`  :Actually, you're quite right, I ran out of time and had to leave before I could complete it.  But saved what I wrote for later edit as I expected to change computers.  I did not expect anyone to respond so quickly.  My error.  Since your contribution, I'll forgo editing and start anew to prevent confusion.  You hit upon my major editing intent - to talk a bit about the blurred lines between categories.  For instance, late Berlin is as easily categorized as House as New Music.  In the case of Depeche Mode, they actually announced their intent to head into the club scene - thus we know it was a conscious decision.  But as for the others such as The Cars, they simply progressed into a more mainstream sound over time.  We actually agree on the major points you made. However, in my mind, there was more or less a definition of the genre that one could use at that particular time.  For instance, in 1981 through 1983 the popular band Duran Duran was clearly New Wave. But I considered Sly Fox and Haircut 100 as also New Wave even though they were completely different.  This despite the fact that I was not cognizent of what was on the producers minds at the time - we had no real internet with which to easily look up such things.  The fact that the producers and I both agree on what was clearly the New Wave sound would be an astounding coincidence if it were just coincidence.  But it is not coincidence - there was a definite sound to it, no matter how difficult it may be to clearly define it.  Many of the bands attributed to New Wave were equally considered Punk or Pop.  The Cars' first three albums could be considered both Pop and New Wave, but their Heartbeat City and subsequent albums saw them move away from the New Wave sound, or at least as I defined it circa 1981 when the genre hit it's stride (so to speak).  We cannot define where the the edge of one genre ends and another picks up, but perhaps we can define the quintessential center of a genre at a particular time; knowing that the center will drift is some direction from year to year.  Consider, my own preferences tended to drift towards the Pop side of the New Wave spectrum while someone else's preferences may drift towards the Punk or the Techo sides of New Wave.  All the music could be considered part of the New Wave genre but all three of us could be listening to completely different bands.  In a way, one could argue that New Wave put the three genre's together similarly to the way Fusion did with world music.  Perhaps you are correct and I'm trying to define something that can never be clearly defined or agreed upon.  As you can see, it being ``merely impossible`` did not stop me from trying, though.  But if you think I'm mangling this Wiki, I shall desist and give permission to edit or delete any and all of my contributions ;) 0945 EST, 8 February 2006`