
Music Lists Are Us: Favorite '80s Songs by Year, with brief comments
Last updated: Friday January 14th, 2022
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Favorite 1980s 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
kinda sad that this song isn't on there though
Love the Pointer Sisters!
This blog is great!