Wear your oversized padded blazers on top of your ripped tights or acid wash jeans, grab your walkman and get ready to dig into the top ten songs of the ‘80s. There is a bonus for the ones who can’t get enough of the ‘80s.
#10. Berlin – Take my Breath Away
Popular ’80s song was featured in the cult movie of all times, “TopGun.” The song also won an Oscar in 1986 for “Best Original Song.”
#9. Vanilla Ice – Ice Ice Baby
A famous party anthem was taken from a real story, actually. Ice was describing a weekend experience that he had, which ended up as this song.
#8. Modern Talking – You’re My Heart
The song was released in 1984 for the first time and became a quite hit by German Duo Modern Talking. They also released it in 1998 for their reunion album as “You’re my soul ‘98”.
#7. Madonna – Like a Prayer
The late ‘80s hit like prayer was one of the eventful songs of those times. The music video caused a considerable amount of reaction.
#6. C.Lauper – Girls Just Wanna Have Fun
Early ’80s song was actually a cover from American musician Robert Hazard. When Cyndi Lauper covered the song, it became a feminist statement of the time.
#5. Prince – Purple Rain
The song “Purple Rain” was the movie’s theme and a crucial plot point. Purple Rain won an Oscar for Best Original Song Score for Prince.
#4. Michael Jackson – Beat it
The song was written by Michael Jackson. He became the first black artist to get frequent airplay on MTV, and “Beat it” helped him grow faster.
#3. Laura Branigan – Self Control
This party hit is about a girl whose life is dedicated to her exciting nightlife, where she appears to lose control.
#2. Pink Floyd – Another Brick In The Wall
Roger Waters wrote this song about his thoughts on formal education, which were framed at the Cambridgeshire School for Boys during his childhood. He despised his teachers at grammar school and felt they were more interested in keeping the children quiet than in educating them. The wall refers to the emotional barrier Waters built around himself because he wasn’t in touch with reality.
#1. Queen – I Want to Break Free
The song became an anthem for the South African ANC in the late’ 80s, when Nelson Mandela was still in jail, and apartheid policies of the white government were still in place. It was written by Queen Bass player John Deacon from the male viewpoint of the women’s liberation movement.
Bonus: Queen – We Will Rock You
See also: 80s’ love songs
Top 80’s Songs from 1980 to 1982: The Best Eighties Songs at the Beginning of the Decade
“Funkytown,” “Biko,” “Rock with You” and “Rosanna” are just some of the best 80’s songs from 1980-1982.
The eighties – hate them or love them, but they’re surely hard to ignore. Eighties fashion, typical 80’s bands and 80’s hairstyles – even those who are too young to remember get drawn into this crazy decade as 80’s music is still popular all over the world.
The 80’s music style did not start with a bang in 1980 – it was a smooth transition from 70’s disco music to 80’s pop that had started with some 80’s-style songs in the late ‘70s and continued to gather momentum throughout the decade. To make the Top 10 hit list of 1980/1981 or 1982 below, bands could be from anywhere in the world but their songs had to fulfill all of the following criteria:
- Be pop or dance songs – not rock, R&B or any other genre;
- exemplify the 80’s music style: be fresh, bold and full of spunk (not purely instrumental songs);
- artists were chosen only among 80’s bands, with the eighties being the decade of their biggest hits;
- only one hit song per 80’s solo artist or band was included per year for variety sake.
Eighties TV Shows, MTV and Other Events from 1980 to 1982
To really get the feel for a decade, it makes sense to take a look at related areas like movies, TV shows and world events. On TV, Magnum, P. I. made its debut in 1980 and Dynasty and Falcon Crest in 1981, while 1982 was a whole treasure trove for new and successful TV series like Cagney & Lacey, Cheers, Fame, Family Ties, Simon & Simon, Knight Rider and Remington Steele.
On August 1, 1981 MTV was launched and with it the concept of a music-only channel and VJs to guide viewers through the music selections. This was a tremendous opportunity for bands to extend their message from the audio into the visual realm. In fact, many an 80’s band gained more publicity with their outrageous or notorious videos than their music.
The background for the 80’s pop music decade:
- Magaret Thatcher was the U.K. Prime Minister; Ronald Reagan succeeded Jimmy Carter as the 40. President of the United States in January 1981; Francois Mitterand was elected President of France in May 1981, and Helmut Kohl replaced Helmut Schmidt in October 1982 as German Chancellor.
- The Cold War was still raging,
- the first recognized cases of AIDS were reported in June 1981,
- Diana Spencer married Prince Charles on July 29, 1981
- PacMan, the best-selling arcade games of all times was released on May 22, 1980 and the first compact discs (CDs) in 1982
- West Germany became Euro football champions after beating Belgium 2:1 in 1980 but was beaten by Italy 3:1 in the 1982 FIFA World Cup final in Spain.
Top 10 Eighties Songs of 1980 and 1981
Though “I Don’t Like Mondays” was released in 1979, it is clearly an early 80’s hit. Those who think that Peter Gabriel’s “Solsbury Hill” was more popular than “Biko” have a point; the former was also a very early 80’s hit of 1977. Here’s the first Top 10 of the decade:
- “Bette Davis Eyes” – Kim Carnes (1981)
- “Biko” – Peter Gabriel (1980)
- “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic” – the Police (1981)
- “Funkytown” – Lipps, Inc. (1980)
- “I don’t like Mondays” – Boomtown Rats (1979)
- “Kiss on My List” – Hall & Oates (1981)
- “Rock with You” – Michael Jackson (1980)
- “Sailing” – Christopher Cross (1980)
- “The Tide is High” – Blondie (1981)
- “Waiting for a Girl Like You” – Foreigner (1981)
Top 10 Eighties Songs of 1982
The release of movies from Das Boot, Mad Max II and Blade Runner to E.T. and Grease II signifies a split in 80’s hit songs as well: Romantic ballads exist next to metallic and electronic beats, clearly precursors of what was to come later with trance, ambience and techno music.
- “Abracadabra” – Steve Miller Band
- “Chariots of Fire” – Vangelis
- “Don’t You Want Me” – Human League
- “Eye of the Tiger” – Survivor
- “Kids in America” – Kim Wilde
- “Maneater” – Hall & Oates
- “Rosanna” – Toto
- “Tainted Love / Where Did Your Love Go” – Soft Cell
- “Under Pressure” – Queen and David Bowie
- “Who Can It Be Now” – Men at Work
One can clearly see where the 80’s decade is headed: towards computerization and exciting technological advances that also benefit the music industry. Science fiction plays a big part in movies and music videos, while at the same time, romantic ballads and love songs are on the rise.
Top 80’s Songs of 1983: The Best Eighties Pop Songs in 1983
“Beat It,” “Down Under,” “Flashdance” and “Sweet Dreams” are just some of the best 80’s songs of 1983.
The eighties – hate them or love them, but they’re surely hard to ignore. Eighties fashion, typical 80’s bands and 80’s hairstyles – even those who are too young to remember get drawn into this crazy decade as 80’s music is still popular all over the world.
In 1983, the 80’s music style that was just breaking through in earlier years had made quite some inroads. To be listed in the Top 20 hit list of 1983 below, bands could be from anywhere in the world but the songs had to fulfill all of the following criteria:
- Be pop or dance songs – not rock, R&B or any other genre;
- exemplify the 80’s music style: be fresh, bold and full of spunk (not purely instrumental songs);
- artists were chosen only among 80’s bands, with the eighties being the decade of their biggest hits;
- only one hit song per 80’s solo artist or band was included per year for variety sake.
Eighties Movies, 80’s TV Shows and Other Events of 1983
To really get the feel for a decade, let alone a year, it makes sense to take a look at related areas like movies, TV shows and world events. 1983 was surely an exciting year: Michael Jackson’s music video for the song “Thriller” aired for the first time and went on to become the most famous and most often repeated music video of all times.
1983 was also the year of Flashdance, Star Wars IV: Return of the Jedi, James Bond: Octopussy, Staying Alive, Local Hero, Monty Python’s Meaning of Life and Scarface, among others. On TV, the final episode of M*A*S*H aired, Fraggle Rock, Hotel and the A-Team had their debuts, the popular show Wheel of Fortune was going on and the first episode of The Black Adder was aired.
Other earth-shattering events of 1983 were:
- Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano started erupting on January 3 and is still flowing as of today.
- Nazi war criminal Klaus Barbie was arrested in Bolivia and charged with war crimes.
- Björn Borg retired from his tennis career.
- Nintendo went on sale in Japan and Microsoft Word was released.
Top 20 Eighties Songs in 1983
There were quite a few hit songs in 1983 that are popular until today like “Beat It,” “Down Under” and “Our House” (which many think are not 80’s songs at all), “Relax” (don’t do it!) and “Love Is a Battlefield.” After the Fire’s “Der Kommissar” remained a one-hit wonder, like so many 80’s songs, which is why it makes sense to list them alphabetically by title rather than by band.
- “Africa” – Toto
- “Beat It” – Micheal Jackson
- “Come on Eileen” – Dexy’s Midnight Runners
- “Der Kommissar” – After the Fire
- “Down Under” – Men at Work
- “Do You Really Want to Hurt Me” – Culture Club
- “Flashdance…What a Feeling” – Irene Cara
- “Hungry like the Wolf” – Duran Duran
- “Let’s Dance” – David Bowie
- “Love Is a Battlefield” – Pat Benatar
- “Our House” – Madness
- “Relax” – Frankie Goes to Hollywood
- “Safety Dance” – Men without Hats
- “Say It Isn’t So” – Hall & Oates
- “Sexual Healing” – Marvin Gaye
- “She Blinded Me with Science” – Thomas Dolby
- “She Works Hard for the Money” – Donna Summer
- “Sweet Dreams Are Made of This” – Eurythmics
- “Too Shy” – Kajagoogoo
- “Uptown Girl” – Billy Joel
One can easily see how TV and movie pop culture influenced the 80’s songs and vice versa and, in fact, continues to do so – who could forget 80’s hits like “Come On Eileen,” “Sweet Dreams Are Made of This” and, in the rock genre, “Sunday Bloody Sunday”?
Top 80’s Songs of 1984: German Eighties Bands Climb the Charts
“Forever Young,” “99 Red Balloons,” “Holiday” and “Karma Chameleon” are just some of the best 80’s songs of 1984.
The eighties – hate them or love them, but they’re surely hard to ignore. Eighties fashion, typical 80’s bands and 80’s hairstyles – even those who are too young to remember get drawn into this crazy decade as 80’s music is still popular all over the world.
In 1984, it was undeniable that the 80’s music style was a force to be reckoned with, producing typical 80’s bands like Duran Duran, Culture Club, Wham and solo artists like Madonna, Tina Turner and Michael Jackson. This year, German 80’s bands like Alphaville, Modern Talking and Nena contributed with many chart busters.
To make the Top 20 hit list of 1984 below, bands could be from anywhere in the world but the songs had to fulfill all of the following criteria:
- Be pop or dance songs – not rock, R&B or any other genre;
- exemplify the 80’s music style: be fresh, bold and full of spunk (not purely instrumental songs);
- artists were chosen only among 80’s bands, with the eighties being the decade of their biggest hits;
- only one hit song per 80’s solo artist or band was included per year for variety sake.
Eighties Movies, 80’s TV Shows and Other Events of 1984
To really get the feel for a decade, let alone a year, it makes sense to take a look at related areas like movies, TV shows and world events. On TV, 1984 brought the debut of the Cosby Show and Miami Vice and the end of shows such as Fantasy Island, Happy Days and Hart to Hart.
1984 was the year of the 80’s hit movies with Footloose, Police Academy, Sixteen Candles, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, Ghostbusters, Gremlins, Karate Kid, Beverly Hills Cop and Terminator releasing.
Other events of 1984 were:
- The Winter Olympics were held in Sarajewo, Yugoslavia.
- In Bhopal, India, methyl isocyanite leaked from a Union Carbide pesticide plant, killing 2,000 people instantly and more than 20,000 later in one of the worst industrial disasters.
- Indian Prime Minister Indira Ghandi was assassinated on October 31.
- One of the worst famines in Ethiopia kills a million people by the end of the year.
- Crack cocaine was introduced in Los Angeles.
- France become Euro Cup champions after beating Spain 2:0.
- The Macintosh computer was introduced.
Top 20 Eighties Songs in 1984
1984 can safely be called the year of the German bands with Nena, Alphaville and Modern Talking taking up coveted Top 5 spots around the world. In fact, Modern Talking, though not much of a success in the US and UK, was doing well all over Europe and went on to become the single most successful pop group in Germany by sales.
- “99 Red Balloons” / “99 Luftballons” – Nena
- “Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)” – Phil Collins
- “Eyes without a Face” – Billy Idol
- “Footloose” – Kenny Loggins
- “Forever Young” – Alphaville
- “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” – Cyndi Lauper
- “Here Comes the Rain Again” – Eurythmics
- “Holiday” – Madonna
- “I Just Called to Say I Love You” – Stevie Wonder
- “Jump (For My Love)” – the Pointer Sisters
- “Karma Chameleon” – Culture Club
- “Owner of a Lonely Heart” – Yes
- “Shout” – Tears for Fears
- “Thriller” – Michael Jackson
- “What’s Love Got to Do With It” – Tina Turner
- “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” – Wham
- “When Doves Cry” – Prince & the Revolution
- “That’s Why They Call It the Blues” – Elton John
- “The Wild Boys” – Duran Duran
- “You’re My Heart, You’re My Soul” – Modern Talking
In 1984, one can see how the divide in movies – either romantic comedies or sleek sci-fi or action movies – is also visible in the hit songs of the year: Romantic ballads like “When Doves Cry,” “Here Comes the Rain Again” and “I Just Called to Say I Love You” exist next to typical spunky 80’s beats like “Footloose,” “Holiday” and “Shout.” Don’t the titles just say it all?
Top 80’s Songs of 1985: The Best Love Songs in the Mid-Eighties
“Material Girl,” “Private Dancer,” “Take On Me” and “We Are the World ” are just some of the best 80’s songs of 1985.
The eighties – hate them or love them, but they’re surely hard to ignore. Eighties fashion, typical 80’s bands and 80’s hairstyles – even those who are too young to remember get drawn into this crazy decade as 80’s music is still popular all over the world.
In 1985, the 80’s music style had firmly established itself and bands like Duran Duran, a-ha and Wham and solo artists like Madonna and Michael Jackson were trademarks of the decade. To make the Top 20 hit list of 1985 below, bands could be from anywhere in the world but the songs had to fulfill all of the following criteria:
- Be pop or dance songs – not rock, R&B or any other genre;
- exemplify the 80’s music style: be fresh, bold and full of spunk (not purely instrumental songs);
- artists were chosen only among 80’s bands, with the eighties being the decade of their biggest hits;
- only one hit song per 80’s solo artist or band was included per year for variety sake.
Eighties Movies, 80’s TV Shows and Other Events of 1985
To really get the feel for a decade, let alone a year, it makes sense to take a look at related areas like movies, TV shows and world events. Popular movies of 1985 were the Breakfast Club, Police Academy II, Rambo, A View to a Kill, the Gooniesand Back to the Future on the lighter side but also Out of Africa and The Color Purple.
Apart from VH1 launching in the US and Elmo being introduced as a new character on Sesame Street, 1985 brought forth such worldwide hit shows as EastEnders, Moonlighting, MacGyver, the Golden Girls and the mini series North and Southabout the American Civil War based on John Jakes’ bestseller, starring Patrick Swayze and James Read.
Other important events of 1985 were:
- The wreck of the Titanic was found.
- Mike Tyson won his first professional fight in Albany, NY.
- Mikhail Gorbachev became leader of the Soviet Union.
- The FBI pressed charges against five suspected mafia dons in New York City.
- Bill Watterson’s comic strip Calvin and Hobbes was first published in various American dailies.
- The charity song “We Are the World” was recorded by USA for Africa in January.
- Two Live Aid concerts in Philadelphia, PA and London raise over 50 million pound for famine relief in Africa.
- Commodore went public with the Amiga PC in July, Nintendo was released in September, also the computer game Tetris, and Microsoft came out with Windows 1.0 in November.
Top 20 Eighties Songs of 1985
In view of ever more visual stimulation from music videos and video games to new technologies, it is no wonder that Madonna proudly proclaims that she is a “Material Girl,” inspiring women the world over. On the other end of the spectrum, artists like a-ha, Sade, Tina Turner, Wham, Eurythmics and even Kool & the Gang lure with romantic songs.
In another genre, 1985 was also the year that both Bryan Adams and Bruce Springsteen came out with their famous rock anthems – “Summer of ’69” and “Born in the U.S.A.,” respectively. Here’s the Top 20:
- “A View to a Kill” – Duran Duran
- “Careless Whisper” – Wham
- “Cherish” – Kool & the Gang
- “Don’t You (Forget About me)” – Simple Minds
- “I Want to Know What Love Is” – Foreigner
- “Material Girl” – Madonna
- “Part-time Lover” – Stevie Wonder
- “The Power of Love” – Huey Lewis & the News
- “Private Dancer” – Tina Turner
- “Saving All My Love for You” – Whitney Houston
- “Say You, Say Me” – Lionel Richie
- “Shout” – Tears for Fears
- “Smooth Operator” – Sade
- “Sussudio” – Phil Collins
- “Take on Me” – a-ha
- “Walking on Sunshine” – Katrina and the Waves
- “We Are the World” – USA for Africa
- “We Built This City” – Starship
- “Would I Lie to You” – Eurythmics
- “You’re the Inspiration” – Chicago
While 1984 was all about the raw energy of the 80’s, with 14 out of 20 songs, 1985 seems to tilt in favor of love songs. And who could resist, with Whitney Houston “saving all her love” and Huey Lewis & the News proclaiming the “power of love”?
Top 80’s Songs of 1986: The Best Eighties Songs Ever Released in 1986
“Papa Don’t Preach,” “Take My Breath Away,” “the Final Countdown” and “Kiss” are just some of the best 80’s songs of 1986.
The eighties – hate them or love them, but they’re surely hard to ignore. Eighties fashion, typical 80’s bands and 80’s hairstyles – even those who are too young to remember get drawn into this crazy decade as 80’s music is still popular all over the world.
In 1986, the 80’s music style further ascertained itself and bands like Bananarama, the Human League, Mr. Mister and the Pet Shop Boys gained ground. To make the Top 30 hit list of 1986 below, bands could be from anywhere in the world but the songs had to fulfill all of the following criteria:
- Be pop or dance songs – not rock, R&B or any other genre;
- exemplify the 80’s music style: be fresh, bold and full of spunk (not purely instrumental songs);
- artists were chosen only among 80’s bands, with the eighties being the decade of their biggest hits;
- only one hit song per 80’s solo artist or band was included per year for variety sake.
Eighties Movies, 80’s TV Shows and Other Events of 1986
To really get the feel for a decade, let alone a year, it makes sense to take a look at related areas like movies, TV shows and world events. On TV, 1986 introduced the Oprah Winfrey Show, Matlock and the hit series ALF.
Apart from successes like Stand By Me, Crocodile Dundee, Highlander, Platoon, Police Academy III, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home and Aliens, 1986 also gave rise to 80’s cult classics like Nine ½ Weeks, Pretty in Pink, Ferris Bueller’s Day Offand Top Gun.
Other important events of 1986:
- The space shuttle Challenger disintegrated just 73 seconds after its launch.
- In Chernobyl, Ukraine, a nuclear reactor exploded, releasing significant amounts of radioactive material, therefore creating the world’s worst nuclear disaster.
- The first computer virus was spread.
- Argentina became World Football Champions after defeating West Germany 3:2 in Mexico.
- Prince Andrew married Sarah Ferguson.
Top 30 Eighties Songs of 1986
1986, a little beyond the peak of the decade, was no doubt the year of 80’s trademark anthems. Any song of the 1986 Top 30 could be picked randomly as the song of the decade. Who could forget “Take My Breath Away” from the hit movie Top Gun, the Bangles’ cheeky, calisthenics-inspiring “Walk like an Egyptian,” Europe’s “Final Countdown” or the Communards’ plea “Don’t Leave Me This Way” – baby! Here’s the Top 30:
- “All I Need is a Miracle” – Mike + the Mechanics
- “Dancing on the Ceiling” – Lionel Richie
- “Don’t Leave Me This Way” – Communards
- “The Final Countdown” – Europe
- “Glory of Love” – Peter Cetera
- “Hip to Be Square” – Huey Lewis & the News
- “How Will I Know’ – Whitney Houston
- “Human” – The Human League
- “Invisible Touch” – Genesis
- “Kiss” – Prince and the Revolution
- “Kyrie” – Mr. Mister
- “The Next Time I Fall” – Peter Cetera with Amy Grant
- “Nikita” – Elton John
- “Papa Don’t Preach” – Madonna
- “Rock Me Amadeus” – Falco
- “Sledgehammer’ – Peter Gabriel
- “Sometimes” – Erasure
- “Stand By Me” – Ben E. King
- “The Sun Always Shines on TV” – a-ha
- “Sweet Sixteen” – Billy Idol
- “Take My Breath Away” – Berlin
- “Through the Barricades” – Spandau Ballet
- “True Colors” – Cyndi Lauper
- “Venus” – Bananarama
- “Walk like an Egyptian” – the Bangles
- “Warriors of the Wasteland” – Frankie Goes to Hollywood
- “The Way It Is” – Bruce Hornsby & the Range
- “We Don’t Have to Take Our Clothes Off” – Jermaine Stewart
- “West End Girls” – the Pet Shop Boys
- “You’re the Voice” – John Farnham
While 1985 was still dominated by love songs, the upbeat songs typical of 80’s music took over again in 1986, no doubt inspired by and inspiring the many action movies of the year.
Top 80’s Songs of 1987: The Best Eighties Dance Songs in 1987
“Litte Lies,” “Notorious,” “La Isla Bonita” and “Bad” are just some of the best 80’s songs of 1987.
The eighties – hate them or love them, but they’re surely hard to ignore. Eighties fashion, typical 80’s bands and 80’s hairstyles – even those who are too young to remember get drawn into this crazy decade as 80’s music is still popular all over the world.
If 1986 was the year of the 80’s anthems, the trend continued in 1987, with many pop bands jumping on the 80’s bandwagon. To make the Top 30 hit list of 1987 below, bands could be from anywhere in the world but the songs had to fulfill all of the following criteria:
- Be pop or dance songs – not rock, R&B or any other genre;
- exemplify the 80’s music style: be fresh, bold and full of spunk (not purely instrumental songs);
- artists were chosen only among 80’s bands, with the eighties being the decade of their biggest hits;
- only one hit song per 80’s solo artist or band was included per year for variety sake.
Eighties Movies, 80’s TV Shows and Other Events of 1987
To really get the feel for a decade, let alone a year, it makes sense to take a look at related areas like movies, TV shows and world events. In 1987, the Simpsons made their first appearance on TV, and the Bold and the Beautiful, Married … with Children, Full House, A Different World and 21, Jump Street premiered.
With over 200 movie releases, 1987 was an unusual year that brought forth a high number of (romantic) comedy hits like Mannequin, the Secret of My Success, Beverly Hills Cop II, 3 Men and a Baby, Spaceballs and Roxanne, dance hits like Dirty Dancing and La Bamba, but also James Bond: the Living Daylights, Full Metal Jacket, RoboCop, Fatal Attraction and Lethal Weapon on the action front.
Other important events of 1987:
- Mathias Rust, a 19-year-old from West Germany, was detained after evading Russian air defenses and landing his Cessna on the Red Square in Moscow.
- The world population reached five billion.
- 19th October was named Black Monday after stock market levels fell around the world.
- Larry Wall created the programming language Perl while Thomas and John Knoll developed the first version of Photoshop.
- The “happy drug” Prozac was made available in the US.
Top 30 Eighties Songs of 1987
How can one sum up 1987? The best is to let the 80’s music hits speak for themselves: While U2 are still pondering to be “with or without you,” Jody Watley is already “looking for a new love”; Cutting Crew “died (in someone’s) arms tonight,” while Kim Wilde “just keeps hangin’ on.”
Fleetwood Mac tell “little lies” – the Pet Shop Boys’ “sin” is Belinda Carlisle’s “heaven on earth.” Samantha Fox demands “touch me” while Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes have the “time of their lives.” Notorious? Maybe, but these are the eighties! Here is the Top 30 of 1987, in alphabetical order:
- “Bad” – Michael Jackson
- “Breakout” – Swing Out Sister
- “(I Just) Died in Your Arms Tonight” – Cutting Crew
- “Don’t Dream It’s Over” – Crowded House
- “(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (to Party)” – Beastie Boys
- “Heaven Is A Place on Earth” – Belinda Carlisle
- “I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)” – Aretha Franklin and George Michael
- “Is This Love” – Whitesnake
- “I Think We’re Alone Now” – Tiffany
- “It’s a Sin” – the Pet Shop Boys
- “I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)” – Whitney Houston
- “I want your sex” – George Michael
- “La Bamba” – Los Lobos
- “La Isla Bonita” – Madonna
- “The Lady in Red” – Chris Deburgh
- “Land of Confusion” – Genesis
- “Little Lies” – Fleetwood Mac
- “Living in a Box” – Living in a Box
- “Looking for a New Love” – Jody Watley
- “Mandolin Rain’ – Bruce Hornsby & the Range
- “Mary’s Prayer” – Danny Wilson
- “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now” – Starship
- “Notorious” – Duran Duran
- “Running in the Family” – Level 42
- “Rhythm is Gonna Get You” – Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine
- “Someday” – Glass Tiger
- “(I’ve had) The Time of My Life” – Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes
- “Touch Me” – Samantha Fox
- “With or Without You” – U2
- “You Keep Me Hangin’ On” – Kim Wilde
Three all-time hits stick out in 1987: Madonna’s “La Isla Bonita,” forcing everyone to sing in Spanish, Michael Jackson’s “Bad” and George Michael’s “I want your sex,” daring only the bold to sing along. “The Time of My Life” and “La Bamba” became hits because of Dirty Dancing and La Bamba. Overall, a year more tilted towards fast beats and new styles, initiated by the Beastie Boys’ “(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (to Party).”
Top 80’s Songs of 1988: Best Dance Songs at the End of the Eighties
“Alphabet Street,” “Father Figure,” “Kokomo” and “the Loco-motion” are just some of the best 80’s songs of 1988.
The eighties – hate them or love them, but they’re surely hard to ignore. Eighties fashion, typical 80’s bands and 80’s hairstyles – even those who are too young to remember get drawn into this crazy decade as 80’s music is still popular all over the world.
In 1988, the 80’s music style that was just breaking through in earlier years had made quite some inroads. To be listed in the Top 20 hit list of 1988 list below, bands could be from anywhere in the world but the songs had to fulfill all of the following criteria:
- Be pop or dance songs – not rock, R&B or any other genre;
- exemplify the 80’s music style: be fresh, bold and full of spunk (not purely instrumental songs);
- artists were chosen only among 80’s bands, with the eighties being the decade of their biggest hits;
- only one hit song per 80’s solo artist or band was included per year for variety sake.
Eighties Movies, 80’s TV Shows and Other Events of 1988
To really get the feel for a decade, let alone a year, it makes sense to take a look at related areas like movies, TV shows and world events. 1988 brought the Wonder Years, Roseanne and Murphy Brown and MTV declared rap commercially viable with its show Yo! MTV Raps. Ending TV series this year were Magnum, P.I., Cagney & Lacey and Hotel.
Though not quite as busy as 1987, 1988 also saw over 200 new movie releases, dominated by action or light comedies like Rambo III, Crocodile Dundee II, Die Hard, Midnight Run versus Coming to America, Beetle Juice, A Fish Called Wanda, Twins, the Naked Gun, Cocktail and the animation sensation Who Framed Roger Rabbit. The biggest hit of the year came at the end: thought-inspiring Rain Man with Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise in the lead roles.
Other important events of 1988 were:
- The Soviet Union introduced the concept of perestroika, economic restructuring, egged on by Premier Mikhail Gorbachev.
- The Iran–Iraq war ended after approximately one million casualties.
- One of the worst air show disasters took place at the Ramstein Air Base in Germany.
- A peaceful candle demonstration in Bratislava was the decade’s first mass demonstration against communism in Czechoslovakia.
- George H. W. Bush became president-elect after defeating Ronald Reagan and Benazir Bhutto Pakistan’s Prime Minister, the first woman to head an Islam-dominated state.
- The Summer Olympics were held in Seoul, South Korea.
- The Netherlands became European football champions after defeating the Soviet Union 2:0.
- Super Mario Bros. 3 was released in Japan.
Top 20 Eighties Songs of 1988
Hits that stick out from the 1988 playlist are Michael Jackson’s controversial “Dirty Diana,” Kylie Minogue’s “The Loco-motion” and Prince’s “Alphabet Street.” Bobby McFerrin summed up the motto of the 80’s: Spend, indulge, invest in the future and don’t worry, be happy. Here’s the Top 20 of 1988, in alphabetical order:
- “Alphabet Street” – Prince
- “China in Your Hand” – T’Pau
- “Dirty Diana” – Michael Jackson
- “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” – Bobby McFerrin
- “Father Figure” – George Michael
- “Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car” – Billy Ocean
- “Got My Mind Set on You” – George Harrison
- “Groovy Kind of Love” – Phil Collins
- “Kokomo” – the Beach Boys
- “A Little Respect” – Erasure
- “The Loco-motion” – Kylie Minogue
- “Prove Your Love” – Taylor Dayne
- “Say You Will” – Foreigner
- “Shattered Dreams” – Johnny Hates Jazz
- “She’s Like the Wind” – Patrick Swayze featuring Wendy Fraser
- “Sign Your Name” – Terence Trend D’Arby
- “Together Forever” – Rick Astley
- “The Twist” – Fat Boys
- “What Have I Done to Deserve This” – the Pet Shop Boys and Dusty Springfield
- “Where Do Broken Hearts Go” – Whitney Houston
With 1988, the eighties were almost drawing to a close and the many hits in new genres prove that other bands were ready to take the reign, alternative rockers Midnight Oil with “Beds are Burning” for example, or reggae/dub band UB 40 with “Red Red Wine” and hip hop sensation Salt-N-Pepa with hits like “Push It.”
Top 80’s Songs of 1989: Best Dance Songs in the Last Year of the Eighties
“Eternal Flame,” “Like a Prayer,” “the Look” and “Straight Up” are just some of the best 80’s songs of 1989.
The eighties – hate them or love them, but they’re surely hard to ignore. Eighties fashion, typical 80’s bands and 80’s hairstyles – even those who are too young to remember get drawn into this crazy decade as 80’s music is still popular all over the world.
With 1989, the decade of the 80’s came to a close and with it typical 80’s music. Alternative rock, rap and hip hop were just waiting to take over and already influenced the music of the late 80’s heavily. To make the Top 20 hit list of 1989 below, bands could be from anywhere in the world but their songs had to fulfill all of the following criteria:
- Be pop or dance songs – not rock, R&B or any other genre;
- exemplify the 80’s music style: be fresh, bold and full of spunk (not purely instrumental songs);
- artists were chosen only among 80’s bands, with the eighties being the decade of their biggest hits;
- only one hit song per 80’s solo artist or band was included per year for variety sake.
Eighties Movies, 80’s TV Shows and Other Events of 1989
To really get the feel for a decade, let alone a year, it makes sense to take a look at related areas like movies, TV shows and world events. 1989 brought TV viewers Seinfeld, Saved by the Bell, Doogie Howser, M.D., Baywatch, America’s Funniest Home Videos, Family Matters and the first full episode of the Simpsons. Ending in 1989 were hit shows like Simon & Simon, Moonlighting, Dynasty, Miami Vice and the Benny Hill Show.
1989 saw many movie sequels: Ghostbusters II, Lethal Weapon II, Back to the Future II, Karate Kid III and Star Trek V: the Final Frontier – all hits. Apart from lighter entertainment like When Harry Met Sally, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids and thrillers like Pet Cemetery, Batman and the War of the Roses, 1989 provided unusual entertainment with Dead Poets’ Society, Sex, Lies and Videotape, Driving Miss Daisy and Born on the Fourth of July.
In political events, 1989 saw a crackdown on communism in Eastern Europe:
- Hungary dismantled parts of its barbed-wire fence with Austria, causing the first cracks in the Iron Curtain.
- The Berlin Wall fell on November 9th, allowing citizens to travel freely from east to west after decades.
- An uprising overthrew communist dictator Ceausescu in Romania.
- Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and U.S. President George H.W. Bush released statements indicating that the Cold War between their countries may come to an end.
- Students’ protest in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square for economic change and democratic reform are suppressed violently.
- The Exxon Valdez, an oil tanker, ran aground in Alaska, spilling 240,000 barrels of oil.
- NATO celebrates its 40th anniversary and France the 200th anniversary of the French Revolution.
- Motorola introduced the personal cellular phone.
Top 20 Eighties Songs of 1989
The last year of the 80’s bid the decade farewell with such classics as the Bangles’ “Eternal Flame,” Madonna’s “Like a Prayer,” Michael Jackson “Smooth Criminal” and “She Drives Me Crazy” by the Fine Young Cannibals. Even Milli Vanilli made an appearance before being caught for lip-syncing all their songs. Here’s the last Top 20 of the decade:
- “Another Day in Paradise” – Phil Collins
- “Back to Life” – Soul II Soul
- “Batdance” – Prince
- “Buffalo Stance” – Neneh Cherry
- “Eternal Flame” – the Bangles
- “Girl You Know It’s True” – Milli Vanilli
- “I Drove All Night” – Cyndi Lauper
- “If I Could Turn Back Time” – Cher
- “If You Don’t Know Me by Now” – Simply Red
- “Like a Prayer” – Madonna
- “A Little Respect” – Erasure
- “The Look” – Roxette
- “The Lover in Me” – Sheena Easton
- “Right Here Waiting” – Richard Marx
- “She Drives Me Crazy” – Fine Young Cannibals
- “Smooth Criminal” – Michael Jackson
- “Straight Up” – Paula Abdul
- “Toy Soldiers” – Martika
- “We Didn’t Start the Fire” – Billy Joel
- “What I Am” – Edie Brickel and the New Bohemians
Though many were no doubt relieved to see the eighties and their often monotonous beats go, it shouldn’t be forgotten that they did pave the way for new genres and a new generation of artists. Hip hoppers Tone Loc hit the charts with “Funky Cold Medina” in 1989, just like new wave rockers the B 52’s with “Love Shack.” Alannah Myles’ “Black Velvet” and INXS’ “Suicide Blonde” eased the transition already the year after in 1990.
