Best 1980's songs - list your top 10

[financeguy]

(1) Papa don't Preach - Madonna
(2) With or Without You - U2
(3) The Unforgettable Fire - U2
(4) New Year's Day - U2
(5) West End Girls - Pet Shop Boys
(6) When it's Love - Van Halen
(7) Video Killed the Radio Star - Buggles
(8) It's my life - Talk Talk
(9) Bring on the Dancing Horses - Echo and the Bunnymen
(10) Human - the Human League

 

[yertle-the-turtle]

OK a lot of these aren't exactly very obscure, in fact, they might be the only song most people know of these artistes (indeed, they're the only song I know of some of them) but they're honestly very good. It's not really in order and there's no U2 because I could list a lot.

1. Joy Division - 'Love Will Tear Us Apart'
2. The Clash - 'Straight To Hell'
3. The Smiths - 'There Is A Light That Never Goes Out'
4. New Order - 'Temptation'
5. REM - 'Don't Go Back To Rockville'
6. Icicle Works - 'Whisper To A Scream (Birds Fly)
7. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - 'The Mercy Seat'
8. The Jesus & Mary Chain - 'Just Like Honey'
9. The Go-Betweens - 'Spring Rain'
10. Sonic Youth - 'Teen Age Riot'

edit: How about some honourable mentions?

Angelic Upstarts - 'Woman In Disguise'
The Cure - 'Pictures Of You'
Primal Scream - 'Damaged'
Dead Kennedys - 'Holiday In Cambodia'
Echo - 'The Killing Moon'
Split Enz - 'Message To My Girl'
The Jam - 'Going Underground'

etc. etc.

 

[timothius]

I've banned U2 as well... but that really hasn't had much affect, there only would've been 1 or 2 songs anyway.

1.Crowded House - Better Be Home Soon
2.Crowded House - Don't Dream It's Over
3.Split Enz - Dirty Creature
4.Midnight Oil - The Dead Heart
5.Dave Dobbyn w/ The Herbs - Slice Of Heaven
6.Midnight Oil - King Of The Mountain
7.Hunters & Collectors - Throw Your Arms Around Me
8.The Smiths - How Soon Is Now?
9.Split Enz - Message To My Girl / I Walk Away
10.INXS - What You Need

 

[00Kevin]

Top 10 U2 Songs in the 80s
1.Where the Streets have no name
2.With of Without You
3.In God's Country
4.The Unforgettable Fire
5.Exit
6.Pride(In the Name of Love)
7.Bad
8.I will Follow
9.An Cat Dubh
10.Gloria

 

[Aygo]

1. Madonna - Like a prayer
2. The Police - Message in a bottle
3. The Clash - Rock the Kasbah
4. U2 - Where the streets have no name
5. Bon Jovi - Living on a prayer
6. Michael Jackson - Bad
7. U2 - Sunday bloody Sunday
8. Cindy Lauper - True colours
9. Chris Isaak - Blue hotel
10. Aerosmith & Run DMC - Walk this way

 

[Zoots]

8.Time-Pink Floyd
9.Brain Damage-Wish You Were Here-Pink Floyd

in the 80s???

 

[MsMofoGone]

No U2 in mine either ... otherwise I would have listed it all U2 !!

1. Journey - Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)
2. Rush - The Spirit Of Radio
3. The Cure - Lovesong
4. Billy Idol - Eyes Without A Face
5. Van Halen - Love Walks In
6. Inxs - Never Tear Us Apart
7. ZZ Top - Sharp Dressed Man
8. Scorpions - No One Like You
9. Def Leppard - Rock Of Ages
10 Billy Squier - In The Dark

 

[Hawkfire]

Best songs of the 1980's...wow, tough category...

1) Bad - U2
2) In Your Eyes - Peter Gabriel
3) Every Breath You Take - The Police
4) With or Without You - U2
5) Just Like Heaven - The Cure
6) One Step Up - Bruce Springsteen
7) Learning to Fly - Pink Floyd
8) Running to Stand Still - U2
9) There Is A Light That Never Goes Out - The Smiths
10) I Feel Possessed - Crowded House

Wow, that was tough........

 

[Hawkfire]

Time & Wish were released as live versions on 1988's Delicate Sound of Thunder...must be that release the poster was thinking of, I hope?

 

[timothius]

10) I Feel Possessed - Crowded House

I knew I forgot one!

 

[00Kevin]

in the 80s???

Yeah I know i messed up

 

[Moonlit_Angel]

Yeah, U2 would be quite hard. So excluding them, in no particular order:

1. "Come On Eileen"-Dexy's Midnight Runners
2. "Tainted Love"-Soft Cell
3. "Don't Dream It's Over"-Crowded House
4. "Everybody Wants To Rule The World"-Tears For Fears
5. "Love Shack"-B-52s (some things say this came out in '89, some say '90, so I dunno...but I still adore this song)
6. "West End Girls"-Pet Shop Boys
7. "In Your Eyes"-Peter Gabriel
8. "Should I Stay Or Should I Go?"-The Clash
9. "King For A Day"-XTC (I think this may just be my favorite song out of all the ones I've heard thus far by this band)
10. "Tempted"-Squeeze

All pretty well-known songs, but for good reason, I'd say. Would also agree with a few other mentions here, too, though-a few other great songs listed . The 80s really weren't that bad a decade for music.

Angela

 

[corianderstem]

Oh, this is too hard. How about 10 80s song (not including my favorite bands, U2 and REM) that I dig right now?

1. The Sun Always Shines on TV - a-ha
2. Don't Dream It's Over - Crowded House
3. Don't Change - INXS
4. Come Back and Stay - Paul Young
5. New Moon on Monday - Duran Duran
6. Major Tom - Peter Schilling
7. Space Age Love Song - A Flock of Seagulls

(and now for my butt rock songs)

8. Separate Ways - Journey
9. Turn Me Loose - Loverboy
10. Take It On the Run - REO Speedwagon

 

[Moonlit_Angel]

Oh, this is too hard. How about 10 80s song (not including my favorite bands, U2 and REM) that I dig right now?

1. The Sun Always Shines on TV - a-ha
2. Don't Dream It's Over - Crowded House
3. Don't Change - INXS
4. Come Back and Stay - Paul Young
5. New Moon on Monday - Duran Duran
6. Major Tom - Peter Schilling
7. Space Age Love Song - A Flock of Seagulls

(and now for my butt rock songs)

8. Separate Ways - Journey
9. Turn Me Loose - Loverboy
10. Take It On the Run - REO Speedwagon

That's a pretty good list . According to my parents, when I was two years old, I really liked Loverboy, so...

That reminds me...speaking of great songs from my youth, how about "Good Thing" by Fine Young Cannibals? That song rocks, too.

Angela

 

[corianderstem]

I loved Fine Young Cannibals when that album came out, but now I simply cannot stand to even hear 5 seconds of any of their songs.

::shudder::

 

[Moonlit_Angel]

Heh, oh, really? Why not?

By the way, how in the world did I forget to include "Sweet Dreams" by the Eurythmics in my list? *Smacks forehead* I loved that song when I was little. Still do.

Angela

 

[corianderstem]

After the charm of "She Drives Me Crazy" and "Good Thing" wore off, I realized how much his voice (and his face) annoyed me.

 

[LMP]

1// With or Without You - U2
2// When Doves Cry - Prince & the Revolution *This bores me, anyone want to play a game of basketball? *
3// Burning Down the House - Talking Heads
4// Der Kommisar - After the Fire
5// Thriller - Michael Jackson
6// Sexual Healing - Marvin Gaye
7// True - Spandau Ballet
8// King of Pain - The Police
9// Moving in Stereo - The Cars *Fast Times at Ridgemont High... *
10// In Your Eyes - Peter Gabriel

 

[Numb1075]

There is no way I could list my top 10 of the 80s because it would be tracks 1-10 on JT....I do know hands down however, my 2 favorite tunes from the 80s though.

One Night in Bangkok - Murray Head......I mean, come on, this song is sooo crazy that it's brilliant


Safety Dance - Men w/o Hats

 

[thesuburbskill]

10 i can think of at the moment
"i wanna be adored" - stone roses
"new years day" - u2
"that's entertainment" - the jam
"just like honey" - jamc
"hounds of love" - kate bush
"ceremony" - joy division/new order (cant choose which one i like better)
"pride" - u2
"this is radio clash" - the clash
"the boy with the thorn in his side"-the smiths
"down in it" - nin (think it's '89)

gahh theres too many so here are some honourable mentions: "she bangs the drums" - stone roses; "aikea guinea" - cocteau twins; "cities in dust" - siouxsie& thebanshees; "stigmata" - ministry; "bela lugosi's dead" - bauhaus; "perfect kiss" - new order; "stripped" - dm; "train in vain" - the clash; "darklands" - jamc
ok gonna stop now or ill be listing until it's time to go home..

 

[MsMofoGone]

"West End Girls"- Pet Shop Boys

I can't believe I forgot that song !! ... as I own it on a 45 single !


That also makes me think of Frankie Goes To Hollywood's "Relax"
as that 45 is right next to The Pet Shop Boys single ...

 

[intedomine]

made of stone - stone roses
gloria - u2
take on me - aha
planet earth - duran duran
head over heels - tears for fears
welcome to the boomtown - david and david
dance hall days - wang chung
jessie's girl - rick springfield
cuyahoga - rem
mystify - inxs

 

[dandy]

bad - u2
love will tear us apart - joy division
pictures of you - the cure
troy - sinead o'connor
south central rain - rem
baby ran - 54.40
can't stand losing you - the police
hounds of love - kate bush
shout - tears for fears
blasphemous rumours - depeche mode

and many honourable mentions:
head like a hole - nine inch nails
i ran - a flock of seagulls
tainted love - soft cell
sweet dreams - the eurythmics
how soon is now - the smiths (along with many other songs already mentioned)
blue monday - new order
what you need - inxs
beds are burning - midnight oil

 

[U2ElevatesMe415]

1. Is there something I should know - Duran Duran
2. Where the streets have no name - U2
3. Sunday bloody Sunday - U2
4. I still havent found what im looking for - U2
5. Bad- U2
6. Rio - Duran Duran
7. Union of the snake - Duran Duran
8. Hungry Like The Wolf - Duran Duran
9. I ran - A flock of seagulls
10. Animal - Def leppard

.. gah that was hard

 

[Basstrap]

there were more bands than u2 and duran duran...just so ya know

Leonard Cohen - Take This Waltz
The Smiths - Please Please Please, Let Me Get What I Want
U2 - Sort of Homecoming
Pixies - Monkey Gone to Heaven
Bruce Springsteen - Nebraska
Sonic Youth - Teen Age Riot
Joy Division - Isolation
Peter Gabriel - Red Rain
Paul Simon - Graceland
REM - Talk About the Passion

I really need to unearth a lot more 80;s stuff.
I'm sure there songs by The Fall, Kate Bush, Talking Heads, Tom Waits, etc...that should be on this list

 

[loverippedaway]

1)u2-with or without you
2) the police- wrapped around your finger
3) the cure-pictures of you
4)inxs-never tear us apart
5)joy division-love will tear us apart
6) u2-bad
7) the cure- the kiss
8)the smiths girlfriend in a coma (my personal fav smiths song)
9)the police-every breath you take
10) tears for fears-shout.

 

[intedomine]

Can't believe I forgot Toto's AFRICA