80s MusicThe 1980s was a time of great musical diversity, with a wide range of genres and sub-genres that emerged and gained popularity. Some of the most notable genres of music from the 1980s include:
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Table of Contents Top 15 Eighties’ Bubblegum Pop Hits |
| 1. I Love Rock and Roll – Joan Jett & The Blackhearts |
| 2. Mickey – Toni Basil |
| 3. Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go – Wham! |
| 4. We Got The Beat – The Go-Gos |
| 5. Don’t Worry Be Happy – Bobby McFerrin |
| 6. Only In My Dreams – Debbie Gibson |
| 7. Girls Just Want To Have Fun – Cyndi Lauper |
| 8. I Think We’re Alone Now – Tiffany |
| 9. We Built This City – Starship |
| 10. Foolish Beat – Debbie Gibson |
| 11. Walk Like An Egyptian – The Bangles |
| 12. Straight Up – Paula Abdul |
| 13. Break My Stride – Matthew Wilder |
| 14. I Wanna Dance With Somebody Who Loves Me – Whitney Houston |
| 15. Could’ve Been – Tiffany |
The 13 Saddest Songs of the 1980s |
| 1. Careless Whisper – George Michael |
| 2. I Want to Know What Love Is – Foreigner |
| 3. Time After Time – Cyndi Lauper |
| 4. If You Leave Me Now – Chicago |
| 5. Purple Rain – Prince |
| 6. Alone – Heart |
| 7. Missing You – John Waite |
| 8. Faithfully – Journey |
| 9. Drive – The Cars |
| 10. No One Is To Blame – Howard Jones |
| 11. Empty Garden – Elton John |
| 12. Voices Carry – Till Tuesday |
| 13. Love Will Tear Us Apart – Joy Division |
The 80s Top 20 Biggest Movie Soundtrack Hits |
| 1. Footloose – Kenny Loggins |
| 2. You Lost That Lovin’ Feeling – Righteous Brothers |
| 3. The Time of My Life – Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes |
| 4. Eye of the Tiger – Survivor |
| 5. I’m Alright – Kenny Loggins |
| 6. Old Time Rock and Roll – Bob Seger |
| 7. Don’t You Forget About Me – Simple Minds |
| 8. Wind Beneath My Wings – Bette Midler |
| 9. Fame – Irene Cara |
| 10. St. Elmo’s Fire (Man in Motion) – John Parr |
| 11. Flashdance (What A Feeling) – Irene Cara |
| 12. Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now) – Phil Collins |
| 13. On The Dark Side – Eddie and the Cruisers |
| 14. Burning Heart – Survivor |
| 15. Take My Breath Away – Berlin |
| 16. What a Wonderful World – Louis Armstrong |
| 17. Chariots Of Fire Theme – Vangelis |
| 18. The Power Of Love – Huey Lewis and the News |
| 19. Batdance – Prince |
| 20. In The Air Tonight – Phil Collins |
Top 20 Summer Songs 1980-1989 |
| 1. Walking on Sunshine – Katrina and The Waves, 1985 |
| 2. We Got The Beat – Go Go’s, 1982 |
| 3. I Love Rock ‘N Roll – Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, 1982 |
| 4. Kokomo – Beach Boys, 1988 |
| 5. 867-5309/Jenny – Tommy Tutone, 1982 |
| 6. Boys of Summer – Don Henley, 1985 |
| 7. Funkytown – Lipps, Inc, 1980 |
| 8. Beat It – Michael Jackson, 1983 |
| 9. Come On Eileen – Dexy’s Midnight Runners, 1983 |
| 10. Vacation – Go Go’s |
| 11. Sledgehammer – Peter Gabriel, 1986 |
| 12. The Boys Of Summer – Don Henley |
| 13. Love Shack – B-52s, 1989 |
| 14. Axel F – Harlod Faltermeyer, 1985 |
| 15. Eye Of The Tiger – Survivor, 1982 |
| 16. I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me) – Whitney Houston, 1987 |
| 17. Hot In The City – Billy Idol, 1982 (and 1988) |
| 18. I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For – U2, 1987 |
| 19. Endless Summer Nights – Richard Marx, 1988 |
| 20. Flashdance (What A Feeling) – Irene Cara, 1983 |
Top 10 80s Songs That Mom And Dad Hated |
| 1. Me So Horny – 2 Live Crew |
| 2. Fight For Your Right (To Party) – Beastie Boys |
| 3. Like A Virgin – Madonna |
| 4. We’re Not Gonna Take It – Twisted Sister |
| 5. Da Butt – E.U. |
| 6. I Want Your Sex – George Michael |
| 7. Sexual Healing – Marvin Gaye |
| 8. Wild Thing – Tone Loc |
| 9. I Want a New Drug – Huey Lewis and the News |
| 10. Birthday Suit – Johnny Kemp |
Top 11 Eighties Songs That Everybody Hated |
| 1. Morning Train (9 to 5) – Sheena Easton |
| 2. Rock Me Amadeus – Falco |
| 3. To All the Girls I Loved Before – Julio Iglesias and Willie Nelson |
| 4. We Didn’t Start The Fire – Billy Joel |
| 5. Sussudio – Phil Collins |
| 6. Puttin On The Ritz – Taco |
| 7. Harlem Shuffle – Rolling Stones |
| 8. Word Up – Cameo |
| 9. Invisible Touch – Genesis |
| 10. Goonies R Good Enough – Cyndi Lauper |
| 11. The Twist (Yo, Twist!) – Fat Boys featuring Chubby Checker |
Top Ten 80s Biggest Sing-A-Long And Air-Guitar Pop Hits |
| 1. Don’t Stop Believing – Journey |
| 2. Jessie’s Girl – Rick Springfield |
| 3. 867-5309/Jenny – Tommy Tutone |
| 4. Living On A Prayer – Bon Jovi |
| 5. I Love Rock and Roll – Joan Jett & The Blackhearts |
| 6. I Melt With You – Modern English |
| 7. Come On Eileen – Dexy’s Midnight Runners |
| 8. We Built This City – Starship |
| 9. Born In The USA – Bruce Springsteen |
| 10. Red Red Wine – UB40 |
Some Of The 80s Biggest Dance Music Hits |
| 1. Funkytown – Lipps Inc. |
| 2. Electric Boogie – Marcia Griffiths |
| 3. Let’s Groove – Earth Wind and Fire |
| 4. Superfreak – Rick James |
| 5. Celebration – Kool and the Gang |
| 6. It’s Raining Men – The Weather Girls |
| 7. Double Dutch Bus – Frankie Smith |
| 8. Upside Down – Diana Ross |
| 9. Give It To Me Baby – Rick James |
| 10. Into The Groove – Madonna |
| 11. Pump Up the Jam – Technotronic |
| 12. Tainted Love – Soft Cell |
| 13. So Many Men, So Little Time – Miquel Brown |
| 14. She’ A Bad Mama Jama – Carl Carlton |
| 15. Take Your Time (Do It Right) – S.O.S. Band |
| 16. Feels Like I’m In Love – Kelly Marie |
| 17. Last Night a DJ Saved My Life – Indeep |
| 18. I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me) – Whitney Houston |
| 19. You Dropped A Bomb On Me – Gap Band |
| 20. **1999** – Prince |
The 80s Biggest Dance Music Hits |
| 1. Billie Jean – Michael Jackson |
| 2. Thriller – Michael Jackson |
| 3. Beat It – Michael Jackson |
| 4. The Way You Make Me Feel – Michael Jackson |
| 5. Wanna Be Startin Something – Michael Jackson |
| 6. Bad – Michael Jackson |
| 7. Smooth Criminal – Michael Jackson |
| 8. P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing) – Michael Jackson |
| 9. Off The Wall – Michael Jackson |
| 10. State of Shock – The Jacksons with Mick Jagger |
80s Electronica Dance |
| 1. Planet Rock – Afrika Bambaataa & The Soul Sonic Force |
| 2. Jam On It – Newcleus |
| 3. Pump Up the Volume – M/A/R/R/S |
| 4. Blue Monday – New Order |
| 5. Situation – Yazoo |
| 6. Axel F – Harold Faltermeyer |
| 7. White Horse – Laid Back |
| 8. Rockit – Herbie Hancock |
| 9. What’s On Your Mind? (Pure Energy) – Information Society |
| 10. Ride On Time – Black Box |
Top Ten 80s Early Rap/Hip Hop Hits |
| Rapper’s Delight By Sugarhill Gang came out in late 1979, in case you were wondering. |
| 1. It Takes Two – Rob Base and DJ EZ Rock |
| 2. Push It – Salt N Pepa |
| 3. Bust A Move – Young MC |
| 4. Joy and Pain – Rob Base and DJ EZ Rock |
| 5. Wild Thing – Tone Loc |
| 6. White Lines – Grandmaster Flash |
| 7. Funky Cold Medina – Tone Loc |
| 8. It’s Tricky – Run D.M.C. |
| 9. Da Butt – E.U. |
| 10. Me, Myself, and I – De La Soul |
The One Doo Wop Hit Of The 80s |
| 1. The Longest Time – Billy Joel |
The 25 80s Songs That You Need To Make Your Collection Complete |
| 1. I Melt With You – Modern English |
| 2. Never Gonna Give You Up – Rick Astley |
| 3. Mr. Soul – Neil Young (Trans Album – new version) |
| 4. Valley Girl – Frank Zappa featuring Moon Unit |
| 5. I Wanna Be Sedated – The Ramones |
| 6. Another One Bites The Dust – Queen |
| 7. Dancing With Myself – Billy Idol |
| 8. I Love Rock and Roll – Joan Jett and the Blackhearts |
| 9. Rock This Town – the Stray Cats |
| 10. Blinded Me With Science – Thomas Dolby |
| 11. Money – the Flying Lizards |
| 12. Tainted Love/Where Did Our Love Go – Soft Cell |
| 13. Lawn Chairs – Our Daughter’s Wedding |
| 14. I Got You – Split Enz |
| 15. Life During Wartime – Talking Heads |
| 16. AEIOU (and Sometimes Y) – EBN OZN |
| 17. Don’t Pay the Ferryman – Chris DeBurgh |
| 18. Life Sucks, Then You Die – The Fools |
| 19. Wham Rap – Wham! |
| 20. I Ran (So Far Away) – A Flock of Seagulls |
| 21. Electric Youth – Debbie Gibson |
| 22. Escalator of Life – Robert Hazard |
| 23. Oh Yeah – Yello |
| 24. She Drives Me Crazy – Fine Young Cannibals |
| 25. Nobody – Sylvia |
If You Could Have One Song From The 80s… |
| 1. Africa – Toto |
The 80s Big Money Songs And/Or One Hit Wonders |
| 1. Mickey – Toni Basil |
| 2. Funkytown – Lipps, Inc. |
| 3. Ice Ice Baby – Vanilla Ice |
| 4. Come On Eileen – Dexy’s Midnight Runners |
| 5. Da Butt – EU |
| 6. U Can’t Touch This – MC Hammer |
| 7. Money – Flying Lizards |
| 8. Relax – Frankie Goes To Hollywood |
| 9. Escalator Of Life – Robert Hazard* |
| *Robert also wrote Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, sung by Cyndi Lauper |
| 10. People Who Died – Jim Carroll Band |
| 11. The Future’s So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades – Timbuk 3 |
Top Ten Eighties’ Fad Songs |
| 1. Valley Girl – Frank and Moon Unit Zappa |
| 2. Pac-Man Fever – Buckner and Garcia |
| 3. Rock Lobster – The B-52s |
| 4. Safety Dance – Men Without Hats |
| 5. Do They Know Its Christmas – Band Aid |
| 6. General Hospi-Tale – The Afternoon Delights |
| 7. Dancing In The Street – David Bowie and Mick Jagger |
| 8. We Are The World – USA For Africa |
| 9. Physical – Olivia Newton-John |
| 10. 99 Luftballoons – Nena |
Top Ten Weirdest Songs of the 1980s |
| 1. Somebody’s Watching Me – Rockwell |
| 2. Safety Dance – Men Without Hats |
| 3. Puttin On The Ritz – Taco |
| 4. Money – The Flying Lizards |
| 5. Paranoimia – Art of Noise and Max Headroom |
| 6. Walk The Dinosaur – Was (Not Was) |
| 7. It’s The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine) – R.E.M. |
| 8. Sign ‘O’ The Times – Prince |
| 9. Johnnie Are You Queer – Josie Cotton |
| 10. Into The Night – Benny Mardones |
Ten Eighties’ Songs That We Secretly Liked |
| 1. Everybody Have Fun Tonight – Wang Chung |
| 2. Two Of Hearts – Stacy Q |
| 3. 9 To 5 – Dolly Parton |
| 4. Drivin’ My Life Away – Eddie Rabbit |
| 5. Ebony and Ivory – Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder |
| 6. Groovy Kind Of Love – Phil Collins |
| 7. We Belong – Pat Benatar |
| 8. Physical – Olivia Newton-John |
| 9. Hot Child In The City – Nick Gilder |
| 10. I’ve Never Been To Me – Charlene |
Top Ten 80s Album Rock (AOR Radio) Hits |
| 1. Where The Streets Have No Name – U2 |
| 2. Here I Go Again – Whitesnake |
| 3. Touch of Grey – Grateful Dead |
| 4. The Stroke – Billy Squire |
| 5. Tom Sawyer – Rush |
| 6. Arc of A Diver – Steve Winwood |
| 7. Hungry Heart – Bruce Springsteen |
| 8. Late In The Evening – Paul Simon |
| 9. The Voice – The Moody Blues |
| 10. Wango Tango – Ted Nugent |
Top Ten 80s Pop Rock Hits |
| 1. Jessie’s Girl – Rick Springfield |
| 2. 867-5309/Jenny – Tommy Tutone |
| 3. Girls Just Want To Have Fun – Cyndi Lauper |
| 4. Walking On Sunshine – Katrina and the Waves |
| 5. Jump – Van Halen |
| 6. Eye of the Tiger – Survivor |
| 7. Another One Bites The Dust – Queen |
| 8. Manic Monday – The Bangles |
| 9. Let’s Dance – David Bowie |
| 10. Dancing In The Dark – Bruce Springsteen |
Top Ten 80s Biggest New Wave Hits |
| 1. Love Shack – B-52s |
| 2. What I Like About You – Romantics |
| 3. Dancing With Myself – Billy Idol |
| 4. Rock The Casbah (Mustapha Dance) – The Clash |
| 5. Whip It – Devo |
| 6. Antmusic – Adam and the Ants |
| 7. Girls Just Wanna Have Fun – Cyndi Lauper |
| 8. Train In Vain (Stand By Me) – The Clash |
| 9. Just Like Heaven – The Cure |
| 10. Situation – Yaz (Yazoo) |
Our Favorite (Top Ten) 80s Punk Rock Hits |
| 1. Blitzkrieg Bop – Ramones |
| 2. I Wanna Be Sedated – Ramones |
| 3. Dancin With Myself – Generation X (Billy Idol) |
| 4. I Fought The Law – The Clash |
| 5. Blister In The Sun – Violent Femmes |
| 6. God Save The Queen – Sex Pistols |
| 7. Ca Plane Pour Moi (This Life’ For Me) – Plastic Bertrand |
| 8. Too Drunk To F*** – DK’s (Dead Kennedys) |
| 9. Dirty Water – The Inmates |
| 10. Where’s Captain Kirk? – Spizzenergi |
Top Ten 80s Big Hair Power Rock Ballads |
| 1. Every Rose Has Its Thorn – Poison |
| 2. Wanted Dead Or Alive – Bon Jovi |
| 3. Patience – Guns N Roses |
| 4. Almost Paradise – Mike Reno & Ann Wilson |
| 5. Black Velvet – Alannah Myles |
| 6. When I’m With You – Sheriff |
| 7. Love Hurts – Nazareth |
| 8. Honestly – Stryper |
| 9. Sister Christian – Night Ranger |
| 10. Don’t Know What You Got (Til It’ Gone) – Cinderella |
The Eighties Top Ten Sexiest Pop/Rock Songs |
| 1. Like A Virgin – Madonna |
| 2. Sexual Healing – Marvin Gaye |
| 3. I Want Your Sex – George Michael |
| 4. Centerfold – J. Geils Band |
| 5. Touch Me (I Want Your Body) – Samantha Fox |
| 6. Talk Dirty To Me – Poison |
| 7. Baby Makes Her Blue Jeans Talk – Dr. Hook |
| 8. Naughty Girls Need Love Too – Samantha Fox |
| 9. Do That To Me One More Time – Captain and Tennille |
| 10. Muscles – Diana Ross |
Top Ten 80s Best Comedy & Novelty Songs |
| 1. Fat – Weird Al Yankovic |
| 2. Curly Shuffle – The Jump In The Saddle Band |
| 3. Shaddap You Face – Joe Dolce |
| 4. Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life – Monty Python (Eric Idol)* * From 1979’s Life of Brian |
| 5. Because I’m a Blonde – Julie Brown |
| 6. Take Off – Bob & Doug McKenzie with Eddie Lee |
| 7. Eat It – Weird Al Yankovic |
| 8. You Look Marvelous – Billy Crystal |
| 9. Meet The Flintstones – Bruce Springstone |
| 10. Make My Day – T.G. Sheppard with Clint Eastwood |
