In the 80s - Top Ten Lists of Eighties Songs

What are your top ten favorite songs from the 80s?

This page currently edited by: Quirk. Past editor: RetroGuyDK, Absolutely Vile, Junior

By: Alec
By: Rachel
  • 10. Do They Know It's Christmas by Band Aid/Live Aid
  • 9. Just Like Heaven by The Cure
  • 8. Just Like Honey by Jesus And Mary Chain
  • 7. Sweet Child O' Mine by Guns And Roses
  • 6. Perfect Circle by R.E.M.
  • 5. True Faith by New Order
  • 4. Blue Monday by New Order
  • 3. With Or Without You by U2
  • 2. How Soon Is Now by The Smiths
  • 1. Stripped by Depeche Mode
    what can I say, I'm crazy for synth pop.
I would have put Enjoy The Silence but then I realized it was released on 1990..shucks.
By: Miguel
My ten top songs from the 80s, even though I like more than 100 songs from this decade.
By: Simmo
  • 10. When Doves Cry by Prince
    The Little Purple One/Symbol (or what ever he goes by these days) really left his mark on the 80's. This song is not only great to listen to but the lyrics have meaning. And I always thought his dancing was cooler than Wacko Jacko.
  • 9. Ant Music by Adam & The Ants
    If there was one band that signalled the hearld of the 80's and New Wave it was this band when they burst onto the scene. The costumes, the revolutionary nature of their music. Deserves their place on any top 80's list
  • 8. Blister In The Sun by Violent Femmes
    Now there isn't a person in the world that knows this song who hasn't tapped out an air drum beat to the opening of this song. Great to sing drunk because you sometimes sound just as good as the lead singer
  • 7. Tainted Love by Soft Cell
    I was having a hard time picking this one as I realised I was quickly running out of space but still had so many synthpop/new wave songs to go. Depeche Mode, Gary Numan, Flock Of Seagulls and Naked Eyes to name just a few were all contenders for this one but in the end I had to go with something and Tainted Love just (only just) tops this stunning field
  • 6. Don't You Forget About Me by Simple Minds
    Level with me Sporto, for a generation who grew up on The Breakfast Club, this song will remain in the psychie of us all.
  • 5. Billie Jean by Michael Jackson
    Fortunately for people like me, Wacko Jacko did his best work in the late 70's and through the 80's. I know that the likes of Thriller charted better but the flow on effects of this song into other artists works has had a much greater impact.
  • 4. Girls On Film by Duran Duran
    No top songs of the 80's would be complete without a Duran Duran song. Many would argue that Rio or Hungry Like A Wolf are better but I guess I have picked this one for it's revolutionary effects on music video as well. And not a bad song to boot either.
  • 3. My Sharona by The Knack
    Hard choice between this and Counting The Beat. Again for the same reasons why I love Counting The Beat, My Sharona ticks all the right boxes.
  • 2. Counting The Beat by The Swingers
    This song is probably on of the most catchest tunes ever to come out of the 80's. I dare anyone who loves the 80's to say to me that they can listen to this song and not be singing it in their mind for the rest of the day.
  • 1. Take On Me by A-ha
    I think when most people look back on the 80's, I think this band really sums up the 80's in a big way. It's has 80's written all over it, the hair, the clothes, the style and the good looks. (Some guys get all the luck) Absolute Gold.
This list is not an absolute as I have over 600 80's which I love and on any given day my favourites can change. But I have tired to be objective and look at not only the song but also their effects on greater culture.
By: anonymous
  • 10. I Hate Myself For Loving You by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts
    I dig rock chicks
  • 9. Working For The Weekend by Loverboy
    Party Time!
  • 8. Cherry Bomb by John Mellencamp
    nice groove
  • 7. Innocence by Harlequin
    Canadian rock at its best!
  • 6. Don't It Make Ya Feel by Headpins
    Saw them in concert great show!
  • 5. Leave A Light On by Belinda Carlisle
  • 4. Everybody Wants You by Billy Squier
    Never get tired of hearing it
  • 3. The Number Of The Beast by Iron Maiden
    An all time classic!
  • 2. Neon Knights by Black Sabbath
    The song that turned me on to Heavy Metal!
  • 1. cum on feel the noize by Quiet Riot
    Just a great cover song!
Just some 80's gems I never get tired of hearing.
By: Don
  • 10. Truly by Lionel Richie
    Playing during that 1st kiss. Sentimental favorite. Still wonder where she is.
  • 9. It's the End of the World as We Know it by REM
    With a title like that, why wouldn't it be great. Just trying to sing it makes it fun.
  • 8. Boys of Summer by Don Henley
    Song is awesome. The video was awesome.
  • 7. How Will I Know by Whitney Houston
    She rocked my world especially when this song & video came out.
  • 6. Photograph by Def Leppard
    Great Song from my favorite band of all-time.
  • 5. Every Rose Has Its Thorn by Poison
    Great ballad. Still holds up today.
  • 4. Born In The USA by Bruce Springsteen
    My first concert was this tour.
  • 3. Small Town by John Mellencamp
    I'm from an Indiana small town. 'nough said.
  • 2. Overkill by Men At Work
    Hated it when it came out but heard it recently & fell in love with it. Colin Hay does a great acoustic version.
  • 1. Patience by Guns N Roses
    Still reminds me of the my high school sweetheart & how stupid I was for letting her go.
Too many great songs out there to narrow to just 10.
By: James Kim
By: Ulli.M
By: Chris Haidet
By: Cabroncete
  • 10. Joan Jett& The Blackhearts by I Love Rock N´ Roll
  • 9. No One Like You by Scorpions
  • 8. Perfect Strangers by Deep Purple
  • 7. Rainbow In The Dark by Dio
  • 6. Panama by Van Halen
  • 5. For Whom The Bell Tolls by Metallica
  • 4. Here I Go Again by Whitesnake
  • 3. The Final Countdown by Europe
  • 2. You Shook Me All Night Long by Ac Dc
  • 1. Rock You Like A Hurricane by Scorpions
    the best!!!!!!!!!!!
By: Sanjay Patel
  • 10. She's A Modern Day Dehlila by Van Stephenson
    VAN Who????
  • 9. Cry For Help by Rick Astley
  • 8. Angelia by Richard Marx
  • 7. Falling In Love Again by Michael Stanley Band
    Have to be from Cleveland to know this awesome group!
  • 6. We Two by The Little River Band
    hard to find this song!
  • 5. When Your Heart Is Weak by Cock Robin
    who's was that? great voice though!
  • 4. One Night Love Affair by Bryan Adams
    remember the movie "real genius"??? it was in it!
  • 3. Rain In The Summertime by The Alarm
    great travelling music....sounded like U2
  • 2. 10-9-8 by Face To Face
    hardly ever played on the air, but great
  • 1. Girl In Trouble Is A Temporary Thing by Romeo Void
    top notch saxophone in this one
10 songs that will "DEFINITELY" bring back life's greatest memories of the BEST DECADE.
By: andycan
By: Roy Hobbles
  • 10. Video Killed the Radio Star by Buggles
    Started it all on MTV.
  • 9. I Ran by Flock of Seagulls
    The hair.
  • 8. Dance Hall Days by Wang Chung
    Every time it comes on the Sirius I have to turn it up, weird lyrics and all.
  • 7. Money for Nothing by Dire Straits
    Cool video and Sting singing along.
  • 6. Relax by Frankie Goes to Hollywood
    Used to drive around with it wound up all the way.
  • 5. Rock Me Amadeus by Falco
    Good times.
  • 4. Human Touch by Rick Springfield
    One of the most underrated artists of the 80's.
  • 3. Stand and Deliver by Adam Ant
    Great song, cheesy video, and I love it.
  • 2. I'll Wait by Van Halen
    My all time favorite VH song.
  • 1. Pour Some Sugar On Me by Def Leppard
    Too many great memories for me around the time this song came out. I took my future wife to the Def Leppard/Tesla show, so just good feeling for me when I hear this tune.
There are so many I could put here like MJ, Bon Jovi, Police, Men at Work, Go-Gos, Men w/o Hats, Genesis/Phil, Prince, Duran Duran, and so many more. Just reading these lists reminds me of how great the music from the 80's was (and still is)!
By: Kimmie
  • 10. Under The Milky Way by The Church
    Great song, both before and after donnie darko
  • 9. How Soon Is Now by The Smiths
    Nuff said
  • 8. Hippychick by Soho
    Just gets you in a good mood.
  • 7. I Like You by Phyllis Nelson
    Used to be a staple on the club scene hot mixes.
  • 6. Start Me Up by The Rolling Stones
    Early 80's diffinitive rock and roll. Will still get your foot tapping
  • 5. In Your Eyes by Peter Gabriel
    The best love song ever, especially after seeing say anything. I still listen to this song all the time
  • 4. Like To Get To Know You Well by Howard Jones
  • 3. Misled by Kool And The Gang
    Great dance song
  • 2. Careless Memories by Duran Duran
    Little known song from the planet earth album. Grungy before there was grunge. The lyrics are biting and edgy
  • 1. Dirty Diana by Michael Jackson
    Y'all know he was talking about Diana Ross, right? This was considered a hard core song for MJ
By: Ken
  • 10. White Wedding by Billy Idol
    White veils, motorcycles, and a sneering, hard-rocking Brit. Best shot - Billy Idol crashing thru the stained glass windows into the church
  • 9. Girls Just Wanna Have Fun by Cyndi Lauper
    The short-lived marriage between pro wrestling and MTV began with Cyndi's catchy dance song, and her video with Capt Lou Albano and Cyndi's mother playing her parents in the video.
  • 8. Rhythm Nation by Janet Jackson
    Having a dance troop move in military wear and fashion put a whole new spin on the dance craze of the decade.
  • 7. Once In A Lifetime by Talking Heads
    David Byrne, in that huge, huge suit, and then dancing (and he dances like a nerd anyway) is a classic. Same as it ever was!
  • 6. I Ran by A Flock Of Seagulls
    The most energetic video that cost less than $100 to make. Cover a rotating room in aluminum foil. The haircuts alone would have put this song on the list anyway!
  • 5. Don't Come Around Here No More by Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
    Great take on Alice in Wonderland. The ending, when the girl becomes a cake that everyone takes a piece of, is very entertaining!
  • 4. Like A Virgin by Madonna
    This song brought her from bubblegum to serious vixen. The scenes around Venice, the animals, and white lace enhanced all of the double-entendres.
  • 3. Fight For Your Right by Beastie Boys
    Great showcase song for this group. They did all the things in the video that we wanted to do when our parents were away.
  • 2. Thriller by Michael Jackson
    What more can be said? It let the song creata a movie when most movies created song hits. They are still copycatting it today.
  • 1. Money For Nothing by Dire Straits
    The most entertaining video of the first years of MTV. The lyrics (that ain't workin, you play your guitar on MTV) and the cartoon pay homage to the video era (Back when MTV actually DID play videos!)
Top ten videos that are stuck in my mind over 20 years later
By: Sam
By: Hoochdog
  • 10. We Didn't Start The Fire by Billy Joel
  • 9. A Little Respect by Erasure
  • 8. Everybody Wants To Rule The World by Tears For Fears
    I hear this song and think of huge things of popcorn
  • 7. If You Were Here by Thompson Twins
    Again, Molly rules.
  • 6. Against All Odds by Phil Collins
    Went through a tough breakup. It was my theme song that month
  • 5. Don't You (Forget About Me) by Simple Minds
    I love Molly Ringwald in those movies.
  • 4. True by Spandau Ballet
  • 3. I Want To Know What Love Is by Foreigner
  • 2. Take My Breath Away by Berlin
    Who can forget Top Gun?
  • 1. True Colors by Cyndi Lauper
    She was weird but her voice is awesome.
I grew up on MTV. I remember when our cable company got it. I wish MTV didn't suck so bad now. I could have added a hundred more songs. I'll never forget Robert Palmer, Kajagoogoo, Bananarama and so on. Class of '89 baby!!
By: Ronni
  • 10. Sledgehammer by Peter Gabriel
    Super cool video...
  • 9. Chains Of Love by Erasure
    Let's celebrate!!!
  • 8. Life's What You Make It by Talk Talk
    Love it, wonderful piano and wonderful video.
  • 7. I Need You Tonight by INXS
    Love the beat
  • 6. Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now by Jefferson Starship
  • 5. Wild Boys by Duran Duran
    One of Duran Duran's best work
  • 4. Land Of Confusion by Genesis
    Brilliant video!!!
  • 3. Out Of Touch by Daryll Hall And John Oates
    Catchy tune...
  • 2. Alive And Kicking by Simple Minds
    Can't stop screaming alive and kicking!!!!!
  • 1. You're The Voice by John Farnham
    One of the best voice's and best songs ever made...
By: Dino
  • 10. Strawberry Switchblade by Who Knows What Love Is.
    Classic hits
  • 9. Just A Girl by Pale Fountains
    Soft new wave
  • 8. Abandon Ship by April Showers
    Classic hits
  • 7. Enjoy The Silence by Depeche Mode
    What a masterpiece
  • 6. Message Of Love by Steve Allen
    Memorabilla
  • 5. It's Never Too Late by China Crisis
    Soft new wave
  • 4. Ocean Blue by ABC
    Great song
  • 3. Lotus Eaters by Love Still Flows
    Soft new wave
  • 2. Wishful Thinking by China Crisis
    Soft new wave
  • 1. Soul Awakening by China Crisis
    Soft new wave
Basically my favorite song is a hard to find new wave songs not the ordinary hits of the 80's but eighties rule!!!!!!!!!!!!
By: Ryan
These may not be your favorites but these are my favorites. I wish I could add more.

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