TylerDurden99's Top 50 Favourite '80's Tracks

30. Big Love - Fleetwood Mac (1987)



The '80's weren't the greatest era for Fleetwood Mac, but Tango In The Night was home to some of their most popular songs, including this little gem. While the '80's studio version is fine, the 1997 live version above is where the song really comes alive.

29. The Safety Dance - Men Without Hats (1982)



It's the Safety Dance! One of the first cds I ever owned was a collection of one-hit wonders, and along with the Escape Club, this was my favourite. It's a song I've listened to hundreds of times and I still don't get tired of it at all.

28. Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car - Billy Ocean (1988)



My love for this song is immense. It's just so wonderfully upbeat and danceable and it's got a hilarious music video to match, if I remember correctly. Billy's got a number of cool songs that I love, but this is my undisputed favourite.

27. Girls On Film - Duran Duran (1981)



If only I could post the 'proper' video for this. Anyways, Girls On Film is still a great song without it and the song that started my mega-love for Duran Duran. A really awesome, popular but kind of unappreciated band.

26. Carrie - Europe (1986)



Europe's album The Final Countdown is one of all-time favourites of the '80's. Seriously. And this cheesy power ballad is the stand-out track. It's loud keyboard-guitar combo is not to be taken seriously, like the lyrics. All that's to be done is sit back and enjoy Joey Tempest's awesome vocals and the slow-paced brilliance of Carrie.

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"George, this is a little too much for me. Escaped convicts, fugitive sex... I've got a cockfight to focus on."

Neither of those are my favorite songs by those artists, but they're good songs, and I like both Billy Ocean and Duran Duran.

I like the following choices so far:

49. Kyrie - Mr. Mister (1985)
48. She Drives Me Crazy - Fine Young Cannibals (1988)
47. Girl You Know It's True - Milli Vanilli (1988)
46. Easy Lover - Phil Collins & Phillip Bailey (1984)
44. Little Red Corvette - Prince (1983)
37. Money For Nothing - Dire Straits (1985)
33. Sunglasses At Night - Corey Hart (1984)

26. Carrie - Europe (1986)


Oddly enough, none of them have appeared on my list...yet

This is a good set. I really like Girls On Film (agree about the video, too. ) while it's hard not to like The Safety Dance. I prefer the studio version of Big Love, but then, I rarely prefer a live performance of anything. Billy Ocean's OK, I find that tends to grate on me after a while, but my mum was a big fan, so I've heard that album a lot. I probably haven't heard Carrie since its release. Proper 80's power ballad sing-a-long chorus, though.

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5-time MoFo Award winner.

25. Your Mama Don't Dance - Poison (1988)



Poison really were the embodiment of '80's hair cheese, and nothing fit their silly sensibilities better than this cover of a '70's hit. They give it a perfectly enjoyable '80's sheen and they definitely do this rollicking, fun song even better than Kenny Loggins, the '80's king himself.

24. Lullaby - The Cure (1989)



My cousin's girlfriend played this song for me at a party once, and the next day I instantly went out and bought the album. I'm not as big a fan of The Cure as I should be, but I do love the album Disintergration and especially this standout track. It's doom, gloomy and moody... music I ordinarily don't care for, but The Cure are certainly something special.

23. Party All The Time - Eddie Murphy (1985)



The '80's were a time of, among other things, famous tv and movie stars trying their hands at being stars in the music scene. And no one did it better (or more '80's) than Eddie Murphy. With help from Rick James, Murphy owns this funky track and shows off a surprisingly fine singing voice.

22. Stimulation - Wa Wa Nee (1986)



A bit of Australian funk pop for ya. Don't try and tell me that the opening synth hook isn't one of the catchiest things you've ever heard. Wa Wa Nee had a few other hits over here, but they really struck gold on this one.

21. You're The Inspiration - Chicago (1984)



Chicago were the kings of the '80's ballad and they did none more cheesy or brilliant than this gem. I like a lot of Chicago's early rock-with-horns stuff, but nothing comes past You're The Inspiration.

Do you really like Party All The Time, or is that a so bad I like it choice?

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Letterboxd

A bit of both really. When I first heard it, I kept thinking "Aw man, this is so bad. It's awesome!". But now, I just genuinely enjoy listening to it. I still realise that it's a bad song, but I don't really think about it.

Fair enough. That song just always seemed like a punchline to me.

I like Party All The Time, and a few other songs Eddie made since.


Poor Eddie has been trying so hard since to be taken seriously as a legitimate musician, but as seanc has said, the world only sees his music career as a punch line.


I did however really enjoy the last song he made with Snoop Dogg titled Red Light.

20. Wishing Well - Terence Trent D'Arby (1987)



I really like TTD's first album, and this was the song that started that. I couldn't get that brilliant synth hook out of my head for days and I'm pretty sure I've listened to this song hundreds of times. D'Arby wasn't quite as important as The Beatles, as he himself attested, but his status as one of the true '80's pop greats is solidified by this awesome track.

19. Boom Boom (Let's Go Back To My Room) - Paul Lekakis (1987)



I'll never forget the look on the record store owner's face when I actually paid money for this... money well spent, in my opinion. This is the embodiment of '80's dance-pop for me; fast-paced, overproduced and a lot of cheesy fun.

18. Devil Inside - INXS (1987)



INXS were a terrific "singles" band: their album tracks were mainly filler, but their singles were bundles of energy and home to the band's best performances. Devil Inside, with it's unforgettable riff and Michael Hutchence's whispered vocals, is the one I find myself listening to constantly. It's the perfect example of how much of a force INXS could be at times.

17. One - Metallica (1988)



This is the ONE, if you will, that made me fall in love with Metallica and pretty much metal in general. Alternately aggressive and quietly haunting, it's up there as one of the greatest songs I've ever heard. The only reason it's a bit low here is that I don't think it's entirely representative of the '80's I love.

16. Whenever You Need Somebody - Rick Astley (1987)



Instead of that little song about not giving someone up, I went with this cover for the best Astley cut. It's extremely similar to Never Gonna Give You Up, in many ways, but this one just gets ahead, thanks to the slightly tiring overplay of NGGYU.

My sister was a huge Rick Astley fan and I've heard that album many times. I'm with you that this is a better song. I wasn't familiar with the Paul Lekakis song. It is very 80's and is listenable, if you like that 80's sound or are just familiar enough with it that it doesn't annoy you.

It's strange to think back and remember just how big Terence Trent D'Arby was. That album was everywhere. It was like Sade 4 or 5 years earlier.

I love Chicago, and "You're The Inspiration" is one of my favorite Chicago songs. Great choice.

Surprisingly, I just heard Eddie Murphy's "Party All The Time" for the first time yesterday. My local radio station played it. I only remembered it because I looked it up when I got home. I couldn't believe that it was the same Eddie Murphy who's been in all those movies.

Huge thumbs up for "Devil Inside." That Rick Astley song's not bad, but I prefer "Never Gonna Give You Up." I've never much cared for Metallica, but "One" is among their better songs.

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I think I preferred Together Forever to either of them.

I just saw this. Of course, I heartily approve.

I Lindsey Buckingham.

Also, for "The Safety Dance" from that same set.

15. Kickstart My Heart - Mötley Crüe (1989)



Like INXS, the Crue were a great singles band and this is miles ahead of the rest. I like most of the Crue's songs, but none of them really come close to competing with this brilliant anthem, which is really just about sex, drugs and rock and roll (and Nikki Sixx's near death experience).

14. I Can Dream About You - Dan Hartman (1984)



Very similar to an '80's era Hall And Oates track... which is a very, very good thing for me. Apparently, Hartman originally wrote this for H&O, but they declined. Which is cool, because Hartman takes it and turns it into one of the decade's definitive pop songs.

13. Like A Prayer - Madonna (1989)



I have a lot of love for Madonna, and it started when my friend's dad played this awesome track on the way to our after-graduation holiday. As soon as I got back, I bought 5 of Madonna's albums and loved most of the tracks I listened to, but this one is still the standout.

12. Hallowed Be Thy Name - Iron Maiden (1982)



For me, metal doesn't really get better than Iron Maiden. That might be a generic choice, but I can't think of a band of the genre that I've love more than Maiden. And this epic is their finest 7 minutes.

11. Love In An Elevator - Aerosmith (1989)



Aerosmith purists will probably disagree, but I consider their late '80's period to be their finest. They updated their production values, but kept their trashy core underneath. It's actually interesting to see how easily they fit into the glam metal scene without substantially changing their sound. It just shows how much of an influence they were in their '70's heyday. Anyways, this song is just a large amount rollicking fun, and while it's not my favourite of theirs, it is the song that made me fall in love with them again when I was 17.

"Like A Prayer" is my favorite Madonna song as well.
Also big thumbs up for "Love In An Elevator." It's not my favorite Aerosmith song, but it's close.

+ rep for Dan Hartman's "I Can Dream About You".

10. Mama - Genesis (1983)



I, unlike a lot of Genesis fans that I've met, love both the Gabriel-era and the Collins-era. Both frontmen had their strengths, and Phil's was to write incredibly dour songs about women. He wrote a number of great ones, with and without the band, but this is his magnum opus, an atmospheric, brilliant ballad which culminates in powerful drum-punches and a fantastic vocal performance from Collins. Not quite the band's finest, but certainly their finest with Phil behind the mic, in my opinion.

9. I Know It's Over - The Smiths (1986)



This is probably the most haunting song I've ever heard, and one that I can't listen to very much anymore. It just hits way too close to home for me. This Charming Man is probably my current 'favourite', but nothing of The Smiths' work gets as powerful as this.

8. Out Of Touch - Daryl Hall And John Oates (1984)



About a year ago, I bought a Hall And Oates cd for my mum (she was a fan)... who knew I'd listen to it way more than her? In my eyes, they're geniuses and this is my favourite song of theirs. But then, when it comes to Hall And Oates, I have about 20 favourites.

7. Higher Love - Steve Winwood (1986)



On numerous occasions, I've proclaimed Higher Love to be the '80's best pop songs. That's usually when I get drunk, but that doesn't mean there's no conviction behind it. It might not quite be the best, but it's certainly up there with the best.

6. How Can We Be Lovers - Michael Bolton (1989)



Here it is... the song I've listened to more times than any other. Well, maybe a tie with my #1 and #3. I couldn't really tell why I love this song so much, it's lame, cheesy and generic. But that's sort of the reason I love it so much. It's just so '80's. It also helps that Bolton has a really good set of pipes.

While this is my favourite of his songs, I really preferred Michael as an arena rock guy. It suited him much better, especially in the track below. Fun fact: Bolton was considered for Dio's replacement in Sabbath.