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: Blair
  • 10. Some Like It Hot by Power Station
  • 9. We Built This City by Jefferson Starship
  • 8. You Were Always On My Mind by Pet Shop Boys
  • 7. Eye Of A Tiger by Survivor
  • 6. Whip it by Devo
    This song cracks me up!!!
  • 5. Our House by Madness
  • 4. Tainted Love by Soft Cell
    It's so funny... it reminds me of the conheads lol
  • 3. You Spin Me Round by Dead Or Alive
  • 2. Billie Jean by Michael Jackson
    I love the beat of this song... it's awesome !!!
  • 1. Girls Just Want To Have Fun by Cindy Lauper
    I love this song because I always need to get a message across to my DADDY because he doesn't understand what girls go through and they just want to have fun baby!!!
These songs ya gotta love them!!!!
By: Rowan Patterson
  • 10. Khe Sahn by Cold Chisel
  • 9. Throw Your Arms Around Me by Hunters and Collecters
  • 8. The End Of The World by REM
  • 7. Final Countdown by Europe
  • 6. Take On Me by A-ha
  • 5. Relax by Frankie Goes To Hollywood
  • 4. Blue Monday by New Order
  • 3. Don't You Forget About Me by Simple Minds
  • 2. Africa by Toto
  • 1. Blister In The Sun by The Violent Femmes
I am sure I probably stuffed up the second half of the list as I remembered other songs.
By: Luciano Falacara
  • 10. Everything Counts by Depeche Mode
  • 9. A Little Respect by Erasure
  • 8. Dangerous by Roxette
  • 7. Listen To Your Heart by Roxette
  • 6. Lady In Red by Chris De Burgh
  • 5. Karma Chamaleon by Culture Club
  • 4. Self Control by Laura Braginan
  • 3. Original Sin by INXS
  • 2. Rock Me Amadeus by Falco
  • 1. Maria Magdalena by Sandra
By: Electric Barbarella
By: Sheer Pullen
  • 10. We Built This City by Jefferson Starship
  • 9. Heaven by Warrent
    I think all of us secretly wish our significant others thought of us as this person thinks of his. I think this song is beautiful.
  • 8. We Are The World by USA For Africa
    Okay, you all hated it. I know. It's not the song itself - which doesn't sound that great and is utter shlock - it's the concept it represents.
  • 7. Streets With No Name by U2
    The first song I ever heard a mp3 of. And still one of my favorites.
  • 6. Don't You Forget About Me by Simple Minds
    Truly, I love most of Simple Minds's work. They're brilliant musicians. But this song defined it.. often, during the 80s, I would stay in my room for hours, dancing to as many watts as I could get my hands on. This song defined those moments. And, of course, the breakfast club.. a movie that should be required viewing for high school students.
  • 5. Right Here Waiting by Richard Marx
    The perfect love song for a long distance relationship. For me the 80s were all about the [then budding] internet, and the inevitable long distance friendships and romances that resulted from it.
  • 4. by
  • 3. Kyrie Elaison by Mr. Mister
    Kyria Elason means, by the way, 'God be with me'. It's nice when a song can speak of spiritual matters in a way that isn't offensive.
  • 2. Beds Are Burning by Midnight Oil
    'The Time Has Come, To say Fair's Fair, To Pay The Rent, To Pay Our share - the time has come, a fact's a fact, it belongs to them, let's give it back'.
  • 1. Midnight Blue by Lou Grahm
    'I used to follow, yeah, that's true - but my following days are over, now I just gotta follow through'. Words to live by.
These were my favorites today. They flex around a lot. There was _so_ much good work done musicially in the 80s.
By: Johnny Tremain
  • 10. Don't Cry by Asia
    Good musicians never die - they just change names
  • 9. When The Heart Rules The Mind by GTR
    Ok - they aren't that good - but I wanted a few songs that weren't listed
  • 8. Jukebox Hero by Foreigner
    It was honored redneck anthem
  • 7. Another One Bites The Dust by Queen
    I knew I'd own my very own machine gun after hearing this
  • 6. The Breakup Song by Greg Kihn Band
  • 5. Sunday Bloody Sunday by U2
  • 4. 88 Lines about 44 Women by The Nails
    Good trivia song
  • 3. Jessie's Girl by Rick Springfield
    I guess those leprosy rumors were a little over the top
  • 2. Six Months In A Leaky Boat by Split Enz
    Catchy and whirly
  • 1. Goodbye Girl by Squeeze
    I didn't really even like many of their other songs..........
By: Mario Mastroianni
  • 10. Locust by A-ha
  • 9. Sub-Culture by New Order
  • 8. Not Tonight Josephine by Associates
  • 7. Some Other Place,Some Other Time by Rockets
  • 6. A Blurred Girl by John Foxx
  • 5. Nightporter by Japan
  • 4. ComputerLove by Kraftwerk
  • 3. The Impossible Dream by Alphaville
  • 2. Struggle for Pleasure by Wim Mertens
  • 1. The Chauffeur by Duran Duran
These are definitely the best songs of all time! Mario
By: Patricio Cordoba
By: Ryan Casey
By: O'Pat Murphy
  • 10. Pour Some Sugar On Me by Def Leppard
  • 9. You Shook Me All Night Long by AC/DC
    Appeals to my rock side. Plus, my friends and I love this one.
  • 8. Love Is A Battlefield by Pat Benatar
    Best girl rocker of the 80s hands down. Plus it had a cool video.
  • 7. All Night Long by Lionel Richie
    Recently refound this great song. Just can't get enough!
  • 6. In A Big Country by Big Country
    Gotta Love the Irish songs, showing the heritage some love.
  • 5. Man In The Mirror by Michael Jackson
    Best song by him plus I rode my banana seat bike around singing this and yelled it while washing the cars as a punishment.
  • 4. Take On Me by A-ha
    I could hit those notes when I first sang this song.
  • 3. Tainted Love by Soft Cell
    Definitely the version that does not include the Supremes miscue.
  • 2. We Built This City by Starship
    First song I knew all the words to and sang incessently. Plus, how can you not get pumped up?
  • 1. Sunday Bloody Sunday by U2
    It's my favorite song ever and it came from the 80s!
By: Chris N
  • 10. Hysteria by Def Leppard
    Great song by a great band who still rocks my stereo!
  • 9. Rockit by Herbie Hancock
    Innovative song and video for the techno/electronic era.
  • 8. She's On It by Beastie Boys
    Funny video! Creative song!
  • 7. Crazy For You by Madonna
    Great song! One of Madonna's best songs.
  • 6. Jump by Van Halen
    Shows how great synthesizer hard rock can be.
  • 5. Foolin' by Def Leppard
    Great song on one of the greatest heavy metal records of all time!
  • 4. Waiting For A Girl Like You by Foreigner
    Great ballad! One of the best ballads of the 1980's.
  • 3. One by Metallica
    Great song! The melodies are outstanding from the first half to mellow out to, and the second half is to bang your head to!
  • 2. Heat Of The Moment by Asia
    Great rock song. Great to rock out to.
  • 1. Missing You by John Waite
    A real great pop song.
By: Mike Holser
By: Raven
  • 10. Ca Plane Pour Moi by Plastic Bertrand
    Ahhhh...what a mess this song is. Sung by a guy who looks like a somewhat effeminant French version of Rod Stewart. I never knew what the lyrics meant, as my french is limited at best, but they're fun to run around singing while flailing your arms.
  • 9. Africa by Toto
    This is a beautiful song, not just an 80's song that's wacky and fun. It always kinda teared me up.
  • 8. Safety Dance by Men Without Hats
    A great, wacky song, that never really seemed to have a whole lot of point to me. The best thing about it is, you can walk around singing "You can dance, you can dance, everybody take off your pants!" and if people around you know the song, they'll freak out, and if they don't, well, you get amusment from the shock value.
  • 7. Come On Eileen by Dexy's Midnight Runners
    What would a Top 10 80's list be without this song, it's a classic! For full appreciation, I recommend getting in a car with a group of friends and blasting it! This was what the 80's were all about!
  • 6. Life In A Northern Town by Dream Academy
    By one of the great one-hit wonder bands of the 80's - Dream Academy. Personally, I never understood why they made it big, because they had a lot of talent, but just bad luck, I spose. This song is kinda wistful, and it makes me feel bad for this and other one-hit wonder bands.
  • 5. One Night In Bangkok by Murray Head
    This song is a lot of fun to listen to, since the lyrics are pretty interesting. If you like symphony-type music, then you'll love the opening, and if you don't, then just skip it.
  • 4. Mr. Roboto by Styx
    This song is so cheesey it works. Now my ultimate goal in life is to travel to Japan and walk up to random people, saying "Domo arigatou, Mr. Roboto!"
  • 3. Take On Me by A-Ha
    This song always puts me in a great mood, and it's always fun to dance around to when you're by yourself (or with other people, whatever).
  • 2. I Kiss You (When It's Dangerous) by Eight Seconds
    What a great song! This song screams of the 80's, both in sound and the video. And on that topic, if you haven't seen the video, you must watch it! Classic 80's.
  • 1. What Is Love? by Howard Jones
    What can I say? This is a great song! By one of the few 80's artists who didn't end up wasting their money and going broke, this song is neither a sappy slow song, or a fast-paced anything else.
I didn't really put these songs in any specific order, since I love them all pretty equally. And there are so many I left out, such as Hungry As The Wolf, by Duran Duran, Blue Monday by New Order, and Self Control by Laura Brannigan just barely made the cut. Also, being a huge Dream Academy fan, I recommend anything by them! Go on, go give them a listen to! Not bad for someone who only lived for five years of the 80's, huh?
By: Gary Hill
  • 10. Hands To Heaven by Breathe
  • 9. When The Children Cry by White Lion
    Beautifully written rock ballad.
  • 8. Shoot Your Shot by Divine
  • 7. Fame by Irene Cara
    I love her!!!! She is just phenomonal.
  • 6. Hello by Lionel Richie
    A beautifully written composition from this prolific songwriter
  • 5. A Shoulder To Cry On by Tommy Page
    Fantastic Song for the this one-hit wonder.
  • 4. I'd Do It All Again by Sam Harris
  • 3. Kiss by Prince And The Revolution
    One of those must-have songs from the summer of 85/86.
  • 2. She Bop by Cyndi Lauper
    Song about the oldest "taboo"...gotta love her!
  • 1. We Didn't Start The Fire by Billy Joel
    This song is one of those songs that will not be written again for a long time. His lyrics are so excellent.
These songs were written by really great artists...It's just too bad that some of these artists are still not around...
By: Beth Lake
  • 10. The Circle by Max Carl
    A little known hit, but it has a nice sound. A very good song.
  • 9. Back In Black by AC/DC
    Always a favorite on the walkman!!!
  • 8. One Thing Leads To Another by The Fixx
    Every time I hear this song, I just have to dance.
  • 7. Don't You (Forget About Me) by Simple Minds
    Very cool,veryfun. Especially the"la la la la la" part later in the song.
  • 6. Rebel Yell by Billy Idol
    I love Billy and this is my #1 fave of all his songs. It's one of those songs you'll catch yourself singing.
  • 5. Tenderness by General Public
    This is a song make you so happy you just wanna dance or something. Just hear it, you'll see. It's fun.
  • 4. Jump by Van Halen
    This is the song that made me a Van Halen fan. JUMP!!!!!!!!!
  • 3. Weird Science by Oingo Boingo
    This is the title track from the movie. Great, great song!
  • 2. Take On Me by A-Ha
    I love this song. It's sooo much fun, especially on the discman in class.
  • 1. Thriller by Michael Jackson
    How can you beat this??!?!?!!!!
I have about a million more favorites but I did the best I could to condense it all into only ten songs!
By: Rob McLean
  • 10. Risky by Ryuichi Sakamoto
    One of the best videos ever. Vocals by Iggy Pop!
  • 9. A Different Corner by George Michael
    Turn the corner to a sad place.
  • 8. Every Breath You Take by Police
    It's amazing to hear this anti-love song played at weddings by clueless DJs!
  • 7. Lips Like Sugar by Echo And The Bunnymen
    Running through my head since forever.
  • 6. Crazy For You by Madonna
    Yes, she *can* put out good records when she puts her mind to it.
  • 5. The Mayor Of Simpleton by XTC
    Another brilliant shard of power pop from Mr Partridge et. al.
  • 4. Bridge To Your Heart by Wax UK
    Insanely catchy and radio-friendly flop. In a just and fair world, this would've been a Number One hit for about twelve weeks.
  • 3. Let's Go Crazy by Prince And The Revolution
    "America, this is Prince. Pay attention."
  • 2. Goody Two Shoes by Adam Ant
    My personal theme song.
  • 1. Everything I'm Not by Beat Rodeo
    Not a hit at the time, completely unknown today. An utterly beautiful, haunting song.
By: Johnny G
By: Justin
  • 10. Enjoy The Silence by Depeche Mode
    another band with multiple hits
  • 9. Billie Jean by Michael Jackson
    King of pop, need I say more?
  • 8. Close To Me by The Cure
    Toss up between bands like The Cure, The Smiths.
  • 7. Only You by Yaz
    early electronia
  • 6. Daning Queen by ABBA
    Again, there are many other hits worth mentioning.
  • 5. Material Girl by Madonna
    Actually most of the songs found on her Immaculate collection are worthy of mention.
  • 4. Don't Stop Believing by Journey
  • 3. Jump by Van Halen
  • 2. Manic Monday by Bangles
  • 1. Bizzare Love Triangle by New Order
    Who doesn't know this song?
There really are too many to name, many of the greatest songs were one hit wonders, but I guess this list is a start.
By: Anto Hall
  • 10. Louise by The Human League
    The Human League were just POPTASTIC!!!!
  • 9. Everything She Wants by Wham
    Sad, I know - but I was ten once!!!
  • 8. Voodoo Ray by A Guy Called Gerald
    Top Notch Acid House - one of the few decent house tunes to go mainstream!!!
  • 7. A Question Of Time by Depeche Mode
    Anyone for goth disco?
  • 6. The Love Cats by The Cure
    Robert Smith at his best.
  • 5. The Sun Rising by The Beloved
    Chilled + Blissful - an absolute classic
  • 4. Bizzare Love Triangle by New Order
    The original Madchester Boys !!!
  • 3. Eye Know by De La Soul
    Daisy age at it's finest!!!
  • 2. Town Called Malice by The Jam
    Or any other song by this band for that matter.
  • 1. How Soon Is Now? by The Smiths
    The epitomy of teenage angst? Fantastic!!!!!
By: Jason
  • 10. Girls Just Wanna Have Fun by Cyndi Lauper
    Girls go crazy still.
  • 9. If You Leave by OMD
    This song screams 80's.
  • 8. Policy Of Truth by Depeche Mode
    Hey they have a great sound.
  • 7. Everybody Wants To Rule The World by Tears For Fears
    Great song.
  • 6. Goonies R' Good Enough by Cyndi Lauper
    Another great song from one of my childhood favorite movies.
  • 5. Don't You Forget About Me by Simple Minds
    Great song from the best 80's movie.
  • 4. Addicted To Love by Robert Palmer
    Pumps me up in the morning. Great song could easily be number 1.
  • 3. I Promise You I Will by Depeche Mode
    Great song from my Second favorite 80's band.
  • 2. A View To A Kill by Duran Duran
    Bond. Duran Duran. Great Song from my top 80's band.
  • 1. Dancin' With Myself by Billy Idol
    Great song and reminds me of a great 80's movie Cant buy me Love.
I know there is no Michael or Madonna but they are the obvious.

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