Random Features

The Top 20 Most Iconic Pop Songs of the 80s

 Some songs instantly bring the 80s to mind. There were a lot of good tunes in the 80s, but certain special songs personify the decade. Colored hair, spiked to the max, parachute pants and outrageous styles. There was no internet back then, but there was MTV.  These are the 20 songs that best encapsulate the 80s. The most iconic songs of the 80s.

We have a 3-way tie for the number one slot. All of these songs really bring back the 80s.

1/tie - Tainted Love by Soft Sell

1/tie - True by Spandau Ballet from the Sixteen Candles sountrack, the most iconic 80s movie


1/tie - Safety Dance by Men Without Hats

2 - Take on Me by Aha  with that iconic music video that played around the clock on MTV



3 - When Doves Cry by Prince

4 - Billie Jean by Michael Jackson

5 - Careless Whisper by George Michael

5/tie - Rio by Duran Duran who had a plethora of hits. Hungry Like the Wolf and Save a Prayer could also make this list.

6 - Girls Just Want to Have Fun by Cindi Lauper

7 - Cruel Summer by Bananarama, from the Karate Kid soundtrack.

8 - Money for Nothing (and my chicks for free) - by Dire Straits. "I want my MTV" Perhaps not the best song of the 80s, but certainly one of the most iconic

9 - Our Lips Are Sealed by The Go Gos.

10 - Strangelove by Depeche Mode as well as Never Let Me Down Again

11 - Never Gonna Give You Up by Rick Astley

12- Crazy for You by Madonna from the soundtrack to Vision Quest. She had a ton of entries that could have made the list. Material Girl and more.

13 - Africa by Toto

14 - True Faith by New Order

15 - Total Eclipse of the Heart by Bonny Tyler

16 -  Let's Dance! by David Bowie

17 - Just Like Heaven by The Cure

18 -  You Spin Round (Like A Record) by Dead or Alive. So iconic, even featured in The Wedding Singer.

19 - We Don't Need Another Hero by Tina Turner in 1985 for the Mad Max III: Beyond Thunderdome OST, along with her big comeback in 1984 What's Love Got to Do With It. 

20 - Mickey by Toni Basil rounds off the list, and is possibly the most annoying song that tends to wear itself thin. However, it does take one back!

Bonus Track:  Forever Young by Alphaville

Caribbean Queen (No More Love on the Run) by Billy Ocean

See also: 



Honorable Mentions:

Hold Me Now by The Thompson Twins

Love is a Battlefield by Pat Benatar

Missing You by John Waite

Owner of a Lonely Heart by Yes

There you have it, the songs that make you think instantly of the 80s, parachute pants and crazy hairstyles. I want my MTV!

No comments:

Post a Comment