Best Year in Music in the 1980s?

[KAMALARAMBO: BOOMSHAKALAKA!!!]

I have a 1000 song collection that splits it up 10 songs per year. I’ve been listening to it a lot during exercising lately. I find that I skip a lot of tracks from the early 1980s up until about 1983.

Off the top of my head I think 1983 and 1987 are the top contenders to me. Probably leaning toward 1987.

[burdette25159]

1983

[Nosnorb]

For me it's 1988. Living Colour released their first record that year.

[wildojinx]

Cant go wrong with 81-84. Pretty much every top 80s band had their most succesful albums (thriller, purple rain, pyromania, sports) in that time frame, and Metal was in a golden age with stuff like Screaming for Vengeance, Piece of Mind, Ride the Lightning, Fistful of Metal, Last in Line, Mob Rules, etc.

[Toilet Paper Roll]

1984

Albums

Born in the USA
Purple Rain
1984
Private Dancer
Make it Big


Almost all he top 20 hits are by major artists... Michael Jackson,Paul McCartney, Tina Turner, Van Halen, Prince , Elton John...

Just a huge year

[Drillbit Taylor]

1984 or 1985

That billboard top 100 for the year is pretty much 95% hits that last to this day

[tankisfreemason]

86. Master of Puppets. There’s a lot more I can list but that’s all I really need.

[horsemen4ever]

Can't go wrong with 1984, as I type this I am listening to Purple Rain, and dam it is great.

[Ultimo Gallos]

82


Because my second favorite band released their first full length album.

Bad Religion-How can hell be any worse.

Plus the Dead Kennedys released Plastic Surgery Disasters.

[BrodietheSlayer]

Gotta be either 83 or 84. Both some pretty kick ass years when it came to pop music.

[DiBiase is Good]

Just thinking from a singles chart point of view, 84 takes some beating.

Frankie Goes to Hollywood - Relax, Two Tribes, The Power of Love
Wham! - Wake me up Before You Go-Go, Freedom, Last Christmas, Everything She Wants
Duran Duran - The Reflex, The Wild Boys
Nena - 99 Red Balloons
Queen - Radio Ga Ga, I Want to Break Free, It’s a Hard Life
George Michael - Careless Whisper
Cyndi Lauper - Time After Time
Prince - Purple Rain, When Doves Cry
The Smiths - Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now, How Soon is Now?, Please Please Please Let me get What I Want
Bronski Beat - Smalltown Boy, Why
Ray Parker Jr - Ghostbusters
Madonna - Like a Virgin
Paul McCartney - No More Lonely Nights
Chaka Khan - I Feel For You
Band Aid - Do They Know it’s Christmas?
Grandmaster Flash & Melle Mel - White Lines (Don’t Don’t Do it) (it was released in 83 but just kept selling and selling until peaking in mid-84. All that and Grandmaster Flash isn’t even part of the track at all)

There were also more massive sellers like Hello, I Just Called to Say I Love You and What’s Love Got to Do With It?

[Mr PONYMANIA Mr Jenzie]

1986 for me

now i was making yearly lists of my favourite and known songs a while ago (i should get back to that, i'm upto 1992) and was very excited to get to this year, as i knew it would have lots of songs ..... even i didn't realise how many!!!

and here's the list of two hundred forty six tunes i liked ..... or even remember .....

ready

(bang zoom) let's go - real roxanne with hitman howie tee
(forever) live and die - orchestral manouvers in the dark
(i just) died in your arms - cutting crew
(nothing serious) just buggin' - whistle
(waiting for) the ghost train - madness
21st century boy - sigue sigue sputnik
a different corner - george michael
a kind of magic - queen
a question of time - depeche mode
a spaceman came travelling - chris de burgh
absolute beginners - david bowie
addictd to love - robert palmer
ain't nothin' goin' on but the rent - gwen guthrie
all i ask of you - cliff richard and sarah brightman
all i need is a miracle - mike and the mechanics
all the things she said - simple minds
almaz - randy crawford
always the sun - the stranglers
always there - marti webb and the simon way orchestra
amytiville (the house on the hill) - lovebug starski
and she was - talking heads
anotherloveranotherholeinthehead - prince and the revolution
anyone can fall in love - anita dobson and the simon may orchestra
ask - the smiths
aztec gold (itv world cup theme) - silsoe
bad boy - maimi sound machine
boys don't cry - the cure
brand new lover - dead or alive
breakout - swing out sister
brilliant mind - furniture
brother louie - modern talking
call of the wild - midge ure
calling all the heroes - it bites
calling america - electric light orchestra
camouflage - stan ridgway
can't wait another minute - five star
caravan of love - the housemartins
c'est la vie - robbie nevil
chain reaction - diane ross
cry wolf - a-ha
dancing on the ceiling - lionel richie
danger zone - kenny loggins
digging your scene - blow monkeys
don't get me wrong - the pretenders
don't give up - peter gabriel and kate bush
don't leave me this way - the communards
don't stand so close to me 86 - the police
don't waste my time - paul hardcastle
down to earth - curiosity killed the cat
dreamtime - daryl hall
driving away from home (john's tune) - it's immaterial
e=mc2 - big audio dynamite
each time you break my heart - nick kamen
elouis - the damned
every beat of my heart - rod stewart
every loser wins - nick berry
everybody wants to run the world - tears for fears
everyone have fun tonight - wang chung
find the time - five star
for america - red box
french kissin' in the usa - debbie harry
friends will be friends - queen
ghostdancing - simple minds
girls ain't nothing but truoble - dj jazzy jeff and the fresh prince
glory of love - peter cetera
god thank you woman - culture club
happy hour - the housemartins
harlam shuffle - the rolling stones
have you ever had it blue - the style council
heartbeat - don johnson
heaven must be missing an angel - tavares
hello darling - tippi irie
hi ho silver - jim diamond
highler love - steve winwood
hip to be square - huey lewis and the news
holiday rap - mc miker g and djsven
hounds of love - kate bush
how will i know - whitney houston
human - human league
hunting high and low - a-ha
i can prove it - phil fearon
i can't wait - nu shooz
i can't wait - stevie nicks
i didn't mean to turn you on - robert palmer
i heard it through the grapevine - marvin gaye
i want to wake up with you - boris gardner
if i ruled the world - kurtis blow
if she knews what she wants - the bangles
i'll keep on loving you - princess
in the army now - status quo
in too deep - genesis
invisible touch - genesis
is this love? - alison moyet
it's all right (baby's coming back) - eurythmics
it's 'orrible being in love (when your eight and a half) - claire and friends
i've been losing you - a-ha
joe 90 theme - barry gray orchestra
jumpin' jack flash - aretha franklin
just say no - grange hill cast
kiss - prince
kyrie - mr mister
land of confusion - genesis
left of centre - suzanne vega
lessons in love - level 42
let's go all the way - sly fox
levi stubbs tears - billy bragg
life's what you make it - talk talk
live to tell - madonna
livin' on a prayer - bon jovi
living doll - cliff richard and the young ones
living in america - james brown
look away - big country
love can't turn around - farley 'jackmaster' funk
love comes quickly - pet shop boys
love is the drug - grace jones
love missile f1-11 - sigue sigue sputnik
manic Monday - the bangles
midas touch - five star
midnight star - headlines
misfit - curiosity killed the cat
montego bay - amazulu
move away - culture club
my favourite waste of time - owen paul
nasty - janet jackson
new beginning (mamba seyra) - bucks fizz
notorious - duran duran
oh l'amour - erasure
on my own - patti labelle and michale mcdonald
on the beach - chris rea
once bitten twice shy - vesta williams
one great thing - big country
only love - nana mouskouri
open your heart - madonna
opportunites (let's make lots of money) - pet shop boys
overjoyed - stevie wonder
panic - the smiths
papa don't preach - madonna
paranoimia - art of noise with max headroom
peter gunn - art of noise featuring duane eddy
pretty in pink - psychedelic furs
pull up to the bumper / la vie en rose - grace jones
rage hard - frankie goes to hollywood
rain or shine - five star
real wild child (wild one) - iggy pop
red sky - status quo
reet petite - jackie wilson
riptide - robert palmer
rise - public image limited
rock lobster - the b-52s
rock me amadeus - falco
rough boy - zz top
rumors - timex social club
same old story - midge ure
sanctify yourself - simple minds
santa claus is on the dole - spitting image
secret lovers - atlantic starr
set me free - jaki graham
shellshock - new order
shot in the dark - ozzy osbourne
showing out (get fresh for the weekend) - mel and kim
silent running (on dangerous grounds) - mike and the mechanics
sinful - pete wylie
sing our own song - ub40
sledgehammer - peter gabriel
snooker loopy - matchroom mob with chas and dave
so macho - sinitta
some candy talking - the jesus and mary chain
something outta nothing - letitia dean and paul medford
sometimes - erasure
soul power / it's a man world - james brown
spirit in the sky - doctor and the medics
stars - hear 'n' aid
starting together - su pollard
state of the nation - new order
stay with me - the mission
strollin' on - maxi priest
stuck on you - huey lewis and the news
suburbia - pet shop boys
suspicious minds - fine young cannibals
sweet freedom - michael mcdonald
sweet love - anita baker
system addict - five star
take my breath away - berlin
the big sky - kate bush
the boy in the bubble - paul simon
the captain of her heart - double
the chicken song - spitting image
the edge of heaven - wham!
the final countdown - europe
the finest - sos band
the greatest love of all - whitney houston
the honeythief - hipsway
the lady in red - chris de burgh
the phantom of the opera - sarah brightman and steve harley
the promise you made - cock robin
the rain - oran' juice jones
the time warp - damian
the way it is - bruce hornsby and the range
the wizard - paul hardcastle
theme from new york, new york - frank sinatra
these dreams - heart
thing for a minute - the housemartins
this is the world calling - bob geldof
thorn in my side - eurythmics
through the barricades - spandau ballet
to have and to hold - catherine stock
too good to be forgotten - amazulu
touch me (i want your body) - samantha fox
train of thought - a-ha
true blue - madonna
true colors - cyndi lauper
two of hearts - stacy q
underground - david bowie
venus - bananarama
vienna calling - falco
walk like an egyptian - the bangles
walk of life - dire straights
walk this way - run dmc / aerosmith
walking in the air - aled jones
war - bruce springsteen
warriors (of the wasteland) - frankie goes to hollywood
wasted years - iron maiden
we don't have to take our clothes off - jermain stewart
what have you done for me lately - janet jackson
what's the colour of money? - hollywood beyond
when i think of you - janet jackson
when the going gets tough, the tough get going - billy ocean
when the wind blows - david bowie
when tomorrow comes - eurythmics
who made who - ac/dc
who wants to live forever - queen
who's johnny - debarge
why can't this be love - van halen
wild wild life - talking heads
wonderful life - black
wonderful world - sam cooke
wonderland - paul young
word up - cameo
world shut your mouth - julian cope
you and mean tonight - aurra
you can call me al - paul simon
you give love a bad name - bon jovi
you got the love - candi staton
you keep me hangin' on - kim wilde
you to me are everything (the decade mix remix 76/86) - real thing
your latest trick - dire straits

it was when i bought my first 7inch singles and has some of my all time fav songs!
and i DARE anyone who's into 80's music to make a top ten out of that list

[Spider2024]

^ That's quite a list of songs. Incidentally, I also love to make long lists of songs I like. I do a Top 100 at the end of every year since 1996.