[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.
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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 (151–160)
Creeping DeathMetallica
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Metallica, the American heavy metal band, is the most famous metal band.
Their low-slung Explorers are still the object of admiration for many guitarists.
All the members have long hair—they’re intense, rugged, and utterly cool.
Make It RealThe Jets
A sibling band from Minneapolis that was a big hit in the ’80s.
You don’t hear this one as often as their U.
S.
No.
1 “You Got It All,” but it’s another heartbreak song full of melancholy.
The group’s appeal, above all, lies in the overwhelming vocal power of Elizabeth.
The Tide Is HighBlondie
Speaking of Blondie, the explosively popular hit Call Me at the end of the ’70s is well known, but this song is actually a cover of one performed in ’67 by the Jamaican vocal group The Paragons.
With its irresistibly pleasing blend of reggae rhythms and a Latin flavor, it became one of her hits in 1980.
It’s a song that evokes a southern island, with a repeating phrase that listeners found comfortably lovable.
Do That To Me One More TimeCaptain & Tennille
It’s a duo ballad released in ’79 that became a hit through the ’80s.
Covered by many artists, this song’s gentle sound has comforted countless listeners.
You could say it’s a track that left a significant impact and lasting memories as a ballad.
It’s a song that will be passed down and sung forever.
Give Me The NightGeorge Benson
Released in the summer of 1980, Give Me The Night was produced by Quincy Jones.
It reached number one on both the soul and jazz album charts.
A classic anthem, it could be heard multiple times in a single night at the disco.
Safety DanceMen Without Hats
This song has invited various interpretations, but the band member Stefan has said it’s about being anti-establishment.
The right to sing the way you want and dance the way you want—Men Without Hats, who sang and shouted about things like this, were not blessed with many hits and ceased band activities in 1991.
[1980s Western Music] Nostalgic 80’s Best Hit Songs (161–170)
Psycho KillerTalking Heads
In the opening of the film they starred in, Stop Making Sense, there’s a striking scene where David Byrne walks onto the stage alone carrying a boombox, switches it on, and calmly begins performing this song.
Incidentally, the film was directed by Jonathan Demme—then still unknown—who later made The Silence of the Lambs.
There’s far too much to say about them, but for example, the Tom Tom Club, which they launched as a side project within the band: their single Genius of Love was a commercial success, and their early engagement with African beats had a major impact on the music scene that followed.
In any case, they were the most formidable artistic collective of the 1980s.