Ah, the 80′s. The decade in which I was born, and even though I lived through only 5 months of it, it was one of the best decades for music in general. New genres emerged and skyrocketed in popularity, from rap music, to dance, and even to synthesizers. At the same time though, other genres such as Disco and psychedelic music were put on the sidelines for the most part. Either way, this decade featured some of the biggest hits ever when it came to music, and to be honest, I could probably make this a top 50 list easily if I wanted to.
Unfortunately, I can only describe these songs so much without sounding repetitive, so here’s my top 10….actually you know what, we’ll go one step further, and make this a list of my top 20…actually….let’s go one even further than that. This is a list of of my top 30 favorite songs from the 1980′s:
30. Tom Petty – Free Fallin’ (1989)
I like a lot of songs by Tom Petty, including several songs that he made with the Heartbreakers, but I think this one stands out as my favorite by him. The guitar in it makes it sound AMAZING if you ask me.
29. Don Henley – Sunset Grill (1985)
I think the ending to this song specifically is what puts it on this list. It just sounds so damn good.
28. Kool & the Gang – Get Down on it (1981)
Man, watching the music video for this song makes you feel like you’re on a bad acid trip. ANYWAY, this song doesn’t really need an explanation from me. It’s more of an upbeat tune that makes me literally…want to “get down on it” and dance away. 
27. Nu Shooz – I can’t wait (1986)
This is one song where I pretty much can never get tired of listening to the music itself. But then again, the lyrics and vocals are just as good. So it all mixes together and puts it at #27 on my list.
26. Madonna – Borderline (1984)
Madonna defined the 1980′s. And this is my favorite tune by her. Enough said.
25. Toto – Rosanna (1982)
Between “Rains Down in Africa” and this song, Toto in my opinion was a 2 hit wonder from the 1980′s. This happens to be my favorite song by them that they made.
24. Rockwell – Somebody’s Watching Me (1984)
One of the one hit wonder’s on my list. This is probably one of the darkest songs in my list. Everything from the background music, to the lyrics, and even to the music video itself, it’s definitely a good tune if you ever need something for Halloween. =P
23. Rush – Limelight (1981)
See #2 on my list for my description of Rush. XD
22. Debarge – I Like It (1982)
Debarge is another group that I pretty much consider a two hit wonder. I really like their song “Rhythm of the Night”, but this one sounds much better in my opinion. The vocals especially make this tune a good one to listen to.
21. Wham! – Wake me up Before you Go-Go (1984)
A very upbeat tune combined with great singing by George Michael, as well as the fact that I grew up listening to this song, puts it at #21 on my list.I have no fucking clue how this song was ranked as one of the worst songs of the 80′s. I find it the complete opposite.
20. Lionel Richie – Dancing on the Ceiling (1986)
What makes this song so great is the fact that it’s VERY upbeat, and the music video is also very fun to watch as well. I also really like the ending part of this song too.
19. Janet Jackson – When I think of you (1986)
Much like her brother Michael, Janet Jackson has had some VERY popular hits in her career. I really like a lot of her songs that she created in the late 80′s, but this one from 1986 stands out as my favorite by her.
18. A-ha – Take on Me (1985)
Not much to explain here. I will definitely say though that the music video itself is probably the reason why this song is in my top 20, because it is so damn awesome and interesting to watch. Not to mention that the synth’s in this song are EPIC.
17. Simple Minds – Alive and Kicking (1985)
This is a song where I tend to like the way the ending part of it sounds compared to the beginning parts of it. I really do like the chorus in this hit though, and the lyrics are also REALLY good.
16. The Police – Every Little Thing she does is Magic (1981)
I’ve always liked Sting, though I liked a lot of his songs that he specifically made with the Police itself, and this stands out as my #1 favorite by the group. I like the singing more than anything, and I also like the music video too.
15. Bobby Brown – Every Little Step (1988)
Representin BOSTON is Bobby Brown, who made one of my favorite dance tunes from the late 1980′s in general. The music in this song stand out to me, as it just sounds like something you want to get up and dance to.
14. Hall & Oates – Maneater (1982)
I absolutely LOVE the beat that this song has. It was also another song that I grew up with in general, and the Saxophone in this song too drives it up to #14 here on my list.
13. Loverboy – Working for the Weekend (1981)
Once again, this was another song that I grew up with. Matter of fact, this should probably be higher on my list as I listen to this song right now.
Either way though, there’s pretty much nothing bad that I can say about this song. I literally like everything about it.
12. Phil Collins – Sussudio (1985)
Phil Collins definitely made some good music with Genesis, but his solo career in my opinion stands out MUCH more. He truly made some REALLY good songs in the 1980′s (especially In the Air Tonight) but Sussudio is probably my favorite song that he wrote in this decade. It’s a more upbeat tune that gets you in that dancing mood, and I REALLY like listening to it whenever it comes on.
11. Wang Chung – Dance Hall Days (1984)
Here’s another song that I grew up with. To be honest, I really don’t need to explain this song that much. I do love the ending though specifically, as the Saxophone really gives it that extra boost to make it the great hit that it is.
10. Christopher Cross – Ride Like the Wind (1980)
Christopher Cross has made several VERY good songs throughout his music career, but three of them stand out to me more than anything, which are: Sailing, Arthur’s Theme, and Ride like the Wind.
Ride like the wind is one of my favorite songs by Cross himself mainly because of the chorus repeats in the song that do not have vocals in them. To me, they make the song really stand out and sound VERY good.
9. Foreigner – Waiting for a Girl like You (1981)
Much like Christopher Cross’s song that I put on here, this song is more of a relaxing song than an upbeat song. It’s also a bit of a sad song as well with the tempo that is has, but the lyrics and the instruments make it a classic from the early 1980′s. It’s by far my favorite song by Foreigner, though I like A LOT of their other songs as well such as Head Games and I want to Know what Love is.
8. Men at Work – Down Under (1981)
I love this song to death. This is definitely more of an upbeat tune compared to the other two I just listed, and I love the instruments used as well (especially the flute), but unfortunately, the flute player himself that was a major part of this song died a few days ago. R.I.P.
7. Don Henley – The Boys of Summer (1984)
Don Henley was definitely very popular in the 1980′s, releasing MANY great hits such as Dirty Laundry, All she wants to do is dance, The Heart of the Matter, and especially Sunset Grill (which was mentioned earlier in this list)
One song that stands out more than anything to me though is The Boys of Summer, which is a song that I personally grew up with in general. Just the whole song in general is good enough to put it on my top 10 list.
6. Huey Lewis & The News – If this is it (1984)
Yet another VERY popular group throughout the 1980′s, Huey Lewis & The News had some AMAZING hits during this decade, especially songs like: The Power of Love, I want a new Drug, Stuck with You, Jacob’s Ladder, and Back in Time. They were also in one of the best movies of the 1980′s, which was Back to the Future.
The song “If this is it” was not one of their most popular songs, but it still topped the charts when it came out in the summer of 1984. Just the chorus itself and the music make it great. However, the music video is what makes this song OUTSTANDING in my opinion. It’s definitely a classic and makes me wish I grew up in the 80′s more.
5. Journey – I’ll be Alright Without You (1986)
Again, like the other groups I’ve mentioned, Journey was the pinnacle of the 1980′s if you ask me. They released so many great songs, most of which would be in this list if I expanded it past the top 10. This one though sticks out as my favorite though, as I just love the music itself. Really don’t need to explain much more. This gets #5 on my list though.
4. Grateful Dead – Touch of Grey (1987)
Even though the Grateful Dead were much more popular in the 1970′s, this song by far stands out as my favorite one that they created. Just the lyrics, the singing, and the music itself, combined with the fact that I grew up with this song, puts it at #4 on my list here.
3. Michael Jackson – Thriller (1982)
No, I’m not talking about JUST the song. I’m talking about the whole album here. And I don’t really need to explain how good it is either.
2. Rush – Subdivisions (1982)
Rush. Motherfucking Rush. Thanks again to my GREAT FRIEND T-NERB, I became obsessed with this song as well as pretty much every other popular song that this group made.
What makes this song #2 on my list though BY FAR are the synthesizer solo’s in a couple different parts of this track. However, that doesn’t take away from the facts that the singing, and the lyrics are also AMAZING.
And before we get to #1, I have to list A LOT of honorable mentions, which would definitely be in this list if it were longer:
Lionel Richie – All Night Long
Tears for Fears – Head over Heels
The Go-Go’s – Vacation
The Go-Go’s – We Got the Beat
Tiffany – I think we’re alone now
Debarge – Rhythm of the Night
Loverboy – Turn me Loose
Michael Jackson – The way you make me feel
Huey Lewis & the News – Power of Love
R.E.M. – It’s the end of the World as we know it
You know what….pretty much any song you can think of that’s from the 1980′s is at least 10 times better than what you hear today anyway, so I don’t really think I need to list anymore honorable mentions.
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So now…we come to #1.
1. Tears for Fears – Everybody Wants to Rule the World (1985)
Honestly, I don’t think anyone would dislike this song. There’s just so much that goes into it that makes it a great tune to listen to. From the AMAZING vocals of Curt Smith, to the great instrument work in the music, and even to the lyrics themselves, Tears For Fears stands out not just having the #1 song on my list, but they’re also my favorite group from the 1980′s as well.
And the lyrics in my opinion really stand out in general, because they do have truthful meaning to them. It does seem like today, people are hell bent on power, and the same can even be said back then. So overall, everything that this song has combines together to put it as #1 on my list.
So overall, the 80′s was definitely a decade that I wish I could’ve been a part of more, but the music that was made in the decade is DEFINITELY something that won’t go away anytime soon.
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