What Were the Most Popular Songs of the 1980s?

The 80s era provided us with some prominent personalities that stood the test of time. Hollywood stars giving their fair share of popularity during the 80s; Eddie Murphy, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Harrison Ford, to name a few that rose to stardom. But the entertainment industry didn’t simply blow up because of rising Hollywood stars; the music industry gave us some prominent names that we and the younger generation still know today.

Popular 80s Songs

Often, when we hear a song from the 80s, we would instantly jam with the music because it’s a well-known song for many people for a long time. The funny thing is, we would even know the song and not know who sang the piece. But somehow, if you managed to keep yourself away from the 80s music and want to try them out, check the list below to see where you can start.

  • Purple Rain by Prince: Prince cemented his name in the music industry that this list will be incomplete if Prince doesn’t have any songs. Purple Rain is one of his well-known songs back in the 80s, so it’s a pretty obvious choice. This song remains impactful despite being release nearly 40 years; that’s why it’s worth noting as one of the best.
  • Beat It by Michael Jackson: If you don’t know Michael Jackson, you might be living under a rock for a very, very long time. Dubbed as the “King of Pop,” Michael solidified this title that is still clearly relevant up to now. Michael’s “Beat It” will put you in your shoes and have you start grooving to the song. But as groovy as the beat sounds, the music is still considered a heavy piece with a lot of meaning.
  • I Wanna Dance with Somebody by Whitney Houston: If you see Whitney Houston’s name, the first song that will pop out on your head maybe I Will Always Love You; don’t worry, that’s pretty normal. But did you know that I Wanna Dance with Somebody was her much more famous song amongst them? Once this song plays, you see a party is about to start; though it’s relatively a song about loneliness, they still use this to ignite a party.
  • Fight The Power by Public Enemy: This intense music piece indeed impacted the majority, especially the lines where they crossed Elvis and his racism against African-Americans. This song was certainly a gem and will remain that way for a long, long time.
  • Modern Love by David Bowie: Bowie is also one of the artists the reigned during the 80s. He was even collaborating with other famous artists during that time. His songs will definitely have your feet dancing until it’s tired, so you better check this out if you want to start your 80s playlist.
  • Every Breath you Take by The Police: If you watched the famous movie “50 First Dates,” there’s no doubt you’ve heard this song there. The fact that a 2004 movie used 80s music indeed tells something about the caliber of the music piece. 
  • Never Gonna Give you Up by Rick Astley: Have you ever been “Rickrolled?” If yes, you undoubtedly already heard this song. But if you haven’t, you need to consider listening to this amazing classic. It will keep your feet on the ground and just grooving along with the beats and melody; you might even end up making the moves Mr. Astley is doing in the music video.
  • All Night Long by Lionel Richie: This groovy track of Lionel will indeed keep you awake all night long. It’s one of those classics that is pretty catchy and groovy – Lionel certainly showing the experience on his belt. The fact that it became famous worldwide even with the gibberish sound shows how Lionel’s approach with this piece unconsciously invented the international party language.
  • The Power of Love by Huey Lews and the News: Watching Back to The Future will have you listen to this fantastic track for a long time. The intro alone will be enough to have you standing and bop your head.

In addition to these popular songs, there are also songs from the 1980s that are somewhat odd. Discover these in our list of the weird songs from the 80s.

Golden Era of 80s Music

There’s no doubt that 80s music stood the test of time, with people still listening to these tracks on modern devices. There are still a lot of songs to listen to, but if you’re just starting to go back in time and feed your ears with some blast to the past, then you can refer to the list provided. Indeed, it will be enough to have you listen to other 80s tracks.

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