[dunpeal]

Welcome to the jungle

 

[bigtim]

Waterboys - The Whole Of The Moon 

 

[rroseperry]

Berlin - No More Words

(I know I'm going to regret this.)

 

[rivalyoung]

Time After Time - Cindy Lauper

 

[Sordel]

The rules are way too restrictive: picking one 80s song is as invidious is picking one song from any other decade, which is ten times as invidious as picking one song from any year, which is about twelve times as invidious as picking one album from any year.
 
I think that the nomination for "Shout" by Tears for Fears is a good one: that should certainly be in anyone's top 100 from the 1980s. Some others (and, just because I read the instructions, doesn't mean I have to follow them):
 
Soft Cell, "Tainted Love"
Gary Numan, "Are Friends Electric?"
Abba, "The Day Before You Came"
The Police, "Roxanne"
Dexy's Midnight Runners, "Geno"
Elvis Costello, "Shipbuilding"
UB40, "Food For Thought"
Japan, "Ghosts"
Billy Bragg, "Levi Stubbs's Tears"
The Boomtown Rats, "I Don't Like Mondays"
Phil Collins, "In The Air Tonight"
U2, "New Year's Day"
Simple Minds, "Alive and Kicking"
Bronski Beat, "Smalltown Boy"
 
That list, completely off the top of my head, restricts me to one song per artist and, in addition to their all being great, great songs I've tried to pick songs that have some cultural resonance or influence. It also leaves out all the many fine US artists that could be added.
 

 

[sgrossklass]

Quote:

(and, just because I read the instructions, doesn't mean I have to follow them):

/me likes that line of thought.
 
Definitely one of the coolest things about the '80s (much like present days) was variety. It's hair metal as much as dance pop, new-wave and sophisti-pop, folk and alternative rock, world music and newage, singer-songwriter and post-punk, goth and '80s funk, and whatever else I left out. (Even death metal was invented in those days, IIRC.) Picking any single song as "best" is an exercise in futility. (Incidentally, a number of the threads/polls in here suffer from similarly unrealistic expectations. And then people wonder why things don't take off.)

 

[tru blu]

I agree that the rules are a bit restrictive, but a deal's a deal…I'll let others go with the more ubiquitous stuff by Michael Jackson, Prince, New Order, Tears For Fears, yadda, yadda, yadda…here's a personal ray of light…always thought it was a perfect single…
 
Katrina and The Waves - "Walking On Sunshine"
 
 
…OK, my work here is threw…I'm out…

 

[dharel]

With or Without You - U2

 

[louguzzo]

"Head Over Heels" - Tears For Fears

 

[rehabitat]

Midnight Oil - US Forces

 

[10068]

Rules being (perhaps excessively) restrictive was on purpose; this way we get a good array of songs... I appreciate the feedback though, those are all really good points. I'll change the OP this weekend.
 
Either way, thank you all for your posts! I plan on listening to all of these as soon as I have the time. (Speaking of which, Got The Time by Anthrax is quite a fun song. Although that's from 1990 so wouldn't apply here.)
 
To violate my own rules, I also wish to post Promises by Basia. This is from the amazing album Time & Tide.

 

[duffypratt]

Swordfishtrombones by Tom Waits

 

[re-animator]

Faithfully by Journey.
 
it wasn't from the 80s.  it was the 80s.

 

[Sparky191]

Perhaps not that many remember the 80's.  Personally find it too hard to pick anything tbh. I listened to so much. 
 
So breaking the rules, I'll post some lists.
 
http://rb101182.hubpages.com/hub/Top-100-Songs-of-the-80s
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_singles_by_year_(UK)
http://www.pure80spop.co.uk/bestsellerssingles.htm
http://www.vintageguitar.com/special-features/top-50-guitar-songs-of-the-80s/
http://tsort.info/music/faq_decade_artists.htm
 
Though I can't find bands like the Cure, Big Country, Depeche Mode, Pat Benatar, Heart and so many others on those lists. 
 
 
 

 

[pigmode]

Subdivisions - Rush