Top 10 Worst Songs of the 1980s

The Top Ten
1 Fade to Black - Metallica

I hate Metallica. I hate the fact that they ripped off other groups. I hate the fact that they're still as popular as they were when they began, where Bon Jovi and Guns n' Roses are less popular than they were. How are Metallica good, let alone better than everyone else?! They cannot sing; they just shout in between parts of a song! The reason why other groups are better is because they put precision in and time music to vocals. Metallica do neither, and they are still as popular as they used to be for lack of talent. They can't mix elements of their songs properly; it's like stirring two rocks into each other. For others, they do it like diluting juice! It's talented and thought out; Metallica is uninspired crap that you cannot call music! Accept the facts and face the truth, people!

WHAT THE.. OH MY CRAP!?! HOW THE CRAP DID THIS GET NUMBER ONE!?! THIS IS MY FAVORITE Metallica SONG BESIDES ONE, AND THIS WAS VOTED THE WORST SONG IN THE 1980's!?! THEN HOW ON BEST Metallica SONGS, IS IT NUMBER 3 ON THAT LIST, ABOVE DISPOSABLE HEROES, RIDE THE LIGHTNING, AND THE SHORTEST STRAW!?! THIS IS JUST PLAIN STUPID.

2 We Built This City - Starship

This song is considered by many critics to be one of the worst songs ever, and it's quite obvious why. With its cheap instrumentation, stupid and nonsensical lyrics, and terrible singing performances, it definitely deserves a place as one of the worst songs of the 80s and one of the worst songs of all time.

This song sucks and worse it makes a mockery of when this group was actually good and relevant. I hated it in the 80's and still can't listen to it now.

Despite a lot of 80s songs being called "the worst of the decade", they are still good and can be considered bad in a good way. - Gehenna

I don't like this song personally but I would rather listened to it than their sappy ballad "Nothing Gonna Stop Us Now.

3 Mickey - Toni Basil

I like this one, but I can see why it would be annoying to some people. I have seen comparisons to this song to Shake It Off and Girlfriend, and it's kind of true. In other words, this is a precursor to the rap bridge in Shake It Off and the cheerleading section in Girlfriend. And many people who lived through the 80s remember this song getting massive airplay on the radio and MTV. Kind of like how Girls Like You got overplayed.

I have to say this is my least favorite 80s song. It gets on my nerves quite quickly and the song just seems extremely stupid. And worstmusicoftheyear, it did chart at least in the top 40, because I remember hearing it on a Top 40 Countdown rerun.

I will never understand why or how this embarrassingly bad song exists. Seriously, why was this made, who was it directed to, and how did it chart? Someone please tell me, I have no idea.

This was the epitome of a Video song. I don't know why it's getting SUCH a bad rap. It was a cheerleader song, with cheerleaders. Kinda kookie, but real. 100% novelty, but not deserving of "the worst".

4 Pour Some Sugar On Me - Def Leppard

Listening to this garbage gives me diabetes. Def Leppard are overrated and trashy plus Joe Elliot has the worst voice in history. He sounds like a sick animal giving birth.

I don't know. I don't think this is the worst, but I think it's overrated beyond belief. The fact that it's excessively played on the radio doesn't help either.

Yes. Especially when you realize definitely Leppard had so many great songs before that.

WHHHAATT? this song has no place on this list even Rolling stones album reviewers would agree with me! curse these top tens lists! that's why I don't rely on these lists anyway.

5 Heartbeat - Don Johnson

Good God, what the hell is this song? Why the hell was it made? Why did someone decide to make this horrible song? lyrics, instrumentation, singing performance, everything. This is not only the worst song of the 80s, it is one of the worst songs ever.

An actor trying to do his best rockstar impersonation. Do I really need to explain myself? Plus the chorus is weak, the vocals are pretty bad and the production is extremely outdated. This needs to be in the top 3.

The dumb bastard who made this list put my favorite Metallica and definitely leppard song

Sound like a bland pop rock song from an actor. Just the Corey Feldman of 80s.

6 Sweet Child O' Mine - Guns N' Roses

You guys know that when you comment to say you love this song you're voting for it to be the worst song, right? Or whatever. I like this song, especially the solo, but I never really was a big fan of Axl's voice. Especially when I was a kid, I used to cry whenever my dad put Welcome to the Jungle because I found it scary. But this song shouldn't be here, honestly. Oh, the irony!

I hated this the second I heard it, but then I've never been a Guns N' Roses fan. Love the music but hate Axl's singing.

God, I hate axel rose. if I have to hear his wailing, self absorbed, screeching whine one more time in my lifetime, I swear I will puke.

7 Muscles - Diana Ross

What the hell?! How is guns n roses sweet child of mine the worst song of the 80's? What retard made this list?! Guns 'n roses sweet child of mine might be the best song of the 80s.

Some worst 80s songs that SHOULD be on this list:

Feels Like I'm in Love by Kelly Marie (annoying); Shaddup Your Face by Joe Dolce (need I say more); most of Britain's Eurovision entries; upwards of two thirds of Stock,Aitken & Waterman's pappy synthesiser hits.

8 Take Me Home Tonight - Eddie Money

Annoying, catchy, repetitive, cheap, bad singing, talentless, poppy, bad instrumentation, boring, and uninspired.

The Ronettes' sound sucks!

I love this song

9 Japanese Boy - Aneka

Her voice is excruciating and painful to hear...this is a disrespect to the Japanese!

10 Heaven is a Place on Earth - Belinda Carlisle

Song is better than you think dingus top tens. Go listen to the Go-Go's to know who Belinda Carlisle is.

Oh my goodness, hated it then and the Progressive Insurance Commercials just made it even worse.

This song is my guilty pleasure. I used to hate this song but I guess it is really fun to listen to.

This song is the worst thing in the history of humanity

The Contenders
11 Physical - Olivia Newton-John

This song just deserves to be somewhere in this list. Horrible lyrics, cheap instrumentation, being very unmemorable. This song is one of the worst songs ever.

This song stinks. I think that Olivia hit a new rock bottom in terms of selling out when she recorded this.

I will never, ever, ever, ever understand how this was the biggest hit of the decade.

LOVE this song and it was a BIG HIT for Olivia. Shouldn't be on this list!

12 Sara - Fleetwood Mac

So glad 2c this on a "worst"list! I always wondered what anybody possibly
liked about it. Terrible, boring song by has-been band, is right! It used to be torture for me when it came on the radio.

Any Fleetwood Mac song really

Bad song from a has-been band.

This song is from 1979.

13 Harden My Heart - Quarterflash

My exception of liking girls on saxophone :-(

14 Live to Tell - Madonna

What genius with crap taste in music put Metallica and Guns 'n Roses in this list

Not as good as people say, but it doesn't deserve to be this high.

This is actually one of her best songs.

15 Like a Prayer - Madonna

I heard that this song has double entendres that it can be about religion or about sex. This song is good but the lyrics sounds questionable.

I agree with this placement. Horrible lyrics, sickening video.

Madonna good

16 I Know What Boys Like - The Waitresses

I prefer the version sung by Herbert from Family Guy. If that doesn't tell you how much I hate this, I don't know what will.

I know one of this bqnd's members died but that doesn't stop this song from sucking

Sung with no emotion. It's a laughable song.

True. "oh listen to us, we're SO naughty..."

17 Sunglasses at Night - Corey Hart

You know those Youtube commenters who say that "modern music sucks (which is kinda true, although I don't really care about it since to me it does sound generic) and that the 80s had awesome music" Haha, yeah no.

The 80s had a huge amount of horrible music (plus corny fashion), even then almost everything sounded the same (personally I think the late 80s though is when music started to become good again, except hair metal it still sucks no matter what. Thank god Grunge caused it to decline), and this song is one of the reasons why I think the music of the 80s weren't great as everyone makes it out to be.

Horrible lyrics, annoying synth noises, terrible "singing", yeah do I need to explain more? In a nutshell this song is everything wrong with the 80's new wave/Second British Invasion craze.

This is such an '80s-tough-guy-badass wannabe song. It's so corny and a song people laughed at back in the eighties. I'd almost say it's worse than "We Build This City".

Amazing. The lyrics "don't switch the blade on a guy in shades" is valuable life knowledge.

I don't even need to explain why this is here. This is horrible.

18 Girls Just Want to Have Fun - Cyndi Lauper

I really wish that Love is Like A Rock was on this list because that song really is the most pointless song of all time. And it was a massive hit for some reason. But eh I'll just vote for this because I also dislike this song a lot.

It's a cover not really her song by the way the real one was made by a boy

This ain't a bad song. Don't like female empowerment or something?

19 Thriller - Michael Jackson

Why is this song here?! The video was groundbreaking. The song is became so Halloween, spoofing horror films, the choreography, etc. Sorry this does NOT belong here.

One of the most overrated songs of all time. Michael Jackson is one of my favorite musical artists ever. This is my least favorite song from him.

Thriller? More like "I got stubbed my toe on the front door because I listened to this crap".

Over produced video, incessant radio play and a question mark to a lot of his fans

20 Roam - The B-52's
21 Alone - Heart

Nooo! This is one of Hearts masterpieces. One of the best of the 80s not the worst!

I don't like Heart, but this is admittedly a pretty good song.

22 Eyes Without a Face - Billy Idol

I always (intentionally) mis-hear these lyrics as 'Arse About Face'. It's better that way.

This belongs on the list

23 Missing You - John Waite
24 Lover's Moon - Glenn Frey
25 Dancing on the Ceiling - Lionel Richie

Lionel songs are all the best. I see no reasons why dancing on the ceiling be rated as 10th worst love songs ever. Don't merely judge a book by its cover, dig deeper and you'll find the reasoning of my objection in this rating.

Just another song about using drugs in the 80s. This song deserves to be on this list.

So commercial it hurts...

Metallica at number 1?

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