Image of Boombox. Photo By Dieter Heißenstein – Pixabay

25 Best Songs From The 80s


 

The 80s is an era remembered for its classic hits and innovation of music genres, that is the creation of house, techno, and electro. The top two best-selling albums, Back in Black and Thriller, were produced in the decade’s early years. Iconic musicians such as Whitey Huston and the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, had multiple smashing singles.

Below are the 25 best songs of the 80s.

a) The Early ’80s

1. Endless Love – Lionel Richie & Diana Ross

Diana Ross in 1981. Photo By Hans van Dijk – Wikimedia Commons

Endless Love is Billboard’s greatest duet of all time. The tune was the theme song of the film Endless Love by Scott Spencer and was released as a single in June 1981. It was Diana’s best-selling song and Lionel’s first hit of the ’80s.

The track won the Favourite Pop/ Rock Single during the 1982 American Music Award. Its 1994 cover was done by Luther Vandross and Mariah Carey and became Mariah’s first high-profile duet. The song is number 20 on Billboard’s Greatest of All Time Hot 100 Songs.

Want to learn some interesting facts about Diana Ross? Click here.

2. Africa – Toto

Toto live in Copenhagen, Denmark, at K.B. Hallen July 20, 2010. Photo By Maltesen- Wikimedia Commons

Africa was released in 1982 by a rock band known as Toto. Rosanna, Make Believe, and Africa were the three singles released from their album Toto IV.

Africa was the only song of the group to ever top the charts in the Hot 100 list in America, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and four other countries.

The song’s music video premiered in 1983 and remained a hit until the 1990s. It became popular again from 2015-2019, and some have rated it as the unofficial internet anthem.

3. Eye of The Tiger – Survivor

Eye of The Tiger was a song from the rock band Survivor’s self-titled album. It was released in 1982 at the request of Sylvester Stallone, an American actor who used it as the theme song of his sports drama film Rocky II.

In 1986, the song was used as a theme song for another film, Eye of the Tiger. It was the only Survivor song to rank number one on Billboard Hot 100. By February 2015, the song had sold over 4 million digital downloads in the U.S.

It won Best Rock Performance by Duo/Group with Vocal in the 1983 Grammy Awards. Eye of The Tiger is ranked at position 28 in the Billboard Greatest of All Time Hot 100 songs.

4. Beat It – Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson 2nd June 1988. Photo By Zoran Veselinovic – Wikimedia Commons

Beat It is a hard-rock, dance-rock song that was produced in 1982. The track was one of nine songs in Jackson’s Thriller Album. The album, a collaborative production between Quincy Jones and Michael, has retained its status as the World’s best-selling album of all time. The success of Beat It helped escalate the album to this position.

The song has sold over 11 million copies and was number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks. It won two Grammy awards in 1984 and two American Music Awards. Moby did a remixed version of it in 1992 and by Black Eyed Peas in 2008.

5. Billie Jean – Michael Jackson

The platinum record for Michael Jackson’s Thriller album on display at the Hard Rock Café, Hollywood in Universal City, California. Photo By BrokenSphere – Wikimedia Commons

The song Billie Jean was released in January 1983 as the second single of Michael’s album Thriller. It is a blend of dance-pop, post-disco, and RnB. The track was Jackson’s composition, and together with Quincy, they worked on its production.

The song was a success topping the Billboard Hot Black Singles just weeks after its release. It joined the top 3 releases of the Jackson Five I’ll Be There, A.B.C., and The Love You Save as Michael’s fastest-rising number-one track.

In May 1983, Jackson premiered his famous moonwalk while he performed the song during Motown Record’s 25th anniversary. The dance became his signature move and, according to many, earned him the status of a pop icon.

Michael reworked Billie Jean as a Pepsi commercial in 1984. Since its release, the song has been covered by other music artists such as Kanye West, Ian Brown, and Chris Cornell.

Find out outstanding facts about the King of Pop, Michael Jackson.

6. Time After Time – Cyndi Lauper

Time After Time, co-written by Rob Hyman and Cyndi Lauper, was released in 1983. It was the last to be written in her album and became Lauper’s first song to be top in the U.S. music chats. MTV, Rolling Stone, and Nerve are some of the media outlets that selected the tune as one of the Best Love Songs of All Time.

The song remains a hit, with Japan listing it in its 2012 Hot 100 list. It was re-released in 2014 and became number 2 in America’s Billboard Dance Club Songs. The physical sales were certified Platinum in the U.S. and Gold in Canada.

7. Every Breath You Take – Police

Every Breathe You Take was one of the popular songs of 1983. It was written by one of the members of the group Police and was part of their album, Synchronicity. It won the Song of the Year and Best Pop Performance by a Group with vocals at the 1984 Grammy Awards.

According to an American performance rights organization, Every Breathe You Take is the most-played song in the history of radio. In 1983, the track became the best-selling single in America.

I’ll Be Missing You, P. Diddy and Faith Evans’ 1997 sample of the song, won Best Rap Performance by Group the following year. During the MTV Video Music Awards, Diddy was joined by one of the band’s members for the performance of I’ll Be Missing You.

8. Girls Just Want To Have Fun – Cyndi Lauper

Cyndi Lauper at the 2022 off-Broadway opening of Kinky Boots. Photo By
Philip Romano – Wikimedia Commons

Girls Just Want To Have Fun was initially written and performed by Robert Hazard in 1979. Cyndi Lauper’s cover of the song, released in 1983, made it famous. The song was featured in Lauper’s debut album, She’s So Unusual (1983).

The tune became a feminist anthem; with it, Lauper made a breakthrough in the music industry. It became one of her signature songs and was ranked number 22 on Rolling Stone and MTV’s 100 Greatest Pop Songs.

9. Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) – Eurythmics

Sweet Dreams was released in January 1983. It was the fourth single of Eurythmics’ second studio album, which went by the same name. The British duo became popular after the song became number one across the Canadian, France, and U.S. music charts.

Sweet Dreams is two-time Platinum certified in the U.K. and has over a million sales in the U.S. In 1995, a rock band named Marilyn Manson made a cover of the song, raising the group to stardom. It was also used as Martha Stewart’s theme song in her 2005 T.V. series The Apprentice.

The track was rated Billboard’s scariest music video in 2010, surpassing Thriller by Michael Jackson.

10. Hello– Lionel Richie

Portrait of singer Lionel Richie in 1984. Photo By
Penni Gladstone, Los Angeles Times – Wikimedia Commons

Hello was the second single released in 1984 from Lionel Richie’s album, Can’t Slow Down. It was U.K.’s number-one track on the Singles Chart for six weeks and topped three different Billboard Music Charts for over two weeks. Hello by Adele has often been compared to Richie’s song, some stating that the two themes were similar.  

11. I Want To Know What Love Is – Foreigner

I Want To Know What Love Is is a soft rock jam by the Foreigner, a British-American rock band. It was released in November 1984 as the band’s lead single on their fifth album. It was number one on American and British charts and remained the greatest hit from Foreign.

Covers of the song have been done by Australian singer Tina Arena in 1998, Wynonna Judd in 2004, and Mariah Carey in 2009.

12. Careless Whisper – George Michael

Saxaphone. Photo By Albrecht Fietz – Pixabay

Careless Whisper was released in 1984 as George’s single off his album, Make it Big. It is a mixture of pop, RnB, and soul and is famous for its prominent saxophone chord progression.

The song has sold six million copies in the United States and was number one in 25 countries. Several artists, including the South African Rock band Seether, have covered the song.

13. I Just Called To Say I Love You – Stevie Wonder

Steve Wonder’s I just called to Say I Love You was released in August 1984. It was one of the three singles off his album, The Woman in Red. The song was a success topping over 15 music charts.

I Just Called To Say I Love You topped the U.K., American, and Canadian chats between 1984 and 1985. It is a certified platinum record in the U.K and has over 1 million sales in the United States. It remains Wonder’s best-selling single to date.

14. Like A Virgin – Madonna

Like A Virgin was the lead single to Madonna’s album under the same name. It was initially supposed to be sung by Tom Kelly, but Madonna’s record label suggested she be the vocals behind the track.

The 1984 song was Madonna’s first on the Billboard Hot 100. It brought her into the limelight, and she was recognized worldwide, topping Canadian and Australian charts. Her performance of the track in MTV’s Video Music Awards inaugural ceremony is considered one of the best performances in the history of the show.

Click here to learn amazing facts about the musician Madonna.

b) The Mid ’80s

15. Heaven – Bryan Adams

Bryan Adams in 1990. Photo Source Wikimedia Commons

The song Heaven was first played in A Night In Heaven, a 1983 romance-drama film. It was written by Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance and was later featured in Adam’s album Reckless. The song was released as a single of the album in 1984 but became number one on the Billboard Hot 100 nearly 2 years later.

Heaven was the Canadian singer’s first single to top the music charts in America. By 1995, it had over 100,000 Canadian radio performances winning the Socan Classics Award in the same year.

16. We Are The World – U.S.A. (United Support of Artists) for Africa

We are the World, a collaboration by American artists, was recorded in 1985. Famous musicians such as Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, Cyndi Lauper, Michael Jackson, Kenny Rodgers, Bob Dylan, and Lionel Richie were some of the vocals behind the song.

The track is among the top ten best-selling singles worldwide, with over 20 million copies sold. It remained number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks and topped the charts in R&B singles and Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks. The song, inspired by Bob Geldof’s projects in Africa, was written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie.

17. Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go – Wham!

Wham! circa 1984-1985. Photo By Louise Palanker- Wikimedia Commons

VH1, an American cable television network, ranked Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go number 28 in the 100 Greatest Songs of the ’80s. The song was released in May 1984 by a British duo named Wham! It was number one on Billboard Hot 100 for nearly a month and first place on the U.K. Singles Chart.

18. The Sweetest Taboo – Sade

Sade Adu at SAP-Arena Mannheim, Germany 2011-11-16. Photo By Thilo Parg – Wikimedia Commons

The Sweetest Taboo was a 1985 release from an English band, Sade. The group was named after its lead singer Sade Adu. The track was the lead single of the band’s album, Promise. In 1986, the song remained among the top 40 hits on Billboard Hot 100 for 13 weeks

Smooth Operator and The Sweetest Taboo were the band’s number-one singles in 1985 and 1986, respectively. The song’s genre was RnB which combined smooth performance with an additional influence from jazz.

The Sweetest Taboo influenced the 90s neo-soul movement and other musicians such as D’Angelo.

19. How Will I Know – Whitney Houston

How Will I Know was released in November 1985 as one of three singles in Houston’s first self-titled album. The song, initially meant to use Janet Jackson as the vocals, was written by George Merrill and Shannon Rubicam. It was Whitney’s first song to top the charts in Canada’s R.P.M. Top 100 Singles.

In 2021, a dance genre of the track was done by David Guetta, MistaJam, and John Newman. Guetta’s version sold over 7,000 units and was listed among the Top 75 releases in August 2021.

Read ten interesting facts about Whitney Houston from this website.

20. Livin On A Prayer – Bon Jovi

Livin on A Prayer was released in October 1986. It was part of the songs from Bon Jovi’s third album, Slippery When Wet. It was a chart-topping single alongside the Rock band’s number-one hit You Give Love A Bad Name (1986).

The track was certified as triple Platinum in 2013 after its digital downloads surpassed 3 million. It is listed as one of Rolling Stone’s top 500 Greatest Songs Of All Time, and as of December 2022, its views on YouTube were 985 million.

Since its release, the song has been reworked and re-recorded by Bon Jovi. The new versions served as the MTV Unplugged precursor and appeared in the American version of the greatest hits album Cross Road (1994).

c) The Late 80s

21. I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me) – Whitney Houston

Image of Whitney Houston in the 90s. Photo By Nisakorn Keanmepol – Wikimedia Commons

I Wanna Dance With Somebody is a certified 6-time platinum song which quickly topped the charts in 18 countries in 1987. The track was produced by Narada Michael Walden and was Whitney’s second studio album’s lead song.

I Wanna Dance With Somebody was often compared with Cyndi Lauper’s Girls Just Want To Have Fun. Music critics were sold when it came to Whitney’s vocals but were skeptical on the song’s musical arrangement

It won the Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the 1988 Grammy Awards. Whitney’s biographical film with the song’s title is set to be released in December 2022.

22. With or Without You – U2

With or Without You by U2 was released on March 1987. It was number one in Canada and the U.S. for a week and became U2’s most successful single of the 80s. The rock song was listed among Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time

N.B.C.’s sitcom Friends used it as the relationship theme song of characters Ross and Rachel. It is also featured in the final episode of the T.V. series, The Americans. The song is the band’s second-most-covered track after Pride (In the name of Love).  

23. (I’ve Had) The Time of My Life – Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes

(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life is a 1987 jam that became the theme song to the film Dirty Dancing. It has won several accolades to its name, including a Golden Globe, Academy Award, and Grammy Award. 

The song was written by the lead singer of Franke and The Knockouts, an American pop-rock band, as part of the track list on Jimmy Lenner’s movie. In 1991, it was number 8 in the U.K. charts, a drop from its 6th position when the song initially dropped.

24. Sweet Child o’ Mine – Guns N Roses

“Guns N’ Roses” Chile 2011. Photo By Carlos Varela – Wikimedia Commons

Sweet Child o’ Mine was the third single released in Guns N Roses’s debut album, Appetite for Destruction. The song dropped in June 1988 and became the only single of the rock band group to top the charts in America. It was released twice in the U.K., in August 1988 and May 1989, and was number six in the country’s singles chart.

Rolling Stone listed the hard-rock/glam-metal jam as one of the 40 greatest Songs That Changed The World. Sweet Child O Mine has been used severally in films, with the most recent being Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)

25. Straight Outta Compton – N.W.A

In an era where rock and pop music dominated, N.W. A’s Straight Out Of Campton was a hip-hop jam that quickly became popular. In July 1988, it was released as the lead single of the first studio album. The group’s album went under the same name and was produced by Dr. Dre and Arabian Prince.

Media houses banned N.W.A. in the 1980s, and the song did not receive as much airplay as it should have. The song was used in the movie Take Me Home Tonight (2011) ,21 Jump Street (2012) and as a parody in the comedy film CB4(1993). 

An N.W.A. biographical drama film brought back the popularity of the song in 2015.Artists such as The Game, Blaze Ya Dead Homie, and Nina Gordon have done covers of the track.

 

Other bangers from the ’80s include Blondie’s Call Me, Van Halen’s Jump, Rick Astley’s Never Gonna Give You Up, Tina Turner’s What’s Love Got To Do With It, amongst others.

Undeniably, the songs and artists from this decade shaped music into what it is today. The listed tracks have been used multiple times for music auditions of popular T.V. shows such as American Idol and America’s Got Talent. They have retained their popularity throughout the decades, and as it seems so far, the generations to come will continue jamming to these classics.