My Favorite Songs of the 80s

 I didn't live through the 80s, so the only way I can kind of do that is through the entertainment from that time. Music has this special connection to time, it can take you back to a time you never even lived in. Like listening to Billy Idol and just being transported to a time where MTV was the most important part of the music industry. Record sales actually mattered a lot more back then, like if you wanted to listen to A-ha's "Take On Me" you had to buy their entire album with a bunch of other mediocre songs you don't care about. We got it good these days. It was such a great time that tons of artists are still trying to use that 80s sound in modern music to get popular. The 80s aesthetic is just too powerful, it's never going away, especially now that all the people in charge and the big artists grew up in that time period. So I thought it would be fun to pick out my favorite songs from this time period known as the 80s. 

HONORABLE MENTIONS

(1987) R.E.M.'s "The One I Love": A band that would go on to the 90s to find even bigger success got a great start in the later 80s. This song and style really carried on over to the new decade after the 80s ended, and the band that made it were hugely influential to the music scene of the late 80s and 90s. The more alternative sound isn't something I usually think about when music from the 80s comes up, but it's so important to the decade and to music as a whole it has to be mentioned. This song is perfection when it comes to alt-rock, it does everything right and then some. The moody vocals and well-written lyrics go so well with the style of music. The guitar work is fantastic too (I might be saying that a lot in this list) and even the bass stands out beautifully. Just an amazing song that deserves a mention. 

(1983) Billy Idol's "Rebel Yell": This song just screams the 80s to me. An artist that sadly didn't transition out of the decade smoothly still made his name and music a quintessential part of the 1980s. Billy Idol and his bleach blonde spikes belong on any list of great songs of this decade 100%. This song kinda has it all, Idol's strong vocals as he shouts the chorus with power. The crunchy guitars and awesome 80s solo and even some of that sweet sweet synth. 

(1983) Tears for Fear's "Mad World": Another huge group from this era, of course, deserves a mention here. This song feels so unique even for the time, I love all the little details in its music. The lyrics are also some of the most memorable. I was honestly surprised by how great this song is considering I've only heard the covers up until recently. Seems like everyone that covers this song always strips it down to a very basic piano and singer combination to make it seem sadder. The song is already sad, but stripping away the music just makes it worst, this version is so fantastic and the music is really my favorite part about it. It's incredibly unique and I LOVE it. Just not enough to make my top ten... oops. 

(1989) Public Enemy's "Fight the Power": It would be strange to not include some of the early great Hip-Hop in this list and you can't go wrong with Public Enemy. I guess this song came out in 1989, but that's still technically the decade I'm covering here. While the impact would stretch more into the 90s as Hip-Hop and Rap would continue to grow massively in popularity, its importance in the 80s is just as true. Chuck D and Flavor Flav are a great duo that works so well together to make this song what it is. That and the awesome music and beat that keeps everything flowing. All of that on top of a strong message makes for a truly important song of the decade. 

(1982) Michael Jackson's "Beat It": Not having MJ on this list would probably be pretty strange considering his impact on the entire decade. "Beat It" is one of the biggest songs of the decade, probably one of the biggest songs ever made really. The album it came from is still one of the most memorable albums of all time and best-selling. It's got arguably the most iconic guitar riff ever created along with one of the best guitar players of all time shredding the solo. Michael Jackson's vocals are okay I guess? 

(1987) Guns N's Roses' "Welcome to the Jungle": In the late 80s this band released one of the most iconic rock albums of all time, and it was their first full-length album. Right off the bat, the album kicks off with "Welcome to the Jungle" in what has to be one of the best album openers to exist. The song kicks off the album with incredibly high energy and a punch-you-in-the-face with a rock and roll attitude. Axl Rose screeching his iconic vocals along with the rest of the band killing it on each instrument just shows you right away what this band was capable of. I guess it was the perfect send-off to hard rock in the 80s with all the hair metal and glam bands, this was just something completely different. This coming from someone who isn't super into that genre of rock. 

(1987) Whitney Houston's "I Wanna Dance With Somebody": It's a no-brainer that this song deserves a shout-out on this list. I mean it's Whitney Houston's biggest hit and it's such a big part of the 80s it's hard not to love this song. While Whitney is absolutely killing it on the mic, the music isn't too bad either. I mean comparing anything to her vocals feels pretty unfair really. There just aren't many singers out there who could pull off this song, because it takes more than just the voice, but you also need the charisma that Whitney had. That's what made her one of a kind. 

TOP TEN (No Order)

(1988) The Pixies' "Where is My Mind?": Hugely influential band The Pixies were so important to the late 80s and 90s rock scene. While their 1989 follow-up album would be a much bigger deal, 1988's "Where is My Mind" was a great introductory song to what this band was capable of. The really interesting guitar really carries the song along with the bass keeping everything going in the slower spots. The song just has this really interesting mood/aesthetic that still feels really unique even 30+ years later. 

(1981) Rick Springfield's "Jessie's Girl": It's strange that this song came out so early in the decade, if I had to guess I would have thought it would have been around 1985. I honestly think this is one of the best 80s hit songs, it's just about as perfect as a pop-rock song can be. The iconic guitar parts, the solid vocals, and some of the most memorable lyrics of any 80s song ever. While Springfield would never find another hit as big as this one, Jessie's Girl will forever be known as one of the biggest songs of the decade. Rightfully so. 

(1983) Eurythmics' "Sweet Dreams": Speaking of some of the most memorable 80s songs, here's another classic. Right from the intro the song immediately grabs your attention with its unforgettable music. The team of Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart work like magic together here with the vocals and the lyrics.  This is pretty much synth-pop at its finest here, especially at a time where there were plenty of other artists doing the same thing. 

(1983) Talking Head's "This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)": A band that's consistently great through the 70s and beyond. While my favorite songs by them all were released in the late 70s, they still have a lot of great songs to pick from in the 1980s. "This Must Be the Place" has all the ingredients of a Talking Heads masterpiece. The strong bassline, guitar work, and other small details make it a treat to the ears. That and the great lyrics and David Byrne's unique vocals. I love the energy they bring to every song, even a song that's a bit slower like this one. Only the best bands can make a great song at any tempo. 

(1982) Dexys Midnight Runners "Come on Eileen": How can you not love this weird-ass song? You must love it, it's an order. Musically it feels totally different than any of the other songs on this list, probably most big 80s hit (that I can remember at least). Yeah, this was basically their only hit, but I think it's one of the best songs of the decade so it's got that going for it. The vocals stand out in a mix of interesting use of strings and traditional rock instruments. I'm pretty sure I hear an accordion in there at some point too. It all comes together in a joyful and danceable package and inserts itself into your brain forevermore. Lovely. 

(1989) Depeche Mode's "Personal Jesus": Very late in the 80s came Depeche Mode's first single from their big 1990 album. Their work in the 80s was top-notch but for me, this song just hit differently than their previous works. There's this interesting darkness to this song from the music and lyrics that make it incredibly interesting. The idea was inspired by an Elvis documentary apparently, which makes sense? 

(1982) Queen & David Bowie's "Under Pressure": A collab of this magnitude has a lot of potential to be a letdown, but it was anything but that. In fact, it's pretty much a perfect song in every way. Freddie Mercury and Bowie's vocals work so well together, it's disappointing we didn't get an entire album of them together. Of course, maybe that's too much of a good thing. 
Here we get one of the most iconic bass lines of all time, later stolen by a white rapper with worse bars than Michael Scott. I actually had a hard time picking between this and "Another One Bites Dust" because Freddie's vocals in that song are so good and it has another iconic bass line. 

Also, check out the David Bowie and Annie Lennox version of this song on YouTube if you haven't. 

(1984) The Smith's "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now": The Post-Punk movement of the 80s brought some of the best music of the decade in my opinion, especially from the UK. The Smiths were one the bigger acts and also one of the most remembered, maybe in part thanks to 500 Days of Summer (probably not), but also because of their great music. "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now" is my personal favorite, mainly because of well it all comes together and the mood it portrays. I guess it's pretty obvious that it's all about Morrisey's miserable life and how nothing seems to make him happy, even getting a new job. The Smiths just make this work, even with the whiny lyrics it all still feels somehow enjoyably. The guitar and bass in this song just carry it to a whole new level and really add to the atmosphere the lyrics are trying to convey. 

(1982) Duran Duran's "Save A Prayer": I like to think of this as the perfect Duran Duran song. Right from the start, you're hit one of my favorite synth sequences in any song ever, followed by another synth line and a strong bass line that carries the song. Immediately I get excited and pumped to listen to the song and the rest of the song doesn't disappoint. It just keeps building and building until the chorus where the intensity is raised the highest level (for a slower song anyway). It's one of the few songs that I feel like I appreciate with every new listen. 

And wow look at that artwork! So 80s. 

(1982) Billy Idol's "White Wedding - Part 1": I don't exactly know why, but I always considered this song to be the defining song of the 80s in my head. Whenever I think of 80s music this is what usually pops into my head. It's a perfect song, even though it feels pretty simple (at least musically). The guitar and bass don't do anything too crazy for most of the song, the only exception being the intro and solos. Billy Idol's vocals are what really carries the song, especially when he does his screeching that he loves to do. This song just does something that none of the other songs really do on this list, and I don't exactly know how to put it into words. It's a feeling like I'm being transported to a time that I wasn't even alive to see myself. That's probably why this song is important to me and why to me it's the most memorable song of the decade. But that's just one guy's opinion. In a decade with tons of amazing music, it's easy to see the defining song of the 80s being different for lots of people.