TopPicks Index
Top 10 Bruce Springsteen Songs of the '80s, Part 1 - Hits, Singles & Familiar Tracks
Bruce Springsteen was an important and consistent hitmaker of the '80s, especially upon the release of his intensely popular classic album from 1984, [i]Born in the USA[/i]. Here's a look at the singer-songwriter's best tunes that made a mark on the '80s pop charts.
Top 6 Spinal Tap Songs of the '80s
As the top parody rock band of the '80s, Spinal Tap provided both commentary on contemporary music and functioned as a vital artist in its own right. Here's a look at the "fictional" band's best and most representative hard rock songs.
Top 7 Rick Springfield Songs of the '80s
Though often unfairly labeled as a teenybopper’s fantasy lacking in artistic substance, Rick Springfield was actually one of the '80s finest practitioners of mainstream rock, striking a singular marriage between a power pop obsession with melody and a rebel rocker’s penchant for guitar riffs. If you need proof, take some time to reexamine these tracks, all of which added positively and enduringly to the decade’s musical landscape.
Top 6 .38 Special Songs of the '80s: A Full Chamber
Rooted deeply in Southern rock and a hard-driving '70s rock sound, .38 Special actually did not become a distinct entity with its own sound until the band developed a smooth, tuneful hybrid of hard rock and melodic, guitar-oriented pop in the early '80s. Although purists may protest, this period and its hits represent the pinnacle of this fine band’s career. What's more, the band’s finest tunes don’t sacrifice a bit of muscular, inventive guitar work in order to attain commercial pop appeal.
Top 7 Lionel Richie Songs of the '80s
For better or worse, few things scream “'80s” quite like the songs of Lionel Richie. Even for listeners who fancied themselves sophisticated music fans, Richie’s biggest hits formed a semi-permanent soundtrack inside their brains. Here’s a look at a few of the smooth singer’s best, the ones you might not have to be ashamed of enjoying.
Top 10 R.E.M. Songs of the '80s
R.E.M. has always been known as a strong album band and, thanks to their firm entrenchment in the underground during the early '80s, the band never really had much of an outlet for singles. Even so, the increasing exposure of R.E.M. in the late '80s ultimately made their music quite popular and even ubiquitous. This all makes selecting the band’s top 10 songs of the '80s an even more complex and rewarding process. Better than standing in the place where you are anyway.
Top 10 U2 Songs of the '80s
U2 evolved from a post-punk jangle guitar outfit to arena rockers before finishing out the '80s delving into roots rock. Along the way, the band produced some of the highest-quality, most intriguing music of the rock era, not to mention the decade. Here’s a look at 10 of the best '80s songs from one of rock’s greatest bands.