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1985 Music Hits: MTV Pop, Dance Hits, Album Rock, New Wave, R&B, Movie Songs, Charity Singles, and Mid-1980s Favorites

1985 music was peak mid-1980s: big videos, big choruses, big hair, big movie soundtracks, and enough synthesizers to make the future sound slightly shiny. MTV was a major tastemaker, radio still had huge power, and pop culture moved quickly between rock, dance, R&B, New Wave, charity singles, and soundtrack hits.

The biggest 1985 music hits included We Built This City, Smooth Operator, The Boys of Summer, Summer of ’69, Walking on Sunshine, Glory Days, Axel F, Born in the U.S.A., Jungle Love, and Crazy for You. It was a year of bright pop, stylish cool, movie-score hooks, dance-floor favorites, and rock songs that still sound like they belong on a cassette in a Camaro.

These 1985 music hits are not meant to be a Billboard reprint. The focus is recognizability, lasting radio appeal, MTV impact, party and dance value, classic-rock durability, sing-along strength, and songs people still connect with 1985.

How People Heard 1985 Music

In 1985, MTV and radio worked together to make songs feel bigger than sound alone. A strong video could define an artist, while movie soundtracks, television themes, and pop performances helped songs travel into everyday life.

Cassettes, vinyl, jukeboxes, car stereos, dance clubs, Top 40 radio, rock radio, R&B stations, and music television all shaped the year. The result was a glossy, high-energy sound where image and song often arrived as a package deal. If 1985 had a volume knob, it probably also had shoulder pads.

1985’s Biggest Artists and Songs

1985’s Grammy and chart stories reflected a music world dominated by pop superstars, comeback stories, rock radio, charity singles, and soundtrack hits.

  • Cyndi Lauper won Best New Artist for the 1984 Grammy year, presented in 1985. Her colorful style and songs like Girls Just Want to Have Fun and Time After Time made her one of the defining early-MTV stars.
  • Lionel Richie won Album of the Year for Can’t Slow Down, one of the biggest pop albums of the mid-1980s.
  • Tina Turner won Record of the Year for What’s Love Got to Do with It, one of the decade’s great comeback records.
  • USA for Africa released We Are the World, one of the most famous charity singles in pop history.
  • Bruce Springsteen continued the enormous Born in the U.S.A. era with songs like Glory Days and I’m Goin’ Down.
  • Madonna remained central to pop radio with Crazy for You, Dress You Up, and other major hits.
  • Don Henley helped define sophisticated 1980s adult rock with The Boys of Summer.
  • Dire Straits used MTV itself as part of the story with Money for Nothing.

New Artists and Breakthrough Acts in the 1985 Pop Charts

Several artists broke through or became much more visible in 1985. Some became adult-pop mainstays, some shaped alternative and electronic pop, and others helped define the MTV rock and R&B sound of the decade.

  • Los Lobos brought roots rock, Mexican American musical influence, and strong musicianship into wider awareness.
  • Alphaville became a synth-pop favorite with songs that later gained long retro life.
  • Klymaxx scored dance and R&B hits with attitude and club energy.
  • Jermaine Stewart brought stylish dance-pop into the charts.
  • Amy Grant began crossing from contemporary Christian music into wider pop visibility.
  • Sade introduced a cool, smooth, jazz-influenced pop and soul sound with Smooth Operator.
  • Julian Lennon reached pop listeners with Valotte and Too Late for Goodbyes.
  • Depeche Mode brought darker synth-pop and electronic music further into the American alternative conversation.
  • Freddie Jackson became a major voice in smooth R&B and quiet storm.
  • Sting began his solo career after The Police with a more jazz-influenced pop-rock sound.
  • Simple Minds reached a wide American audience through Don’t You (Forget About Me).

1985’s Retro Top 10 Hits

These 1985 retro hits capture the year’s mix of charity pop, rock radio, dance music, R&B, movie songs, and MTV-ready singles. Some were enormous at the time, while others became durable mid-’80s favorites.

  1. We Are the World – USA for Africa
  2. Dancing in the Street – Mick Jagger & David Bowie
  3. Sussudio – Phil Collins
  4. Glory Days – Bruce Springsteen
  5. Nightshift – Commodores
  6. Lovergirl – Teena Marie
  7. Heaven – Bryan Adams
  8. Dancin’ in the Key of Life – Steve Arrington
  9. Party All the Time – Eddie Murphy
  10. In My House – Mary Jane Girls

1985’s One-Hit Wonders

1985 had one-hit wonders and near-one-hit wonders from movie scores, synth-pop, hard rock, New Wave, dance music, and soundtrack culture. Some were brief chart stories, but their hooks stayed parked in the decade.

  1. Axel F – Harold Faltermeyer
  2. Relax – Frankie Goes to Hollywood
  3. Miami Vice Theme – Jan Hammer
  4. Tarzan Boy – Baltimora
  5. One Night in Bangkok – Murray Head
  6. You’re a Friend of Mine – Clarence Clemons & Jackson Browne
  7. Hold Me – Menudo
  8. Radioactive – The Firm
  9. Turn Up the Radio – Autograph
  10. When Your Heart Is Weak – Cock Robin

Tarzan Boy gained extra later recognition through its use in the 1993 film *Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III*, giving the song a second pop-culture life beyond its original mid-1980s run.

1985 Dance Top 10 Hit List

Dance music in 1985 blended pop, freestyle, R&B, electro, funk, and movie soundtrack energy. These songs helped keep clubs, radio, and school dances very busy.

  1. Conga – Miami Sound Machine
  2. Dress You Up – Madonna
  3. Freeway of Love – Aretha Franklin
  4. The Bird – The Time
  5. Oh Sheila – Ready for the World
  6. Rhythm of the Night – DeBarge
  7. Neutron Dance – The Pointer Sisters
  8. Roxanne, Roxanne – UTFO
  9. Meeting in the Ladies Room – Klymaxx
  10. Jungle Love – The Time

More 1985 Dance Hits

  • New Attitude – Patti LaBelle
  • Can You Feel the Beat – Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam with Full Force
  • The Freaks Come Out at Night – Whodini
  • The Oak Tree – Morris Day

1985 Pop Rock Top 10 Hit List

Pop rock in 1985 had big choruses, video-friendly production, sleek guitars, and a strong mix of radio polish and rock attitude. These songs lived well on both MTV and Top 40 radio.

  1. Walking on Sunshine – Katrina and the Waves
  2. We Built This City – Starship
  3. Dancing in the Street – Mick Jagger & David Bowie
  4. Don’t Lose My Number – Phil Collins
  5. Easy Lover – Philip Bailey & Phil Collins
  6. All She Wants to Do Is Dance – Don Henley
  7. You Spin Me Round (Like a Record) – Dead or Alive
  8. Summer of ’69 – Bryan Adams
  9. We Belong – Pat Benatar
  10. Miami Vice Theme – Jan Hammer

1985 Alternative Pop Top 10 Hit List

Alternative pop in 1985 was moving closer to the mainstream through synth-pop, New Wave, college rock, and video-driven British bands. The sound was stylish, sharp, and often more interesting than standard pop radio expected.

  1. Take On Me – a-ha
  2. Don’t You (Forget About Me) – Simple Minds
  3. Voices Carry – ’Til Tuesday
  4. And She Was – Talking Heads
  5. Shout – Tears for Fears
  6. Perfect Way – Scritti Politti
  7. Tenderness – General Public
  8. People Are People – Depeche Mode
  9. Be Near Me – ABC
  10. All You Zombies – The Hooters

More 1985 Alternative Pop Hits

  • Smalltown Boy – Bronski Beat

1985 Album Rock Top 10 Hit List

In 1985, album rock featured classic-rock veterans, heartland rock, soundtrack cool, guitar heroes, and MTV-aware rock bands all competing for FM airplay.

  1. Money for Nothing – Dire Straits
  2. Smuggler’s Blues – Glenn Frey
  3. People Get Ready – Jeff Beck & Rod Stewart
  4. I’m Goin’ Down – Bruce Springsteen
  5. Centerfield – John Fogerty
  6. Naughty Naughty – John Parr
  7. Rockin’ at Midnight – The Honeydrippers
  8. Don’t Come Around Here No More – Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
  9. You Belong to the City – Glenn Frey
  10. The Old Man Down the Road – John Fogerty

More 1985 Album Rock Hits

  • This Is Not America – David Bowie & The Pat Metheny Group
  • Sweet, Sweet Baby (I’m Falling) – Lone Justice

1985 Bubblegum Pop Music Top 10

Bubblegum pop in 1985 was bright, catchy, and often tied to MTV, movies, or dance culture. These songs were made to stick quickly, and many still do.

  1. Walking on Sunshine – Katrina and the Waves
  2. Party All the Time – Eddie Murphy
  3. Cool It Now – New Edition
  4. We Built This City – Starship
  5. Dress You Up – Madonna
  6. Hold Me – Menudo
  7. Oh Sheila – Ready for the World
  8. We Are the World – USA for Africa
  9. You Spin Me Round (Like a Record) – Dead or Alive
  10. Axel F – Harold Faltermeyer

Movie, TV, and Soundtrack Songs of 1985

Soundtracks and television were major forces in 1985 music. *Beverly Hills Cop*, *The Breakfast Club*, *Miami Vice*, *The Goonies*, and other pop-culture moments helped push songs beyond normal radio life.

  • Axel F – Harold Faltermeyer
  • Don’t You (Forget About Me) – Simple Minds
  • Miami Vice Theme – Jan Hammer
  • The Goonies ’R’ Good Enough – Cyndi Lauper
  • Crazy for You – Madonna
  • Into the Groove – Madonna
  • St. Elmo’s Fire (Man in Motion) – John Parr
  • Neutron Dance – The Pointer Sisters

Charity Singles and Event Pop in 1985

1985 was a major year for event-style pop music. We Are the World brought together many of the biggest American stars of the era, while Live Aid turned music and global charity into one of the decade’s defining pop-culture moments.

  • We Are the World – USA for Africa
  • Do They Know It’s Christmas? – Band Aid
  • Dancing in the Street – David Bowie & Mick Jagger
  • Tears Are Not Enough – Northern Lights

Early Hip-Hop, Electro, and R&B Dance Culture in 1985

Hip-hop and electro continued growing in 1985, especially through club tracks, rap radio, and dance culture. R&B was also becoming sleeker and more electronic.

  • Roxanne, Roxanne – UTFO
  • The Freaks Come Out at Night – Whodini
  • Fresh – Fresh 3 M.C.’s
  • Can You Feel the Beat – Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam with Full Force
  • Meeting in the Ladies Room – Klymaxx
  • Oh Sheila – Ready for the World

Artist Spotlight: Tina Turner

Tina Turner’s mid-1980s comeback was one of pop music’s great second acts. What’s Love Got to Do with It won Record of the Year, and her solo success proved she could dominate a new era on her own terms.

Turner’s voice had strength, grit, control, and authority. She did not return quietly; she walked back into pop culture like she owned the lease.

Artist Spotlight: Madonna

Madonna remained one of 1985’s central pop figures. Crazy for You, Into the Groove, and Dress You Up showed how easily she could move between ballads, club pop, and MTV-ready singles.

By 1985, Madonna was not just a new star. She was already setting the terms for what a modern pop career could look like.

Artist Spotlight: Bruce Springsteen

Bruce Springsteen’s Born in the U.S.A. era continued to dominate 1985. Glory Days, I’m Goin’ Down, Born in the U.S.A., and other songs kept him at the center of rock radio and MTV.

The songs sounded big and accessible, but many carried more complicated stories than the choruses first suggested. Springsteen made stadium rock with a working-class notebook in his back pocket.

Artist Spotlight: Sade

Sade brought a different kind of cool into 1985 pop with Smooth Operator. The sound was elegant, restrained, jazzy, and completely distinct from the louder MTV pop around it.

While much of 1985 chased bigger sounds, Sade proved that understatement could be just as powerful. Smooth, as advertised.

Artist Spotlight: Tears for Fears

Tears for Fears became one of 1985’s most important alternative-pop acts. Shout and Everybody Wants to Rule the World combined emotional weight, polished production, and sharp hooks.

Their sound was thoughtful but still radio-friendly. That balance helped them stand out in a year packed with bright pop and loud rock.

Artist Spotlight: Simple Minds

Simple Minds reached a massive American audience with Don’t You (Forget About Me), forever tied to *The Breakfast Club*. The song became one of the defining hits of the decade’s soundtrack.

It captured teenage drama, movie nostalgia, and big 1980s atmosphere in one chorus. Not bad for a song that practically lives in a raised fist.

PCM’s 1985 Top 10 Hit List

These 1985 songs best represent the year’s lasting appeal, MTV power, movie-song impact, dance-floor energy, rock strength, and mid-1980s identity.

  1. We Built This City – Starship
  2. Smooth Operator – Sade
  3. The Boys of Summer – Don Henley
  4. Summer of ’69 – Bryan Adams
  5. Walking on Sunshine – Katrina and the Waves
  6. Glory Days – Bruce Springsteen
  7. Axel F – Harold Faltermeyer
  8. Born in the U.S.A. – Bruce Springsteen
  9. Jungle Love – The Time
  10. Crazy for You – Madonna

More Must-Have 1985 Songs

These additional 1985 songs help round out the year’s pop, rock, dance, R&B, New Wave, soundtrack, charity-single, and MTV-era identity. Some were massive hits, some became retro staples, and some still sound like 1985 stepping out of a music video in white sneakers.

  • Take On Me – a-ha
  • Don’t You (Forget About Me) – Simple Minds
  • Everybody Wants to Rule the World – Tears for Fears
  • Shout – Tears for Fears
  • What’s Love Got to Do with It – Tina Turner
  • Better Be Good to Me – Tina Turner
  • Into the Groove – Madonna
  • Material Girl – Madonna
  • Raspberry Beret – Prince & The Revolution
  • Pop Life – Prince & The Revolution
  • Some Like It Hot – The Power Station
  • Would I Lie to You? – Eurythmics
  • Things Can Only Get Better – Howard Jones
  • Life in a Northern Town – The Dream Academy
  • Election Day – Arcadia
  • Fortress Around Your Heart – Sting
  • Saving All My Love for You – Whitney Houston
  • How Will I Know – Whitney Houston
  • Nightshift – Commodores
  • Freeway of Love – Aretha Franklin

Why 1985 Music Still Matters

1985 music still matters because it captured the middle of the MTV decade at full brightness. Video, radio, movie soundtracks, charity events, dance clubs, and arena rock all worked together to create a year that still feels unmistakably mid-1980s.

The year’s range was wide: We Are the World, Take On Me, Axel F, The Boys of Summer, Walking on Sunshine, Smooth Operator, Roxanne, Roxanne, and Don’t You (Forget About Me) all belonged to the same moment. That is not just a playlist; that is 1985 wearing sunglasses indoors while carrying a charity single, a saxophone, and a movie soundtrack.

1985 was glossy, emotional, danceable, cinematic, and full of songs people still recognize fast. It gave the decade some of its strongest MTV hits, biggest soundtrack records, most memorable charity singles, and a deep bench of pop, rock, R&B, and alternative favorites.