Lists & Recommendations
By Steve Peake, About.com Guide
- Top Picks Lists - For the Fun of It
- Top Picks Lists - Historical & Cultural Context
- Top Songs Lists By Artist
- Reviews & Recommendations
Top Picks Lists - For the Fun of It
Sample these top picks lists that take a look at the lighter side of '80s music and the artists who created it.
- Top 8 Worst Band Names of the '80s
- Top 5 Blustery Vocal Performances of the '80s
- Top 8 Colorfully Named Artists of the '80s
- Top 6 '80s Songs for Winter Moods
- Top 10 Overwrought Love Songs for the Hopelessly Lovelorn
- Top 10 '80s Songs of Self-Pity & Self-Absorption
- Top 8 '80s Songs That Address a Person by Name in the Title
Top Picks Lists - Historical & Cultural Context
David Letterman may have started the American craze of top 10 lists, but it turns out they're useful to evaluate and summarize the great variety, brilliance and absurdity of '80s music.
- Top 10 Songwriting Teams of the '80s
- Top 10 Punk Rock & Hardcore Bands of the '80s
- Top 10 Least Worthy No. 1 Hits of the '80s
- Top 10 Hard Rock Songs of the '80s
- Top 10 Most Tragic & Untimely Deaths of '80s Artists Since 1990
- Top 7 '80s Artists Known for Accessorizing
- Top 10 Obscure & Underground Artists of the '80s
- Top 8 Most Memorable Pop/Rock Holiday Songs of the '80s
- Top 10 Male-Female Duets of the '80s
- Top 10 Hair Metal Ballads of the '80s
- Top 10 English Artists of the '80s
- Top 10 '80s Lead Singers Who Also Played an Instrument Most of the Time
- Top 10 European Artists of the '80s
- Top 10 Irish, Scottish & Welsh Artists of the '80s
- Top 5 Fashion Anti-Heroes of the '80s
- Top 7 '80s Artists Known for Accessorizing
- Top 10 '80s TV Themes
- Top 10 '80s Makeovers Of Established Artists
- Top 10 '80s Acts with Geographical Names
- Top 10 '80s U.S. Music Scenes
Top Songs Lists By Artist
Because the '80s is such a finite period, it's probably more informative to rank the decade's music by songs rather than albums. After all, few artists had time to record any more than a handful of albums, while their song output leaves room for selectivity. Here are some looks at the best songs from the most important artists active during the '80s.
- Top 10 Madonna Songs of the '80s
- Top 10 Michael Jackson Songs of the '80s
- Top 10 Prince Songs of the '80s
- Top 5 Whitney Houston Songs of the '80s
- Top 10 Police Songs of the '80s
- Top 10 U2 Songs of the '80s
- Top 10 R.E.M. Songs of the '80s
- Top 10 John Mellencamp Songs of the '80s
- Top 7 Lionel Richie Songs of the '80s
- Top 8 Bryan Adams Songs of the '80s
- Top 10 Pretenders Songs of the '80s
- Top 8 Wham! & George Michael Songs of the '80s
- Top 10 Bon Jovi Songs of the '80s
- Top 10 Hall & Oates Songs of the '80s
- Top 6 .38 Special Songs of the '80s
- Top 8 Journey Songs of the '80s
- Top 8 Duran Duran Songs of the '80s
- Top 8 Cars Songs of the '80s
- Top 8 Huey Lewis & the News Songs of the '80s
- Top 7 Billy Idol Songs of the '80s
Reviews & Recommendations
Though no '80s music has technically been released since 1989, the music category has continued to thrive and even evolve as it holds a very loyal group of fans. Therefore, there is always room to examine anew recordings that are more than 20 years old.