1 1980 “Call Me” Blondie
6 1980 “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” Queen
3 1980 “Magic” Olivia Newton-John
4 1980 “Rock with You” Michael Jackson
2 1980 “Another Brick in the Wall, Part II” Pink Floyd
5 1980 “Do That to Me One More Time” Captain & Tennille
2 1981 “Endless Love” Diana Ross & Lionel Richie
5 1981 “Jessie’s Girl” Rick Springfield
1 1981 “Bette Davis Eyes” Kim Carnes
6 1981 “Celebration” Kool & the Gang
3 1981 “Lady” Kenny Rogers
4 1981 “(Just Like) Starting Over” John Lennon
2 1982 “Eye of the Tiger” Survivor
6 1982 “Don’t You Want Me” The Human League
1 1982 “Physical” Olivia Newton-John
7 1982 “Jack & Diane” John Cougar
3 1982 “I Love Rock ‘n Roll” Joan Jett & the Blackhearts
5 1982 “Centerfold” The J. Geils Band
2 1983 “Billie Jean” Michael Jackson
6 1983 “Total Eclipse of the Heart” Bonnie Tyler
4 1982 “Ebony and Ivory” Paul McCartney & Stevie Wonder
4 1983 “Down Under” Men at Work
1 1983 “Every Breath You Take” The Police
7 1983 “Maneater” Daryl Hall & John Oates
3 1983 “Flashdance... What a Feeling” Irene Cara
5 1983 “Beat It” Michael Jackson
1 1984 “When Doves Cry” Prince
6 1984 “Jump” Van Halen
2 1984 “What’s Love Got to Do with It” Tina Turner
5 1984 “Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)” Phil Collins
3 1984 “Say Say Say” Paul McCartney & Michael Jackson
4 1984 “Footloose” Kenny Loggins
1 1985 “Careless Whisper” Wham!
7 1985 “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” Tears for Fears
4 1985 “I Want To Know What Love Is” Foreigner
4 1987 “I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)” Whitney Houston
3 1985 “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” Wham!
5 1985 “I Feel For You” Chaka Khan
2 1985 “Like a Virgin” Madonna
6 1985 “Out of Touch” Daryl Hall & John Oates
1 1986 “That’s What Friends are For” Dionne and Friends
6 1986 “How Will I Know” Whitney Houston
3 1986 “I Miss You” Klymaxx
4 1986 “On My Own” Patti LaBelle & Michael McDonald
2 1986 “Say You, Say Me” Lionel Richie
5 1986 “Broken Wings” Mr. Mister
1 1987 “Walk Like An Egyptian” The Bangles
7 1987 “Here I Go Again” Whitesnake
1 1988 “Faith” George Michael
6 1988 “So Emotional” Whitney Houston
3 1987 “Shake You Down” Gregory Abbott
5 1987 “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now” Starship
2 1987 “Alone” Heart
6 1987 “C’est La Vie” Robbie Nevil
2 1988 “Need You Tonight” INXS
5 1988 “Sweet Child o’ Mine” Guns N’ Roses
3 1988 “Got My Mind Set on You” George Harrison
4 1988 “Never Gonna Give You Up” Rick Astley
1 1989 “Look Away” Chicago
6 1989 “Cold Hearted” Paula Abdul
3 1989 “Every Rose Has Its Thorn” Poison
4 1989 “Straight Up” Paula Abdul
2 1989 “My Prerogative” Bobby Brown
5 1989 “Miss You Much” Janet Jackson
After going through these I now kind of wish I hadn't. LOL. Some of these are the absolute worst songs of the 80s.
Any list of great hits from the 80s that doesn't include two of the best of all time -- "Boys Of Summer" by Don Henley and "Mandolin Rain" by Bruce Hornsby -- is woefully incomplete!
This is based on genuine top hits lists from Billboard. They are the unadulterated, tabulated, unprejudiced impersonal rankings of songs. There is no better way to start it!