The Greatest Songs of the 80s: Golden Time
It’s hard to believe that the 1980s were more than 30 years ago. But it was a decade in music that saw a lot of major changes-from new genres, to synthesizers and drum machines, to the rise in popularity in Hip Hop and R&B music. It was an era when pop music became more mainstream with Michael Jackson dominating the charts for seven years. In this article, we explore some of the greatest songs from that decade!
The 80s is often known as being musically diverse due to punk rock being popularized by The Ramones and MTV becoming very influential over what people listen to nowadays.
There are many different styles or genres that came to light during this period such as synthpop, alternative rock, heavy metal, new wave, post-disco, and rap. So, when it comes to the 80s golden time in music which is arguable during this decade, it’s hard to pinpoint which song is considered to be the best one.
To help narrow down this list, we specifically chose to look at dance and pop songs in the 80s. We also made this list focusing on the best songs that were released in the 80s and how well-known the song was, regardless of its performance on charts. So here are some of the greatest songs from that decade!
8. Love Shack (1989)
Released in 1989, ‘Love Shack’ was a highly successful single by The B-52’s. It was an 80s hit song that combined rock and new wave music, which were two genres very popular in the 1980s. Its lyrics describe a place where there is no more war or sadness and people can just have fun. This is so popular that radio stations would play the song more than 10 times a day.
Why is this Famous?
Songs that are repetitive are often considered to be catchy, and this is the case with ‘Love Shack’ because people could not get enough of its lyrics. The song was even featured in movies such as Mars Attacks!
7. Like a Virgin (1984)
‘Like a Virgin’ was a song written by Madonna for her album of the same name, released in 1984. It’s considered to be one of her signature songs and is also one of her best-selling singles. It topped the charts in many different countries and even won a Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.
This 80s hit song is also one of Madonna’s most controversial songs to date as there were rumors that she had to cancel her performance at the 1984 MTV Video Music Awards because of its sexual content; this wasn’t true, however.
What You Should Know
‘Like a Virgin’ showed the world that Madonna was able to stand out from other artists. It also helped make her a worldwide sensation by the end of 1984.
6. Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’ (1982)
Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’ was a track on Michael Jackson’s hugely successful album of the same name, released in 1982. This 80s top hit song is widely known for its dance sequence that begins at 3:14 and is considered to be one of his signature moves throughout his career.
This Michael Jackson’s hit is so popular that many people know the dance sequence but don’t even know that it’s from this song.
What You Should Know
Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’ is one of Michael Jackson’s many collaborations with Quincy Jones. It was also the first song to use the synthesizer in its arrangement, which helped make it very popular.
5. We are the World (1985)
Written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Ritchie, ‘We Are the World’ is a famous charity single that was recorded by the USA for Africa. This one of the 80s top hits helped to raise more than $10 million and was written specifically to help African famine relief. It’s one of the singles to ever debut at number 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and it remains the only time that classic rock artists appeared together on a track.
This Jackson and Ritchie’s hit was so popular that it also won two Grammys for Song of the Year and Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.
What You Should Know
‘We are the World’ is considered to be one of the most successful songs in history. Songs that are charity singles are often remembered for being meaningful, and this song serves as a reminder that music can make a difference.
4. Beat It (1983)
‘Beat It’ is a popular song by American recording artist Michael Jackson. This song was featured on his sixth studio album, Thriller, which went on to become the best-selling album of all time with more than 100 million copies sold worldwide. ‘Beat It’ was originally intended for rock band Toto but they rejected it. This high-energy song is now one of the world’s most popular dance songs, won two Grammys for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance and Best Female Rock Vocal Performance, and is also known for its music video which features Eddie Van Halen playing the guitar solo.
What You Should Know
‘Beat It’ has been covered many times by various artists, including Fergie and Fall Out Boy. This song is also featured in the movies Back to the Future and Guardians of the Galaxy.
4. Like a Prayer (1989)
Another song from Madonna, ‘Like A Prayer’ was released in March 1989 and topped charts worldwide. The music video of this 80s hit song was highly controversial because it featured religious images such as stigmata and burning crosses which caused outrage among several groups.
Despite all of this controversy, ‘Like A Prayer’ is considered to be one of Madonna’s greatest hits. This song became the number one song on Billboard Hot 100 and stayed there for 4 weeks.
What You Should Know
‘Like A Prayer’ helped raise over $5 million for the poverty-stricken African country, Malawi.
3. Don’t Stop Believin’ (1981)
‘Don’t Stop Believin” was a track from the American rock band Journey’s seventh studio album, Escape. This song hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed in this position for an impressive 17 weeks! It is very popular among fans of Rock music and its iconic guitar riff is believed to be one of the most recognizable in popular music history.
Don’t Stop Believin’ is still performed live by the band Journey, even after the death of their original lead singer Steve Perry.
What You Should Know
‘Don’t Stop Believin” was considered to be one of the biggest 80s top hits in pop music at that time and its long stay in the number 1 position broke records.
2. Hotel California (1979)
Written by Don Felder, Don Henley, and Glenn Frey; ‘Hotel California’ was released in 1976 but became very popular in the late 70s and throughout the 80s. This song is considered to be the Eagles’ signature song, as it topped charts worldwide and was voted the best single of the year by Rolling Stone in 1978. Hotel California is extremely well-known for its guitar solo and is said to be one of the best in rock history.
This classic rock song is about a man who has his life ruined because he came to California looking for something better or more exciting than where he previously lived. This man then becomes trapped in a mirage-like place which is called Hotel California.
What You Should Know
The Eagles’ song ‘Hotel California’ was number 2 on VH1’s list titled “100 Greatest Rock Songs”.
1. Billie Jean (1983)
Billie Jean was released in 1983 from Michael Jackson’s hit album named after him, which was incredibly successful worldwide and sold more than 20 million copies worldwide by 2010. ‘Billie Jean’ is a song about a woman who claims that the protagonist is the father of her son, which isn’t true.
Despite this, he still denies it because he doesn’t want to lose his family or career. This song has some controversy surrounding it as many people believe that Billie Jean was one of Jackson’s dancers named Helen Bontrager who sued him in 1990 for $5 million.
This 80s hit song hits number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 and stayed in the position for 9 weeks.
What You Should Know
It is believed by some, as indicated in the lyrics of Billie Jean, that ‘the kid’ was actually Prince. Don’t worry though-Jackson denied it too!
The 1980s are often regarded as the golden age of pop music and this decade saw a lot of changes in both genres and technology. Hip Hop and R&B became more popular while new wave, punk rock, synthpop, power ballads, euro disco were all emerging too.
There was also increased use of drum machines which gave songs like Michael Jackson’s ‘Billie Jean’ their signature sound. It was an era where Madonna dominated the charts for 7 years with such hits as Like A Prayer or Papa Don’t Preach. Meanwhile, other artists such as Prince and Michael Jackson had their fair share of hits too.
Music has been around for centuries and is a form of entertainment that has changed over time. Many genres have come and gone and some genres even evolved into something different than what they started out as.
The 80s is almost synonymous with music, especially new wave, and pop music. Music of the 80s may be considered cheesy today, but it was all the rage at that time! What are your thoughts on these songs?
