Music Lists Are Us: Favorite '80s Songs by Year, with brief comments

1980

Out Here On My Own by Irene Cara (Oscar nominated; from the movie soundtrack for Fame)

Crazy Little Thing Called Love by Queen (rockabilly styled masterpiece)

Master Blaster (Jammin') by Stevie Wonder (Bob Marley tribute with a reggae feel)

Let My Love Open The Door by Pete Townshend (his only solo top-ten hit in the U.S)

Give Me The Night by George Benson

Comfortably Numb by Pink Floyd

Brass in Pocket by The Pretenders

Working My Way Back to You by The (Detroit) Spinners

On the Radio by Donna Summer 

1981

That Lonesome Road by James Taylor

Just the Two of Us by Bill Withers and Grover Washington Jr.

Hey Nineteen by Steely Dan

The Winner Takes it All by Abba

Every Grain of Sand by Bob Dylan

The Weakness in Me by Joan Armatrading

Golden Brown by The Stranglers

Better Things by The Kinks

Under Pressure by Queen & David Bowie

1982

Steppin' Out by Joe Jackson

Turn Your Love Around by George Benson

Goodbye Look by Donald Fagen

Wall of Death by Richard & Linda Thompson

One Hundred Ways by Quincy Jones & James Ingram 

Come On Eileen by Dexy's Midnight Runners

Making Love by Roberta Flack

Let's Groove by Earth Wind & Fire

1983

Back in the Chain Gang by The Pretenders

Every Day I Write the Book by Elvis Costello

Never Gonna Let You Go by Sergio Mendes,  sung by Joe Pizzulo and Leeza Miller

Breaking Us in Two by Joe Jackson

Baby, Come to Me by Patty Austin & James Ingram 

Africa by Toto

Allentown by Billy Joel

Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) by The Eurythmics

1984

Will the Wolf Survive by Los Lobos

Seven Spanish Angels by Ray Charles & Willie Nelson

Smooth Operator by Sade

Valotte by Julian Lennon

Opportunity by Bobby McFerrin

When Doves Cry by Prince

Running With The Night by Lionel Richie

Got a Hold on Me by Christine McVie 

Talking in Your Sleep by The The Romantics

1985

Overjoyed by Stevie Wonder

Honest Work by Todd Rundgren

Nothing's Gonna Change My Love for You by George Benson

Walk of Life by Dire Straits

Sweetest Taboo by Sade

Raspberry Beret by Prince

And She Was by Talking Heads

How Will I Know by Whitney Houston

Take On Me by aha

Night Shift by The Commodores

1986

Under African Skies by Paul Simon & Linda Ronstadt

Is It A Crime by Sade

The Way It Is by Bruce Hornsby

Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood by Elvis Costello

Smoking Gun by Robert Cray

Don't Let's Start by They Might Be Giants

Manic Monday by The Bangles

Sweet Love by Anita Baker

Superman by R.E.M.

True Blue by Madonna

Greatest Love of All by Whitney Houston

True Colors by Cyndi Lauper

1987

Have a Little Faith in Me by John Hiatt

I Wanna Dance With Somebody by Whitney Houston

It's the End of the World as We Know It by R.E.M.

Exsultate Justi by John Williams

Touch of Gray by The Grateful Dead

Somewhere Out There by Linda Ronstadt & James Ingram

La Bamba by Los Lobos

Don't Dream It's Over by Crowded House

Didn't We Almost Have It All by Whitney Houston

The Man in the Mirror by Michael Jackson

1988

Love and Mercy by Brian Wilson

Cinema Paradiso - Main Theme by Ennio Morricone

Fast Car by Tracy Chapman

Put a Little Love in Your Heart by Annie Lennox & Al Green

So Emotional by Whitney Houston

I Wanna Be Like You by Los Lobos

I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) by The Proclaimers

When Love Comes to Town by U2 & B.B. King

Handle With Care by The Traveling Wilburys

Talkin' 'Bout a Revolution by Tracy Chapman

1989

Don't Know Much by  Linda Ronstadt & Aaron Neville

Stand by R.E.M.

Let Love Rule by Lenny Kravitz

The Downeaster 'Alexa' by Billy Joel

Closer to Fine by Indigo Girls

Everything is Broken by Bob Dylan

Love Shack by The B-52s

Veronica by Elvis Costello

Blame It On The Rain by Milli Vanilli

You Got It by Roy Orbison

About a Girl by Nirvana

And So It Goes by Billy Joel