Showing posts with label 1980-1989. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 1980-1989. Show all posts

Sunday, December 31, 1989

Top 100 Songs from 1980 to 1989

Top 100 Songs of the Decade:

1980-1989

These are the top 100 songs from the 1980s according to Dave’s Music Database. Rankings are figured by combining sales figures, chart data, radio airplay, video airplay, streaming figures, awards, and appearances on best-of lists.

Check out other “songs of the decade” lists here.

Check out the Dave’s Music Database book, Music of the 1980s.

Spotify Podcast:

Check out the Dave’s Music Database podcast episode Music of the 1980s which references songs on this list. It debuted December 14, 2021 at 7pm CST. Tune in every Tuesday at 7pm for a new episode based on the lists at Dave’s Music Database.

1. Michael Jackson “Billie Jean” (1982)
2. The Police “Every Breath You Take” (1983)
3. Guns N’ Roses “Sweet Child O’ Mine” (1987)
4. Prince “When Doves Cry” (1984)
5. Joan Jett & the Blackhearts “I Love Rock and Roll” (1981)
6. U2 “With or Without You” (1987)
7. Bon Jovi “Livin’ on a Prayer” (1986)
8. Lionel Richie & Diana Ross “Endless Love” (1981)
9. Van Halen “Jump” (1984)
10. Michael Jackson “Beat It” (1983)

11. AC/DC “You Shook Me All Night Long” (1980)
12. Joy Division “Love Will Tear Us Apart”(1980)
13. Journey “Don’t Stop Believin’” (1981)
14. Survivor “Eye of the Tiger” (1982)
15. U.S.A. for Africa “We Are the World” (1985)
16. The Human League “Don’t You Want Me?” (1981)
17. Madonna “Like a Prayer” (1989)
18. Soft Cell “Tainted Love” (1981)
19. Whitney Houston “I Wanna Dance with Somebody Who Loves Me” (1987)
20. Kim Carnes “Bette Davis Eyes” (1981)

21. Queen “Another One Bites the Dust” (1980)
22. Kool & the Gang “Celebration” (1980)
23. Aha “Take on Me” (1984)
24. Blondie “Call Me” (1980)
25. New Order “Blue Monday” (1983)
26. U2 “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” (1987)
27. Foreigner “I Want to Know What Love Is” (1984)
28. Dexy’s Midnight Runner “Come on Eileen” (1982)
29. Olivia Newton-John “Physical” (1981)
30. Cyndi Lauper “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” (1983)

31. Eurythmics “Sweet Dreams Are Made of This” (1983)
32. Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five “The Message” (1982)
33. Run-D.M.C. with Steven Tyler & Joe Perry “Walk This Way” (1986)
34. Kenny Rogers “Lady” (1980)
35. Tears for Fears “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” (1985)
36. Willie Nelson “Always on My Mind” (1982)
37. Lionel Richie “All Night Long (All Night)” (1983)
38. George Michael “Careless Whisper” (1984)
39. Frankie Goes to Hollywood “Relax” (1983)
40. Prince & the Revolution “Kiss” (1986)

41. Men at Work “Down Under” (1981)
42. Lipps Inc. “Funkytown” (album cut: 1979, single: 1980)
43. Tina Turner “What’s Love Got to Do with It?” (1984)
44. Irene Cara “Flashdance...What a Feelin’” (1983)
45. Prince & the Revolution “Purple Rain” (1984)
46. Stevie Wonder “I Just Called to Say I Love You” (1984)
47. Def Leppard “Pour Some Sugar on Me” (1987)
48. Madonna “Like a Virgin” (1984)
49. The B-52’s “Love Shack” (1989)
50. AC/DC “Back in Black” (1980)

51. Diana Ross “Upside Down” (1980)
52. Dire Straits “Money for Nothing” (1985)
53. Bonnie Tyler “Total Eclipse of the Heart” (1983)
54. Guns N’ Roses “Welcome to the Jungle” (1987)
55. Band Aid “Do They Know It’s Christmas? ” (1984)
56. Bruce Springsteen “Born in the U.S.A.” (1984)
57. Kenny Loggins “Footloose” (1984)
58. Cyndi Lauper “Time After Time” (1983)
59. Peter Gabriel “Sledgehammer” (1986)
60. Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes “I’ve Had the Time of My Life” (1987)

61. Simple Minds “Don’t You Forget about Me” (1985)
62. U2 “Pride (In the Name of Love)” (1984)
63. Rick Springfield “Jessie’s Girl” (1981)
64. David Bowie “Let’s Dance” (1983)
65. Phil Collins “In the Air Tonight” (1981)
66. Phil Collins “Another Day in Paradise” (1989)
67. Tracy Chapman “Fast Car” (1988)
68. Michael Jackson “Thriller” (1982)
69. The Smiths “How Soon Is Now?” (1984)
70. Bruce Springsteen “Dancing in the Dark” (1984)

71. Public Enemy “Fight the Power” (1989)
72. Rick James “Super Freak” (1981)
73. The Rolling Stones “Start Me Up” (1981)
74. Tom Petty “Free Fallin’” (1989)
75. Marvin Gaye “Sexual Healing” (1982)
76. Whitesnake “Here I Go Again” (1987)
77. Dolly Parton “9 to 5” (1980)
78. Kenny Rogers & Dolly Parton “Islands in the Stream” (1983)
79. Bryan Adams “Summer of ‘69” (1984)
80. Berlin “Take My Breath Away” (1985)

81. John Cougar Mellencamp “Jack and Diane” (1982)
82. Dionne & Friends (Dionne Warwick with Elton John, Gladys Knight, & Stevie Wonder) “That's What Friends Are For” (1985)
83. J. Geils Band “Centerfold” (1981)
84. George Michael “Faith” (1987)
85. Beastie Boys “You Gotta Fight for Your Right to Party” (1986)
86. Talking Heads “Once in a Lifetime” (1980)
87. Tears for Fears “Shout” (1984)
88. Toto “Africa” (1982)
89. Phil Collins “Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now) ” (1984)
90. Pet Shop Boys “West End Girls’ (1985)

91. Queen with David Bowie “Under Pressure” (1981)
92. INXS “Need You Tonight” (1987)
93. Duran Duran “Hungry Like the Wolf” (1982)
94. Rick Astley “Never Gonna Give You Up” (1987)
95. Culture Club “Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?” (1982)
96. Bangles “Walk Like an Egyptian” (1986)
97. U2 “Sunday Bloody Sunday” (1983)
98. Poison “Every Rose Has Its Thorn” (1988)
99. Lionel Richie “Say You, Say Me” (1985)
100. REO Speedwagon “Keep on Loving You” (1980)

Resources/Related Links:

First posted 1/21/2011; last updated 12/14/2021.

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Saturday, December 30, 1989

Dave’s Faves: #1 Songs in the 1980s

First posted 4/4/2020; updated 4/28/2020.

Dave’s Faves:

#1’s: 1980-1989

September 18, 1982. I can peg my fascination with music charts to that date. After listening to a local radio station’s countdown of the hits of the summer, I decided to make my own list of favorites (see original list here). I ended up revising it every few days, eventually developing my own charts which I maintained into the ‘90s.

I’ve also projected before and after those lists to create speculative lists of #1 songs for eras not covered by those original charts. You can check out those links here, but this page is focused on the #1 songs that might have been for me in the 1980s.

1980:

  • Jan. 19: Pink Floyd “Comfortably Numb” (2 wks)
  • Feb. 2: Pink Floyd “Mother” (1 wk)
  • Feb. 9: Rush “Free Will” (2 wks)
  • Feb. 23: Air Supply “Lost in Love” (3 wks)
  • Mar. 15: Eagles “I Can’t Tell You Why” (2 wks)
  • Mar. 29: Blondie “Call Me” (3 wks)
  • Apr. 19: Charlie Dore “Pilot of the Airwaves” (2 wks)
  • May 3: Lipps Inc. “Funkytown” (2 wks)
  • May 17: Mac Davis “It’s Hard to Be Humble” (2 wks)
  • May 31: Billy Joel “It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me” (3 wks)
  • June 21: Olivia Newton-John “Magic” (4 wks)
  • July 19: Split Enz “I Hope I Never” (2 wks)
  • Aug. 2: Peter Gabriel “Family Snapshot” (2 wks)
  • Aug. 16: Queen “Another One Bites the Dust” (3 wks)
  • Sept. 6: Peter Gabriel “Biko” (4 wks)
  • Oct. 4: Kenny Rogers “Lady” (2 wks)
  • Oct. 25: The Police “Don’t Stand So Close to Me” (2 wks)
  • Nov. 8: Kool & the Gang “Celebration” (1 wk)
  • Nov. 15: Air Supply “American Hearts” (2 wks)
  • Nov. 29: REO Speedwagon “Keep on Loving You” (2 wks)
  • Dec. 13: The Alan Parsons Project “Games People Play” (2 wks)
  • Dec. 27: Eagles “Seven Bridges Road (live)” (3 wks)
1981:

  • Jan. 17: Styx “The Best of Times” (6 wks)
  • Feb. 28: Climax Blues Band “I Love You” (3 wks)
  • Mar. 21: Styx “Too Much Time on My Hands” (2 wks)
  • Apr. 4: Rush “Tom Sawyer” (3 wks)
  • Apr. 25: Kim Carnes “Bette Davis Eyes” (2 wks)
  • May 9: Stars on 45 “Medley I” (1 wk)
  • May 16: Neil Diamond “America” (4 wks)
  • June 13: Bruce Springsteen “The River” (2 wks)
  • June 27: Squeeze “Tempted” (4 wks)
  • July 25: Lionel Richie & Diana Ross “Endless Love” (2 wks)
  • Aug. 8: Journey “Who’s Crying Now” (2 wks)
  • Aug. 22: Foreigner “Juke Box Hero” (2 wks)
  • Sept. 5: Soft Cell “Tainted Love” (3 wks)
  • Sept. 26: Journey “Don’t Stop Believin’” (2 wks)
  • Oct. 10: Sting “Message in a Bottle (live)” (2 wks)
  • Oct. 24: Olivia Newton-John “Physical” (4 wks)
  • Nov. 21: Foreigner “Waiting for a Girl Like You” (4 wks)
  • Dec. 19: Triumph “Magic Power” (1 wk)
  • Dec. 26: The J. Geils Band “Centerfold” (2 wks)
1982:

  • Jan. 2: Queen with David Bowie “Under Pressure” (2 wks)
  • Jan. 23: Joan Jett & the Blackhearts “I Love Rock and Roll” (2 wks)
  • Feb. 6: Journey “Open Arms” (6 wks)
  • Mar. 20: Alabama “Mountain Music” (4 wks)
  • Apr. 17: Elton John “Empty Garden” (2 wks)
  • May 1: Squeeze “Black Coffee in Bed” (2 ws)
  • May 15: Sting “Roxanne (live)” (2 wks)
  • May 29: Queen “Body Language” (3 wks)
  • June 19: Steve Miller Band “Abracadabra” (2 wks)
  • July 10: John Mellencamp “Jack and Diane” (4 wks)
  • Aug. 7: The Alan Parsons Project “Eye in the Sky” (3 wks)
  • Aug. 28: Van Halen “Happy Trails” (2 wks)
  • Sept. 11: Olivia Newton-John “Heart Attack” (5 wks)
  • Oct. 16: Don Henley “Dirty Laundry” (2 wks)
  • Oct. 30: Toto “Africa” (6 wks)
  • Dec. 11: Charlene with Stevie Wonder “Used to Be” (3 wks)
1983:

  • Jan. 1: The Police “I Burn for You” (2 wks)
  • Jan. 15: The Alan Parsons Project “Old and Wise” (4 wks)
  • Feb. 12: Styx “Mr. Roboto” (8 wks)
  • Apr. 9: Marillion “Script for a Jester’s Tear” (2 wks)
  • Apr. 23: Pat Benatar “Anxiety (Get Nervous)” (3 wks)
  • May 14: U2 “Sunday Bloody Sunday” (3 wks)
  • June 4: The Police “Every Breath You Take” (8 wks)
  • July 30: The Police “King of Pain” (7 wks)
  • Sept. 17: Pat Benatar “Love Is a Battlefield” (4 wks)
  • Oct. 15: Berlin “Masquerade” (1 wk)
  • Oct. 22: Olivia Newton-John “Twist of Fate” (5 wks)
  • Nov. 26: Yes “Owner of a Lonely Heart” (2 wks)
  • Dec. 10: Journey “Ask the Lonely” (3 wks)
  • Dec. 31: Paul McCartney “Pipes of Peace” (2 wks)
1984:

  • Jan. 14: The Police “Wrapped Around Your Finger” (2 wks)
  • Jan. 28: Nena “99 Red Balloons” (3 wks)
  • Feb. 18: Genesis “Illegal Alien” (1 wk)
  • Feb. 25: Yes “Leave It” (2 wks)
  • Mar. 10: Night Ranger “Sister Christian” (1 wk)
  • Mar. 17: Marillion “Fugazi” (1 wk)
  • Mar. 24: Marillion “She Chameleon” (2 wks)
  • Apr. 7: Styx “Music Time” (5 wks)
  • May 12: Prince “When Doves Cry” (3 wks)
  • June 2: Bruce Springsteen “Dancing in the Dark” (4 wks)
  • June 30: Ray Parker, Jr. “Ghostbusters” (4 wks)
  • July 28: Bruce Springsteen “Born in the U.S.A.” (4 wks)
  • Aug. 25: Prince “Let’s Go Crazy” (2 wks)
  • Sept. 8: Dennis DeYoung “Desert Moon” (6 wks)
  • Oct. 20: Pat Benatar “We Belong” (1 wk)
  • Oct. 27: Toto “Stranger in Town” (4 wks)
  • Nov. 24: Don Henley “The Boys of Summer” (2 wks)
  • Dec. 8: Tears for Fears “Shout” (2 wks)
  • Dec. 22: Foreigner “I Want to Know What Love Is” (4 wks)
1985:

  • Jan. 19: Don Henley “Sunset Grill” (2 wks)
  • Feb. 2: Foreigner “That Was Yesterday” (1 wk)
  • Feb. 9: The Alan Parsons Project “Let’s Talk About Me” (3 wks)
  • Mar. 2: Sting “Moon Over Bourbon Street” (2 wks)
  • Mar. 16: Simple Minds “Don’t You Forget About Me” (2 wks)
  • Mar. 30: The Dream Academy “Life in a Northern Town” (2 wks)
  • Apr. 13: Marillion “Kayleigh” (3 wks)
  • May 4: Bruce Springsteen “Trapped” (2 wks)
  • May 18: Hooters “All You Zombies” (2 wks)
  • June 1: Bruce Springsteen “Glory Days” (2 wks)
  • June 15: Dire Straits “Money for Nothing” (2 wks)
  • June 29: Marillion “Childhood’s End?” (1 wk)
  • July 6: Tears for Fears “Head Over Heels” (5 wks)
  • Aug. 10: John Parr “St. Elmo’s Fire (Man in Motion)” (2 wks)
  • Aug. 24: U2 “Bad (live)” (3 wks)
  • Sept. 14: Squeeze “I Won’t Ever Go Drinking Again (?)” (2 wks)
  • Sept. 28: Prince “Purple Rain” (4 wks)
  • Oct. 26: Olivia Newton-John “Soul Kiss” (2 wks)
  • Nov. 9: Squeeze “Heartbreaking World” (4 wks)
  • Dec. 7: Bruce Springsteen “My Hometown” (2 wks)
  • Dec. 21: Sting “Russians” (3 wks)
1986:

  • Jan. 11: Tears for Fears “When in Love with a Blind Man” (2 wks)
  • Jan. 25: The Alan Parsons Project “Stereotomy” (4 wks)
  • Feb. 22: Tony Banks with Fish “Shortcut to Somewhere” (4 wks)
  • Mar. 22: Dennis DeYoung “Call Me” (5 wks)
  • Apr. 26: The Moody Blues “Your Wildest Dreams” (4 wks)
  • May 24: Roger Waters “Folded Flags” (2 wks)
  • June 7: Double “The Captain of Her Heart” (2 wks)
  • June 21: Furniture “Brilliant Mind” (4 wks)
  • July 19: Berlin “Take My Breath Away” (2 wks)
  • Aug. 2: Tom Cochrane with Red Rider “The Boy Inside the Man” (2 wks)
  • Aug. 16: Billy Joel with Ray Charles “Baby Grand” (2 wks)
  • Aug. 30: David + David “Welcome to the Boomtown” (6 wks)
  • Oct. 11: The Police “Don’t Stand So Close to Me ‘86” (6 wks)
  • Nov. 22: Bruce Springsteen “War (live)” (3 wks)
  • Dec. 13: Huey Lewis & the News “Naturally” (2 wks)
  • Dec. 27: The Bangles “Following” (4 wks)
1987:

  • Jan. 24: The Alan Parsons Project “Standing on Higher Ground” (4 wks)
  • Feb. 21: Peter Gabriel & Kate Bush “Don’t Give Up” (4 wks)
  • Mar. 14: U2 “With or Without You” (3 wks)
  • Apr. 4: XTC “Dear God” (6 wks)
  • May 16: Marillion “Incommunicado” (2 wks)
  • May 30: Marillion: “Going Under” (2 wks)
  • June 13: Indigo Girls “Hey Jesus” (1 wk)
  • June 20: Suzanne Vega “Luka” (4 wks)
  • July 18: Terence Trent D’Arby “Wonderful World” (1 wk)
  • July 25: Marillion “Sugar Mice” (2 wks)
  • Aug. 8: Marillion “Tux On” (2 wks)
  • Aug. 22: Marillion “Warm Wet Circles” (3 wks)
  • Sept. 12: Pink Floyd “Learning to Fly” (2 wks)
  • Sept. 26: R.E.M. “It’s the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)” (2 wks)
  • Oct. 10: Pink Floyd “One Slip” (2 wks)
  • Oct. 24: Sting “Englishman in New York” (2 wks)
  • Nov. 7: Sting “They Dance Alone” (4 wks)
  • Dec. 5: Bruce Springsteen “Spare Parts” (2 wks)
  • Dec. 19: The Rainmakers “The Wages of Sin” (3 wks)
1988:

  • Jan. 9: Eurythmics “Brand New Day” (3 wks)
  • Jan. 30: Lyle Lovett “She’s No Lady” (3 wks)
  • Feb. 20: Lyle Lovett “Pontiac” (3 wks)
  • Mar. 12: Kate Bush “This Woman’s Work” (4 wks)
  • Apr. 9: Sting “Someone to Watch Over Me” (3 wks)
  • Apr. 30: Everything But the Girl “Apron Strings” (2 wks)
  • May 14: Tracy Chapman “Fast Car” (4 wks)
  • June 11: Melissa Etheridge “Bring Me Some Water” (2 wks)
  • June 25: Melissa Etheridge “Occasionally” (2 wks)
  • July 9: Crowded House “Better Be Home Soon” (6 wks)
  • Aug. 20: Rod Stewart “Forever Young” (3 wks)
  • Sept. 10: Everything But the Girl “Oxford Street” (2 wks)
  • Sept. 24: Everything But the Girl “The Night I Heard Caruso Sing” (1 wk)
  • Oct. 1: Olivia Newton-John “It’s Not Heaven” (2 wks)
  • Oct. 15: Shona Laing “Glad I’m Not a Kennedy” (3 wks)
  • Nov. 5: U2 “God Part II” (4 wks)
  • Dec. 3: Sting with Bruce Springsteen “Every Breath You Take (live)” (2 wk)
  • Dec. 17: Bruce Springsteen with Sting “The River (live)” (1 wk)
  • Dec. 24: The Bangles “Something to Believe In” (2 wks)
1989:

  • Jan. 7: Guns N’ Roses “Patience” (3 wks)
  • Jan. 28: Mike + the Mechanics “The Living Years” (2 wks)
  • Feb. 11: Night Ranger “Reason to Be’ (2 wks)
  • Feb. 25: Metallica “One” (5 wks)
  • Apr. 1: Shona Laing “South” (2 wks)
  • Apr. 15: Lyle Lovett “Nobody Knows Me” (2 wks)
  • Apr. 29: Elvis Costello “Veronica’ (3 wks)
  • May 20: Simple Minds “Biko” (3 wks)
  • June 10: Simple Minds “Mandela Day” (2 wks)
  • June 24: U2 “All I Want Is You” (2 wks)
  • July 8: The Call “Let the Day Begin” (2 wks)
  • July 22: Indigo Girls “Closer to Fine” (6 wks)
  • Sept. 2: Tears for Fears “Sowing the Seeds of Love” (3 wks)
  • Sept. 23: Melissa Etheridge “You Can Sleep While I Drive” (2 wks)
  • Oct. 7: Squeeze “Slaughtered, Gutted, and Heartbroken” (2 wks)
  • Oct. 21: Tracy Chapman “All That You Have Is Your Soul” (2 wks)
  • Nov. 4: Madonna “Oh Father” (6 wks)
  • Dec. 16: Tears for Fears “Woman in Chains” (3 wks)
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