[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!
- Nothing but classics! A nostalgic collection of ’80s Western ballads
- [Definitive Edition] Masterpieces and Hit Songs of 80s Disco
- Legendary Western rock masterpieces and hit songs of the 80s
- Nostalgic or fresh? Great Western pop masterpieces and hit songs from the 1980s
- Love songs in Western music that were hits in the 1980s. World-famous classics and popular tracks.
- Club Hits: Dance music from Western artists that energized the dance floors in the 1980s
- The 1970s were the golden age of Western rock! Recommended classics and hit songs
- Top Western Music Artists of the 1980s: Ranking [2025]
- [80s Western Music] A roundup of debut songs by girl bands
- Golden age of Western music! Recommended summer songs that were hits in the 80s
- Still Shining! Recommended Female Singers of 1980s Western Music
- Dance music from Western artists that was a hit in the 1970s. World-famous and popular songs.
- [Nostalgic] A roundup of anime songs and theme songs that were hits in the 1980s
[1980s Western Music] Nostalgic 80’s Best Hit Songs (41–50)
Never Gonna Give You UpRick Astley
This is a song released in 1987 as the debut single of British singer Rick Astley.
He gained popularity with his soulful vocals and became one of the defining pop stars of the ’80s.
Although the music video now feels quite dated, it was widely used in the 2000s as the target of prank links on overseas internet forums, which ultimately led to a revival hit for the track.
Girls Just Want to Have FunCyndi Lauper
Released in 1983 as Cyndi Lauper’s first major single, it spawned more than 38 versions including promotional ones.
It became a hit, reaching No.
2 in both the U.
S.
and the U.
K.
, and is also known for later having its lyrics rewritten from a male perspective to a female perspective.
Easy LoverPhilip Bailey, Phil Colins
This is the song “Easy Lover,” released in 1984.
It’s a dream collaboration between American R&B singer Philip Bailey and British rock vocalist Phil Collins.
With soulful vocals and a funky rhythm infused with rock elements, it’s an incredibly cool track!
ManeaterDaryl Hall & John Oates
They are a duo representing the United States, consisting of Daryl Hall and John Oates.
With their distinctive pop sound infused with elements of Black music such as soul, they became hugely popular in the 1980s.
They are also very popular in Japan and performed there five times during the 1980s alone.
Lost In Your EyesDebbie Gibson
Reached No.
1 in the U.
S.
in 1989 and ranked 13th on the year-end chart.
Along with Tiffany, she helped lead the teenage idol boom that suddenly erupted in the mid-to-late ’80s.
While Tiffany had a more exotic look, Debbie was a quintessential blonde white girl, which made for an interesting contrast.
She writes and produces her own songs, and I’ve heard she was trained from a young age to succeed in show business.
This song is also a thoroughly dreamy, girlish ballad, but that actually works in its favor—it’s one of the finest ballads of the ’80s.
Blue MondayNew Order
Overcoming the tragedy of their predecessor band and steering toward the dance floor, the British rock band New Order released this track in March 1983.
A groundbreaking dance tune running over seven minutes, it revolutionized the club scene.
In contrast to its mechanical, cool beat, the lyrics portray confusion and heartache over mistreatment by someone they once trusted.
Some may remember it being used in a Sunkist commercial.
Often hailed as a bridge between ’70s disco and ’90s house, this song seeps deep into the heart on nights when you want to be alone with your thoughts, its stylish, melancholic sound resonating all the more.
I Was Born To Love YouFreddie Mercury
This is a song released in 1985 by Freddie Mercury, the lead vocalist of the British rock band Queen, and it is included on the album Mr.
Bad Guy.
It’s a familiar tune in Japan as it has been widely used in commercials and TV dramas.