[1980s Western Music] Nostalgic 80’s Best Hit Songs
The 1980s brought changes to music history and had a huge influence on later musicians.
Cyndi Lauper, Culture Club, Madonna, Earth, Wind & Fire.
.
.
Even those who didn’t live through the era can sink into a sense of nostalgia that feels familiar somehow.
Compared to modern songs, the classics of the ’80s often boast purer song quality and stronger musical structure—or, seen another way, the larger market meant bigger budgets, letting you enjoy luxuriously produced sounds.
Find a favorite track and really dive into it!
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[1980s Western Music] Nostalgic 80’s Best Hit Songs (91–100)
Down UnderMen At Work
It hit No.
1 in the U.
S.
in 1983.
The band is an Australian group formed in 1979 around Colin Hay.
The album “Business as Usual,” which includes this song and “Who Can It Be Now?,” topped the U.
S.
charts for 15 weeks.
They also won the Grammy for Best New Artist—truly the height of the “Down Under” boom.
Can’t Fight This FeelingREO Speed Wagon
Reached No.
1 in the U.
S.
in 1985.
A massive hit ballad in a style they excel at.
They were once dubbed “the most famous band in America that doesn’t sell,” but their steady dedication to live performances paid off when Keep On Loving You became a surprise No.
1 hit in the U.
S.
in 1981.
For some reason, they’re a band that makes you feel “if you work hard, you’ll be rewarded.” It doesn’t have much to do with the lyrics, but the music video, which reflects on a person’s life, makes me cry every time I watch it.
ShoutTears for Fears
A song that catapulted these UK natives to fame in the United States and around the world.
Since two of the original members experienced their parents’ divorce in childhood, many of their songs lean toward anti-establishment themes, boldly and consistently presenting soft-spoken laments and cries about the state of the world.
Cum On Feel The NoizeQuiet Riot
After the band’s founder Randy Rhoads left to join Ozzy Osbourne, they began activities with a revamped lineup.
In 1983, this cover of a Slade song became a massive hit, making them the first heavy metal band to reach No.
1 in the U.
S.
, but they struggled afterward and disbanded in 1989.
Call MeBlondie
Number one in the U.
S.
in 1980.
It’s the theme from the Richard Gere film American Gigolo.
Giorgio Moroder, who was in charge of the music, supposedly first approached Stevie Nicks.
The song matched the film’s opening scene of driving along the coastline very well.
The ReflexDuran Duran
It’s the third single from the British band Duran Duran’s 1983 album “Seven and the Ragged Tiger,” and it reached number one in both the UK and the US.
Its danceable vibe is invigorating even for the listener!
99 LuftballonsNena
A song by the West German rock band Nena.
Despite being in German, it reached No.
2 in the United States and No.
1 in the United Kingdom the year after its 1983 release, and it also topped Japan’s Western music chart for four consecutive weeks.
It was later given English lyrics and re-released.