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: Brett Six
By: Karen Halse
I love the eighties - was born in 1975 but I was still there to listen to the best music made ever! The eighties rock and always will!!!!!
By: Blaine Loizeaux
  • 10. Dance Hall Days by Wang Chung
    I just like the song.
  • 9. She Blinded Me With Science by Thomas Dolby
    I enjoy science...so it's cool.
  • 8. Like A Virgin by Madonna
    Does anyone not like Madonna?
  • 7. Walk Like An Egyptian by Bangles
    I sang this song in school...so this song is stuck with me.
  • 6. Jessie's Girl by Rick Springfield
    My aunt likes this song...so I hear it alot...so I kinda like it too.
  • 5. Cars by Gary Numan
    I just love all the synths and techno sound to this song...plus ya can't go wrong with the big neon structures everywhere.
  • 4. 99 Luftballons by Nena
    I think those are the only German words I know.
  • 3. Time After Time by Cyndi Lauper
    I got my first kiss at school dance dancing to this song...I'm stuck with it.
  • 2. Rapture by Blonde / Debbie Harry
    Blondie dragged me into the 80's music bit...so I have to name one of their many great songs.
  • 1. Stand Back by Stevie Nicks
    I dunno why I love this song so much...I just saw the video for it and I've loved it since.
By: david
  • 10. Love Bites by Def Leppard
  • 9. November Rain by Guns And Roses
  • 8. Here I Go Again by Whitesnake
    i think this is the best song of the 80's
  • 7. Dont You Cry Tonight by Guns And Roses
  • 6. Wild Side by Motley Crue
  • 5. I Remember You by Skid Row
  • 4. Pour Some Sugar On Me by Def Leppard
  • 3. Heaven by Warrant
  • 2. Nothin But A Good Time by Poison
  • 1. Every Rose Has Its Thorn by Poison
    #1 ballad
i love Glamour rock and ballads this is some of the best songs i could think of
By: Nick
  • 10. Final Countdown by Guns N Roses
    One of greatest arena/gynasium venue songs ever! Rocky 4, Europes best!! only carrie and cherokee can come even remotely close. Listen to the lyrics!! lyrics make you think of the challenger that left and blew up when leaving earth!!
  • 9. Limelight by Tom Petty
    wow he can hit a high note can't he? Some of the greatest lyrics written by rush in this song.
  • 8. Neverending Story by U2
    Limahl's only big hit! Great fantasy song that made the movie!!! Atreyu!!! Falcor!! Rock monster! Knight Harp! The bat! The princess! Moolah the ancient one. Movie is one of best fantasies ever hands down!!
  • 7. Born In The USA by Madonna
    A song for the Vietnam vet, how couldn't you agree on this one????????? The ultimate boss image.
  • 6. Crazy Train by Ozzy
    Everyone has to take a ride on the crazy train at least once! All Aboard! ozzy is a legend!!!!!!
  • 5. Let It Roll by Ozzy
    The ultimate driving song. let it roll down the highway, top off, wind blowing, looking for chicks.
  • 4. Heaven Is A Place On Earth by Metallica
    Great cold winter fireplace song to get warmed up to. great beat and melody. Belinda scores big by bringing the notion that love starts when the night falls down. hehe.
  • 3. Everybody Wants Some by The Boss
    1st minute of this song sounds like you are in the tropical rain forests. As the song goes on, you learn that the jungle is in all of us. Our carnal nature of "wanting some" hehe, is hard to avoid!!!!!! Plus eddie could play some chords!! oh yeah d.l.r style
  • 2. Don't Stop Believin' by Journey
    This song is timeless. Brings the notion that quit and resign shouldn't be a part of anyone's dictionary. Steve perry's voice is unbelievable.
  • 1. Send Me An Angel by Van Halen
    Probably one of the best new wave songs to come out of the 80's. Was this really from real life? This song featured in the movie RAD. Anyone remember this movie? This song brings something to the listener that is hard to describe. its kind of mystical/intergalactic. Has bass too! great for those who have the great sound system. Everyone is looking for love. hehe
Anyone want to get the ultimate 80s collection on cd, 20 discs or more, on ballads, hard rock, soft rock, metal, glam rock, new wave, let me know. I have a great collection burned.
By: frank
  • 10. In The Air Tonight by Phil Collins
    how could i nearly forget this?!
  • 9. Anything by Billy Joel
    i love billy joel.
  • 8. Dancing In The Dark by Bruce Springsteen
    how could i forget this classic! on ya, springo!
  • 7. Shout by Tears For Fears
    i love tears for fears. this is my second fav. tff song. maybe this should be up in 3rd spot.
  • 6. Sister Christian by Night Ranger
    yet another great song.
  • 5. Boys Light Up by Australian Crawl
    you can tell i'm not australian... nope... not at all
  • 4. Khe Sanh by Cold Chisel
    you know the last train out of sydney's almost gone...
  • 3. I Need You Tonight by INXS
    great song. very catchy and addictive. R.I.P michael hutchence
  • 2. Boys Of Summer by Don Henley
    go the originals! i much prefer the original by don henley than the new re-do of it.
  • 1. Everybody Wants To Rule The World by Tears For Fears
    best song by far. makes a great night driving song.
pity it wasn't top 100
By: Chuck Warren
  • 10. I Can't Wait by Nu Shooz
    What a groove.
  • 9. Hold Back The Rain by Duran Duran
    So what if the words ain't rhymin', do you think that it's just a game? I probably didn't even say that right, and I really don't give a damn!
  • 8. Love Is A Battlefield by Pat Benatar
    Simply Classic.
  • 7. All Through The Night by Cyndi Lauper
    One of the best ballads of the 80s era.
  • 6. If You Were Here by Thompson Twins
    One of the best ballads of the 80s era.
  • 5. Big In Japan by Alphaville
    Driving beat, sweet syncopation!
  • 4. (TIE) Just Can't Get Enough / Dreaming Of Me by Depeche Mode
    This is "good" Depeche Mode. Before they turned into some kind of dark, industrial band.
  • 3. Situation by Yaz/Yazoo
    Simply excellent!
  • 2. Like A Virgin by Madonna
    How big was this in 1984? It was HUGE.
  • 1. Billie Jean by Michael Jackson
    The undisputed #1 song of the entire decade.
These 10 songs are in no real order. Some that just missed..."Tarzan Boy"/Baltimora; "Enola Gay"/OMD; "Need You Tonight"/INXS; "We're Not Gonna Take It"/Twisted Sister; "I Don't Want Your Love"/Duran Duran; "The Chauffeur"/Duran Duran; "The Warrior"/Scandal; "The Riddle"/Nik Kershaw; and many more! Rock on, 80s fans!!
By: FOXVOX
By: Kat
By: __________
  • 10. Pass the Dutchie by Musical Youth
    Don't know why I like it.. I just do
  • 9. Major Tom by Peter Schilling
    The guy in Strawberries always directed me to Bowie when I asked for this song. Moron!!!
  • 8. The Brady Bunch by Weird Al
    A spoof on "Safety Dance"
  • 7. Land of Confusion by Genesis
    Just for the video!
  • 6. Don't You (Forget About Me) by Simple Minds
    Breakfast Club was "THE 80's Flick"
  • 5. Twisted Sister by I Wanna Rock
  • 4. Silent Night by Bon Jovi
    It got me some nookie once :-)
  • 3. Summer Of 69 by Bryan Adams
    I dunno.. just cool
  • 2. Sunglasses At Night by Corey Hart
    Don't mess around with the man in shades, oh no?
  • 1. You Can Call Me Al by Paul Simon
    Sentimental Reasons
By: Whitney
All these songs are awesome, they make you want to go rollerskating, atleast for me...have fun downloading them if u do
By: Francisco de Jesus
  • 10. Wasteland (Anniversary Mix) by The Mission U.K.
    Can't Hussey and Eldritch get back twogether?
  • 9. This Corrosion (Floodland Mix) by Sisters of Mercy
    Can't Eldritch and Hussey get back twogether?
  • 8. She Sells Sanctuary (Howling Mix) by The Cult
    I still am fond with it.
  • 7. Love Will Tear Us Apart by Joy Division
    I remember I played this song a lot when my girlfriend and I broke up.
  • 6. Even Now by The Call
    It struck me! Reconciled is one of the cd i truly cherish. Besides, it has a cute cover.
  • 5. Castles In The Air by The Colourfield
    Virgins and Philistines should have been in cd. My old vinyl is still kicking though worn out already.
  • 4. Worlds Apart by Cactus World News
    They were my favorite Irish band along with U2.
  • 3. Tears by The Chameleons U.K.
    It would be years later before I would know that it was about the lost of a friend...
  • 2. Love Moves In Strange Ways by Blue Zoo
    Managed to get a vinyl of 2 BY 2.
  • 1. Total Recall by The Sound
    ...Oh there must be a hole in your memory... I still can't find their cd here in the philippines! sniff...
Those were the days, huh!?!Can you guys please get me the lyrics of Total Recall by The Sound and send them to my E-mail? Thnx!
By: Keri
  • 10. Girls Just Wanna Have Fun by Cindi Lauper
    Cause us girls used to get wild to this song
  • 9. Hungry Like The Wolf by Duran Duran
    Cause this is how I felt in the seventh grade.
  • 8. Girl You Know Its True by Milli Vanilli
    I always imagined I'd be the white in their big stuff cookie.
  • 7. Love Is A Battlefield by Pat Benatar
    Ninth grade formal, asshole broke my heart.
  • 6. Darling Nikki by Prince And The Revolution
    Cause when I used to lie in bed alone, wink, wink.
  • 5. Poison by Unskinny Bop
    The times I tried to fit into sh*t that just wouldn't fit.
  • 4. Lick It Up by Kiss
    Back in those days it seemed like I'd do anything for a buck.
  • 3. Stroke Me by Billy Squire
    If I had a dime for everytime I heard that, wink, wink.
  • 2. Flashdance by Irene Cara
    All the countless hours I spent performing that dance in front of the mirror.(never paid off)
  • 1. Wake Me Up (Before You Go-go) by Wham
    I make sure to listen to listen to this song every morning after a one nighter. wink, wink
By: Todd
  • 10. Here Comes The Rain Again by Eurythmics
  • 9. Magic by Olivia Newton John and ELO
  • 8. Who Can It Be Now? by Men At Work
  • 7. Wake Me Up Before You Go Go by Wham!
  • 6. Borderline by Madonna
  • 5. Warrior by Scandal feat. Patti Smith
  • 4. Miss Me Blind by Culture club
  • 3. Morning Train by Sheena Easton
  • 2. Don't Stop Believin by Journey
    Amazing song
  • 1. Private Eyes by Hall and Oates
    the best song of the 80's, I won't ever forget this one
By: vecinito
  • 10. Let's Dance by David Bowie
    a genious!
  • 9. Who Wants To Live Forever by Queen
    the most sad song ever beeen made
  • 8. Don't You (Forget About Me) by Simple Minds
    beautifull. Wasn´t it?
  • 7. Sweet Dreams by Eurythmics
    GREAT!!!!!!!!
  • 6. Careless Whisper by Wham
    another song right to the heart
  • 5. In The Air Tonight by Phill Collins
    Who didn´t dance this one? Remember miami vice: Don Johnson was dying
  • 4. Palomino by Duran Duran
    no more words
  • 3. Blind by Talking Heads
    What a great video!
  • 2. Caravan Of Love by The Housemartins
    to fall in love again
  • 1. Love Song by The Cure
    It´s really a beautifull song
By: Gina
  • 10. Pure And Simple by Lighning Seeds
    another happy one
  • 9. Anything Box by Living In Oblivion
    unlikely that anyones heard of this one but its a synthy poppy sound
  • 8. Stay by Shakespeare's Sister
    good emotional song
  • 7. Send Me An Angel by Laura Branigan
    another dance classic
  • 6. O L'amour by Erasure
    great dance song
  • 5. There Is A Light And It Never Goes Out by The Smiths
    great song, reminds me of driving home but not wanting to after hanging out with my friends in high school
  • 4. Bizarre Love Triangle by New Order
    its a classic
  • 3. Love Will Tear Us Apart by Joy Division
    haunting
  • 2. Enjoy the Silence by Depeche Mode
    beautiful song by an awesome band
  • 1. Just Like Heaven by The Cure
    this song never ceases to give me that "just punched in the stomach" feeling of bittersweet nostaligia
.
By: Sidekick
  • 10. Wash The Rain by World On Edge
  • 9. Labyrinth Theme by David Bowie
    This is definetly one of my favorite movies... right up there with star wars, the last starfighter, neverending story, legend, I could go on and on and on and on...
  • 8. Footloose by Kenny Loggins
    This is one of those gotta get up and dance songs!! By the way, I loved the movie and the footloose soundtrack to.
  • 7. Know This Much Is True by Spandau Ballet
  • 6. Carmelia by Dan Hill
  • 5. Here Comes The Rain Again by Eurythmics
  • 4. Send Me An Angel by Real Life
    I first heard this on the movie THE WIZARD about Nintendo oh man... the eighties were good times!
  • 3. Run With Us by Lisa Lougheed
    The theme from The Racoons cartoon...
  • 2. The Never Ending Story by Lamahl
  • 1. Crying Over You by Platnium Blonde
    My favorite song!!!
By: Jeremy Marshall
  • 10. The Mayor of Simpleton by XTC
    Classic, "I'm a feeb, yes--but I love you," sort of vibe. XTC put out some of the best pop songs of the 80s.
  • 9. Veronica by Elvis Costello
    This song was co-written by Paul McCartney. This idea of an a lonely old lady with her memory going dim could serve as a perfect sequel to "Eleanor Rigby."
  • 8. Rock The Casbah by The Clash
    How could you not love this song? A dancehall protest from a roughnecked British punk band.
  • 7. Born In The Usa by Bruce Springsteen
    Makes me want to wave an American flag around, and scream out the lyrics, with a fire burning behind me. The irony of the song is that it's a protest song. It's not really patriotic, except in the sense that those of us who are TRUE patriots want to see America behaving wll, and not pull another Vietnam.
  • 6. Jokerman by Bob Dylan
    Like most Dylan songs, people are still debating the significance of the lyrics on this one.
  • 5. Under the Big Black Sun by X
  • 4. Love Will Tear Us Apart by Joy Division
    Frontman Ian Curtis' headstone reads "Love Will Tear Us Apart." Lovely cynical response to the Captain and Tenille, ("Love Will Keep Us Together"), I'm sure.
  • 3. Trouble Me by 10,000 Maniacs
  • 2. If You Leave by OMD
    This one still brings tears to my eyes.
  • 1. The Lovecats by The Cure
    A Gothic lovesong with an extremely jazzy bassline. And that line about, "We should have each other for tea, we should have each other with cream." Robert Smith being all slyly seductive.
I was born in 1980. These songs are what I heard in the background growing up. I couldn't have cared any less about Michael Jackson, Hall and Oates, or Cyndi Lauper. Even at a very young age, I loved these songs as soon as I heard them, even though at the time I didn't really understand them. I love them even more now. Also of interest from the 80s are: Blister in the Sun, by the Violent Femmes; Once in a Lifetime by Talking Heads; The Perfect Kiss by New Order; and (Birds Fly) Whisper to a Scream by Icicle Works. Songs like these, although maybe not thought of in terms of "classic 80s", are in fact the real deal. Classic songs from the era when Reagan reigned, neon was cool, and Nintendo was high tech.
By: Matt
By: dave sherrill
  • 10. Don't Stop The Dance by Bryan Ferry
    The cat could put down seriously smooth darkness which could be seen and heard even with the lights on!
  • 9. Message In Bottle by The Police
    This song got off in its day and so did The Police. Ever see 'em live? These dudes threw down 'til Sting turned into the Kevin Costner of musicians.
  • 8. All Songs By The Ramones... by The Ramones
    OK...So they busted forth in the Seventies...Dudes were rad and ahead of their time!
  • 7. Don't You Want Me by Human League
    This song definitely ushered in the cool side of 1981-82 dance music and pushed those John Cougar fans back onto the Christopher Cross scene.
  • 6. Big Mouth Strikes Again by The Smiths
    Light-hearted "I hope you die" music beautifully portrayed by Morrissey. Good clean 80's fun!
  • 5. Do You Wanna Hold Me by Bow Wow Wow
    Go Malcolm Mac...First "The Pistols" then Annabella! Bitchin' surfy erotica by the young Burmese one. A little bubble gum. Shaken not sticky.
  • 4. Kiss Them For Me by Souxie & The Banshees
    Extra-dimensional, out there, sexy darkwave music that transports one to another time and place.
  • 3. Charlotte Sometimes by The Cure
    Prolly one of the coolest, haunting, darkwave 80's cuts ever recorded. Marylin who?
  • 2. Baby's In The Mountains by Peter Godwin
    Classic 80's Euro, easy dance/listen/groove/whatever cut
  • 1. The Promise by When in Rome
    Total space-age sex & love
Yeah. MTV was really fun from '81 to '82...remember 24 hr. vids with NO commercials? It totally cool to have on the TV in the background at parties...that was until Triple "J" interrupted and Nina's hair jumped up.

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