Monday, August 3, 2009

The 80's List

This post is going to expose my nerdiness. I'm sorry, I can't hide it from you any longer. Last week, my brother and cousin were in town, and we finally finished a project we've been talking about for years: the 80's list. It all started when we were trying to decide what the best song from the 80's was, and it ended with each of us compiling a list of the 100 best songs of the 80's. Actually, it didn't end there, it got nerdier. We then combined the three lists and used a point system to figure out our combined top 100 list. I know, your respect for me just dropped a notch.

So here's my list. Disclaimer: This is not a list of my
favorite songs of the 80's, but what I think are the best songs of the 80's. There's a difference. At the end of the list, I grudgingly stuck on a few songs that I don't love, but I figured they probably deserved a nod for one reason or another.

1 Simple Minds Don't You Forget About Me
2 A-ha Take On Me
3 U2 Where the Streets Have No Name
4 New Order Bizarre Love Triangle
5 Duran Duran The Reflex
6 Peter Gabriel In Your Eyes
7 Cure Just Like Heaven
8 OMD If You Leave
9 Michael Jackson Thriller
10 Bonnie Tyler Total Eclipse of the Heart
11 Foreigner I Want To Know What Love Is
12 Madness Our House
13 Oingo Boingo Dead Man's Party
14 Information Society What's on Your Mind (Pure Energy)
15 Madonna Like a Prayer
16 Modern English I Melt With You
17 Naked Eyes Always Something There to Remind Me
18 Billy Idol White Wedding
19 Police Every Breath You Take
20 R.E.M. Stand
21 U2 With or Without You
22 Depeche Mode People Are People
23 B-52s Love Shack
24 The Smiths How Soon Is Now?
25 When in Rome The Promise
26 Bon Jovi Livin' On a Prayer
27 David Bowie and Queen Under Pressure
28 General Public Tenderness
29 Crowded House Don't Dream It's Over
30 Journey Don't Stop Believin'
31 Frankie Goes to Hollywood Relax
32 U2 I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
33 Thompson Twins Hold Me Now
34 Romantics What I Like About You
35 Erasure A Little Respect
36 Tears for Fears Everybody Wants to Rule the World
37 Spandau Ballet True
38 Elvis Costello Veronica
39 George Michael Faith
40 Cars Drive
41 Bananarama Cruel Summer
42 Men At Work Down Under
43 Clash Rock the Casbah
44 Soft Cell Tainted Love/Where Did Our Love Go
45 Prince 1999
46 Toto Africa
47 Police Don't Stand So Close To Me
48 Cure Close to me
49 Flock of Seagulls I Ran (So Far Away)
50 Genesis In Too Deep
51 Mr. Mister Broken Wings
52 Stray Cats Rock This Town
53 R.E.M. Orange Crush
54 Level 42 Something About You
55 REO Speedwagon Can't Fight This Feeling
56 Police Wrapped Around Your Finger
57 Chicago Hard to Say I'm Sorry
58 EMF Unbelievable
59 Duran Duran View to a Kill
60 Billy Joel We Didn't Start the Fire
61 Heart Alone
62 Huey Lewis & the News Power of Love
63 Cyndi Lauper Time After Time
64 Talking Heads Burning Down the House
65 U2 New Years Day
66 Eurythmics Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)
67 The Smiths Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want
68 Yes Owner of a Lonely Heart
69 Erasure Oh Lamour
70 Bangles Walk Like an Egyptian
71 INXS Need You Tonight
72 Survivor The Search Is Over
73 Queen Another One Bites the Dust
74 R.E.M. It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)
75 Midnight Oil Beds Are Burning
76 Clash Should I Stay or Should I Go?
77 Men At Work Overkill
78 Oingo Boingo Weird Science
79 Hall and Oates Private Eyes
80 Echo and the Bunnymen Lips Like Sugar
81 Howard Jones No One is to Blame
82 Kenny Loggins Footloose
83 Police Every Little Thing She Does is Magic
84 Cure Lovesong
85 Survivor Eye of the Tiger
86 Rick Astley Never Gonna Give You Up
87 Harold Faltermeyer Axel F
88 Dexys Midnight Runners Come on Eileen
89 Thomas Dolby She Blinded Me With Science
90 Tommy Tutone 867-5309/Jenny
91 Pet Shop Boys West End Girls
92 Wham! Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go
93 Beastie Boys Fight For Your Right
94 Alphaville Forever Young
95 Richard Marx Right Here Waiting
96 Chris DeBurgh The Lady in Red
97 Belinda Carlisle Heaven is a Place on Earth
98 Human League Don't You Want Me
99 Billy Joel The Longest Time
100 Cheap Trick The Flame

So there it is. I'm sure you're thinking, "I can't believe she put that song on there." Believe me, I already feel like making changes. But if you're really bent out of shape about it, make your own list. It's harder than it looks. Oh, and don't bother telling me that EMF's Unbelievable came out at the beginning of 1990. We figured that out just after we made the lists, and I'm too lazy to change mine.

Next up: we're making a playlist. We've figured out that between the three of us, we have just about all of the songs. So if anyone feels like OD-ing on nostalgia, you know where to go.

2 comments:

Jen Bay said...

I may have to make it a project to compile a playlist with these songs on my ipod...

Sara K. said...

Love this!