summer of 1974 Summer of 1974 – In 2006, CNN.com conducted an unscientific survey to find the worst song of all time, and 1974 stood out as an exceptionally bad year for song production. Supporting this theory is the fact that Paul McCartney & Wings' "Band on the Run," which was released in December 1973, was still dominating the top 10 in the summer of 1974. Hide Caption 10 of 16 Photos: Photos: Summer of 1974 Summer of 1974 – The 1970s did not exactly usher in a new wave of groundbreaking television. One exception was Garry Marshall's nostalgia vehicle "Happy Days," a hit among viewers, who made it one of NBC's most-watched shows during the summer of 1974. Hide Caption 11 of 16 Photos: Photos: Summer of 1974 Summer of 1974 – On other networks, long-running television series such as NBC's "Columbo" dominated the airwaves. Even in summer reruns, viewers eagerly tuned in to see Peter Falk's beloved homicide detective solve crimes in a reverse whodunit format. Hide Caption 12 of 16 Photos: Photos: Summer of 1974 Summer of 1974 – CBS coasted through 1974 on the success of "All in the Family," which broke ground for its depiction of a working-class family whose constant bickering stood in stark contrast to the peaceable families of 1960s television. The series debuted in 1971 and was still one of the network's top-rated shows in the summer of 1974. Hide Caption 13 of 16 Photos: Photos: Summer of 1974 Summer of 1974 – Books released earlier in the year such as Peter Benchley's "Jaws" remained popular reads into the summer. Hide Caption 14 of 16 Photos: Photos: Summer of 1974 Summer of 1974 – "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy," the first novel of John LeCarre's Karla Trilogy, debuted in June 1974. Hide Caption 15 of 16 Photos: Photos: Summer of 1974 Summer of 1974 – The beloved Rubik's cube was invented in 1974 by Hungarian professor Erno Rubik. It would take a few years for it to land in American toy stores and become one of the most iconic toys of the 1980s. Hide Caption 16 of 16

Photos: 1974: A year of pop culture chaos Photos: 1974: A year of pop culture chaos 1974: A year of pop culture chaos – There was something draining about 1974. Richard Nixon resigned the presidency; the final pullout from Vietnam was in sight. The pop charts often reflected this fatigue with some of the most criticized music of the rock era -- not least Terry Jacks' "Seasons in the Sun," a Jacques Brel tune with lyrics by Rod McKuen. It spent three weeks at No. 1 in March. Hide Caption 1 of 20 Photos: 1974: A year of pop culture chaos 1974: A year of pop culture chaos – Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods' "Billy, Don't Be a Hero," about a woman begging her lover not to volunteer for the military, hit No. 1 in June. Hide Caption 2 of 20 Photos: 1974: A year of pop culture chaos 1974: A year of pop culture chaos – Paper Lace, a British band that had done the original version of "Billy, Don't Be a Hero," topped the U.S. charts themselves in August with "The Night Chicago Died," set on "the East Side of Chicago" (which most people would think of as Lake Michigan, though some of the city has used that term ). Both "Billy" and "Chicago" were written by the same songwriters: Mitch Murray and Peter Callander. Hide Caption 3 of 20 Photos: 1974: A year of pop culture chaos 1974: A year of pop culture chaos – Maria Muldaur hit the Top 10 with "Midnight at the Oasis," a romantic song that sent camels to bed and maintained that cactus "is our friend." Hide Caption 4 of 20 Photos: 1974: A year of pop culture chaos 1974: A year of pop culture chaos – Paul Anka hit No. 1 in late August with "(You're) Having My Baby," a song that won a 2006 CNN.com survey of the worst songs of all time . What a lovely way to say how much you love me, indeed. Hide Caption 5 of 20 Photos: 1974: A year of pop culture chaos 1974: A year of pop culture chaos – But 1974's music wasn't all bad -- far from it. Stevie Wonder was at his peak. In 1974 he put out the Grammy-winning "Fulfillingness' First Finale" album and hit No. 1 with "You Haven't Done Nothin'." Hide Caption 6 of 20 Photos: 1974: A year of pop culture chaos 1974: A year of pop culture chaos – Singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell hit the Top 10 with her single "Help Me" from her album "Court and Spark," which remains Mitchell's best-selling work. Hide Caption 7 of 20 Photos: 1974: A year of pop culture chaos 1974: A year of pop culture chaos – Elton John mania, which dominated the 1970s, continued in 1974, helped by his late 1973 album "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road." That No. 1 album produced a 1974 No. 1 single, "Bennie and the Jets." John also released the No. 1 album "Caribou" in 1974. Hide Caption 8 of 20 Photos: 1974: A year of pop culture chaos 1974: A year of pop culture chaos – The Three Degrees were one of many acts on the influential Philadelphia International Records who had hits in 1974, including "TSOP" (in which they backed up MFSB) and "When Will I See You Again." Hide Caption 9 of 20 Photos: 1974: A year of pop culture chaos 1974: A year of pop culture chaos – The Ramones played their first show in 1974, helping pave the way for the punk/New Wave movement that produced Blondie, Talking Heads and Patti Smith. In August, not far into their career, they played CBGB for the first time and soon became regulars. Hide Caption 10 of 20 Photos: 1974: A year of pop culture chaos 1974: A year of pop culture chaos – 1974 is considered a great year for movies. "The Godfather Part II," starring Al Pacino, was a huge success at the box office -- and won best picture at the Academy Awards. Hide Caption 11 of 20 Photos: 1974: A year of pop culture chaos 1974: A year of pop culture chaos – Mel Brooks directed two of the year's most popular films: "Blazing Saddles," with Gene Wilder, left, and Cleavon Little; and "Young Frankenstein." Hide Caption 12 of 20 Photos: 1974: A year of pop culture chaos 1974: A year of pop culture chaos – "Chinatown," directed by Roman Polanski and starring Jack Nicholson, left, and Faye Dunaway, was a well-received detective story about corruption in 1940s Los Angeles. Hide Caption 13 of 20 Photos: 1974: A year of pop culture chaos 1974: A year of pop culture chaos – Albert Finney played Hercule Poirot, Agatha Christie's famed detective, in an all-star version of "Murder on the Orient Express." The film was directed by Sidney Lumet. Hide Caption 14 of 20 Photos: 1974: A year of pop culture chaos 1974: A year of pop culture chaos – "The Towering Inferno," starring Paul Newman, left, and Steve McQueen, was the biggest of the year's disaster films. Others included "Earthquake" and "Airport 1975." Hide Caption 15 of 20 Photos: 1974: A year of pop culture chaos 1974: A year of pop culture chaos – "Benji," about a goodhearted stray dog who saves the lives of two children, was a sleeper hit. It was among the top 10 box-office successes of 1974 and spawned a number of sequels. Hide Caption 16 of 20 Photos: 1974: A year of pop culture chaos 1974: A year of pop culture chaos – Another surprise hit was "The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams," starring Dan Haggerty as a frontiersman who becomes pals with a bear. The film was later turned into an NBC TV series. Hide Caption 17 of 20 Photos: 1974: A year of pop culture chaos 1974: A year of pop culture chaos – "The Trial Of Billy Jack," starring Tom Laughlin, was the sequel to the surprise 1971 smash "Billy Jack." It was even more successful at the box office than the first film and helped pioneer the idea of the wide release. Hide Caption 18 of 20 Photos: 1974: A year of pop culture chaos 1974: A year of pop culture chaos – "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre" was an early example of the slasher film -- considered so violent at the time that it was dropped from many theaters. Marilyn Burns, Ed Guinn and Gunnar Hansen starred in the work, directed by Tobe Hooper. Hide Caption 19 of 20 Photos: 1974: A year of pop culture chaos 1974: A year of pop culture chaos – MGM mined its vaults for musical clips -- including this one of Fred Astaire in "Royal Wedding" -- for "That's Entertainment," touted with the tagline, "Boy, do we need it now." Hide Caption 20 of 20

Photos: Summer of 1964 Photos: Summer of 1964 The musical "Mary Poppins" kicked off the film career of stage star Julie Andrews, who went on to win an Academy Award for her portrayal of the loving-but-firm nanny. The film debuted in August 1964. Hide Caption 1 of 15 Photos: Summer of 1964 The musical "The Unsinkable Molly Brown," starring Debbie Reynolds and Harve Presnell, was among the most popular movies in the summer of 1964. Reynolds was nominated for an Academy Award, but lost to Julie Andrews. Hide Caption 2 of 15 Photos: Summer of 1964 Ava Gardner and Richard Burton starred in an adaptation of the Tennessee Williams play "The Night of the Iguana" that debuted in summer 1964. Hide Caption 3 of 15 Photos: Summer of 1964 Beatlemania was in full swing in the summer 1964 as the album and film "A Hard Day's Night" swept across the country. Here, the Fab Four frolicked in the surf in Miami Beach, Florida, that year. Hide Caption 4 of 15 Photos: Summer of 1964 Meanwhile, the California-bred band the Beach Boys had a big year of their own in 1964, with the quintessential summer hits "I Get Around" and "Fun, Fun, Fun." They performed "I Get Around" on "The Ed Sullivan Show" later that year. Hide Caption 5 of 15 Photos: Summer of 1964 Ernest Hemingway's autobiographical book "A Moveable Feast" was among the top sellers in the summer of 1964. Hide Caption 6 of 15 Photos: Summer of 1964 Spy stories were big sellers that summer, including John Le Carre's "The Spy Who Came in from the Cold," Helen MacInnes' "The Venetian Affair" and Ian Fleming's James Bond tale "On Her Majesty's Secret Service." Hide Caption 7 of 15 Photos: Summer of 1964 "Crisis in Black and White," Charles Silberman's analysis of racial oppression in the United States, stayed on bestseller lists throughout the summer of 1964. Hide Caption 8 of 15 Photos: Summer of 1964 Avant garde fashion designer Rudi Gernreich's beachwear turned heads in the summer of 1964. His "monokini," pictured here in yellow and white wool, was a topless suit for women that garnered a moment of high-fashion attention before becoming the stuff of museum exhibitions. Hide Caption 9 of 15 Photos: Summer of 1964 Birkenstock sandals made their debut in Germany in 1964. It would be a couple more years until Margot Fraser began importing them to the United States after trying on the clunky, cork-soled sandals during a visit to a Bavarian spa. Hide Caption 10 of 15 Photos: Summer of 1964 Discotheque dresses -- short, sleeveless numbers that allowed women room to move -- began appearing in the summer of 1964. Model Twiggy wore this version at the Blaises Nightclub in London in 1967. Hide Caption 11 of 15 Photos: Summer of 1964 Skateboards had just started to take off in 1963, after onetime California lifeguard Larry Stevenson perfected a wheeled version of the surfboard. During the summer of 1964, the boards spread around the United States. Here, boys skate past cars on the streets of New York in 1965. Hide Caption 12 of 15 Photos: Summer of 1964 Baseball was big around the country as exciting young players, like Tony La Russa, joined lineups. La Russa, pictured here with the Kansas City A's in 1963, was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, in 2014. Hide Caption 13 of 15 Photos: Summer of 1964 The Kodak Instamatic camera was released in 1963 and became an immediate success, thanks to its simple controls and lightweight design. With millions of Instamatics in circulation within a few years, there's no telling how many summer vacation photos these snappers shot. Hide Caption 14 of 15 Photos: Summer of 1964 The Schwinn Sting-Ray, a motorcycle-inspired bicycle, debuted in 1963 and first appeared in Schwinn's catalog in 1964. Its banana seat and deep handlebars, shown here in 1966, became a fast favorite among young cyclists. Hide Caption 15 of 15

Mondale attempted to keep images of the fallen soldiers (not to mention potential nuclear attack by unspecified foreign forces) fresh in voters' minds, but it was no match for the sunny optimism of Reagan's ad "America Is Back" (often known as " Morning In America "), which depicted house-buying, flag-waving, fully employed Americans going about their business. Mondale managed only to win his home state of Minnesota and the District of Columbia in the election.

Music: Private dancing in the dark while doves cry

Let's hear it for the boys. And the girls. And an epic era of movie music. The "Footloose" soundtrack, packed with powerhouse hits from Deniece Williams, Kenny Loggins and others, reached its apex right at the beginning of summer '84, but still pumped out of poolside boomboxes throughout the season.

Cyndi Lauper's "Time After Time" and Duran Duran's "The Reflex" skipped through the spotlight before the artist formerly and currently known as Prince wrested the top Billboard spot for five consecutive weeks from July to early August with "When Doves Cry" from his soundtrack album "Purple Rain."

Ray Parker Jr. blasted onto the Billboard Hot 100 in August with a three-week stint in the top spot for his single "Ghostbusters," but who'd he have to call? His lawyer, apparently. Huey Lewis eventually sued the artist for $5 million, citing similarities between the chart topper and his hit "I Want a New Drug." The matter later was settled out of court confidentially.

A 20-year-old Courteney Cox swayed onstage with Bruce Springsteen in the video for "Dancing In the Dark" -- the first single from his smash-hit album "Born in the U.S.A." But it was Tina Turner who capped off the season that September with three weeks in the No. 1 spot for "What's Love Got to Do With It" from the album "Private Dancer." The song was later used as the title for a film of Turner's life story, and it marked her first Top 10 single since the 1970s -- making her, at 44, the oldest solo chart-topping female artist to date.

Movies: Revenge of the ghostbusting nerd kids

It's easy to wax (on) rhapsodic about the silver screen in the summer of 1984 -- especially if you were an underdog. Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson and the late Harold Ramis starred as a team of misfit parapsychologists tasked with ridding New York of ghosts and meddlesome gods. The June release of "Ghostbusters" slimed the competition at the box office, while Harrison Ford took a wild mine ride into second place with "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" after its late May release.

A baby-faced Ralph Macchio leg-swept his way into moviegoers' hearts as "The Karate Kid" under the tutelage of handyman/martial arts expert Mr. Miyagi (played by Noriyuki "Pat" Morita). The Kid stood up to Cobra Kai tyrant Johnny Lawrence, played by William Zabka, who was eternally typecast as the go-to blond bully boy of the era.

In "Revenge of the Nerds," released in July, Robert Carradine and Anthony Edwards paired up to play academically inclined freshmen who eventually gain social supremacy over the jockish jerks of the Alpha Beta fraternity by joining forces with other outcasts, panty raiders and nose-pickers.

"Gremlins" fed moviegoers' appetite for cutesy horror, Patrick Swayze's "Red Dawn" became the first release to earn a first PG-13 rating for its "intensity" of violence in a fictional post-communist invasion America, and Tom Hanks threw a "Bachelor Party" that got a tad out of hand.

Prince's "Purple Rain" went crazy at the box office and the record stores, while "The Natural" swung for the fences. The "Star Trek" franchise found its place among the season's biggest hits with its third installment, "The Search for Spock"; and the nation's geeks (and probably a jock or two) commenced a collective crush on John Hughes' red-haired muse Molly Ringwald with her breakout role as Samantha in "Sixteen Candles."

Olympics: Barefoot, bouncing, Beatrice and bumping into history

The XXIII Olympiad in Los Angeles may have been boycotted by the Soviet bloc, but China made a grand return to the Games after its last outing in 1952, taking home 15 gold medals. Mary Lou Retton (and her iconic bouncy haircut) tumbled her way into history -- and the nation's heart -- by becoming the first American to win the women's all-round gold medal in gymnastics.

Zola Budd was nearly booed off the track as the barefoot South African runner (competing for Great Britain) collided with American runner Mary Decker during the 3,000-meter run for the gold medal, knocking her to the curb and out of competition. American runner Carl Lewis completed his quest to match Jesse Owens' record four gold medals in a Games in 1936, but likely due to controversy over his long jump approach, fell short of the lucrative endorsement goals he'd set for himself.

The televised Games also marked the semi-creepy public reveal of the scope of the " Beatrice " brand of products, with an omnipresent commercial campaign showing the range of common household food brands manufactured by the billion-dollar processing company. "We're Beatrice. You've known us all along," the ads said. "Is that you, Big Brother?" responded the viewing public.

Street style: Floppy, bright and totally tubular

Big, loose belts, sky-high hair, workout wear, Swatch watches, neon hues, draped scarves and a surprising return to seersucker defined 1984 summer style. The tail end of the old-school hip-hop era ushered in a new wave helmed by New York-centric artists such as Run-D.M.C. and LL Cool J, and documented in the film "Graffiti Rock." The B-Boy culture of break dancing and graffiti art had been popular in Puerto Rican and African-American youth culture since the 1970s, but suddenly, it seemed as if everyone and their suburban cousin was hauling sheets of cardboard out to the sidewalk and practicing their backspins by the mesquite grill.

TV: It was 1984. Summer was all reruns and Olympics, like, fer sure.