In the 80s - Top Ten Lists of Eighties Songs

What are your top ten favorite songs from the 80s?

This page currently edited by: Quirk. Past editor: RetroGuyDK, Absolutely Vile, Junior

By: P. Kelly
  • 10. Walk This Way by Run-D.M.C
    Almost as good as the original!
  • 9. Fight For Your Right by The Beastie Boys
    Classic old school rap party song.
  • 8. Every Rose Has It's Thorn by Poison
    Classic heavy metal band power ballad.
  • 7. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For by U2
    The best song off of the best album from one of the best bands ever!
  • 6. Pour Some Sugar On Me by Def Leppard
  • 5. Comfortably Numb by Pink Floyd
    Not sure if this is '70s or '80s but a great Floyd song.
  • 4. Living On A Prayer by Bon Jovi
    Bon Jovi at his best!
  • 3. Sweet Child O' Mine by Guns N' Roses
    Best GNR song by far.
  • 2. You Shook Me All Night Long by AC/DC
    IMO, the best song from an amazing hard rock band.
  • 1. Don't Stop Believin' by Journey
    Classic karaoke song.
The 80's weren't very good, but there were still some great songs
By: Jared Stearns
  • 10. Come On Feel The Noise by Quiet Riot
  • 9. We're Not Gonna Take It by Twisted Sister
  • 8. Hungrey Like A Wolf by Duran Duran
  • 7. Walk This Way by Run DMC
  • 6. With Or Without You by U2
  • 5. Don't Stop Believing by Journey
  • 4. Jump by Van Halen
  • 3. Living On A Prayer by Bon Jovi
  • 2. Here I Go Again by White Snake
  • 1. Pour Some Sugar On Me by Def Leopard
I hope you enjoy what i belive to be the top 10 songs of the 80's
By: emma
By: Yam Behler
  • 10. Waiting For A Star To Fall by Boy Meets Girl
  • 9. Human by Human League
  • 8. Who Knows What Love Is by Strawberry Switchblade
  • 7. Freeze Frame by J. Geils Band
  • 6. Centerfold by J. Geils Band
  • 5. Just Got Lucky by Jo Boxers
  • 4. Walking On Sunshine by Katrina And The Waves
  • 3. Tenderness by General Public
  • 2. Suedehead by Morrissey
  • 1. She's So Young by The Pursuit Of Happiness
I love the 80's and I never get tired of listening to it!!! =)
By: Kostas-7-
  • 10. Back In Black by AC/DC
    IT ROCKSSSSSSSSS!!!!SO HARD SONG AND SO POWERFULL-GREAT BAND
  • 9. Wanted Dead Or Alive by Bon Jovi
    I THINK THE BEST ACOUSTIC SONG OF ALL TIME-IT ROCKS ANYWAY
  • 8. Jump by Van Halen
    GREAT SONG-ONE OF MY FAVOURITE BANDS-THEY ROCK
  • 7. Paradice City by Guns N Roses
    WHTA I CAN SAY ABOUT THIS?JUST GREAT
  • 6. You Give Love A Bad Name by Bon Jovi
    NO COMMENTES THEY ARE GREAT I LOVE THEM-OLD BON JOVI SONGS ARE THE BEST
  • 5. Love Will Tear Us Apart by Joy Division
    PERFECT SONG-AN OTHER STYLE FROM THE OTHERS-IAN CERTIS WAS VERY GOOD SINGER!!!
  • 4. Here I Go Again by Whitesnake
    IT ROCKS-IT'S A CLASSIC ROCK SONG!!!
  • 3. Pour Some Sugar On Me by Def Leppard
    VERY GOOD SONG FROM A BIG BAND ALSO-AND GREAT ALBUM
  • 2. Sweet Child O' Mine by Guns N Roses
    WHAT A SONG?GREAT GREAT GREAT-APPETTITE FOR DESTRUCTION IS LIKE A BEST ALBUM-ALL THE SONGS ARE SO GREAT
  • 1. Livin On A Prayer by Bon Jovi
    GREAT SONG FROM THE BIGGEST ROCK BAND-AND A VERY GOOD ALBUM BY BON JOVI-SLIPPERRY ROCKS
By: hussam el mouzi
  • 10. Don't You Want Me by Human League
    25 years ago and still great
  • 9. Hello by Lione Richie
    the best love song of all times
  • 8. I Just Call To Say by Steve Wonder
    are you still there
  • 7. Catch The Fox by Den Harrow
    the best italo disco song
  • 6. The Reflex by Duran Duran
    im still vibrating from it
  • 5. Sometimes by Erasure
    what a wonderful feeling to hear it
  • 4. Take On Me by A-ha
    there best and that is enough
  • 3. Big In Japan by Alphaville
    this song is forever
  • 2. Careless Whisper by George Micheal ( Wham)
    im still in love with that song
  • 1. When Smoky Sings by AbC
    nice tune,typical 80's
i like also shattered dreams ..by johnny hates jazz ,down to earth by curisitoy killed the cat ,down under by men at work , mr roboto by styx ......wow i like these days
By: SHAWN
  • 10. Send Me An Angel by Scorpions
  • 9. Tears For Fears by Everybody Wants To Rule The World
  • 8. Some Day Love Will Find You by Journey
    ALL JOURNEY SONGS ARE GOOD, SO I JUST HAD TO PICK ONE.
  • 7. She Drives Me Crazy by Fine Young Canibals
    WHAT A FREAK!
  • 6. Final Countdown by Europe
  • 5. Land Down Under by Men At Work
  • 4. You Spin Me Right Round by Dead Or Alive
  • 3. I Just Died In Your Arms Tonight by Cutting Crew
  • 2. Careless Whisper by Wham!
  • 1. Send Me An Angel by Real Life
    YES I KNOW, TWO SONGS TITLED SEND ME AN ANGEL. DO YOU REMEMBER THIS SONG IN THE MOVIE RAD!
By: angel
  • 10. Rock The Casbah by The Clash
    One of the first videos I ever saw on Mtv. I remember thinking 'What the hell is a casbah?' But the video was fun.
  • 9. Lonely Ole Night by John Cougar Mellencamp
    First rock music I heard in elementary school. Love this song more than the earlier ones.
  • 8. Love Plus One/Melt With You by Haircut 100/Modern English
    First time I heard this song, Battle of the Bands at school. Hottest guy in school was singing these two. He made them sooo sexy.
  • 7. There Is A Light... by The Smiths
    I used to lay in the dark and listen to the song over and over again. It's beautiful.
  • 6. The One I Love by REM
    Micheal Stipe was a god in the '80's.
  • 5. Every Breath You Take by The Police
    Another intense and haunting song.
  • 4. Pretty In Pink/don't You Forget About Me by Psychedelic Furs/ Simple Minds
    I wanted to live teen angst. I had very little. John Hughes spoke my generation.
  • 3. Take On Me by A-ha
    I worshipped them in high school. Until I started listening to alternative. Well, I still worshipped them. Hot Norwegians!
  • 2. With Or Without You by U2
    So simple yet so intense, like only Bono can be.
  • 1. Friday I'm In Love by The Cure
    Message my boyfriend used to send to each other when we started going out a year ago. Both of us still love the Cure after 20 years.
There are so many songs that have haunted me over the years. Here is a look at the best i could do with 10 songs.
By: Kim Evans
  • 10. "Voices" by Russ Ballard
    A good song that never gets any air play on today's 80s stations.
  • 9. "Goodbye To You" by Patty Smyth
    I liked this one a little bit better than "The Warrior".
  • 8. "The Old Man Down The Road" by John Fogerty
    Centerfield was a super album. Keep the Creedence sound alive, John!
  • 7. "Hold Me Now" by Thompson Twins
    They weren't really twins, were they?
  • 6. "Our House" by Madness
    A simple song that made me feel good.
  • 5. "I Drove All Night" by Roy Orbison OR Cyndi Lauper
    I couldn't believe it when Cyndi covered it. I really couldn't believe what a good job she did with it.
  • 4. "With or Without You" by U2
    Oh, yeah, no secret. Great song from a powerful band, even though Bono is a Bozo.
  • 3. "Urgent" by Foreigner
    The saxophone solo rockets this song into orbit.
  • 2. "Sweetheart" by Frankie & the Knockouts
    This song captured the moment back in the day.
  • 1. "Harden My Heart" by Quarterflash
    Great song, both music and lyrics.
Honorable mention: "I Knew the Bride" (Nick Lowe), "Crossfire" (Stevie Ray Vaugh), "I Can't Wait" (Nu Shooz), "Little Miss Can't Be Wrong" (Spin Doctors), "I Wanna Go Back" (Billy Sattelite or Eddie Money), "The Passenger" (Iggy Pop), "Rock and Roll Girls" (John Fogerty). *MTV was a neat concept when it was born, but it limited our imagination with music by implanting images of how they wanted their song to be perceived.
By: Vladimir Mirodan
By: Retropk1
  • 10. I Love Rock-N-Roll by Joan Jett
  • 9. Love Song by Tesla
  • 8. Jack And Diane by John Mellencamp
    American Fool was a great album. Glad to see this guy start getting some deserved credit over the past few years.
  • 7. Love Somebody by Rick Springfield
    Sure He's not going to go down as one of the top 10 musicians of all time but its my list and I happen to really like the guy. Hard to Hold- Good Movie
  • 6. Every Rose Has Its Thorn by Poison
  • 5. Animal by Def Leppard
    Hysteria! What a Great Album and How much talent does a one armed drummer need to have to play like that. Loads!!!
  • 4. Here I Go Again by Whitesnake
  • 3. I Remember You by Skid Row
    Gotta Love a Good Monster Ballad
  • 2. Living On A Prayer by Bon Jovi
    Coming from the great Slippery When Wet album this song will live on for a long time while jon and the crew continue to rock into another decade
  • 1. Don't You (forget About Me) by Simple Minds
    John Hughes was a mastermind in 80's cinema so tagging this as the theme song to The Breakfast Club made it an immediate hit.
So Many Great songs in the 80's its hard to make a top ten but it was much fun! I could have thrown in Hungry like the wolf - Duran Duran, or What about Me - Moving Pictures somewhere towards the end also but list is pretty accurate
By: med rayoso
  • 10. Idol by Flesh For Lulu
    flesh for lulu is what is glam goth/alternative is all about.
  • 9. 20 Killer Hurts by Gene Loves Jezebel
    i love glj so much. every time i travel, i always make sure that i have sufficient batteries for my walkman to play glj music. burn burn burn
  • 8. I Wanna Be Sedated by Ramones
    i'm still punk rocking
  • 7. I Remember You by Skid Row
    believe it or not, skid row songs is the only record i play before i go to bed and before gettin up. from 1990 to 1993
  • 6. Away by Bolshoi
    it makes me wanna dance and bolsshoi can drives you nuts too. listening to their music can makes fly me to another world.
  • 5. Dancing Barefoot by Patti Smith Et Al
    patti smith music encouraged me to make my own music, and no doubt, they are one of my greatest influence when it comes to music
  • 4. My Way by Sid Vicious (sex Pistols)
    the song equipt me with alot of things that i need. attitude, get ups, musicality, and the susm of it is my whole punk rocking ability.
  • 3. New Years Day by U2
    i love it! it sound so pure and very 80's i love U2. from the ashes of war they stood on their ground and share their talents and uniqueness. and they are still on the top of the hill till now.
  • 2. Absolute Reality by The Alarm
    i still like to scream to top of my lungs. the alarm makes me fell so energetic and absolute reality is one of the song that reflect me as a person.
  • 1. Desire by Gene Loves Jezebel
    i love the song and it change my life and appearance. i'm from punk to goth wave and pure nu wave rock alternative. i enjoy every moment of being punk rocker but nu wave music taught me to fell inloved and to enjoy life. it made me real and open my eyes to a new susb-culture that i can say i'm part of them.
this is just my personal hit list from 1977 to 1990 it is base only on my own knowledge. theres's alot of good music and bands on my genre, but ths 10 songs is the songs that realy makes my past more colourful
By: Homeless Curtain
By: sergio
  • 10. Big In Japan by Alphaville
  • 9. Empty Rooms by Gary Moore
  • 8. World Of Promises by Treat
  • 7. Stay In The Light by Honeymoon Suite
  • 6. Keep On Loving You by Reo Speedwagon
  • 5. Words by F.r.davis
  • 4. Moon Light Shadow by M. Oldfield
  • 3. Def Leppard by Photograph
  • 2. Under The Same Sun by Dare
  • 1. Runaway by Bon Jovi
there were thousand of great songs in the 80s great musical decade
By: Gustavo from Argentina
Special mentions: 11 Square Rooms by Al Corley, 12 Beds Are Burning by Midnight Oil, 13 Eternal Flame by Bangles, 14 I Want To Know What Love Is by Foreigner, 15 Enjoy The Silence by Depeche Mode
By: Trent
  • 10. She Wants To Dance With Me by Rick Astley
    One of his handful of hits, but Rick should have sued himself for copyright infrigement. They all sounded so similar.
  • 9. Legs by ZZ Top
    Great rocking tune. and who could forget the two gigantic beards on the guitar and bass players? Ironic note: the one without a beard? drummer Frank Beard :P
  • 8. My City Was Gone by The Pretenders
    Another instantly recognizable opening riff. Thanks to Rush Limbaugh for ruining the song on his radio gab-fest.
  • 7. Bang On The Drum All Day by Todd Rundgren
    Can't go to a NFL game without hearing this when the home team scores.
  • 6. Super Freak by Rick James
    Anyone can name that tune in 5 seconds. And seems almost every artist has sampled it in their songs.
  • 5. She Blinded Me With Science by Thomas Dolby
    Britain's answer to Devo. Technopop, with scientific backgrounds. And who didn't run around in 1982 yelling "SCIENCE!" for no good reason?
  • 4. Nasty Habits by Oingo Boingo
    You know anything written by Danny Elfman is going to have a dance-able "dark side" to it. They had so many hits in the 80s, but to me, THIS is Oingo at their best.
  • 3. Mexican Radio by Wall of Voodoo
    As others have said, this is just outright one of the quirkiest songs of the 80s. Stan Ridgway has one of those instantly recognizeable voices.
  • 2. Suddenly Last Summer by The Motels
    Martha Davis' haunting vocals make this a song for the ages.
  • 1. Whip It by Devo
    The band that defined the 80s new wave scene. 'Nuff said.
By: Vampira
  • 10. Relax by Frankie Goes To Hollywood
  • 9. Curtain Call by The Damned
  • 8. Anything by The Damned
  • 7. Nasty by The Damned
    brilliant song was on the young ones
  • 6. Rain by The Cult
  • 5. Welcome To The Jungle by Guns And Roses
  • 4. The Power Of Love by Jennifer Rush
    Love this song
  • 3. Girls Girls Girls by Motley Crue
    Good song
  • 2. Poison by Alice Cooper
    just like it
  • 1. Eloise by The Damned
    Brilliant Group and still going strong
good songs love listening to them reminds me of my youth
By: Jenna
By: candice
By: Mark Sammut
  • 10. Crazy Train by Ozzy
    How can i miss the king of metal music....ride the crazy train
  • 9. Rock U Like A Hurricane by Scorpians
    Great metal song
  • 8. My Michelle by Guns N' Roses
    Not known, but a great song aswell
  • 7. Battery by Metallica
    From the best album of all time. MASTER OF PUPPETS!!!!!!!
  • 6. Crazy Crazy Nights by Kiss
    They took of the make up.....still kick ass!!!!!
  • 5. Living On A Prayer by Bon Jovi
    A song u still hear until know
  • 4. 2 Minutes To Midnight by Iron Maiden
    Classic
  • 3. Epic by Faith No More
    An Epic song
  • 2. Welcome To The Jungle by Guns N' Roses
    A song which rocks from the first word to the last pull of the string. Slash Rocks!!!!!!
  • 1. Ride The Lightning by Metallica
    Great song, cliff burton the legend, legendary band
I was very disappointed, i didn't see anyone wright metallica or guns, what is this world caming too

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