CLEVELAND, Ohio The 1980s were a strange and glorious time in popular music. Compared to the 1970s, pop music became what rock and roll was a larger-than-life stadium genre that ruled over popular culture.
Compared to the 1990s [and our list ranking every No. 1 of that decade], the 1980s produced more anomalies in the form of chart-toppers that were focused on charitable causes, attached to movies and TV shows, and sometimes went on to become pop-culture punchlines in the decades that followed.
Looking at the 231 songs that went to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the 1980s, some things make sense like Michael Jackson leading the way with nine No. 1s. Other things are mind-boggling, like Olivia Newton-John having the biggest hit of the decade or Richard Marx and Billy Ocean [Everyone under the age of 35 screams Who!?] becoming prolific hitmakers.
This list is not based on how many weeks each song spent at No. 1. The goal was to rank these hits based on quality, initial popularity, lasting popularity, influence and overall cultural significance.
Some of the best songs of the 1980s remain timeless while others seemed trapped in a decade that was louder and more colorful than anything weve seen since:
Columbia Records231. USA for Africa We Are the World
Date: April 13, 1985
Weeks on top: 4
We Are the World is a song that features the biggest music stars in the world [minus a few wise ones like Prince] each delivering some of the worst vocals of their respective careers [Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan and Cyndi Laupers performances, in particular, are beyond cringeworthy]. We Are the World raised more than $63 million for Africa, which is an amazing accomplishment. But the fact this mess features the smartest music minds of the 1980s and no one in the room realized how horrible of a song it was is troubling.
230. Starship We Built This City
Date: Nov. 16, 1985
Weeks on top: 2
If theres ever been a thesis paper written on We Built This City, I would love to read it. I dont know how anyone has ever been able to listen to the entire thing all the way through.
229. Milli Vanilli Girl Im Gonna Miss You
Date: Sept. 23, 1989
Weeks on top: 2
There are several songs on this list that should never have been a No. 1 hit. But Milli Vanillis Girl Im Gonna Miss You with instrumentation a pre-teen could slap together on Garage Band should never have been a song.
228. Michael Damian Rock On
Date: June 3, 1989
Weeks on top: 1
A masterclass in how you bastardize a really good song. David Essexs original Rock On oozes with cool. Michael Damians version? Not so much.
227. Gregory Abbott Shake You Down
Date: Jan. 17, 1987
Weeks on top: 1
Nothing more than cheap [and terrible] knock off of Sexual Healing.
226. Will to Power Baby, I Love Your Way / Freebird Medley [Free Baby]
Date: Dec. 3, 1988
Weeks on top: 1
I dont completely despise Will to Powers cover of Baby, I Love Your Way. But that wasnt good enough for the Florida dance-pop act, Will to Power [which is an awful name] had to include Freebird in its medley, which should constitute a criminal act for just how much it doesnt work.
225. New Kids on the Block Hangin Tough
Date: Sept. 9, 1989
Weeks on top: 1
Rule to live by: If you have to say youre rough and tough in a song, you most certainly arent either of those things.
224. Bobby McFerrin Dont Worry, Be Happy
Date: Sept. 24, 1988
Weeks on top: 2
This is less a song and more a corny pep talk you never asked for...with annoying whistling.
223. Richard Marx Hold On to the Nights
Date: July 23, 1988
Weeks on top: 1
If you were to pour the most unremarkable aspects of 1980s ballads slow playing piano, below average vocals, terrible guitar playing, etc. into one song, it would become Richard Marxs Hold On to the Nights.
Atlantic Records222. Debbie Gibson Foolish Beat
Date: June 25, 1988
Weeks on top: 1
This may sound weird to people who were teens in the late 1980s. But I have a hard time figuring out why Debbie Gibson was as big as she was. Shes not a great singer. And, while her upbeat songs had a slight whimsy to them, her ballads were atrocious. You could compare her to Britney Spears if you want. But Spears had the benefit of Auto-Tune and Max Martin. To her credit [or detriment], Gibson produced the horror that is Foolish Beat herself, making her the youngest person to ever write, produce and perform a No. 1 single. Thats quite an achievement even if the song is an abomination.
221. Steve Miller Band Abracadabra
Date: Sept. 4, 1982
Weeks on top: 2
Steve Miller scored several huge hits in the 1970s, earning him some goodwill heading into the 1980s. Unfortunately, Abracadabra is the song that cashed in on it. It cant make up its mind if its rock [Is that a guitar solo?], funk or some low-rent form of new wave.
220. Milli Vanilli Baby Dont Forget My Number
Date: July 8, 1989
Weeks on top: 1
Is this a Milli Vanilli rap song? Its as if someone realized this was a bad idea about halfway through Baby Dont Forget My Number and tried to morph it into a dance-pop song. That doesnt work either.
219. Air Supply The One That You Love
Date: July 25, 1981
Weeks on top: 1
I cant listen to this without thinking of the Not my tempo scene in Whiplash. The film has nothing to do with Air Supplys hit [Thank God!]. But J.K. Simmons hurling a chair at a students head because the tempo of the song hes playing is all wrong sums up how The One That You Love should make anyone feel.
218. Starship Sara
Date: March 15, 1986
Weeks on top: 1
Starships We Built This City and Nothings Gonna Stop Us Now often make the list of the worst songs of all time. But theres clearly something about those songs that linger in our brains. What makes Sara much worse is just how forgettable it is.
217. Christopher Cross Arthurs Theme [Best That You Can Do]
Date: Oct. 17, 1981
Weeks on top: 3
If you get caught between the Moon and New York City/The best that you can do, The best that you can do is fall in love. Someone give this guy a hug [or a soft slap in the face]
216. Chicago Look Away
Date: Dec. 10, 1988
Weeks on top: 3
Whether you love or hate Chicagos 1980s soft-rock output, theres a big difference between the songs featuring Peter Cetera as the lead singer and the ones featuring Bill Champlin. Theres an emotional surge to Ceteras voice that makes songs like Hard to Say Im Sorry and Youre the Inspiration at least somewhat tolerable. Champlins voice, on the other hand, is so non-distinct you can barely remember its a Chicago song.
215. Sheriff When Im with You
Date: Feb. 4, 1989
Weeks on top: 1
The opening to Sheriffs When Im with You isnt terrible. In fact, there are a few seconds where you hold out hope that someone like Whitney Houston is about to sing. Then Freddy Curcis vocals come on. The entire backstory of When Im with You is the stuff of a bad rom-com. Keyboardist Arnold Lanni wrote it after falling in love with his future wife. He didnt have anything to give her so he wrote her a song. The reason Lanni didnt have anything to give her was that he was broke and in a band that wasnt any good.
214. Captain & Tennille Do That to Me One More Time
Date: Feb. 16, 1980
Weeks on top: 1
The least sexy song about sex ever created.
A&M213. Falco Rock Me Amadeus
Date: March 29, 1986
Weeks on top: 3
In the mid-1980s especially, there was there were certain songs that were so peculiar they were mistaken being excellent. They were so bad they were good. Only, thats not how that works. Rock Me Amadeus is an awful song that some mistook for genius. If it were released today, it might fall more in line with Gangnam Style. I cant tell you why anyone liked that song. Nor can I tell you why Rock Me Amadeus made it to No. 1...only the Eighties.
212. Fine Young Cannibals She Drives Me Crazy
Date: April 15, 1989
Weeks on top: 1
I get it now. She Drives Me Crazy is a twisted revenge song. Fine Young Cannibals signature hit is about a woman driving the narrator crazy. In response, listeners are gifted with one of the most grating songs to ever top the charts. Some men just want to watch the world burn.
211. Peter Cetera and Amy Grant The Next Time I Fall
Date: Dec. 6, 1986
Weeks on top: 1
Two capable singers [Cetera and Grant] and two good songwriters [Bobby Caldwell and Paul Gordon]. You would think The Next Time I Fall would be at least on par with the other ballads Cetera sang in the 1980s. But the former Chicago frontman singing Ooo ooo ooo ooo ooo ooo just doesnt do it for anyone.
210. Billy Joel We Didnt Start the Fire
Date: Dec. 9, 1989
Weeks on top: 2
Billy Joel is one of the great live performers of all time. So, its telling that the only time We Didnt Start the Fire was tolerable even in a live setting was when it was sung by Dwight on The Office.
209. Mike + The Mechanics The Living Years
Date: March 25, 1989
Weeks on top: 1
This song is about Mike Rutherfords regret over a feud he had with his now-deceased father is so overdone with its ridiculous choir chorus, it makes me laugh uncontrollably. Im going to hell.
208. Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes Up Where We Belong
Date: Nov. 6, 1982
Weeks on top: 3
Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes Up Where We Belong is so awful that the people at Paramount Pictures nearly pulled it from the soundtrack to An Officer and a Gentleman upon hearing it. Even radio stations sent the song back to the record label thinking it was a joke. And yet, here we are today and Up Where We Belong remains one of the biggest movie soundtrack songs of all time; an underdog story just like Richard Geres Zack Mayo.
207. Billy Ocean Get Outta My Dreams, Get into My Car
Date: April 9, 1988
Weeks on top: 2
The beginning of Billy Oceans Get Outta My Dreams, Get into My Car will haunt you. The sounds of a man panting and shouting at a woman, demanding she get in his car just feels wrong on so many levels.
Elektra206. The Beach Boys Kokomo
Date: Nov. 5, 1988
Weeks on top: 1
Kokomo is one of the most famous songs from the 1980s for the simple fact that its a No. 1 hit from one of the 10 greatest music acts in history. And its not that bad of a song [at least from a singing standpoint]. However, what it represents is troubling. Kokomo embodies Mike Loves willingness to destroy the sophistication of the Beach Boys legacy. Or maybe its just him wanting to stick it to Brian Wilson. Sure, the Beach Boys began as a surf-rock act. But Kokomo is not a surf song. Its a soft rock tune that was used in the horrible Tom Cruise movie Cocktail. Supposedly, Love and his group mates didnt even invite Wilson to the recording sessions for Kokomo, which may be the greatest thing that ever happened to him.
205. Olivia Newton-John Magic
Date: Aug. 2, 1980
Weeks on top: 4
The off-kilter guitars and synthesizers on Magic are enough to make your entire body cringe. It certainly adds to the oddity that was Xanadu, the soundtrack its featured on. Magic is quite the endurance test, driven by a disco sound that wants to be soft-rock in all the wrong ways imaginable.
204. The Escape Club Wild, Wild West
Date: Nov. 12, 1988
Weeks on top: 1
No this isnt the Will Smith abomination from 1999. It may actually be worse. Escape Club thought using gunshots and laser sounds with the phrase heading for the Nineties was forward-thinking. Guess again.
203. Bon Jovi Bad Medicine
Date: Nov. 19, 1988
Weeks on top: 2
The moment where Bon Jovi never lowered itself to the glam metal doldrums of songs like Cherry Pie and Girls, Girls Girls.
202. Paul McCartney with Stevie Wonder Ebony and Ivory
Date: May 15, 1982
Weeks on top: 7
The boring Ebony and Ivory was No. 1 for seven weeks. Seven weeks! I suppose thats not shocking considering it was 1982 and Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder were two of the biggest stars of the 1970s. The songs theme of racial harmony is admirable. But using the black and white keys on a piano as a metaphor isum...Yeah, no.
201. Peter Cetera Glory of Love
Date: Aug. 2, 1986
Weeks on top: 2
Peter Cetera might have been the 1980s pop star who was least aware of his surroundings. Upon leaving Chicago, Cetera didnt reinvent himself. He simply kept making the same kind of bloated soft rock Chicago had become known for, only worse. Glory of Love, from The Karate Kid Part II soundtrack, is relentless in its empty expression. It doesnt make you feel like youre in love. It makes you feel like youre being forced to swallow a giant placebo that tastes like seaweed.
RCA200. Rick Astley Never Gonna Give You Up
Date: March 12, 1988
Weeks on top: 2
The concept of Rickrolling that emerged in the 21st century is fascinating. Rick Astleys awful song was being used as the ultimate joke decades after America Rickrolled itself by pushing a track that woefully pares a baritone with poppy synths to No. 1. Whos the joke really on?
199. Bad English When I See You Smile
Date: Nov. 11, 1989
Weeks on top: 2
The late 1980s saw a rush of glam metal ballads. When I See You Smile is the most ordinary of them all. Its easy to see why it went to No. 1. Swaying to such a big chorus at a stadium rock show would prove easy. But if you polled 100 people asking them who sings this slow-burner [with its yawn-inducing tempo], it would shock me if any of them could say the words Bad English.
198. Richard Marx Right Here Waiting
Date: Aug. 12, 1989
Weeks on top: 3
For the second single from his album Repeat Offender [Yes, thats the real title of an album], Richard Marx decided to drain a track of everything except a classical guitar and keyboard, and then stretch that sound out for four and a half painful minutes.
197. Fine Young Cannibals Good Thing
Date: July 8, 1989
Weeks on top: 1
The lesser of two evils when it comes to Fine Young Cannibals two No. 1 hits from the 1980s. Riding high from the success of She Drives Me Crazy, the bands follow-up single Good became equally as huge. It doesnt quite smack you in the face like its predecessor, but Good Things pop-soul vibes wear out their welcome about halfway through.
196. The Bangles Eternal Flame
Date: April 1, 1989
Weeks on top: 1
If youre a child of the 1980s, theres a pretty good chance you think you like Eternal Flame. But how is it possible to enjoy a lead vocal this bad made worse by over-the-top backing harmonies that make you want to rip your ears off?
195. Phil Collins and Marilyn Martin Separate Lives
Date: Nov. 30, 1985
Weeks on top: 1
Coming off his most dynamic album No Jacket Required, Phil Collins joined forces with Marilyn Martin for Separate Lives from the White Nights soundtrack. But the song doesnt suit Collins voice [Martin is the much better performer here]. Theres no charisma in it at all. Somehow, Separate Lives makes Phil Collins seem boring at a time in his career when he otherwise was anything but.
194. Huey Lewis and the News Stuck with You
Date: Sept. 20, 1986
Weeks on top: 3
Even with its best songs, Huey Lewis and the News walked a fine line between clumsily lovable and flat-out corny. Stuck with You sounds like a song from a bubblegum commercial, only the gum is past its sell-by date. It lodges itself in the back of your teeth with its banality until a cavity forms.
193. Rick Astley Together Forever
Date: June 18, 1988
Weeks on top: 1
Rick Astley became a huge star in the UK after Never Gonna Give You Up. But after his two follow-up singles failed to make a dent in the U.S., he went back to the same well for Together Forever. This is Never Gonna Give You Up 2.0. Better, but only by the most minuscule of margins.
Motown192. Diana Ross and Lionel Richie Endless Love
Date: Aug. 15, 1981
Weeks on top: 9
Much has been said about Endless Love, the sappiest of love songs and a misfire for two of the great pop singers of all time. But its biggest offense was how it ruined Diana Ross. Yes, it was a No. 1 hit. But Ross career can be defined by what came before Endless Love and what came after, considering it marked the end of her Motown era. Richie would continue making excessively sentimental rubbish like this throughout the 1980s. But for Ross, there wasnt anything of significance that followed. And to think she had released the excellent dance album Diana just a year earlier. I blame Lionel.
191. Club Nouveau - Lean on Me
Date: March 21, 1987
Weeks on top: 2
Bill Withers original Lean on Me is a soul classic. What Club Nouveau does to it is a borderline offensive. The synths tear away at the songs raw sentiment, making the kind of lame anthem that would play at a D.A.R.E. rally in the 1980s.
190. Bob Seger Shakedown
Date: Aug. 1, 1987
Weeks on top: 1
Shakedown shows the power of a blockbuster movie in the 1980s. The Bob Seger song soared to No. 1 on the strength of Beverly Hills Cop II. It works wonders during Eddie Murphys first scene in the movie. But left on its own, Shakedown is an empty tune. Glenn Frey was the original choice for the song after having done The Heat Is On [an infinitely better song] for the first film. But Frey hated the lyrics to Shakedown and came down with laryngitis before he could change them and record it. For once, a great singer losing their voice was a good thing.
189. Steve Winwood Roll With It
Date: July 30, 1988
Weeks on top: 4
Steve Winwood must have woke up one day and wished hed written and recorded Junior & the All Stars Shotgun. So he just went ahead and copied it with the pretentious Roll With It. Whats interesting is that Motowns Holland-Dozier-Holland eventually earned a songwriting credit, but for a different Junior Walker song, [Im a] Roadrunner.
188. Cheap Trick - The Flame
Date: July 9, 1988
Weeks on top: 2
The Flame is the kind of monstrosity that happens when a record label convinces a legendary band to work with outside songwriters.
187. Human League Human
Date: Nov. 22, 1986
Weeks on top: 1
The opening of this one sounds like a poor mans version of Jack and Diane. I also cant tell if a group named Human League doing a song called Human is the lamest thing ever or pure genius. Recently, the song has been relegated to its rightful place -- scoring car insurance commercials.
Capitol186. Poison Every Rose Has Its Thorn
Date: Dec. 24, 1988
Weeks on top: 3
Thanks to VH1s Behind the Music, we know that Bret Michaels was at a laundromat one night when he called his girlfriend only to hear the guy she was cheating on him within the background. Ouch! Youd think that would produce a rage anthem. Instead, Michaels wrote one of the sappiest and dumbest glam metal ballads of all time. Theres nothing at all exceptional about Every Rose Has Its Thorn. Its a song any aspiring songwriter could write at any point in their lives. Yet, Michaels struck the right [awkward] chord at the right time. Good for him. Bad for ears.
185. UB40 Red Red Wine
Date: Oct. 15, 1988
Weeks on top: 1
I dont know if theres ever been a more mediocre-sounding song in the history of music. I suppose if you were looking to accomplish such a thing you would take a Neil Diamond song from the 1960s and make it a reggae track.
184. Billy Ocean Therell Be Sad Songs [To Make You Cry]
Date: July 5, 1986
Weeks on top: 1
Im not sure why Billy Ocean felt the need to jump on songwriters Barry J. Eastmond and Wayne Brathwaites tune with the most obvious of lyrics: Therell be sad songs to make you cry/Love songs often do/They can touch the heart of someone new/Saying I love you Really, Billy Ocean? We expect this sort of thing from Peter Cetera. Not you.
183. Duran Duran A View to a Kill
Date: July 13, 1985
Weeks on top: 2
When Duran Duran signed on to a James Bond theme, the band was fully committed. A View to a Kill features the lyrics Dance into the fire/that fatal kiss is all we feel/Dance into the fire/when all we see is the view to a kill. No mistaking what the song was for. But A View to Kill sounds like the most generic thing Duran Duran ever did. You kind of wish the band and the producers would have just used Hungry Like a Wolf.
182. Phil Collins A Groovy Kind of Love
Date: Oct. 22, 1988
Weeks on top: 2
Despite going to No. 1, A Groovy Kind of Love doesnt have any sort of groove and certainly isnt groovy. Collins cover version adds a touch of 1980s synths, but still has less soul than The Mindbenders 1965 version, which you should go listen to now.
181. Huey Lewis and the News Jacobs Ladder
Date: March 14, 1987
Weeks on top: 1
Jacobs Ladder cant make up its mind as to whether it wants to be another cheesy [but semi-likable] Huey Lewis and the News song or a real rocker. What makes matters worse is that the lyrics are a complete throwaway with cliché after cliche: Step by step, one by one, higher and higher/Step by step, rung by rung, climbing Jacobs ladder.
180. Tiffany Couldve Been
Date: Feb. 6, 1988
Weeks on top: 2
In the hands of a singer like Whitney Houston, Couldve Been might have worked. Instead, Tiffany is crushed under the songs emotional weight. The title itself makes the ultimate point This couldve been so much better.
179. Roxette Listen to Your Heart
Date: Nov. 4, 1989
Weeks on top: 1
In the liner notes of its greatest hits compilation, Roxettes Per Gessle admits the group was intentionally trying to make an overproduced and absurd radio hit Listen to Your Heart. Mission accomplished.
178. Atlantic Starr Always
Date: June 13, 1987
Weeks on top: 1
I like just about every other song Atlantic Starr did [Give me Secret Lovers any day of the week]. But Always just doesnt do it for me. It feels like a song thats on the verge of greatness for four and a half minutes but never gets there. Every time it feels like its about to make you swoon, it injects a snooze factor.
177. Debbie Gibson Lost in Your Eyes
Date: March 4, 1989
Weeks on top: 3
Debbie Gibson deserves all the credit in the world for writing and producing hit songs at her young age. Lost in Your Eyes has a much better melody and vocal performance than Gibsons other No. 1 hit of the 1980s Foolish Beat. Still, I cant help but wish Steve Perry [or anyone who could actually sing] took this one on.
176. Phil Collins-Two Hearts
Date: Jan. 21, 1989
Weeks on top: 2
Two Hearts features the usual Phil Collins bounce but falls apart a bit in the chorus: Two hearts, believing in just one mind/Beating together till the end of time I sort of understand what that means, but not really?
175. Bette Midler Wind Beneath My Wings
Date: June 10, 1989
Weeks on top: 1
Its impossible to separate Bette Midlers version of Wind Beneath My Wings from the movie it was recorded for Beaches, and rightfully so. Both are overblown emotional forces that drain you. Theyre fine once, but never again.
174. Lionel Richie Truly
Date: Nov. 27, 1982
Weeks on top: 2
It sounds weird to say. But the best thing that could have happened to the Commodores in the early 1980s was Lionel Richie leaving. The group lost its leader. But, had Richie stayed he surely would have dragged the Commodores further into soft pop territory as evident by his debut solo single Truly. Richie delivers a good vocal performance on the song. But everything about it lacks emotion. Even Lionel sounds bored.
173. Simply Red If You Dont Know Me by Now
Date: July 15, 1989
Weeks on top: 1
Simply Reds jazzy, soft rock cover of If You Dont Know Me by Now was originally a Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes song featuring a staggering vocal performance from lead singer Teddy Pendergrass. Mick Hucknall is not Teddy Pendergrass. This one should have stayed untouchable.
172. Madonna Whos That Girl
Date: Aug. 22, 1987
Weeks on top: 1
Not only is Whos That Girl the weakest chart-topper of Madonnas career. It ranks among the least compelling songs she ever recorded. Snooze-worthy dance-pop instrumentation is one thing. Trying to incorporate Spanish lyrics is another. La Isla Bonita this was not.
Arista171. Milli Vanilli Blame It on the Rain
Date: Nov. 25, 1989
Weeks on top: 2
Saying Blame It on the Rain is Milli Vanillis least offensive hit doesnt mean much. There wasnt much competition. From a writing standpoint, Blame It on the Rain sounds like a hit. Diane Warren works her usual magic. This could have worked as a ballad. But Milli Vanilli [or whoever was singing these songs] wasnt going to get away with a slow-burner. Blame It on the Rain morphs into a clunky dance-pop song. No doubt, millions of people sang along to this one back in 1989. You just wont find any who will admit it.
170. Sheena Easton Morning Train [Nine to Five]
Date: May 2, 1981
Weeks on top: 2
Sheena Eastons Morning Train had to come out in the early 1980s. Its a pure nostalgia trip back to 1960s pop. That doesnt save it from sounding generic. But hey, at least the chorus is good enough for a fun movie or TV montage.
169. Daryl Hall and John Oates Kiss on My List
Date: April 11, 1981
Weeks on top: 3
Daryl Hall has explained the minuscule drum sound on Kiss on My List as being a drum machine mixed with actual live drumming. No matter how it came about, it sounds weak. As does the annoying backing vocal that comes in on the pre-chorus.
168. Bon Jovi Ill Be There for You
Date: May 13, 1989
Weeks on top: 1
Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora were a match made in heaven. Ill Be There For You is a glam metal song that soars on the strength of Samboras bluesy guitar and Bon Jovis commitment to singing every note like its his last. Where it fails in the lyrics: I wasnt there when you were happy / And I wasnt there when you were down So when exactly were you there for her, Jon?
167. Steve Winwood-Higher Love
Date: Aug. 30, 1986
Weeks on top: 1
On Higher Love, Steve Winwood just cant help himself. He sounds like someones uncle grabbing the microphone at a wedding and ruining everything. Whitney Houstons cover of Higher Love would work much better decades later as a tropical house song.
166. Phil Collins Another Day in Paradise
Date: Dec. 23, 1989
Weeks on top: 4
Another Day in Paradise has the distinction of being the final No. 1 hit of the 1980s and the first No. 1 song of the 1990s. No one can ever take that away from Phil Collins. But his song about white privilege in the face of homelessness doesnt hold up. Its a case of Collins trying too hard on song so sad, it sounds more like a breakup record.
165. Lionel Richie Say You, Say Me
Date: Dec. 21, 1985
Weeks on top: 4
Say You, Say Me is Lionel Richie attempting to recreate the vibe of The Beatles in the 1960s. He doesnt come all that close. Still, I suppose people have done worse things than try [and fail] to rip off The Beatles.
Columbia Records164. Paul Young Every time You Go Away
Date: July 27, 1985
Weeks on top: 1
Hall & Oates first recorded Every time You Go Away [written by Daryl Hall] in 1980. Paul Youngs version is lighter, which equals boring. But to Youngs credit, it was more in-tune with the soft-rock drama of the 1980s, which is why it went to No. 1.
163. Whitney Houston - Didnt We Almost Have It All
Date: Sept. 26, 1987
Weeks on top: 2
It seems strange to have a Whitney Houston ballad this low. But Didnt We Almost Have It All is the equivalent of the song the DJ puts on at a wedding that clears the dance floor. Even this early in her career, the by-the-numbers ballad was beneath Houston.
162. Billy Joel Tell Her About It
Date: Sept. 24, 1983
Weeks on top: 1
Tell Her About It was Billy Joel paying homage to the Motown sound of the 1960s. But there are two problems with that. First, Berry Gordy had a rule that every Motown song begins with a sound that immediately hooks you. Tell Her About It doesnt have that. Second, have you ever heard a song from Motowns golden era that was this animated? Joel was simply incapable of doing anything subtle in the 1980s.
161. George Harrison-Got My Mind Set on You
Date: Jan. 16
Weeks on top: 1
You have to wonder if Got My Mind Set on You would have received any criticism if it werent by a Beatle. Its a fairly clever pop song. However, George Harrison loses points for taking James Rays original 1960s rock song and turning it into something a bit hackneyed. He should have had better intuition considering the Beatles began their career covering other artists songs.
160. Chicago Hard to Say Im Sorry
Date: Sept. 11, 1982
Weeks on top: 2
To enjoy Hard to Say Im Sorry you have to come to terms with what Chicago was in the 1980s. The jazz-rock act of the 1960s and 1970s wasnt coming back. That being said, Hard to Say Im Sorry is the best ballad from Chicagos regrettable soft rock era. A big reason for that is producer and co-writer David Foster, who can direct Peter Cetera on when to turn it up and when to calm down. That makes all the difference on a song that can come close to numbing your brain.
159. Eddie Rabbitt I Love a Rainy Night
Date: Feb. 28, 1981
Weeks on top: 2
Its not shocking to learn that Eddie Rabbit first wrote and recorded I Love a Rainy Night 12 years before it was released. The song is soaked in a more simplistic 1960s sound that draws its influence from the country side of Elvis Presley. The final version of the track isnt as bombastic as the other big tunes of the 1980s. But its hard to find too much wrong with its vivid lyrics and catchy chorus.
158. Paul McCartney Coming Up [Live at Glasgow]
Date: June 28, 1980
Weeks on top: 3
As the opening track on Paul McCartneys second album, Coming Up plays like a lo-fi funk experiment showcasing what McCartney could do with minimalistic recording techniques. The live version, recorded in Glasgow with Wings in 1979, takes the subtle delights of the song and blows them up into a case of a band trying a little too hard.
157. George Michael Monkey
Date: Aug. 27, 1988
Weeks on top: 1
As pop albums of the 1980s became blockbuster events, labels began trying to squeeze out every ounce of radio airplay they could. That led to fifth and sixth singles from albums that we didnt need. George Michaels Monkey is an example of this. Whether its the album or single version of the song, Monkey feels like a low-rent funk song masquerading as a dance tune. Even Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis remix couldnt save it. On Monkey, Michael asks Do you love the monkey or do you love me? I think we know the answer.
156. Richard Marx-Satisfied
Date: June 24, 1989
Weeks on top: 1
As you can tell, Im not the biggest Richard Marx fan. But since his non-distinct pop-rock song Satisfied is his least offensive hit of the 1980s, we should celebrate just how huge he was. Marx had 14 top 20 hits over seven years, including the three No. 1s on this list. The artists who had more chart-toppers than Marx are either in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame or should be [Lionel Richie, George Michael]. All jokes aside, Richard did his thing during a decade when pop had reached a new peak.
155. Billy Ocean Caribbean Queen [No More Love on the Run]
Date: Nov. 3, 1984
Weeks on top: 2
Billy Ocean may have been the most pedestrian hitmaker of the 1980s. But theres no denying the guy had hits. His most memorable is Caribbean Queen, both because its title sticks out and because the chorus explodes. Ocean wasnt the greatest singer in the world. But he could deliver a hook with conviction.
154. Kim Wilde You Keep Me Hangin On
Date: June 6, 1987
Weeks on top: 1
In theory, Kim Wilde should be ridiculed for taking on one of Motowns greatest songs and turning it into a dance-pop tune. However, her version plays it smart by coming off less like a cover and more like the kind of remix DJs would put together in the 1990s and 2000s.
153. Whitney Houston Where Do Broken Hearts Go
Date: April 23, 1988
Weeks on top: 2
A good song. But can you imagine what Houston would have done with Where Do Broken Hearts Go a decade later? The song demands some serious soul. But Houston was still showing restraint as a pop artist in her early days. Where Do Broken Hearts is a well-written and performed song that The Bodyguard era Houston would have elevated to a showstopper.
Virgin152. Culture Club Karma Chameleon
Date: Feb. 4, 1984
Weeks on top: 3
Culture Club is responsible for what I consider to be one of the greatest songs ever written in Time [Clock of the Heart]. But that gem only went to No. 2, making Karma Chameleon the groups signature song, which is a shame as it plays into the kitschy impression some fans falsely have of Culture Club. Karama Chameleon isnt a bad song. It just doesnt show what the group was truly capable of.
151. KC and the Sunshine Band - Please Dont Go
Date: Jan. 5, 1980
Weeks on top: 1
If KC and the Sunshine Bands Please Dont Go seems completely detached from the 1980s sound, that makes sense. It was released in July 1979 and eventually became the first new No. 1 song of the 1980s. Credit to the group for scoring a chart-topper for in decade, even if it is less fun than Get Down Tonight and Boogie Shoes.
150. Men at Work Who Can It Be Now
Date: Oct. 30, 1982
Weeks on top: 1
On Who Can It Be Now, Men at Work deliver one of the best [and most simplistic] choruses of the 1980s. But the verses [and that awful bridge] sound like The Police if Stings brain was on the fritz.
149. Exposé Seasons Change
Date: Feb. 20, 1988
Weeks on top: 1
Seasons Change packs on the drama right from the beginning. Producer and songwriter Lewis Martinee knew how to get your attention with synths and that awesome saxophone. Yet, with all do respect to Expose, he just didnt have the vocalist to make it incendiary.
148. Wham! Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go
Date: Nov. 17, 1984
Weeks on top: 3
Even if youre willing to admit Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go is a good pop song [which it is], its hard to take seriously. The songs goofy vibes border on parody. Thats not out of step with the 1980s, but it does make Wham!s hit fall short compared to George Michaels other hits on this list.
147. Lionel Richie Hello
Date: May 12, 1984
Weeks on top: 2
If youd never seen the creepy video for Lionel Richies Hello would you like the song? Itd be an interesting case study. Hello is a song that sits firmly on the line between a great pop song and a corny love tune. Ultimately, its both. Lyrically, Hello is laughably overly simplistic. But it also features one of Richies most convincing vocal performances.
146. Mr. Mister Kyrie
Date: March 1, 1986
Weeks on top: 2
Kyrie has all the bells and whistles of a great 1980s pop-rock song and a glorious hook that feels like its from a different track than the verses. The songs weak spot is the emptiness of its lyrics. Kyrie means Lord, have mercy in Greek. Thus, what could have been a great love song [had the lyrics suited it] becomes a Christian rock song thats a bit of a head-scratcher.
145. Stars on 45 Stars on 45 Medley
Date: June 20, 1981
Weeks on top: 1
Even by disco standards, the opening to Stars on 45 is a bit much. Then those guitar chords of Shocking Blues Venus kick in and the Stars on 45 morphs into a tribute to a bygone era. This should be a tasteless mess. But it works because the choice of songs in the medley borders on perfect, leaning into the novelty of it all.
Elektra144. Simply Red Holding Back the Years
Date: July 12, 1986
Weeks on top: 1
Simply Reds Mick Hucknall certainly didnt look the part. A redhead from Manchester doing his best to match the vocal prowess of 1960s soul singers he idolized. But on more than one occasion, Hucknall manages to pull it off. Simply Reds catalog peaks with Holding Back the Years, the blue-eyed soul song most suitable to Hucknalls smooth voice. Its not overly sentimental and its soft-rock leanings arent as mundane as his other hits. Producer Stewart Levine, who had worked with the likes of Minnie Riperton, Lionel Richie and Patti Labelle knew how to modernize Hucknalls sound so that Holding Back the Years feels very familiar while also being somewhat original.
143. Paula Abdul Forever Your Girl
Date: May 20, 1989
Weeks on top: 2
Paula Abduls Forever Your Girl is one of the more under-appreciated blockbuster pop albums of the 1980s. It marked the first times an artist scored four number-one songs on the Billboard Hot 100 with their debut. And yet, the title track is probably the least exceptional of the bunch. Forever Your Girl is void of attitude, the thing that made Abduls best songs distinct from most other dance-pop and new jack swing songs. Its still a fun pop song. Just not Straight Up.
142. REO Speedwagon Keep On Loving You
Date: March 21, 1981
Weeks on top: 1
Keep On Loving You was a showstopper of a pop song back in the 1980s that made stadium crowds swooned. You could say its fallen off a bit, doing the same only at grocery stores.
141. Billy Joel Its Still Rock and Roll to Me
Date: July 19, 1980
Weeks on top: 2
I cant tell if Billy Joels Its Still Rock and Roll to Me is a critique or an homage. The lyrics wreak with insecurity from a guy who seemed threatened by the attention punk and new wave bands were getting. Yet, the song rips off the styles of those bands. It still doesnt make sense to me.
140. Gloria Estefan Dont Wanna Lose You
Date: Sept. 16, 1989
Weeks on top: 1
For the first single from her debut solo album, Epic Records wanted to showcase Gloria Estefans stellar voice. The chorus to Dont Wanna Lose You surely does that. The problem is getting there as the verse feel monotonous. Thus, if youre naming your favorite Estefan songs, itll probably take a while before you get to Dont Wanna Lose You.
139. Whitney Houston Saving All My Love for You
Date: Oct. 26, 1985
Weeks on top: 1
Saving All My Love for You is a song about being the other woman. Yet, you dont get that sense from the emotion [or lack thereof] in Houstons performance. Chalk it up to Houston being in her early 20s when the song was recorded. The performance doesnt suit the theme. And yet, its still a tremendous vocal showcase.
138. Heart These Dreams
Date: March 22, 1986
Weeks on top: 1
These Dreams marks a turning point for Heart. The hard rock band was used to writing its songs. But upon hearing Martin Page Bernie Taupins These Dreams, originally intended for Stevie Nicks, the Wilson sisters couldnt pass on it. From that point on, Heart earned its money in sappy soft rock, some of it good [like These Dreams], and some bad.
137. Boston Amanda
Date: Nov. 8, 1986
Weeks on top: 2
You have to give Bostons Tom Scholz credit. Six years deep into the 1980s and dude had no desire to create a song befitting the decade. Bostons No. 1 hit Amanda is about as 1970s as the 1980s get. Call it soft rock, but the song would fit right in as a ballad on Bostons best 1970s albums, which is [kind of, sort of] a compliment.
136. Billy Idol Mony Mony
Date: Nov. 21, 1987
Weeks on top: 1
November 1987 may have been the greatest month in the career of Tommy James and the Shondells. The month featured two covers of the 1960s garage rock bands songs that went to No. 1. First up was Tiffanys I Think Were Alone Now. Then came, Billy Idols Mony Mony, which ironically kicked Tiffany out of the top spot. Idol first covered the song in 1981, but the studio version didnt catch on. A live version of the song, driven by Idols energy, did the trick six years later.
Columbia Records135. New Kids on the Block-Ill Be Loving You [Forever]
Date: June 17, 1989
Weeks on top: 1
It makes sense that Ill Be Loving You [Forever] would be New Kids on the Blocks first No. 1 hit. For as much as dance-pop was a force in the 1980s, teenage girls were just looking for a reason to swoon for the five-piece boy band. On Ill Be Loving You [Forever], songwriter/producer Maurice Starr puts together a simple R&B drum beat that sounds like a hundred other songs from the decade. But the key to the songs appeal [at least for teens] is Jordan Knights falsetto. It ridiculous how high he gets, stretching out his standout moment on Please Dont Go Girl [one of the great boyband songs of all time] for an entire song. You cant help but picture prom dance floors packed to capacity in 1989.
134. Phil Collins Sussudio
Date: July 5, 1985
Weeks on top: 1
Only Phil Collins could get away with this. Sussudio is his most blatantly 1980s sounding song and based around an improvised lyric [Yes, thats correct Sussudio means absolutely nothing]. What makes the song one of Collins catchiest is his ability to channel [or rip off] Princes Minneapolis sound. But who can blame him?
133. Patti LaBelle and Michael McDonald On My Own
Date: June 14, 1986
Weeks on top: 3
The movie The 40-year-Old Virgin turned Michael McDonald into a punchline to the point you forget just how great of a singer he was. He more than holds his own with the amazing Patti LaBelle on their duet On My Own [until LaBelle turns things up a notch towards the songs end]. Its not the most riveting song of the 1980s. But On My Own did get a lot more interesting as of late thanks to Patti LaBelles Verzuz battle with Gladys Knight. LaBelle revealed she has a long story about McDonald she cant share on camera. Hmmm...
132. Kenny Loggins Footloose
Date: March 31, 1984
Weeks on top: 3
Theres an episode of the office where Jim hops into a convertible with Stanley, who tells Jim to put on some Loggins. Jim responds by saying, Loggins and Messina. To which Stanley drops a gem, Did I say Messina? Thats right, Jim. Did Loggins and Jim Messina ever craft anything remotely as exciting as Footloose? Your Mama Dont Dance aint bad, but it aint Footloose. Put on some Loggins [if youre middle-aged] and forget Messina.
131. Ready for the World Oh Sheila
Date: Oct. 12, 1985
Weeks on top: 1
One of the best Prince knockoffs youll ever hear. Admittedly, Ready for the World could have tried harder on Oh Sheila. The lyrics are mostly throwaway, including the segment that goes I want to di a di da li, a di a di da li Because of that, one has to wonder if Prince hated the fact this fusion of funk, pop and electro was falsely attributed to him over the for years.
130. Dionne Warwick Thats What Friends Are For
Date: Jan. 18, 1986
Weeks on top: 4
The original version of Thats What Friends Are For was never meant to be taken too seriously. It was written by Burt Bacharach and performed by Rod Stewart for the comedy Night Shift. But bring in Dionne Warwick, Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight, Elton John and Wonders harmonica in for cover version, and its tearful hugs a plenty in the name of AIDS research. The song raised $3 million for the worthy cause.
129. Patti Austin and James Ingram Baby, Come to Me
Date: Feb. 19, 1983
Weeks on top: 2
Patti Austin and James Ingram might not be most peoples choice to duet a sensual anthem. Listeners werent initially keen on it either. The song fell flat upon its April 1982 release. Then came the power of General Hospital and the seductive style of Luke Spencer. General Hospital used the song over and over again as Luke became the shows biggest star. Viewers of the top-rated soap opera couldnt get enough of it and just after Valentines Day 1983 it went to the top of the charts.
128. Cutting Crew [I Just] Died in Your Arms
Date: May 2, 1987
Weeks on top: 2
You can almost feel singer-songwriter Nick Van Eede and Cutting Crew checking off every cliché of the 1980s sound when putting together their debut single. The drama. The generic guitars. The tempo that refuses to pick up. And yet, Van Eede gives the performance of his career on the chorus. The emotion feels authentic to the point where youre willing to sit through uneventful verses just to get to the hook.
127. Stevie Wonder Part-Time Lover
Date: Nov. 2, 1985
Weeks on top: 1
Part-Time Lover is the sound of Stevie Wonder in cruise control. The synthpop song almost seems beneath him. And yet, it was a massive crossover success, going No. 1 on four different Billboard charts. Interesting triva: Part-Time Lover features backing vocals from Luther Vandross, Earth, Wind and Fires Philip Bailey and Wonder ex-wife Syreeta Wright.
126. Mr. Mister Broken Wings
Date: Dec. 7, 1985
Weeks on top: 2
Can a song be both over-produced and show restraint? If so, thats Broken Wings. Its a pop-rock ballad with way too many bells and whistles and lyrics that are just as generic as Mr. Misters other hit Kyrie. What makes Broken Wings the slightly better song is that its a song constantly on the verge of exploding for all of its four-plus minutes. Even when it tries to soar for a brief moment during its second half, Broken Wings reverts to its overwhelming anticipation and an even louder drum beat. For better or worse, it hooks you.
125. Bryan Adams Heaven
Date: June 22, 1985
Weeks on top: 2
Anyone whos read my rankings of the No. 1 of the 1990s knows Im not the biggest Bryan Adams fan. His songs are quite pretentious. But I dont hate Heaven. The songs bombastic guitar and drums are a bit much. But Adams raspy voice keeps it grounded. Hes like Peter Cetera with strep throat. I can dig that for a few minutes.
MCA124. Tiffany I Think Were Alone Now
Date: Nov. 7, 1987
Weeks on top: 2
Theres a reason I Think Were Alone Now is one of the most iconic songs of the 1980s. The way it starts screams dance-pop. But once Tiffany comes in, it becomes more than that. Theres suspense in her voice thats captivating even if you have no idea what shes singing about. Tiffanys vocal isnt great. But the song manages to keep you hooked to its drama throughout despite a misguided synth-keyboard solo tries to ruin things. I Think Were Alone Now is a cover of a great [and probably better] Tommy James & The Shondells song. But Tiffany owned it in 1987.
123. Daryl Hall and John Oates Private Eyes
Date: Nov. 7, 1981
Weeks on top: 2
Private Eyes has a fun narrative [that would be creepy if Hall & Oates ever took themselves too seriously], yet another great bass line and Daryl Hall hitting all the blue-eyed soul notes he can handle. But the best thing about Private Eyes is the music video, an essential slice of the 1980s if there ever was one.
122. Michael Sembello Maniac
Date: Sept. 10, 1983
Weeks on top: 2
This isnt the first time were going to visit the amazing soundtrack to Flashdance. The backstory behind Micahel Sembellos contribution is something to marvel at. Before maniac, Sembello had worked with the likes of Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson [his song Carousel just missed making it on to Thriller]. He originally wrote Mania as a horror theme after seeing the 1980 slasher film of the same name. But producer Phil Ramone saw something else in it and had Sembello rewrite the lyrics. It still sounds a little creepy. But that synth-pop groove is magic.
121. Michael Jackson Dirty Diana
Date: July 2, 1988
Weeks on top: 1
Dirty Diana is a great rock song that, when released in 1988, became a favorite among Michael Jackson fans. By todays standards, its a bit cringeworthy. The misogyny in shaming a groupie doesnt sit well in the #MeToo era [It shouldnt have sat well in any era].
120. Stevie Wonder I Just Called to Say I Love You
Date: Oct. 13, 1984
Weeks on top: 3
Not even the great Stevie Wonder was immune to being a bit trite. I Just Called to Say I Love You from the soundtrack to The Woman in Red may be the most ordinary sounding hit of Wonders career. And yet, the sugary sweet chorus remains a pickup line that will never get old.
119. Martika Toy Soldiers
Date: July 22, 1989
Weeks on top: 2
Its hard to blame anyone who hates Toy Soldiers. Despite being about drug addiction, the songs chorus sounds like it was recorded on Sesame Street. But theres also something abstract and, thus, intriguing about it. The songs childlike vocals, combined with its atmospheric tone, is as alluring as it is haunting.
118. Def Leppard Love Bites
Date: Oct. 8, 1988
Weeks on top: 1
It makes sense that Love Bites is the only No. 1 hit Def Leppard had on the Billboard Hot 100. Tracks like Photograph and Pour Some Sugar On Me are better tunes. But Love Bites makes the best use of Mutt Langes boisterous production. Any raw sentiment is stripped away for a glam metal anthem thats unrelenting.
117. Christopher Cross Sailing
Date: Aug. 30, 1980
Weeks on top: 1
Christopher Cross wouldnt have been my pick as the guy to invent yacht rock. These days, it would be easy to imagine the Texas native fronting a Southern indie rock band. But at the start of the 1980s, he was on a pure soft-rock nostalgia trip with Sailing. Emphasis on the soft part. And yet, Sailing has one heck of a melody with Cross lyrics and vocal performance transporting you back to a more light-hearted time.
116. Kenny Rogers with Dolly Parton Islands in the Stream
Date: Oct. 29, 1983
Weeks on top: 2
The Bee Gees originally wrote Islands in the Stream for Marvin Gaye and then recorded it themselves as a 1980s synthpop song. It seems odd that Kenny Rodgers would change the song for his album Eyes That See in the Dark. But thank God he did. By making it a country song Rogers was onto something adding Parton for a duet by two of the biggest country stars of all time. Its become a go-to karaoke song for the ages.
115. Kool & the Gang Celebration
Date: Feb. 7, 1981
Weeks on top: 2
Celebration is a masterclass in not overthinking things. The temptation had to be there for Kool & the Gang to blow this thing out. However, the group shows great restraint by rooting its post-disco party anthem in funk. Everything else [from the crowd shouts and subtle horns] is just a feathery touch meant to keep the celebration going.
114. Vangelis Chariots of Fire
Date: March 20, 1982
Weeks on top: 1
Vangelis Chariots of Fire is the biggest anomaly on this list. Not only is it instrumental. But its also part of an electronic score for a film that was popular but not that popular. You could make the case that it was Vangelis score and the scene in appears in that pushed Chariots of Fire to its Academy Award for Best Picture.
113. Michael Jackson with Siedah Garrett I Just Cant Stop Loving You
Date: Sept. 19, 1987
Weeks on top: 1
I Just Cant Stop Loving You was the first single released from Bad, which seems surprising now. I suppose something had ease fans into what would otherwise be Jacksons most aggressive album. I Just Cant Stop Loving You is a good song, but far from Jacksons best ballad.
112. Queen Crazy Little Thing Called Love
Date: Feb. 23, 1980
Weeks on top: 4
Freddie Mercury is the greatest rock singer of all time. But it wasnt always about his range. The man had a tremendous amount of charisma, which is the only way Queen could pull off a rockabilly song like Crazy Little Thing Called Love. Brian Mays guitar playing certainly helps. Crazy Little Thing Called Love may not have the epic nature of Queens greatest songs, but its a nice little detour on the road to massive arena rock.
111. Aretha Franklin and George Michael I Knew You Were Waiting [for Me]
Date: April 18, 1987
Weeks on top: 2
Talent recognizes talent. The rest of the world may have been focused on George Michaels tight jeans and leather jacket. But Aretha Franklin was after his brilliant voice for their 1987 duet. The lyrics to I Knew You Were Waiting [for Me] are ripe with cliches and the guitars riffs arent anything to write home about. But this is a masterclass in hitting the right notes from two of the greatest vocalists of all time.
110. Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson Say Say Say
Date: Dec. 10, 1983
Weeks on top: 6
The bar for Paul McCartney-Michael Jackson collaborations was set kind of low in the 1980s by the corny The Girl Is Mine from Thriller. Say Say Say was recorded first but released after. It works much better mostly because the track plays towards Jacksons wheelhouse more, following in the footsteps of the post-disco music he created on Off the Wall.
Columbia109. Barbra Streisand Woman in Love
Date: Oct. 25, 1980
Weeks on top: 3
Despite Woman in Love being, perhaps, the biggest pop hit of Babara Streisands career, she rarely performs it live. Streisand has publicly admitted she doesnt find the lyrics believable. But that was never the point. Woman in Love is Streisand singing a Bee Gees song. Barry Gibb helmed Streisands massively successful album Guilty. There are post-disco touches to just about every song that makes for an interesting contrast to Streisands traditional pop voice. Its tempting to say that a song like Woman in Love, which mimics a Bee Gees chorus, would sound better if Gibbs group sang it. But, despite not liking the lyrics, Streisand sings the heck out of the song.
108. Phil Collins One More Night
Date: March 30, 1985
Weeks on top: 2
No one knew how to milk a hook like Phil Collins. On One More Night he opens the song with a taste of the chorus. Its an odd move but one that made it seem like he could just keep uttering those three words over and over again and have a No. 1 hit on his hands. Admittedly, One More Night is another one of those Collins songs that finds him wallowing in self-pity. But damn if you dont want to hug that guy.
107. Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine Anything for You
Date: May 14, 1988
Weeks on top: 2
Anyone who followed Miami Sound Machine knew the groups days were numbered. Gloria Estefan had solo star written all over her. So, when Anything for You finally earned the group its breakthrough in the U.S., it was only a matter of time. The song features one of the best vocals of Estefans career and a fantastic Latin acoustic guitar solo before EVERYONE started using them in the 1990s.
106. Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam Lost in Emotion
Date: Oct. 17, 1987
Weeks on top: 1
If you dig into Lost in Emotion, youll find a wide variety of influences, including Latin music, Motown and electro. The genre-bending was a hallmark of the emerging freestyle seen in New York City courtesy of production collective Full Force. The combination of the production work and a simple, clever hook made Lost in Emotion not just a big hit, but a unique one at that.
105. Billy Vera and the Beaters At This Moment
Date: Jan. 24, 1987
Weeks on top: 2
When At This Moment was released in 1981, Billy Vera and the Beaters blue-eyed soul song barely made a dent on the Billboard charts. Yet, when it was featured in an episode of Family Ties in front of 30-plus million viewers five years later, all bets were off. The songs emotional power became more apparent once it was associated with Alex and Ellens love.
104. Madonna Papa Dont Preach
Date: Aug. 16, 1986
Weeks on top: 2
Madonnas fourth No. 1 single drew a lot of criticism at the time from family planning organizations for encouraging teen pregnancy with its lyrics. Yet, over time, the subject matter of Papa Dont Preach has somewhat fallen by the wayside to make it more of a vague rebellious anthem. The song was a standout from Madonnas True Blue album for its catchy hook but falls just short of reaching the next-level status of her biggest singles from the decade.
103. Paula Abdul Cold Hearted
Date: Sept. 2, 1989
Weeks on top: 1
Paula Abduls catchy dance track Cole Hearted strives for attitude but not enough that it feels dangerous. It dips into the new jack swing genre without feeling like its a take on hip hop. What put Abdul ahead of the younger artists making the same kinds of songs is that her songs were good. Very good.
102. Toni Basil Mickey
Date: Dec. 11, 1982
Weeks on top: 1
Tony Basil deserves props for adding the catchiest elements Mickey, a song originally recorded by the UK act Racey with the title Kitty. It was Basil who changed the title and added the hook Oh Mickey, youre so fine, youre so fine, you blow my mind. Much of the song feels dated. But theres nothing dated about the songs chanting part that feels like it comes out of nowhere. It worked as recently as 2005.
MCA101. Olivia Newton-John Physical
Date: Nov. 7, 1981
Weeks on top: 10
The biggest hit of the 1980s didnt come from Michael Jackson, Madonna or Prince. It belongs to Olivia Newton-John. As you might imagine, the stars had to align for this to happen. Netwon had established herself as a harmless country-pop singer in the 1970s. The final scene in Grease made her a bit of a sex symbol. Then came Physical and its suggestive lyrics, which may seem mild by todays standards but got the song banned on some radio stations in 1981. Listeners didnt care. From a structural standpoint, its the perfect mix of dance-pop and rock with a groove thats seductive. Newton-Johns mundane vocal might seem odd [and lame] now. But back then, it felt like listening to her transformation from an innocent young woman to a sexy pop diva.
100. John Parr St. Elmos Fire [Man in Motion]
Date: Sept. 21, 1985
Weeks on top: 2
How the heck did John Parrs soaring anthem become associated with a boring melodrama of a film? Well, Parr found inspiration for the lyrics to St. Elmos Fire not from the movie of the same name, but from the story of athlete Rick Hansen traveling around the world in his wheelchair to raise awareness for spinal cord injuries. The result is quite the Eighties dance-rocker produced by David Foster.
99. REO Speedwagon Cant Fight This Feeling
Date: March 9, 1985
Week son top: 3
Cant Fight This Feeling feels like the song takes forever to get to the chorus. And the lyric Its time to bring this ship into the shore is downright awful. Yet, no version of your life sounds like Cant Fight This Feelingm, which is why it works. Not every song had to be relatable or take you back to a specific moment in your life. Sometimes you just need an escape and few bands got you there better than REO Speedwagon.
98. Lionel Richie All Night Long [All Night]
Date: Nov. 12, 1983
Weeks on top: 4
Even if you were a fan of Lionel Richies solo ballads, you couldnt help but wonder when the guy was going to come alive. He was in the Commodores after all. All Night Long isnt as much of a dance song as, say, Dancing on the Ceiling. But it is more capable in showing the full arsenal of Richies production work by bringing in elements of reggae and calypso.
97. John Lennon [Just Like] Starting Over
Date: De. 27, 1980
Weeks on top: 5
[Just Like] Starting Over sounds more like a Paul McCartney song than a John Lennon tune with its uptempo rock vibes and cute melody. But it is a fitting farewell for Lennon, who was murdered before it hit No. 1. It features one of his most nuanced vocal performances [as he dips into an Elvis-like tone] and is riveting in its positivity.
96. Prince Batdance
Date: Aug. 5, 1989
Weeks on top: 1
Leave it to Prince to release one of the weirdest No. 1 hits of the 1980s. Batdance is a combination of several songs and ideas Prince was working on at the time. The result is a scatter-brained tune with samples from 1989s Batman film that incorporates elements of rock, funk, hip hop and dance. Batdance isnt the easiest song to digest. But its genius lies in the madness.
95. Genesis Invisible Touch
Date: July 19, 1986
Weeks on top: 1
Invisible Touch is the sound of confidence. When Genesis entered the studio to record what would become its biggest album, the group was coming off its first multi-platinum album and Phil Collins was a bonafide solo superstar. Invisible Touch rides that wave as a larger-than-life pop sound heard on Collins biggest solo hits. Ironically, former frontman Peter Gabriels Sledgehammer was the song that knocked Invisible Touch out of the top spot in 1986.
94. Bruce Hornsby and the Range-The Way It Is
Date: Dec. 13, 1986
Weeks on top: 1
The Way It Is is one of those rare pop songs that would work just fine as an instrumental. But that would take away from Bruce Hornsbys message about the Civil Rights Movement. Hornsby smartly doesnt overplay his hand [like, say, Phil Collins on Another Day in Paradise], drawing the listener in with an infectious piano melody. It was so enticing it would become the backbone for no less than four major hip hop songs, including 2Pacs iconic Changes.
93. Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes [Ive Had] The Time of My Life
Date: Nov. 28, 1987
Weeks on top: 1
Not the song you would have initially picked to be the biggest hit from the soundtrack to Dirty Dancing. Heck, its shortened version is nearly five minutes long. And yet, [Ive Had] The Time of My Life manages to maintain its infectious groove throughout. Its hard not to move your feet and attempt [and likely fail] to do the films climactic dance move.
EMI America92. Kim Carnes Bette Davis Eyes
Date: May 16, 1981
Weeks on top: 9
Kim Carnes Bette Davis Eyes is a unique kind of new wave song with Carnes bluesy voice. Americas infatuation with it lasted over two months. And as Taylor Swift has proven, for anyone seeking some indie cred, there were worse ways to spend three and a half minutes in 1981.
91. Whitney Houston Greatest Love of All
Date: May 17, 1986
Weeks on top: 3
From a writing standpoint, Greatest Love of All is a sappy mess. Lyrics like I believe the children are our future are about as run-of-the-mill as it gets, which is why George Bensons 1977 original version [which had the word The at the beginning of it] wasnt that huge of a hit. That being said, Whitney Houstons version of the song is one of the great miracles of her career. She makes it epic, pushing it beyond its lyrical limitations towards soaring territory. Greatest Love of All was the first proof that Houston could sing ANYTHING and it would sound great.
90. Michael Jackson The Way You Make Me Feel
Date: Jan. 23, 1988
Weeks on top: 1
It may open with a growl, but The Way You Make Me Feel is one of the more tame uptempo songs from Michael Jacksons Bad. Jackson had the rare gift of utilizing a more rock-driven voice even on his R&B records, which gives The Way You Make Me Feel its swagger. As does the video that finds trying to woo a woman with his voice and dance moves. The entire choreography style of gliding down a street while singing to the woman of your dreams would be copied endlessly by R&B artists in the decades that followed.
89. Daryl Hall and John Oates Out of Touch
Date: Dec. 8, 1984
Weeks on top: 2
Its a running joke at times to ask what John Oates does in Hall & Oates. But if you want to shut someone like Chris Rock up play them Out of Touch. Oates came up with the chorus for the duos No. 1 hit by toying around with a synthesizer for the first time. Hall & Oates dress up Out of Touch in 1980s new wave, but its a soul record at its core and a fantastic one at that.
88. Kenny Rogers Lady
Date: Nov. 15, 1980
Weeks on top: 6
Of course Lady was written and produced by Lionel Richie. The song, which was his first production work outside of the Commodores, sets the blueprint for every ballad Richie would sing for the rest of his career. But what Kenny Rogers had that Richie didnt was authenticity in his voice. On Lady, Rogers sounds like a broken man expressing his love for a woman he cant live without. The subtle crackle in Rogers voice that propelled so many country hits was still as addictive as ever.
87. Madonna Open Your Heart
Date: Feb. 7, 1987
Weeks on top: 1
Madonnas relationship with the male gaze and all the things she did with it was an important part of her impact. Open Your Heart and its music video is the moment she subverted the male gaze and became a true sex symbol. Its a true turning point in her career.
86. Foreigner I Want to Know What Love Is
Date: Feb. 2, 1985
Weeks on top: 2
Its hard to argue against a song that supposedly brought Ahmet Ertegun to tears. Foreigner frontman Lou Gramm goes all out [with help from the New Jersey Mass Choir] on I Want to Know What Love Is. You kind of wish he would have slow-played it just a bit. The come-down after the first chorus is a bit jarring. But Gramms begging has no limits. It only gets bigger and better as it drains everything out of you.
Island Records85. Robert Palmer Addicted to Love
Date: May 3, 1986
Weeks on top: 1
Supergroup The Power Station, which consisted of singer Robert Palmer, Chic drummer Tony Thompson and Duran Durans John Taylor and Andy Taylor, had a few hits. But much of the groups legacy lies in how it established the blueprint for Palmers solo sound. Addicted to Love could have very well been a Power Station song. Its even produced by Bernard Edwards, who helmed much of the groups work. But Palmer had bigger ambitions for Addicted to Love, including it being a duet with Chaka Khan. However, the latters label wouldnt give her the okay. So Palmer went it alone. The funky and endlessly catchy rock song scored big thanks in no small part to the video and its high fashion Nagel models.
84. Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam Head to Toe
Date: June 20, 1987
Weeks on top: 1
Production team Full Forces mix of the New York Freestyle sound and soul gave Lisa Lisas music a unique sound. But it wasnt without comparison. Its no surprise that Head to Toe was succeeded at No. 1 by Whitney Houstons I Wanna Dance with Somebody.
83. Whitesnake Here I Go Again
Date: Oct. 10, 1987
Weeks on top: 1
Whitesnake first released Here I Go Again in 1982. That version is a throwaway blues rock song with David Coverdales amazing voice as its only saving grace. In 1987, Coverdale and Whitesnake got the idea to re-record the song, only this time as a glam metal track. The results are like night and day. The second version, redone by producers Mike Stone and Keith Olsen, is a thriller whose blues roots take some of the glitz off of its glam vibe. More importantly, the songs production lives up to Coverdales stellar vocal.
82. Roxette The Look
Date: April 8, 1989
Weeks on top: 1
The first of four chart-toppers for Roxette, The Look is all about rhythm and tempo. Both are perfect. Per Gessle has admitted that the lyrics were written down as a throwaway. In truth, they never mattered. Its his delivery that hooks you.
81. Terence Trent DArby Wishing Well
Date: May 7, 1988
Weeks on top: 2
Wishing Well is the kind of song you hear and say, That guy is going to be a huge star for a long time. That wasnt in the cards for DArby who had a couple more modest hits before disappearing. Wishing Well is a low-key funk song driven by DArbys brilliant vocal.
80. Deniece Williams Lets Hear It for the Boy
Date: May 26, 1984
Weeks on top: 2
Songwriters Tom Snow and Dean Pitchford wrote Lets Hear It for the Boy on short time restraints, which is probably a good thing. Deniece Williams hit is one of the more simplistic hits of the 1980s that relies on Williams big voice to give it the happy vibes. The song is, of course, from the soundtrack to Footloose and the scene where Kevin Bacon teaches Chris Penn how to dance [He never really got it, did he?]. You can hear the same kind of appeal in Lets Hear It for the Boy that you hear in Whitney Houstons stellar dance songs of the early to mid-1980s.
79. Belinda Carlisle Heaven Is a Place on Earth
Date: Dec. 5, 1987
Weeks on top: 1
Heaven Is a Place on Earth is a perfect pop-rock song that sounds a lot like other perfect pop-rock songs. Written by Rick Nowels and Ellen Shipley, the song taps into Carlisles roots as a new wave pioneer with the Go-Gos. Does the song lean too heavily on its chorus? Maybe [I mean, does anyone know the verses by heart?]. But how could it not when Carlisles blissful voice is soaring to the heavens, which are apparently on Earth.
78. Starship Nothings Gonna Stop Us Now
Date: April 4, 1987
Weeks on top: 2
Its been said that no pop act committed more crimes against humanity than Starship. Im not here to argue that. But theres something about the bands third No. 1 single Nothings Gonna Stop Us Now thats endlessly joyous. The production is a bit overblown and the lyrics are as common as it gets. And yet, sometimes mediocre songs with thrilling hooks have a way of making you feel amazing.
77. Ray Parker Jr. Ghostbusters
Date: Aug. 11, 1984
Weeks on top: 3
Most movie songs that hit No. 1 usually do so because theyre about something a bit vague that doesnt need the movie to make sense. Ray Parker Jr.s Ghostbusters wasnt that. This is a theme as specific to a movie as there ever was. The songs success is a testament to how big of a movie Ghostbusters was in 1984 and how catchy of a song Parker crafted for it.
76. Huey Lewis and the News The Power of Love
Date: Aug. 24, 1985
Weeks on top: 2
The Power of Love may be as cheesy as other pop-rock songs by Huey Lewis and the News. But the song always had the cool visual of Marty McFly [Michael J. Fox] skateboarding at the start of Back to the Future to go with it. The Power of Love is easily the catchiest thing Huey Lewis and the News ever released with an inescapable groove and awesome bridge. This is what Billy Joel should have sounded like in the 1980s.
75. The Bangles Walk Like an Egyptian
Date: Dec. 20, 1986
Weeks on top: 4
There was no leaving anything to chance with The Bangles Walk Like an Egyptian. Producer David Kahne was very meticulous in choosing who sung what and even used a drum machine rather than the groups live drumming. Heck, even the whistling sound on the record was done by machine. But all of those moves paid off. Walk Like an Egyptian was known for creating a dance movement. Yet, what stands out most is just how sexy it still sounds.
74. Men at Work Down Under
Date: Jan. 15, 1983
Weeks on top: 4
Men at Work first released Down Under as a B-side to its local single Keypunch Operator. That version of Down Under is pretty mundane. However, the version released a year later once the group signed to Columbia Records emphasizes the tracks new wave production and bouncy reggae influence. The songs joyful tempo would prove timeless, as it still serves as a point of pride in Australia and fun listen anywhere in the world.
73. Los Lobos La Bamba
Date: Aug. 29, 1987
Week on top: 3
In case you needed a reminder that La Bamba was one of the greatest rock and roll songs of all time, Los Lobos was there in 1987. The bands version doesnt veer too far away from Ritchie Valens original, except to turn up the guitars which gives it a much-needed modern feel. It might seem weird to have a band cover Valens classic for the soundtrack of a movie about his life. But it worked.
Jessie's Girl72. Rick Springfield Jessies Girl
Date: Aug. 1, 1981
Weeks on top: 2
I have a female cousin named Jessie who likes the song Jessies Girl but hates that they use what she calls the incorrect form of Jessie for a guy. Thats one of the only bad things you can say about Rick Springfields Jessies Girl. The success of Jessies Girl coincided with Springfields stardom as an actor on General Hospital. Ironically, Springfield only took the role of Dr. Noah Drake because he didnt think his music career would take off. How wrong he was.
71. Michael Jackson Man in the Mirror
Date: March 26, 1988
Weeks on top: 2
Glen Ballard and Siedah Garrett caught lightning in a bottle with Man in the Mirror, a song that would have likely been a big hit had they given it to any number of artists. However, when they brought it to Michael Jackson, he fell in love with it. Quincy Jones and Jackson added their epic touches to the production and Man in the Mirror almost immediately became one of Jacksons signature songs.
70. Wham! Everything She Wants
Date: May 25, 1985
Weeks on top: 2
Following the releases of Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go, Freedom and Last Christmas it was clear George Michael no longer needed Wham! He was now writing and producing the duos hits all by his lonesome. The next song in a line of million-sellers was Everything She Wants. Its not as immediately memorable [or infamous] as Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go, but its the better song and a peak of post-disco.
69. Madonna Crazy for You
Date: May 11, 1985
Weeks on top: 1
When Madonna went to record Crazy for You, a pop ballad written by John Bettis and Jon Lind for the film Vision Quest, she was not a star. Lucky for the team behind the movies soundtrack, that would soon change. Like a Virgin and Material Girl would plant the seeds for Madonna becoming a megastar. But Crazy for You proves more in terms of her vocal ability. Anyone who thought Madonna was style over substance had to take note of the emotion packs into a song that still ranks among her greatest slow burners.
68. The J. Geils Band Centerfold
Date: Feb. 6, 1982
Weeks on top: 6
The J. Geils Bands brand of blues-rock always had a raucous party vibe to it. But with Centerfold, the pop sounds the band toyed with during the late 1970s take centerstage. Usually, that would earn an act a ton of criticism. But J. Geils Band avoided much of that for the simple fact that songs like Centerfold were so much fun.
67. Bon Jovi You Give Love a Bad Name
Date: Nov. 29, 1986
Weeks on top: 1
You can pretty much hum the verses to You Give Love a Bad Name [which is kind of sort of what Jon Bon Jovi does in a low singing voice]. Nothing else matters when you have a hook like Shot through the heart/And youre to blameyou give love a bad name. Even the biggest of Bon Jovi haters [which includes me] cant deny the power of that hook.
66. Yes Owner of a Lonely Heart
Date: Jan. 21, 1984
Weeks on top: 2
Owner of a Lonely Heart might as well be by another band. Yes diehards, more in tune with the bands 1970s prog-rock work, would scoff at the idea that one of Yes greatest songs was this No. 1 hit. But you can thank [or blame] Trevor Rabin for that. Hed already composed Owner of a Lonely Heart before joining Yes. The other members of Yes Jon Anderson, Tony Kaye, Chris Squire and Alan White reworked the song a bit giving it more of a soulful feel with fewer bells and whistles. The result is an unlikely great dance-rock song from, arguably, the greatest progressive rock band of all time.
65. Daryl Hall and John Oates Maneater
Date: Dec. 18, 1982
Weeks on top: 4
Fact: No one gave us more amazing basslines than Hall & Oates. The hook on Maneater [and its background ad-libs] is brilliant. But what makes it so astonishing is that the song creates a sort of film noir vibe as it builds the story of a woman that will chew you up and spit you out.
64. Bananarama Venus
Date: Sept. 6, 1986
Weeks on top: 1
Its hard to blame producers Steven Jolley and Tony Swain for rejecting Banaramas idea to turn Shocking Blues country-rock classic into a dance song. But British producer Stock Aitken Waterman got what they were going for. Like any song that should sample or cover Venus, the guitar parts are untouchable. But Banarama knew a lot could be done with the chorus, like turning it up to level 11. That monster chorus made the song a massive hit around the world and, for a certain generation, the only version of Venus that matters.
63. John Waite Missing You
Date: Sept. 22, 1984
Weeks on top: 1
John Waite has spent part of the 21st century proving just how great of a song Missing You is, re-recording it in country, bluegrass and acoustic form. It works no matter what genre he puts it in. Of course, the version that went to No. 1 pumps in some 1980s synth sounds into its soft-rock vibes, making it the kind of song that could consume an episode of Miami Vice.
62. George Michael One More Try
Date: May 28, 1988
Weeks on top: 3
Its crazy to think how overlooked One More Try is as a George Michael song [at least compared to his other huge singles from the 1980s and early 1990s]. One More Try is quite possibly the peak of George Michael as an all-time great vocalist, especially when you consider the song is very much the blueprint for a lot of the blue-eyed-soul ballads that would come after it.
A&M61. The Police Every Breath You Take
Date: July 9, 1983
Weeks on top: 8
A songs popularity rarely gets as complex as that of Every Breath You Take. Sting wrote it following on the verge of a divorce [and engaging in a highly publicized affair]. The track is about an obsession with a lover that pretty much amounts to stalking. And yet, Every Breath You Take has been treated, for decades, as one of the great love songs of all time. Its also one of the most successful, accounting for about a third of Stings publishing revenue. Sting himself has often downplayed how great of a song Every Breath You Take is mostly due to its simplicity. Indeed, its not the most dynamic song by any means. But Every Breath You Take does meld together piano, guitars, bass, a digital drum machine and synthesizers perfectly. Even if it is super creepy.
60. Duran Duran The Reflex
Date: June 23, 1984
Weeks on top: 2
Nile Rodgers has produced better songs than The Reflex. But no track shows how great of a producer he is more than Duran Durans No. 1 hit. The album version of The Reflex, from 1983s Seven and the Ragged Tiger, is underwhelming. Then Rodgers got his hands on it, threw in a Roland Jupiter-8 keyboard and magic happened.
59. Jan Hammer Miami Vice Theme
Date: Nov. 9, 1985
Weeks on top: 1
A TV theme with no lyrics that goes to No. 1 on the charts. That better be one heck of a TV show or, better yet, a cultural phenomenon. And thats precisely what Miami Vice was. As a piece of music, Jack Hammers Miami Vice theme an interesting composition that fuses elements of rock and electronic music, driven by its pulsating drums. But its the montage that instantly plays in your head that makes the song iconic. Pure 1980s coolness.
58. Madonna Like a Virgin
Date: Dec. 8, 1984
Weeks on top: 6
Madonna had great songs before Like a Virgin. But none of them made her an icon. The songwriting of Tom Kelly and Billy Steinberg on Like a Virgin is pitch-perfect. But its producer Nile Rodgers who gives the song its melodic sheen. Madonna handles the rest sounding like a girl becoming a woman. She was already there.
57. Blondie The Tide Is High
Date: Jan. 31, 1981
Weeks on top: 1
Blondie spent the 1980s perfecting new wave, pop-rock and even dabbling in hip hop. So why not reggae as well? The groups cover of The Paragons rocksteady anthem The Tide Is High was a bold move that paid off. Blondie was a lot of things including No Doubt before No Doubt.
56. Michael Jackson Rock with You
Date: Jan. 19, 1980
Weeks on top: 4
Rock With You is one of the more subdued hits of Michael Jacksons career. But its also one of the finest showcases of how great of a singer he is. The songs subtle disco grooves serve as the perfect backing for Jacksons voice, which shows restraint while also functioning as one of the most beautiful sounds music has ever witnessed.
55. Dire Straits Money for Nothing
Date: Sept. 21, 1985
Weeks on top: 3
I want my MTV Is there any phrase from any song that feels more synonymous with 1980s culture? Lyrically, Money for Nothing is told from the perspective of a working-class guy who cant stand what he sees on MTV. The use of a homophobic slur was troubling. Thankfully, its buried under a fiery guitar sound Knopfler ripped from ZZ Top.
54. Toto Africa
Date: Feb. 5, 1983
Weeks on top: 1
Though accurate, to label Africa soft rock doesnt do it justice. The song is far more intricate than most of the other soft rock anthems of the 1980s. Africa makes use of world music and rhythms in a way more subtle than what Paul Simon or Peter Gabriel were doing, which is probably why the band gets less credit.
RCA Nashville53. Dolly Parton 9 to 5
Date: Feb. 21, 1981
Weeks on top: 2
Dolly Partons star was shining bright in the early 1980s both with 9 to 5 the song and the movie she starred in of the same name. That comedy made way more money than anyone expected and the song rose to the top of the charts at a time when that was mostly unheard-of for country artists unless they went pop. Parton isnt the greatest vocalist in country music history. But she had attitude and swagger for days. 9 to 5 is an infectious slice of working life for a woman and one of many times Dolly wowed the masses.
52. Cyndi Lauper True Colors
Date: Oct. 25, 1986
Weeks on top: 2
After such an amazing run in 1984, you can excuse people for doubting Cyndi Lauper could duplicate that success. Then came True Colors. The title track from Laupers 1986 album was written by Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly who originally offered it to Anne Murray. In retrospect, its hard to imagine anyone other than Lauper singing the song. Theres a raw and vulnerable nature to Laupers vocal performance, delivering Steinberg and Kellys amazing lyrics with the kind of emotion most singers try for but are never reach.
51. Survivor Eye of the Tiger
Date: July 24, 1982
Weeks on top: 6
As the story goes, Sylvester Stallone originally wanted Another One Bites the Dust as the theme song for Rocky III, but Queen said no. Lucky him. Sly then turned his attention to Survivor guitarist Frankie Sullivan and keyboardist Jim Peterik who gave him a gift for the ages. Eye of the Tiger and its driving hard rock sound remains a popular anthem today, even among politicians [to Survivors dismay].
50. Wham! featuring George Michael Careless Whisper
Date: Feb. 16, 1985
Weeks on top: 3
Careless Whisper is the moment in which everyone took notice of amazing George Michaels voice. He always sounded good in Wham! But Careless Whisper finds him oozing with emotion in a way that the songs music is almost unnecessary. Of course, what would we do without that iconic saxophone part?
49. Phil Collins Against All Odds [Take a Look at Me Now]
Date: April 21, 1984
Weeks on top: 3
Against All Odds shouldnt be a Phil Collins song. From a songwriting standpoint, it may very well be his masterpiece. But even in the studio version, he struggles with the high notes. And yet, thats what makes it so endearing. Theres honest desperation that morphs into a likability on Against All Odds [Take a Look at Me Now] thats palpable.
48. Berlin Take My Breath Away
Date: Sept. 13, 1986
Weeks on top: 1
The magical part of Take My Breath Away had already been created long before the track got to new wave act Berlin. Producer Giorgio Moroder had impressed filmmaker Jerry Bruckheimer with Kenny Loggins Danger Zone, a key song to be used in Bruckheimers film Top Gun. Tasked with delivering a romantic theme, Moroder reached into his bag of tricks and crafted a monumental bass sound that would anchor Take My Breath Away. Berlins Terri Nunn would go on to nail the vocal on a song that takes your breath away every time you hear it.
47. John Mellencamp Jack & Diane
Date: Oct. 2, 1982
Weeks on top: 4
Jack & Diane had the potential to be a mess. John Mellencamps other songs were warm, subtle pieces of heartland rock. But Jack & Diane takes off in epic fashion. The now-iconic intro was kind of an accident. Mellencamp later admitted that the clapping in the middle of the guitar part was done just to keep time. It was supposed to be removed in the mixing process, but Mellencamp decided to keep it in. Wise move.
46. Whitney Houston So Emotional
Date: Jan. 9, 1988
Weeks on top: 1
Often overshadowed by I Wanna Dance with Somebody [Who Loves Me], So Emotional might be the bigger showstopper. No other Houston song of the 1980s has a chorus that explodes like this. Its also a precursor to Houstons vocal performances of the 1990s, where the restrictions were all taken off and she could push her voice to unparalleled heights.
45. Michael Jackson Bad
Date: Oct. 24, 1987
Weeks on top: 2
Michael Jackson originally intended for Bad to be a duet with Prince. But he didnt need him. When MJ decided he wanted to make a rock album, he went full tilt with the attitude saturated title track. Suddenly the kid wearing a sparkly glove and doing the Moonwalk was a bada**.
44. Irene Cara Flashdance... What a Feeling
Date: May 28, 1983
Weeks on top: 6
What makes FlashdanceWhat a Feeling so impactful is that even people who werent into electronic music could get into it. Producer Giorgio Moroder had pushed the genre he helped revolutionize into pop territory. Its one of the most important moments in the history of dance music.
43. Joan Jett and the Blackhearts I Love Rock n Roll
Date: March 20, 1982
Weeks on top: 7
Joan Jetts I Love N Roll is the ultimate case of someone covering a song and making it their own. With her breakthrough hit, Jett became a rock icon by creating a prog-rock anthem for the ages that spent seven weeks at No. 1.
42. Tears for Fears Shout
Date: Aug. 3, 1985
Weeks on top: 3
Tears for Fears biggest hit arrived at a time when stadium rock was taking off. It didnt matter Shout was a pop song. It is the kind of anthem built for big crowds and big moments.
41. Blondie Rapture
Date: March 28, 1981
Weeks on top: 2
Blondies Rapture was the first mainstream pop song to feature rapping, even if Debbie Harrys flow is kind of wack. Yet, without the hip hop elements, Rapture is a fantastic new wave song where Harry makes her vocals a piercing instrument thats about as seductive as anything from the 1980s.
40. George Michael Faith
Date: Dec. 12, 1987
Weeks on top: 4
On the title track to his massively popular album, George Michael soaks up the irony of the songs title. He makes it sound like the opening of a church service before giving listeners a sexual experience over a simple acoustic guitar.
Epic Records39. Heart Alone
Date: July 11, 1987
Weeks on top: 3
Alone had been recorded a couple of times [including once by John Stamos] before Heart got to it. But the song was a perfect match for the more pop-oriented sound the band was going for in the 1980s. Fans of American Idols glory days know every female singer with a big voice wanted a crack at Alone and who can blame them? The songs verses pile on the drama before the chorus explodes. Nancy Wilson sang lead on Hearts other No. 1 hit of the 1980s, Dreams. But for Alone they knew how to bring out the big guns with Ann Wilson.
38. Paula Abdul Straight Up
Date: Feb. 11, 1989
Weeks on top: 3
Straight Up was a breakout moment, but not just for Paula Abdul. The song began as a demo written and produced by Elliot Wolff, then only known for Johnny Gills top-10 hit Super Love. But once Abdul saw the potential in Wolffs merger of dance-pop and new jack swing, things changed for both of them. Wolff would go on to work with some of the biggest names in the industry and Abdul would become of the biggest pop stars on the planet.
37. Bonnie Tyler Total Eclipse of the Heart
Date: Oct. 1, 1983
Weeks on top: 4
In any other decade Total Eclipse of the Heart would constitute a bad song. But not the 1980s, a decade that couldnt help but give us drama. And Bonnie Tylers huge hit is as dramatic as it gets. A lot of the bad songs on this list are unremarkable. Total Eclipse of the Heart is anything but, which is why youll find someone at every karaoke bar in the world willing to belt it out.
36. Peter Gabriel Sledgehammer
Date: July 26, 1986
Weeks on top: 1
Much of the attention for Sledgehammer goes to its groundbreaking video. But the song itself ranks among the most bonkers things Peter Gabriel ever did as an artist, which includes his time with Genesis. Gabriel piles on the layers [a flute, organ, synth, etc.] for a song that brilliantly melds elements of dance-pop, rock, funk and soul.
35. Bobby Brown My Prerogative
Date: Jan. 14, 1989
Weeks on top: 1
Bobby Brown was just about done with recording his second studio album when he came up with the theme for My Prerogative and tapped producer Teddy Riley for its sound. The duos work would become the quintessential new jack swing anthem and allow Brown to own the bad boy image that would help make him a megastar.
34. Tina Turner Whats Love Got to Do with It
Date: Sept. 1, 1984
Weeks on top: 3
Whats Love Got to Do with It was originally recorded by a British pop group no one remembers. Producer/writer Terry Britten reworked it a bit for Tina Turner. But, still, it seems like an odd fit. Much of the song finds Turner showing an amazing level of restraint until her voice explodes. And its that voice that wins out. Rock and roll had never seen anything like Tina Turner and she was finally being given the kind of pop-rock songs she was born to sing.
33. Bon Jovi Livin on a Prayer
Date: Feb. 14, 1987
Weeks on top: 4
In terms of its lyrical content, Livin on a Prayer feels like the most successful song Bruce Springsteen never wrote. But, sonically, Springsteen was never this zealous. Richie Sambora all but consumes the first third of the song with his talkbox. Before you can tell Bon Jovi to slow down, Livin on a Prayer is off and running. The lyrics arent all that elaborate. But Jon Bon Jovi sings the everyman story like theres no tomorrow.
32. The Human League Dont You Want Me
Date: July 3, 1982
Weeks on top: 3
The Human Leagues songs could be either annoying or annoyingly great. Dont You Want Me falls into the latter. It opens as a run-of-the-mill synth-pop song that could go either way. Then that chorus hits. The hook is delivered in almost a lazy fashion. But the words Dont youDont you are soon consuming your brain.
31. Van Halen Jump
Date: Feb. 25, 1984
Weeks on top: 5
Jump is known as the Van Halen song where Eddie Van Halen supposedly put down his guitar for a keyboard [Though, there is a sick guitar solo in the song]. It also should be known as one of the bands best and catchiest tracks. Van Halen would only get bigger after Jump and theres a reason for that.
30. Lipps, Inc. Funkytown
Funkytown is a song with a universal message about the dream of heading to a bigger city. Of course, the way Lipps, Inc. expresses that is quite the showcase. Funkytown would make Lipps, Inc. a one-hit-wonder. But the disco/funk group can hold its head high knowing it delivered one of the great synth riffs in music history.
Waner Bros.29. a-ha Take On Me
Date: Oct. 19, 1985
Weeks on top: 1
Thanks to the rise of MTV during the decade, many of these songs are embedded in our memories along with their videos. None more so than Take On Me and its legendary pencil-sketch clip. But that shouldnt overshadow the blissful synth-pop of the song and one of the best choruses of the decade. Morten Harket hits all the right notes, even ones that few other men could hit at the time.
28. Simple Minds Dont You [Forget About Me]
Date: May 18, 1985
Weeks on top: 1
Released on the soundtrack to The Breakfast Club and used during the films iconic opening, Dont You [Forget About Me] will forever exist in the history of cinema. But taken alone, its one heck of an epic new wave song with one of the most soaring synth hooks of the 1980s.
27. Madonna Live to Tell
Date: June 7, 1986
Weeks on top: 1
Madonna had reinvented herself numerous times in her career. But perhaps nothing shifted fans and critics closer to the idea of her as an artist early on than Live to Tell. It was a towering ballad that was as grown up as anything Madonna had done up until that point. It wasnt just a sonic reinvention, either. Madonnas greatest ballad came with a video that introduced her Marilyn Monroe-inspired blonde hair.
26. U2 I Still Havent Found What Im Looking For
Date: Aug. 8, 1987
Weeks on top: 2
Listening to U2s The Joshua Tree feels like a religious experience both in how great the album is and how it opens. The one-two punch of Where the Streets Have No Name and I Still Havent Found What Im Looking For is something to behold. The former feels like a come-down moment and a chance for anyone to exhale as U2 crafts a song that ranks among the most beautiful of the bands career.
25. Queen Another One Bites the Dust
Date: Oct. 4, 1980
Weeks on top: 3
Theres no shame in copying the bassline to Chics Good Times. Lots of artists of done it. In Queens case, it gets the ultimate cool factor on Another One Bites the Dust thanks to Freddie Mercurys fiery vocal. He could hit the highest notes in the world, but he could also pile on the attitude. Its hard to teach that level of swagger.
24. Dexys Midnight Runners Come On Eileen
Date: April 23, 1983
Weeks on top: 1
Of all the drunken college bar songs that have stood the test of time Livin on a Prayer, Sweet Caroline, Dont Stop Believin Dexy Midnight Runners Come on Eileen has to be the strangest. First, you can barely understand a word in the verses. Second, the songs structure is odd, featuring a bridge that randomly goes from a slow tempo to a faster pace that ultimately closes out the song. Come On Eileen also has numerous versions, some featuring a fiddle. Yet, no matter how, why or when you hear it, the chorus produces a singalong fest. Come On Eileen is endless fun with no less than a handful of different melodies or rhythms that hook you.
23. Prince and The Revolution Lets Go Crazy
Date: Sept. 29, 1984
Weeks on top: 2
Opening tracks dont get much better than this. Lets Go Crazy presents Princes Purple Rain [both the album and movie] as a spiritual awakening. Lets Go Crazy is the spark that lit the match on a cultural sensation. Even if you werent a Prince fan, you found yourself convinced of his talent after he breezes through two blistering guitar solos. Yep, this guy was a force of nature.
22. Cyndi Lauper Time After Time
Date: June 9, 1984
Weeks on top: 2
No one has ever sung Time After Time better than Cyndi Lauper. But the song is also testament to the songwriting skills of Lauper and co-writer Rob Hyman. Time After Time feels like an ageless wonder of a pop song that anyone with a decent voice could score with.
21. Janet Jackson Miss You Much
Date: Oct. 7, 1989
Weeks on top: 4
Teddy Riley is credited with inventing new jack swing. But the origins of the sound start with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis as far back as Janet Jacksons Control. With the genre reaching its peak, Jacksons Rhythm Nation continued to ride the wave, most notably on Miss You Much. The No. 1 single is technically dance-pop, but youd certainly be forgiven for calling it new jack swing. The biggest difference is just how much the powerhouse sound of Miss You Much blows everything that sounds like it out of the water.
Columbia Records20. George Michael Father Figure
Date: Feb. 27, 1988
Weeks on top: 2
After the release of Faith, George Michael was a sex symbol that drove women wild. Looking back, its easy to find signs of his sexuality in a song like Father Figure. But the lyrics are ambiguous. Besides, that wasnt the point. Father Figure is an emotional tour de force about wanting to be everything to the person you love, regardless of whether you were gay or straight. Its simply a great love song.
19. INXS Need You Tonight
Date: Jan. 30, 1988
Weeks on top: 1
Ive got to let you know, youre one of my kind Now thats a pickup line! INXS only No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 is also the bands most seductive. On Need You Tonight, Michael Hutchence delivers sex appeal like only he can over a backing that was more funk than it was dance-punk.
18. Whitney Houston How Will I Know
Date: Feb. 15, 1986
Weeks on top: 2
Following a collection of singles that were ballads, How Will I Know jumps into your ears as the third single from Whitney Houstons debut album. The light-hearted synth-funk song isnt necessarily a dancefloor anthem. Its far too breezy for that. Still, theres something upbeat Whitney that packs a huge punch. She could do R&B and traditional pop. But when sings over something this exicting, look out!
17. Pink Floyd Another Brick in the Wall [Part 2]
Date: March 22, 1980
Weeks on top: 4
On its surface, Another Brick in the Wall [Part 2] doesnt sound like the work of one of the most experimental bands in rock history. But dig deeper and your mind is blown. As part of a three-part work on rock opera The Wall, Part 2 functions as a protest song from the perspective of school children. Producer Bob Ezrin somehow convinced Pink Floyd to make it a post-disco track. The result is a wonder of a pop song thats one of the most progressive things Pink Floyd ever did.
16. Michael Jackson Beat It
Date: April 30, 1983
Weeks on top: 3
Leave it to Michael Jackson, a pop star, to release one of the greatest rock songs of the 1980s. Eddie Van Halens presence on Beat It feels over-blown. But even listening to his solo today gives you chills. Does Van Halen have more complex guitar songs? Yes. But on Beat It, he becomes part of a perfect song, all parts accenting each other for something that bops.
15. U2 With or Without You
Date: May 16, 1987
Weeks on top: 3
As with most things U2, With or Without You brings the weepy drama. Bono is torn between the woman he loves and the life on the road he has worked so hard for. Overdramatic? Yep. But its impossible not to get lost in the sentiment of With or Without You, especially when taken with all the over-the-top synth experiments of the 1980s. With or Without Yous likability is built around raw emotion. Bono draws you in before The Edge makes his guitar weep.
14. Blondie Call Me
Date: April 19, 1980
Weeks on top: 6
American Gigolo is a film about a high-priced male escort [Richard Gere] who is supposed to be oozing with cool. But the most stylish thing about the film is Debbie Harry and Blondies Call Me. Backed by Giorgio Moroders fierce synths, Call Me is a swaggering anthem owned by Harry at every minute. Its a brilliant theme that shoves the fairly good movie it is associated with aside, claiming the appropriate spotlight owed to it.
Mercury Records13. Tears for Fears Everybody Wants to Rule the World
Date: June 8, 1985
Weeks on top: 2
Everybody Wants to Rule the World is a desolate record. Most of Tears for Fears songs were. But the big single from the bands second album Songs from the Big Chair comes with a driving pop sound that goes against any sad notions. It lures you in and makes you happy. Its an astonishing achievement that can only be accomplished by the best and most well-produced pop songs.
12. Diana Ross Upside Down
Date: Sept. 6, 1980
Weeks on top: 4
Upside Down is the song where Diana Ross finds herself falling apart, mentally and physically, with despair over a cheating fool. What pushes the track to standout status is the production work. There was always more of an art to Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards work than it was given credit for. With Upside Down they somehow showcase a sense of distress while giving you something you can dance to.
11. Prince and the Revolution Kiss
Date: April 19, 1986
Weeks on top: 2
Many Eighties pop songs get bashed for being rudimentary in sound. But not Princes Kiss. Its stripped down beyond the point of sanity. But the remarkable nature of Kiss comes from the ever-so-subtle touches Prince adds, including its sputtering drum line and a funky guitar solo. Its just James Brown enough to make you move while also containing Princes one-of-a-kind aesthetic.
Parlophone10. Pet Shop Boys West End Girls
Date: May 10, 1986
Weeks on top: 1
The original, 1984 version of West End Girls, produced by Bobby Orlando, comes across as a by-the-numbers Eighties dance song. But when Pet Shop Boys re-recorded the track a year later, producer Stephen Hague understood the potential of its gritty vibe. It was the second version of the song that topped the charts and serves as one of the more unique hits of the decade. The lyrics and their delivery come with a sense of mixed feelings, almost dismissive of the vibe the track is creating. That contrast gives West End Girls a sense of intrigue and allure that holds up to this day.
9. David Bowie Lets Dance
Date: Jan. 30, 1982
Weeks on top: 1
David Bowie originally demoed Lets Dance as an acoustic song. But when he hired Nile Rodgers to produce his 15th studio album, plans changed. Rodgers wanted the song to be something you could move to. Merging elements of funk, new wave and post-disco, Rodgers presented Lets Dance as the infectious dance song you hear today. Bowies charisma and swagger did the rest. The result is the only Bowie song to ever top the charts in both the U.S. and UK.
8. Daryl Hall and John Oates I Cant Go for That [No Can Do]
Date: Jan. 30, 1982
Weeks on top: 1
From start to finish, no Hall & Oates song hooks you like I Cant Go for That. Its a head-scratcher of a track with a vague meaning as unclear as Meat Loafs Id Do Anything for Love [But I Wont Do That]. But I Cant Go for That is slick new wave. Hall and Oates greatest song is too catchy to deny.
A&M7. Janet Jackson When I Think of You
Date: Oct. 11, 1986
Weeks on top: 2
Coming off of two lackluster albums, Janet Jackson chose What Have You Done for Me Lately and Nasty as the songs to reintroduce her adult persona to the world. They did the trick with sass, establishing her freedom as an artist. But When I Think of You, her first No. 1, was the track that proved Jackson was a hitmaker who could someday rival her famous brother. The track, produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, has more sheen than anything the production team had put forth, making it easy to latch onto When I Think of You right from its first few seconds. If previous singles had made you notice Janet, When I think of You is the song where you fell in love with her.
6. Eurythmics Sweet Dreams [Are Made of This]
Date: Sept. 3, 1983
Weeks on top: 1
Theres a reason Sweet Dreams has been covered so many times. When you think of the synths of the 1980s, the Eurythmics hit is right where your mind goes. But theres something refined and meticulous about Annie Lennox and Dave Stewarts original that makes it untouchable. The synth line is beyond catchy with a deliberate menace mixed in. Even Marilyn Manson couldnt come close to matching its haunting nature.
5. Guns N Roses Sweet Child o Mine
Date: Sept. 10, 1988
Weeks on top: 2
Slash may have famously hated the simplicity of Sweet Child o Mine when Guns N Roses recorded it, but he had to know what he was doing. You dont toy around with a guitar riff during a jam session without feeling like youve got something. Guns N Roses would have just been a really great hard rock band without Sweet Child o Mine. But the song made Guns N Roses massive rock stars.
Arista4. Whitney Houston I Wanna Dance with Somebody [Who Loves Me]
Date: June 27, 1987
Weeks on top: 2
Whitney Houstons meteoric rise to stardom in the 1980s was built around her having one of the greatest voices in music history. So, naturally, the focus of how to use that voice would be ballads. And yet, Houstons popularity didnt fully explode until she wanted to dance. I Wanna Dance with Somebody [Who Loves Me] is very much in line with the sound of the 1980s. But the one thing the song had going for it that no other hitmaker had was that incredible voice. Somehow, Houstons vocals sound even bigger and brighter on a dance-pop song. It was unexpected, but a formula every female pop star would seek to copy to this day.
3. Madonna Like a Prayer
Date: April 22, 1989
Weeks on top: 3
Madonna had already entered her 30s when she went in to record her album Like a Prayer. But the music shed released wasnt that far off from the teen pop that dominated the 1980s. Its something Madonna recognized, seeking to appeal to an older audience with her next effort. The title track to Like a Prayer would do just that. The dance bounce of Madonnas previous work is still there. But the songs themes were as mature as anything shed put forth. The controversial video would find Madonna toying with her critics. But the true jaw-dropping aspect of Like a Prayer is just how larger than life it is as a pop song.
2. Prince When Doves Cry
Date: July 7, 1984
Weeks on top: 5
Theres nothing like When Doves Cry. Its a weird funk odyssey that drawn out on paper, should have never been a hit. Famously, there is no bassline [virtually unheard of for a mainstream pop song at the time]. Theres also the subject matter of the song thats as baffling as it is alluring. And yet, you cant get enough of it. No one ever made more brilliant, strange pop music than Prince and When Doves Cry was his peak. Fittingly, it was the final song he wrote for Purple Rain. When Doves Cry most points towards the futur. The song didnt just make Prince a star. It cemented him as one of the great musical geniuses of all time.
Epic1. Michael Jackson Billie Jean
Date: March 5, 1983
Weeks on top: 7
There was no other option. When you look at the entire landscape of pop music in the 1980s, it centers around the release of Billie Jean. Michael Jacksons earth-shattering hit made everything that came before it feel old. Everything that came after had the unenviable task of living up to it. Its the ultimate pop song. The opening drums and bassline are unmistakable. It broke down the color barrier at MTV. It remains a party starter to this day. Most importantly, it made Michael Jackson [the kid turned adult music star] the biggest pop force on the planet, a title he held onto for the entire decade, despite only dropping one more album.