100 "greatest" songs of the 80's
Nov. 8th, 2007 04:36 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
paperclippySo last night we were watching VH1's 100 greatest songs of the 80's. I have to say, while there was a lot on there, I agreed with, some stuff just didn't make sense.
One thing I think about great songs of the 80's is that chances are the greatest ones are the ones you could listen to nowadays and not immediately think, "Wow, that sounds really 80's."
VH1's Top 100 Songs of the '80s:
1. Bon Jovi / "Livin' on a Prayer" This is one of my favorite songs so I guess I can't argue with this one
2. Def Leppard / "Pour Some Sugar On Me"
3. Duran Duran / "Hungry Like the Wolf" Ok, I like Hungry Like the Wolf, but (a) it's not my favorite Duran Duran song ("Save a Prayer" is my fave), and (b) better than "Billie Jean?" Are you serious?
4. Michael Jackson / "Billie Jean"
5. Prince / "When Doves Cry"
6. Hall & Oates / "I Can't Go For That (No Can Do)" WTF?? Ben and I were watching this, and we both agree that any song in the top 10 should be something that we both have heard before. Neither of us recognized this one at all.
7. Guns N' Roses / "Sweet Child O' Mine"
8. Madonna / "Like a Virgin" Definitely a great example of 80's music, but not a great song overall IMO. Aside from the fact that Madonna had much better songs (like "Vogue" for example), I refuse to believe that "Like a Virgin" is better than "Beat It."
9. Run-D.M.C. / "Walk This Way"
10. AC/DC / "You Shook Me All Night Long"
11. Journey / "Don't Stop Believin'"
12. Whitney Houston / "How Will I Know" I definitely agree that Whitney Houston should be on this list somewhere. But why is she on here with a song I have never even heard of? Why not "The Greatest Love of All" or something like that?
13. U2 / "With Or Without You"
14. The Bangles / "Walk Like an Egyptian" "Walk Like an Egyptian," IMO, is not better than "Beat It," or "Need You Tonight," or "Time after Time," or "Welcome to the Jungle" . . .
15. Van Halen / "Jump"
16. INXS / "Need You Tonight"
17. Whitesnake / "Here I Go Again"
18. Dexy's Midnight Runners / "Come On Eileen" Holy crap, "Come On Eileen" is so not better than numbers 19 and 21 here.
19. Cyndi Lauper / "Time after Time"
20. Rick Springfield / "Jessie's Girl"
21. Michael Jackson / "Beat It" WHY is this song not in the top 20???
22. The Cure / "Just Like Heaven" Not my favorite song by them, but google music tells me my favorites are from the 90's
23. Cyndi Lauper / "Girls Just Want to Have Fun"
24. A-Ha / "Take On Me"
25. Go-Go's / "Our Lips Are Sealed"
26. Guns N' Roses / "Welcome to the Jungle"
27. Kajagoogoo / "Too Shy" Never heard this song before.
28. Wham! / "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go"
29. Talking Heads / "Burning Down the House"
30. Pat Benatar / "Love is a Battlefield"
31. Queen and David Bowie / "Under Pressure"
32. Night Ranger / "Sister Christian" Never heard this one either.
33. Soft Cell / "Tainted Love"
34. Poison / "Every Rose Has It's Thorn"
35. Phil Collins / "In the Air Tonight"
36. Tommy Tutone / "867-5309 / Jenny"
37. Aerosmith / "Janie's Got a Gun"
38. U2 / "Pride (In the Name of Love)" Not my favorite U2 song either.
39. Modern English / "I Melt With You"
40. The B-52's / "Love Shack"
41. Motley Crue / "Dr. Feelgood" This is at least as good as "Here I Go Again On My Own!"
42. The Clash / "London Calling"
43. ABC / "Look of Love (Part One)"
44. Bananarama / "Cruel Summer" Never heard of it.
45. Janet Jackson / "Nasty"
46. The Police / "Every Breath You Take"
47. Twisted Sister / "We're Not Gonna Take It"
48. Bruce Springsteen / "Born in the U.S.A."
49. Beastie Boys / "Fight For Your Right"
50. Eurythmics / "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)"
51. Ratt / "Round and Round"
52. Dead or Alive / "You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)"
53. Billy Idol / "White Wedding"
54. Salt-N-Pepa / "Push It"
55. A Flock of Seagulls / "I Ran (So Far Away)"
56. Bonnie Tyler / "Total Eclipse of the Heart"
57. Toni Basil / "Mickey"
58. Culture Club / "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me"
59. John Mellencamp / "Jack & Diane"
60. Young M.C. / "Bust a Move"
61. Styx / "Mr. Roboto"
62. Berlin / "Take My Breath Away"
63. Devo / "Whip It"
64. Paula Abdul / "Straight Up" Totally should be higher on the list. I still listen to this pretty frequently.
65. Foreigner / "I Want to Know What Love Is"
66. Depeche Mode / "Just Can't Get Enough" Nowhere near the best Depeche Mode song, but my faves are probably from the 90s too.
67. REO Speedwagon / "Keep On Loving You"
68. Public Enemy / "Fight the Power"
69. R.E.M / "It's The End of the World As We Know It (and I Feel Fine)"
70. Joan Jett & The Blackhearts/ "I Love Rock N' Roll"
71. Rick James / "Super Freak"
72. The Fixx / "One Thing Leads to Another"
73. Nena / "99 Luftbaloons"
74. George Michael / "Faith"
75. Prince / "Little Red Corvette"
76. Thomas Dolby / "She Blinded Me With Science"
77. New Edition / "Candy Girl"
78. Blondie / "Call Me"
79. Human League / "Don't You Want Me?"
80. Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock / "It Takes Two"
81. Cameo / "Word Up!"
82. Squeeze / "Tempted"
83. Prince / "Kiss"
84. Lionel Richie / "All Night Long (All Night)"
85. Robert Palmer / "Addicted to Love"
86. Bow Wow Wow / "I Want Candy"
87. Falco / "Rock Me Amadeus"
88. Chaka Khan / "Ain't Nobody"
89. The Pretenders / "Brass in Pocket"
90. Tone-Loc / "Wild Thing"
91. Katrina and The Waves / "Walking On Sunshine"
92. New Kids on the Block / "You Got It (The Right Stuff)"
93. Gary Numan / "Cars"
94. The Rolling Stones / "Start Me Up"
95. Debbie Gibson / "Only in My Dreams"
96. Men at Work / "Down Under"
97. The Romantics / "What I Like About You"
98. Bobby Brown / "My Perogative"
99. Wang Chung / "Everybody Have Fun Tonight"
100. Loverboy / "Working for the Weekend"
OK, I ran out of comments at the end because I didn't actually watch that portion of the show.
One thing I think about great songs of the 80's is that chances are the greatest ones are the ones you could listen to nowadays and not immediately think, "Wow, that sounds really 80's."
VH1's Top 100 Songs of the '80s:
1. Bon Jovi / "Livin' on a Prayer" This is one of my favorite songs so I guess I can't argue with this one
2. Def Leppard / "Pour Some Sugar On Me"
3. Duran Duran / "Hungry Like the Wolf" Ok, I like Hungry Like the Wolf, but (a) it's not my favorite Duran Duran song ("Save a Prayer" is my fave), and (b) better than "Billie Jean?" Are you serious?
4. Michael Jackson / "Billie Jean"
5. Prince / "When Doves Cry"
6. Hall & Oates / "I Can't Go For That (No Can Do)" WTF?? Ben and I were watching this, and we both agree that any song in the top 10 should be something that we both have heard before. Neither of us recognized this one at all.
7. Guns N' Roses / "Sweet Child O' Mine"
8. Madonna / "Like a Virgin" Definitely a great example of 80's music, but not a great song overall IMO. Aside from the fact that Madonna had much better songs (like "Vogue" for example), I refuse to believe that "Like a Virgin" is better than "Beat It."
9. Run-D.M.C. / "Walk This Way"
10. AC/DC / "You Shook Me All Night Long"
11. Journey / "Don't Stop Believin'"
12. Whitney Houston / "How Will I Know" I definitely agree that Whitney Houston should be on this list somewhere. But why is she on here with a song I have never even heard of? Why not "The Greatest Love of All" or something like that?
13. U2 / "With Or Without You"
14. The Bangles / "Walk Like an Egyptian" "Walk Like an Egyptian," IMO, is not better than "Beat It," or "Need You Tonight," or "Time after Time," or "Welcome to the Jungle" . . .
15. Van Halen / "Jump"
16. INXS / "Need You Tonight"
17. Whitesnake / "Here I Go Again"
18. Dexy's Midnight Runners / "Come On Eileen" Holy crap, "Come On Eileen" is so not better than numbers 19 and 21 here.
19. Cyndi Lauper / "Time after Time"
20. Rick Springfield / "Jessie's Girl"
21. Michael Jackson / "Beat It" WHY is this song not in the top 20???
22. The Cure / "Just Like Heaven" Not my favorite song by them, but google music tells me my favorites are from the 90's
23. Cyndi Lauper / "Girls Just Want to Have Fun"
24. A-Ha / "Take On Me"
25. Go-Go's / "Our Lips Are Sealed"
26. Guns N' Roses / "Welcome to the Jungle"
27. Kajagoogoo / "Too Shy" Never heard this song before.
28. Wham! / "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go"
29. Talking Heads / "Burning Down the House"
30. Pat Benatar / "Love is a Battlefield"
31. Queen and David Bowie / "Under Pressure"
32. Night Ranger / "Sister Christian" Never heard this one either.
33. Soft Cell / "Tainted Love"
34. Poison / "Every Rose Has It's Thorn"
35. Phil Collins / "In the Air Tonight"
36. Tommy Tutone / "867-5309 / Jenny"
37. Aerosmith / "Janie's Got a Gun"
38. U2 / "Pride (In the Name of Love)" Not my favorite U2 song either.
39. Modern English / "I Melt With You"
40. The B-52's / "Love Shack"
41. Motley Crue / "Dr. Feelgood" This is at least as good as "Here I Go Again On My Own!"
42. The Clash / "London Calling"
43. ABC / "Look of Love (Part One)"
44. Bananarama / "Cruel Summer" Never heard of it.
45. Janet Jackson / "Nasty"
46. The Police / "Every Breath You Take"
47. Twisted Sister / "We're Not Gonna Take It"
48. Bruce Springsteen / "Born in the U.S.A."
49. Beastie Boys / "Fight For Your Right"
50. Eurythmics / "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)"
51. Ratt / "Round and Round"
52. Dead or Alive / "You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)"
53. Billy Idol / "White Wedding"
54. Salt-N-Pepa / "Push It"
55. A Flock of Seagulls / "I Ran (So Far Away)"
56. Bonnie Tyler / "Total Eclipse of the Heart"
57. Toni Basil / "Mickey"
58. Culture Club / "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me"
59. John Mellencamp / "Jack & Diane"
60. Young M.C. / "Bust a Move"
61. Styx / "Mr. Roboto"
62. Berlin / "Take My Breath Away"
63. Devo / "Whip It"
64. Paula Abdul / "Straight Up" Totally should be higher on the list. I still listen to this pretty frequently.
65. Foreigner / "I Want to Know What Love Is"
66. Depeche Mode / "Just Can't Get Enough" Nowhere near the best Depeche Mode song, but my faves are probably from the 90s too.
67. REO Speedwagon / "Keep On Loving You"
68. Public Enemy / "Fight the Power"
69. R.E.M / "It's The End of the World As We Know It (and I Feel Fine)"
70. Joan Jett & The Blackhearts/ "I Love Rock N' Roll"
71. Rick James / "Super Freak"
72. The Fixx / "One Thing Leads to Another"
73. Nena / "99 Luftbaloons"
74. George Michael / "Faith"
75. Prince / "Little Red Corvette"
76. Thomas Dolby / "She Blinded Me With Science"
77. New Edition / "Candy Girl"
78. Blondie / "Call Me"
79. Human League / "Don't You Want Me?"
80. Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock / "It Takes Two"
81. Cameo / "Word Up!"
82. Squeeze / "Tempted"
83. Prince / "Kiss"
84. Lionel Richie / "All Night Long (All Night)"
85. Robert Palmer / "Addicted to Love"
86. Bow Wow Wow / "I Want Candy"
87. Falco / "Rock Me Amadeus"
88. Chaka Khan / "Ain't Nobody"
89. The Pretenders / "Brass in Pocket"
90. Tone-Loc / "Wild Thing"
91. Katrina and The Waves / "Walking On Sunshine"
92. New Kids on the Block / "You Got It (The Right Stuff)"
93. Gary Numan / "Cars"
94. The Rolling Stones / "Start Me Up"
95. Debbie Gibson / "Only in My Dreams"
96. Men at Work / "Down Under"
97. The Romantics / "What I Like About You"
98. Bobby Brown / "My Perogative"
99. Wang Chung / "Everybody Have Fun Tonight"
100. Loverboy / "Working for the Weekend"
OK, I ran out of comments at the end because I didn't actually watch that portion of the show.
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no subject
Date: 2007-11-08 10:37 pm (UTC)If there were a prize for best use of ninjas in a music video, Total Eclipse Of The Heart would totally own that category.
no subject
Date: 2007-11-09 06:25 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-11-09 02:47 pm (UTC)Did I miss power of love? or We didn't start the fire?
no subject
Date: 2007-11-10 03:20 pm (UTC)YEAH!!!! That's like the best song she ever did!!! How Will I Know is just a generic 80s love song.
Also, what about like everything off her Whitney album? "Didn't We Almost Have It All," "I Wanna Dance With Somebody," etc. I listened to that album a billion times.
And yay Total Eclipse of the Heart!!! Soooo intense.
I thought Jack and Diane came out while we were at Mudd or something, especially since it's on the radio so often, so there's an example of the "doesn't sound 80s" thing you mentioned.
no subject
Date: 2007-11-10 04:46 pm (UTC)