[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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- Dance music in Japanese (J-pop) that people in their 50s used to listen to. Nostalgic classic hits.
[1980s Western Music] Nostalgic 80’s Best Hit Songs (111–120)
Holding Back The YearsSimply Red
It hit No.
1 in the U.S.
in 1986—this was their breakthrough.
Simply Red kept scoring hits with the soulful vocals of their red-haired frontman, Mick Hucknall.
In Japan, there was quite a buzz around Gota Yashiki joining the band as their drummer around the time of another hit, Stars.
In 1989, they reached No.
1 in the U.S.
with their cover of Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes’ If You Don’t Know Me by Now.
Mick is great at soul covers, too.
The up-tempo Money’s Too Tight (to Mention) and The Right Thing are also excellent tracks.
It’s Still Rock and Roll to MeBilly Joel
A singer-songwriter, vocalist, pianist, and composer—he wears many hats and is undoubtedly one of the defining artists of the 1970s and 1980s.
Following his 1970s signature song “Piano Man,” this rock ’n’ roll track became a massive hit in the ’80s as well.
His music is loved across generations and has been covered by many artists, making him one of the greats who have influenced the history of music.
Total Eclipse of the HeartBonnie Tyler
The lyrics are said to have been written with hints from the protagonists of Wuthering Heights, depicting a relationship in which the two are powerfully drawn to each other yet are not good for one another.
The title means a total eclipse of the heart, a state in which one’s shadow side even obscures the brighter parts of oneself.
Upside DownDiana Ross
Diana Ross is a superstar who kept producing hits from her time with The Supremes in the 1960s.
She went solo in the ’70s and became widely known as a diva.
This song was such a massive hit that it can be considered one of her signature tracks.
Its crisp, stylish, and tasteful sound was played constantly in clubs—and in Japan at the time, there wasn’t a day it didn’t spin at the disco.
As a dance number, it had a tremendous impact on music history.
(Just Like) Starting OverJohn Lennon
1980 was the year John Lennon departed this world.
Before that tragic incident, Lennon had released the comeback album Double Fantasy under the name John Lennon & Yoko Ono, and this song was issued as its lead single.
It’s a classic that, while evoking the vintage rock ’n’ roll of the 1950s, also conveys a maturity befitting his age.
Don’t Fight ItKenny Loggins ft. Steve Perry
If you listen to it when you’re feeling down, it’ll definitely fill your whole body with power! A classic duet by Kenny Loggins and Journey’s Steve Perry.
Their soaring vocals and the guitar intro are quintessential, straight-ahead rock.
The Japanese title is “Sunrise Party.”
Crazy Little Thing Called LoveQueen
Also known in Japan by the title “Desire by the Name of Love,” this song was a massive hit that reached No.
1 in the United States.
Considering that its parent album, The Game, sold 4.1 million copies in the U.S.
alone, you could say it heralded the dawn of Queen’s 1980s era.
While every member of Queen could write lyrics and compose music, this particular track was written and composed by Freddie Mercury.
It’s also the only song on which Freddie—who wasn’t especially adept at guitar—played guitar live.