Readers' Poll: The 10 Worst Songs of the 1980s

rolling stone ^ | 10/6/2011 | Andy Greene

[SoFloFreeper]

A few weeks ago we asked our readers to vote for their least favorite songs from the 1990s, so it was the obvious next move to dial it back 10 years and see what you guys hated in the 1980s. The results are sure to infuriate a lot of people. For the record, I personally disagree with most of these selections. In fact, I love a lot of these songs...

10. Rick Astley - 'Never Gonna Give You Up'...

9. Taco - 'Puttin' On The Ritz'...

8. Toni Basil - 'Mickey'...

7. Bobby McFerrin - 'Don't Worry Be Happy'...

6. Falco - 'Rock Me Amadeus'...

5. Men Without Hats - 'The Safety Dance'...

4. Wham! - 'Wake Me Up (Before You Go Go)'....

3. Chris de Burgh - 'Lady In Red'....

2. Europe - 'The Final Countdown'...

1. Starship - 'We Built This City'...

[Diana in Wisconsin]

LOTS of songs about crazy ex’s! Great material to mine. ;)

[edh]

I completely forgot about that song! :-). I didn’t care much for his 80s stuff ... The crap he released in 93 I think it was (Wild Night) made me want to go deaf :-). Something about the guy’s voice just grates on my soul. Same thing with Bruce Springsteen.

KWI certainly isn’t a bad song at all ... But his vocals ruin it for me. I know I’m in the minority when it comes to his singing. Also, be aware that I find Dave Mustaine of Megadeth to be a great singer (for his genre) :-).

[Trillian]

I like number 1 & 2 *runs for cover*.

[SamAdams76]

Lot of bad songs from the 1980s (lot of great songs too)

That song about chess by Murray Head ("One Night in Bangkok") especially irks.

Then there's "Footloose" by Kenny Loggins. I just cringe when that song comes on the radio.

I love David Bowie from the 1970s but in the 1980s, he sucked.

The Police were the greatest band in the world through "Ghosts In The Machine" (1981) but that Synchronicity album (1983), despite being their biggest selling album, was awful through and through..."Miss Gradenko?"...

No wonder they broke up.

"I Want Your Sex" by George Michael makes me want to run out of the room.

Then you have Milli Vanilli.

Some really bad stuff from the 1980s.

[BenLurkin]

It’s Migos these days....https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-sJp1FfG7Q

[Diana in Wisconsin]

“I am a woman, and, for me, that song epitomizes what a woman wants to hear from the man she loves.”

Personally, I prefer, ‘The Way You Look Tonight’ by Sinatra for that. :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gab2Vuz2Nk

[VMI70]

“WHAT!?
More like the 10 BEST Songs of the ‘80’s!

I am an 80’s baby and I grew up with those songs.”

Right with you, and I’m a ‘40s baby. They may not be the ten best, but most certainly in the top 25.

[Trillian]

I love Whitesnake. We jokingly refer to it in this house as the music mommies and daddies listen to ;)

[dangerdoc]

Hey, my wife is a jazzercise instructor

[freedumb2003]

>>I beg your pardon, it’s Punna Owwa Wees,<<

You captured it much better than I!

And that is REALLY fun to Karaoke to.

[donna]

The songs are all lively and imaginative and different from each other.

Disney/Rap/Recycled crap is just unhappy and depressed.

[freedumb2003]

>>My pick would be “Ghostbusters” by Ray Parker Jr.

The first time I heard it, I swore it sounded familiar.<<
Rip off of “Soul Finger.”

[Diana in Wisconsin]

I liked it! I’m just not 25 anymore, LOL!

[Bigg Red]

Yeah, that is good one, also, but I would have to put “Lady in Red” ahead of it because of the arrangement.

[SamAdams76]

I kind of like "We Built This City" even though it blatantly pandered to whatever city it was being played in. I was doing a lot of business travel during the time it was popular and in every city I was driving in, the song would have DJ patter customized for that particular city.

For example, I'd be driving through St. Louis and "I'm looking out over that Golden Gate bridge on another gorgeous sunny Saturday" would become "I'm looking out over that beautiful Gateway Arch..."

[rlmorel]

People like all kinds of music for a wide variety of reasons. My favorite music by far is 70’s music, but I had a good time in the Eighties. Sure, a lot of songs are burnt out, but...what the hell? I find it a lot more fun to talk about music I like rather than music I hate. This is one of my Eighties playlists, and I know some of these songs may not be liked, but hey...I have good memories of times with some of them:

Abracadabra - The Steve Miller Band
Rockit - Herbie Hancock
One Thing Leads To Another - The Fixx
All She Wants To Do Is Dance - Don Henley
Walking In L.A. - Missing Persons
Everybody Wants To Rule The World - Tears For Fears
What About Love - Heart
Brown Eyed Girl - Van Morrison
Keep On Loving You - REO Speedwagon
Simply Irresistible - Robert Palmer
Run To You - Bryan Adams
Rebel Yell - Billy Idol
Don’t You Want Me - The Human League
Sledgehammer - Peter Gabriel
She Drives Me Crazy - Fine Young Cannibals
Der Kommissar - After the Fire
(I Don’t Wanna Lose) Your Love (Power Remix) - Power Music Workout
Boom Boom (Out Go the Lights) [Live] - Pat Travers Band
Shock The Monkey - Peter Gabriel
I Don’t Wanna Know - Phil Collins
Foreplay / Long Time - Boston
Shoo Be Doo - Cars
Candy-O - Cars
Big Time - Peter Gabriel
Sultans Of Swing - Dire Straits
Moving In Stereo - Cars
Overkill - Men At Work
Would I Lie To You? - Eurythmics
I Ran - A Flock of Seagulls
I Love Rock ‘N Roll - Joan Jett & The Blackhearts
Small Town - John Cougar Mellencamp
Walk Of Life - Dire Straits
Serious Business - John Cougar Mellencamp
Down Under - Men At Work
Money For Nothing - Dire Straits
It’s A Mistake - Men At Work
Dr. Heckyll & Mr. Jive - Men At Work
Love Is a Battlefield - Pat Benatar
Too Much Information - Police
Destination Unknown - Missing Persons
Miss Gradenko - Police
Simply Irresistible - Robert Palmer
Infatuation (Single Version) - Rod Stewart
What I Like About You - Romantics
Tom Sawyer - Rush
Subdivisions - Rush
Shadows of the Night - Pat Benatar
Who Can It Be Now? - Men At Work
New World Man - Rush
Hot For Teacher - Van Halen
True (Remastered) - Spandau Ballet
Words - Missing Persons
Stray Cat Strut - Stray Cats
The Logical Song - Supertramp
And She Was - Talking Heads
She Blinded Me With Science - Thomas Dolby
Stay Up Late - Talking Heads
Europa And The Pirate Twins - Thomas Dolby
One Of Our Submarines - Thomas Dolby
White City - Thomas Dolby
Africa - Toto
Jump - Van Halen
Why Can’t This Be Love - Van Halen

[CtBigPat]

I'm a huge fan of 80's tunes, but few songs will get me rushing to change the station quite like Neil Young's Rockin' in the Free World. Remember when the press decided that Reagan's America would be an America of homelessness?

[minnesota_bound]

#51 Tawny Kitaen was OJ’s girlfriend. Her career went south after that. Do not look at current photos of her. Plastic surgery muppet.

[Albion Wilde]

I was a huge Genesis fan growing up (mostly the PG-era) but didn't mind the first album or two when it was fronted by Phil ..

Oh, no, no, no. Genesis was fronted by Peter Gabriel. Saw them live twice during the Selling England by the Pound and Lamb Lies Down on Broadway era. Gabriel was definitely the dominant partner, and what a magnificent performer. I remember Phil getting down from the drum set once during the performance and coming forward in a pair of white overalls with no shirt to sing one song; then back to the drum set with him. I think he also sang harmonies with Gabriel into the microphone whilst drumming.

The band actually started up when the guys were kids in boarding school in the 60s, and Phil wasn't an original member.

[CrimsonTidegirl]

“But I get SICK of the overplayed stuff so much that I call stuff bad.”

In my case, that would be “Kokomo” by The Beach Boys. I was entering my Senior Year in High School when it was released and, at first, I liked the song.

By Graduation, I hated it because I was so sick of it. In fact, I am still sick of it, after all these years. “Overplayed” doesn’t even begin to describe it.

I know I’m in the minority but I like “Putting on the Ritz”. I guess I like it because it was written in the 1920’s and I have a fascination with the 20’s.

I agree with you on “Say Say Say”. Overplayed.