[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 (171–180)
Now It’s My TurnBerlin
The hard, cool vocals—unimaginable from Terri Nunn’s delicate, doll-like looks—are seriously badass.
This track is from their third album, Masquerade.
The monochrome music video features dramatic direction brimming with Terri’s enigmatic allure.
One More TryGeorge Michael
It hit No.
1 in the U.S.
in 1988.
Following Wham!’s breakup and the No.
1 duet “I Knew You Were Waiting” with Aretha Franklin, his solo album was released and went on to become the No.
1 album on the year-end chart.
After reaching No.
2 with the first single “I Want Your Sex,” he achieved the remarkable feat of four consecutive No.
1 hits with “Faith,” “Father Figure,” this song, and “Monkey.”
Favorite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl)Haircut 100
This is a song called “Favourite Shirt (Boy Meets Girl)” by the British pop band Haircut 100, released in 1982.
It’s included on the album “Pelican West.” The crisp, choppy guitar cutting is really cool! It’s a packed track featuring a saxophone solo and even rap-style vocals.
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.
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.
Tainted LoveSoft Cell
The original was sung by Gloria Jones in 1964, but Soft Cell’s cover turned it into a major hit.
The Japanese release title was “Utagarenaki Ai” (literally, “Stainless Love”), which is the opposite in meaning to the modern interpretation.
Many young people resonated with Marc Almond’s emotional vocal delivery.
Secret LoversAtlantic Starr
Released in 1985, “Secret Lovers” is the third single from Atlantic Starr’s sixth album, “As the Band Turns.” “Secret Lovers” became a hit for Atlantic Starr on the pop charts in both the United States and the United Kingdom.
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.
When I Think Of YouJanet Jackson
It hit No.
1 in the U.S.
in 1986.
It was a big hit from the album Control, produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, who reached the pinnacle as dance/R&B producers in the ’80s.
Both Janet and the duo used this work as a stepping stone to become top stars.
Incidentally, they became the first siblings to each score separate No.
1 hits in the U.S.
The music video, styled like a musical, was also outstanding.
La BambaLos Lobos
“La Bamba” is a song based on a Mexican folk tune, and it’s likely that everyone has heard it at least once.
The song became famous thanks to the arrangement by Ritchie Valens, a rock and roll musician who epitomized the 1950s.
Later, for the 1987 film La Bamba, which depicts his brief life, the version performed by the Mexican American band Los Lobos was used as the theme song.
The film’s soundtrack was also a major hit.