Most Iconic 80s Songs
I tried not to just include songs I personally like, and I could've included a lot more, so feel free to add. But these are the 10 songs I most commonly associate with the 80s.
The first song I thought of, even if I prefer "You Give Love a Bad Name." It's 80s arena rock. It's big hair. It's impossible to sing properly at karaoke.
Thriller, Bad, Billie Jean, Beat It, Smooth Criminal, Man in the Mirror, and The Way You Make Me Feel are my favorite Michael Jackson songs. I like his other songs too.
I could've gone with "Billie Jean," but this was a gigantic hit song, music video, and album.
One of the best '80s songs that's still a hit to this day!
Not my favorite Metallica song, but a favorite of many and probably their most iconic 80s song.
It was either this or "How Will I Know." Both are '80s pop fun.
The lyrics sound a bit backward (Talking Away? Take On Me?), but this song and its video are undeniably very 80s. Good luck hitting those high notes.
Great song, superb vocals, solid synthesizer notes, and an amazing music video all at once.
Dire Straits is an iconic 80s band. This was an iconic 80s music video, and that riff? Damn.
One of my favorite bands, my favorite album, and one of the more iconic songs off that album. Def Leppard was a staple of MTV with their music videos and arena rock songs in the 80s.
I hear the drums echoing tonight. Wow, the magic of David Paich and Jeff Porcaro!
Because I like the beat and rhythm.
I prefer Welcome to the Jungle, but I think Sweet Child O'Mine was more popular and hence, more iconic.
The Newcomers
I'm not a Madonna fan, but I respect her adaptability and capacity to change her image. This is probably my favorite song of hers and definitely one of her biggest 80s hits.
Michael Jackson's first moonwalk was legendary, memorable, and one of the best dance moves ever!
I'm not a Prince fan, but he's iconically '80s, and this is his best song by far.
Prince combined rock, R&B, funk, and punk into one song: "When Doves Cry."
This song has had a greater cultural impact than Pat Benatar's "Love Is a Battlefield," Madonna's "Like a Virgin," or Tina Turner's "What's Love Got to Do With It." It is an anthem for a movement in women that still resonates in society today.
Honestly, I think this could easily be in the top five when it comes to songs associated with the 1980s. It should certainly be ahead of a song like Master of Puppets, which is primarily known to Metallica fans (no offense to them, though).
I also like the music video as well as the song!
I personally like this more than Billie Jean.
Bon Jovi weren't just "Livin' on a Prayer."
Another iconic song from one of the most iconic albums of the '80s.
I love this song. It's the best I've ever listened to! I always send it to all my friends because it's so good! This is the 80s song I've listened to the most!
(Not necessarily by choice.)
Can't stand it, but there's no doubting it deserves a mention.
