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: patricia goodman
  • 10. Shout by Tears For Fears
  • 9. You Give Love A Bad Name by Bon Jovi
  • 8. What About Love by Heart
    Love Ann and Nancy!
  • 7. Heart Of Glass by Blondie
    Love the disco sound.
  • 6. Wrapped Around Your Finger by The Police
    Good group, great song.
  • 5. Pour Some Sugar On Me by Def Leppard
    Def Leppard at their best.
  • 4. Who Can It Be Now? by Men At Work
    Really like the song.
  • 3. Africa by Toto
    Just think it was good.
  • 2. Girls Just Want To Have Fun by Cyndi Lauper
    Good anthem.
  • 1. I Can't Go For That (No Can Do) by Hall & Oates
    I think it is the best song of the 80's great smooth R&B and Daryl has an incredible voice!
By: Sarah Loflin
  • 10. Girl's Just Wanna Have Fun by Cyndi Lauper
    Who could ever forget??? Cyndi Lauper was the queen of bop.
  • 9. Caribbean Queen by Billy Ocean
    It has a beat that catches you and carries you all the way through.
  • 8. Jump by Van Halen
    The classic roller skating song of the 80's. The roller rink would never let a Saturday night go by without playing it.
  • 7. Maneater by Hall and Oates
    One of the best songs of its time. It will live on forever just as the 2 guys that sing it.
  • 6. Pour Some Sugar On Me by Def Leppard
    A classic.
  • 5. Africa by Toto
    I never get tired of hearing it.
  • 4. Thriller by Michael Jackson
    Halloween would not be complete without watching the video.
  • 3. Mickey by Toni Basil
    Cool song. Takes me back to high school.
  • 2. In The Air Tonight by Phil Collins
    An awesome song and a brilliant artist.
  • 1. Kiss On My List by Hall and Oates
    This is such an upbeat song you cant help but tap your foot!! Not to mention Daryl Hall and John Oates were and still are the best!!
By: Sandi
By: sparky
By: Scott H.
By: Stevo tha Devo
  • 10. Wild Wild West by The Escape Club
    Oh yeah! Heard this song on many a dance floor.
  • 9. I'm So Exited by The Pointer Sisters
    Nothing gets me on the floor quicker than this song!
  • 8. Say It Isn't So by Halls and Oats
    Absolute legends of the 80's, this one is one of their best!
  • 7. Girls On Film by Duran Duran
    Very very 80's. Their best song, in my opinion.
  • 6. Boys Boys Boys by Sabrina
    One word: CHEESY yet everyone luvs it. Classic.
  • 5. Waiting For A Girl Like You by Foreigner
    Now this is a love song!!!!!!!!
  • 4. Echo Beach by Martha & the Muffins
  • 3. Small Town Boy by Bronsli Beat
    Definitely deserves to be here, absolute classic.
  • 2. Love Is A Battlefield by Pat Benetar
    One of those songs that evokes emotion. Just luv it!
  • 1. When The Going Gets Tough by Billy Oceon
    This song is my fav and just screams 80's!
There Is No Doubt 80's Pop Rocked, Nothing Comes Close Exept Maybe The 70's.
By: olie
  • 10. Love Cats by The Cure
    This one is a cool song (in a cool & laid back sort of way).
  • 9. We Got The Beat by The Go Go's
    Best girl band in the 80's.
  • 8. Hurt So Good by John Cougar Melloncamp
    This song was on the radio one New Years Eve and it really set the tone to a great night.
  • 7. Modern Love by David Bowie
    I thought this was his best song by David Bowie during the 80's - possibly his best song ever!
  • 6. Why Can't I Get Just 1 Kiss by Violent Femmes
    I remember fast dancing to this song during high school dances and screaming out the swear word - which everyone was waiting to also do.
  • 5. She Blinded Me With Science by Thomas Dolby
    The drums in the end of the song really pulsates.
  • 4. Tenderness by General Public
    It's such a happy song.
  • 3. Cars by Gary Numan
    I borrowed the single from my friend and couldn't return it till I had my fill.
  • 2. Our House by Madness
    This song played over and over again on a family road trip much to the dismay of the folks!
  • 1. Don't You Want Me by Human League
    Best New Wave song ever!
The eighties was during my teen years when music played an important part of friends, dances and parties. That decade in music was the best as the songs were less abrasive and less demeaning than the songs that followed (at least for the songs I listened to).
By: Abbas
  • 10. Cum On Feel The Noize by Quiet Riot
  • 9. Don't You Want Me by Jody Watley
  • 8. Self Control by Laura Brannigan
  • 7. Jack And Diane by John Cougar Mellencamp
  • 6. Wishing Well by Terence Trent D'Arby
  • 5. Hit Me With Your Best Shot by Pat Benetar
  • 4. What Have I Done To Deserve This by Pet Shop Boys featuring Dusty Springfield
  • 3. Love Of The Common People by Paul Young
  • 2. Never Gonna Give You Up by Rick Astley
  • 1. To All The Girls I've Loved Before by Julio Iglesias and Willie Nelson
By: Sung
  • 10. She's A Beauty by The Tubes
    This song is such a quintessential 80s tune, for anyone who grew up listening to the radio (instead of glued to the tv), listened to American Top 40 or Casey Kasem's Long Distance Dedications...
  • 9. Start Me Up by The Rolling Stones
    Not many people realize this was released in 1981 just as MTV was set to revolutionize the music world, this song begins with those instantly recognizable riffs, lead by Mick Jagger's lyrical artistry.
  • 8. Easy Lover by Phil Collins & Phillip Bailey
    How could I include Peter and leave out his musical rival Phil? This song is another classic 80s song and also showcases Phil's musical talent.
  • 7. In Your Eyes by Peter Gabriel
    This song reminds me instantly of my high school days and the movie, Say Anything... which is still a great movie.
  • 6. Blasphemous Rumours by Depeche Mode
    Listening to DM is a trip down nostalgia lane, with its brooding beats and melancholy lyrics - the message of this song is so cynical and dark, yet is such an enjoyable song to listen to - herein lies the blasphemy.
  • 5. Summer of '69 by Bryan Adams
    Probably Bryan Adam's greatest song, this tune makes you want to crank up the volume and grab a microphone.
  • 4. Something About You by Level 42
    With its uplifting beat and contagious rhythm, this tune takes me back to a happier, freer day...talking about love and relationships - things that I wouldn't understand until much later, which makes this song more listenable as the years went by...
  • 3. Save a Prayer by Duran Duran
    This song is very reminiscent of Duran's greatest song (IMHO), Come Undone, it is nonetheless a very thought provoking, powerful ballad.
  • 2. Faithfully by Journey
    Say what you want about Journey, this is the greatest rock ballad/love song as far as I'm concerned. Steve Perry's voice brings the lyrics to life and all of the instruments come together beautifully.
  • 1. With or Without You by U2
    I had already been a huge U2 fan, when the radio first played this song as an exclusive (album pre-release) and before Bono could finish the first stanza, "See the stone set in your eyes...", I knew I would love this song.
So many good songs come to think of it: The Smiths "How Soon Is Now", The Cure "Just Like Heaven", New Order "Love Vigilantes", Squeeze "Tempted", Simple Minds "Alive and Kickin", U2 "Pride", Spandau Ballet "True", Soft Cell "Tainted Love" ... too many great tunes come to think of it!
By: Tom De Proft
  • 10. World Leader Pretend by R.E.M.
    I couldn't leave them out, could I?
  • 9. Face To Face, Heart To Heart by The Twins
    Simple but good.
  • 8. Michael Caine by Madness
    And all I wanted was a word...
  • 7. Everyday is like Sunday by Morrissey
    How I dearly wish I was not here. How I dearly wish it was 1984 again.
  • 6. Talk Talk by Talk Talk
    Also songs with lesser lyrics can be brilliant.
  • 5. Forever Young by Alphaville
    Who doesn't, if it is your only chance to hear this song forever.
  • 4. The Promise You Made by Cock Robin
    Not only new wave deserves the epithet on "perfect".
  • 3. Cemetary Gates by The Smiths
    The text, the music, the band. Didn't they always say something about "all good things" and "three".
  • 2. Temple Of Love by Sisters Of Mercy
    Even darker, a band not as good as The Cure but who cares when you hear this proof of heaven's darkness.
  • 1. A Forest by The Cure
    It's dark, it's a good song, it's a great band: it's good and perfectly dark song by a great band.
I need 11, 12, 13, ... to describe at least one thousand equally brilliant songs by all of the above, by OMD, by Depeche Mode, by Simple Minds, by U2, ...
By: bainsk8
  • 10. We Built This City by Starship
    Personaly I didn't care for this song but it has to be added as it reminds me of the year I left school.
  • 9. Micky by Toni Basil
    I had to add this song as it was one of those that was hard not to sign to when played by the radio stations and even harder to get out of your head once humming of the tune had begun!
  • 8. Too Much Too Young by The Specials
    Another classic from the much respected ska band of the 80's The Specials, another great hit was A Message To You Rudy.
  • 7. Nelson Mandele by The Specials
    Oh now we know that we are in the eighties and this for me is the landmark of the period, a great song by a great group about a great person and very much a great awakening!! If you have never lisntened to the song then I urge you do!!
  • 6. Kim Wild by Kids In America
    What a cheesey video and her clothes were crap but you still had to watch her perform............oh, and the song a clasic 80's tune.
  • 5. Eurythmics by Here Comes The Rain Again
    Well I liked Anne Lennox a great deal and this was my first album purchased and I have to admit I still play it even today.
  • 4. Come Into My Life by Joyce Sims
    What ever happened to Joyce? This was a clasic of the late eighties for me and I thought that she would go on to great things after the release of this song.
  • 3. The Show by Doug E Fresh & Slick Rick
    Now this for me was one funny rap, especialy the telephone ring. :-)
  • 2. 99 Red Balloons by Nena
    What a song, and Nena had to be one of the most sexiest singers of the eighties. Oh, and Kim Wilde, right?
  • 1. Axel F by Harold Faltermeyer
    From the block buster movie Beverly Hills Cop, also a block buster hit in the charts. A great track.
There are many more greats and the not so greats....... like The Birdy Song and party songs like it and the eighties was full of them. If you should be at a party where you hear, "I Got Two Two Two......." leave koz it ain't going to get much better as the night goes on!!
By: Eric Yung
  • 10. How Soon is Now by The Smiths
    Morrisey would have been so much happier if he ever got laid.
  • 9. Been Caught Stealing by Jane's Addiction
    Anyone who can use barking dogs as an opening is my hero. Close second is that video which uses a goldfish out of water.
  • 8. She Sells Sanctuary by The Cult
    Never knew what this song was all about. But I loved the idea that a guy with jet black hair wearing frilly shirts could be so cool.
  • 7. Hungry Like the Wolf by Duran Duran
    Simon le Bon was so hot.
  • 6. Should I Stay Or Should I Go by The Clash.
    I remember breaking at least one pair of glasses to this. Of course, this was before moshing was called moshing.
  • 5. Somebody by Depeche Mode
    And I also had a lot of heartbreak.
  • 4. Add it Up by Violent Femmes
    I had a lot of pent up angst.
  • 3. Blue Monday by New Order
    This and Bizarre Love Triangle was possibly the most over played songs of the 80s.
  • 2. Moments in Love by Art of Noise
    Never did get a chance to have sex to this song. But I always wanted to.
  • 1. Boys of Summer by Don Henley
    That little boy drumming turning his head to look back in the video....
By: Mike
  • 10. We're Not Gonna Take It by Twisted Sister
    This song started a revolution at my high school.
  • 9. Private Idaho by B-52s
    They Rock.
  • 8. Love Shack by B-52s
    What can I say? They rock.
  • 7. Video Killed The Radio Star by Buggles
    Before the Presidents Of The United States feel the need to make a remix of every song ever made.
  • 6. Relax by Frankie Goes To Hollywood
    Mikie Says Relax!
  • 5. As the Days Go By by Talking heads
    Good Beat!
  • 4. Mr. Roboto by Styx
    Cool song. Should be the theme song for the Terminator.
  • 3. Roam by B-52s
    They rock!!!!!
  • 2. Sweet Child Of Mine by Guns 'N' Roses
    Nice beat. Best original. Better than the remix for Big Daddy.
  • 1. Space Oddity by David Bowie
    To me it is his only hit.
I miss the 80s.
By: scott
  • 10. One Bourbon, One Scotch, And One Beer by George Thorogood
  • 9. We're Not Gonna Take It by Twisted Sister
  • 8. Come On Feel The Noize by Quiet Riot
  • 7. Still They Ride by Journey
  • 6. Hand In Glove by The Smiths
  • 5. Pictures Of You by The Cure
  • 4. You Shook Me All Night Long by AC/DC
  • 3. The Wall by Pink Floyd
    Any song on this album speaks for itself.
  • 2. Last In Line by Ronnie James Dio
  • 1. Shot In The Dark by Ozzy Osbourne
    Spoke for a whole generation of hard rock fans everywhere.
By: Paul
  • 10. I Don't Like Mondays by Boomtown Rats
  • 9. Turning Japanese by The Vapors
  • 8. Don't Cry by Asia
    Cool Indiana Jones type video.
  • 7. Always Something There To Remind Me by Naked Eyes
  • 6. Destination Unknown by Missing Persons
  • 5. Tainted Love by Soft Cell
  • 4. Shattered Dreams by Johnny Hates Jazz
  • 3. Take on Me by Ah-Ha
  • 2. Dancing with Myself by Billy Idol
  • 1. Melt With You by Modern English
Musically speaking, I'm still in 1983.
By: Bruno Cortes
  • 10. Ease by Public Image Ltd.
    However less famous, PIL were substantially superior to Sex Pistols.
  • 9. UV Ray by The Jesus and Mary Chain
    Band ahead of it's time...
  • 8. Sifting by Nirvana
    There was already great music before Nevermind!
  • 7. Red Hill Mining Town by U2
    Difficult choice from one of my favourite records.
  • 6. Decades by Joy Division
    Poetry in (e)motion...
  • 5. Schizophrenia by Sonic Youth
    Who doubts that noise can really be beautiful?
  • 4. The One I Love by R.E.M.
    I first kissed my girlfriend because of this song.
  • 3. Aikea Guinea by Cocteau Twins
    Yes, another 4ad band!...
  • 2. Levitate Me by Pixies
    I really mean it!...
  • 1. Monkey Gone to Heaven by Pixies
    Best band in the world!
Yes, there was other stuff in the 80's besides the charts!...
By: Kristian
  • 10. Blister In The Sun by Violente Femmes
    What can I say, but a great party song that sent everyone into a frenzy.
  • 9. Every Breath You Take by The Police
    ..came as the group were winding down and this song just one of their great collection.
  • 8. Sweet Dreams (Are made of This) by Eurythmics
    Golden voice of Annie Lennox and music of Dave Stewart was their first big song.
  • 7. Money For Nothing by Dire Straits
    Awesome guitar solo at the start by Mark Knopfler sets the scene for a brilliant song.
  • 6. Original Sin by INXS
    A lengendary Aussie band and this song I consider their best among a great collection.
  • 5. Tainted Love by Soft Cell
    A personal favourite, how many times have I lost my voice singing to this?
  • 4. Ashes to Ashes by David Bowie
    Haunting melody in the Bowie style, carrying over from the 70's.
  • 3. Relax by Frankie Goes To Hollywood
    Still great to dance to....
  • 2. Pride by U2
    U2's breaking song, still rocks.
  • 1. Blue Monday by New Order
    Cutting edge song and a decade before its time. Stills blitzing in the clubs to this day. Could throw in True Faith, Bizarre Love Triangle, Thieves Like Us, amongst heaps of other New Order songs.
No real criteria for judging this stuff other than music I still listen to to this day. I was born in 1976 so I really started appreciating music just as the 80's were starting, hence the leaning towards the early to early to mid 80's.
By: Claire
  • 10. Another One Bites The Dust by Queen
    Absolutely fabolous. Uprocking beats to this song, a great band singing it, the result-a soooo great song.
  • 9. Bad by Michael Jackson
    Michael sings great that song's the proof-video clip is great, his dancing is great-all that make this song a big hit of Michael Jackson's music career.
  • 8. Take on me by A-ha
    Ok,ok I must admit that this song is great to chill out. A-ha is a great band so they sing it perfectly, I think.
  • 7. Material girl by Madonna
    This song is fantastic. I can still listen to it and dance with it. One of the greatest hits of Madonna's music career.
  • 6. Word Up by Cameo
    Cool lyrics, cool song, beats are cool, too. Kinda cool to dance too.
  • 5. I Should Be So Lucky by Kylie Minogue
    Another song by the Australian diva that I really love to listen to.
  • 4. La Isla Bonita by Madonna
    Spanish and english lyrics make a great song performed by a great singer. All great!!
  • 3. Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This) by Eurythmics
    Great song. I can listen to it lots of times.
  • 2. Part-Time Lover by Stevie Wonder
    This song is really cool. It has something that makes it unique. I don't know what it is, but I like it very much.
  • 1. The Locomotion by Kylie Minogue
    It's fabulous. That's all I can say for this song. It's party-tastic. It's beat-full, funkadelic & dreamy.
80'S music is the best...EVER!!!!!!!
By: Mark
  • 10. New Song by Howard Jones
    The so called "forgottens" bring back the memories, and this is one of many in that bracket.
  • 9. No Time To Lose by Tarney /Spencer Band
    Actually a 1979 cut but re-released in 1981. Both times failed to make the Top 40 but the heavy airplay it got sure didn't indicate that.
  • 8. Undercover Of The Night by Rolling Stones
  • 7. So Wrong by Patrick Simmons
    Being a Doobie Brother fan made me like this one.
  • 6. Cruel Summer by Bananarama
    None of their follow ups matched this one.
  • 5. Pump Up The Volume by M/A/R/R/S
  • 4. I Ran by A Flock of Seagulls
  • 3. Obsession by Animotion
    1985 was not my favorite year, but this one spiced it up that summer.
  • 2. Take Me To Heart by Quarterflash
    Forget "Harden My Heart", this one had a beat to it. Its peak at #14 was an injustice.
  • 1. Orinoco Flow (Sail Away) by Enya
    Just beautiful, both song and video, what can I say??
My interest is really in the 1950s & 60s but I appreciate good music of ANY era and the 80s were no exception!!
By: Jeff
This is the list for the 80's...however this is only part of a greater list of all time greatest hits.

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