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Year-end consensus · Alternative & Modern Rock · one countdowns combined

The best alternative rock songs of 1980

One radio stations and charts published year-end countdowns for 1980: KROQ. Combining every list, the top alternative rock song of 1980 is “Whip It” by Devo, which appeared on one of the one countdowns and was voted number one by one of them. The Pretenders was the year’s most-charted artist, with six different songs placing 6 times across the countdowns.

1countdowns
106songs charted
1different #1s

Top 100 songs of 1980

All 106 songs →

Ranked by combined points across every 1980 year-end countdown in this format. How it works.

# Song Strength Lists Best #1s
1 Whip It Devo
100		 1 #1 1
2 The Wait The Pretenders
99		 1 #2 –
3 Refugee Tom Petty
98		 1 #3 –
4 She's So Cold The Rolling Stones
97		 1 #4 –
5 Give Me Back My Man The B-52's
96		 1 #5 –
6 Another Brick in the Wall Part II Pink Floyd
95		 1 #6 –
7 Touch and Go The Cars
94		 1 #7 –
8 De Do Do Do De Da Da Da The Police
93		 1 #8 –
9 Once in a Lifetime Talking Heads
92		 1 #9 –
10 Train in Vain The Clash
92		 1 #10 –
11 Only a Lad Oingo Boingo
91		 1 #11 –
12 Clean Up Time John Lennon
90		 1 #12 –
13 What Do You Do for Money Honey AC/DC
89		 1 #13 –
14 Turning Japanese The Vapors
88		 1 #14 –
15 Holiday In Cambodia Dead Kennedys
87		 1 #15 –
16 Los Angeles X
86		 1 #16 –
17 Freedom of Choice Devo
85		 1 #17 –
18 What I Like About You The Romantics
84		 1 #18 –
19 Mystery Achievement The Pretenders
83		 1 #19 –
20 Don't Do Me Like That Tom Petty
82		 1 #20 –
21 And the Cradle Will Rock Van Halen
81		 1 #21 –
22 Another One Bites the Dust Queen
80		 1 #22 –
23 Her Strut Bob Seger
79		 1 #23 –
24 Ashes to Ashes David Bowie
78		 1 #24 –
25 Games Without Frontiers Peter Gabriel
77		 1 #25 –
26 Let Me Go The Rolling Stones
76		 1 #26 –
27 Comfortably Numb Pink Floyd
75		 1 #27 –
28 Up and Down The Cars
75		 1 #28 –
29 Cars Gary Numan
74		 1 #29 –
30 Clones Alice Cooper
73		 1 #30 –
31 Private Idaho The B-52's
72		 1 #31 –
32 Misunderstanding Genesis
71		 1 #32 –
33 Foolish Behavior Rod Stewart
70		 1 #33 –
34 Hit Me With Your Best Shot Pat Benatar
69		 1 #34 –
35 Tattooed Love Boys The Pretenders
68		 1 #35 –
36 Don't Stand So Close to Me The Police
67		 1 #36 –
37 Crosseyed And Painless Talking Heads
66		 1 #37 –
38 Clampdown The Clash
65		 1 #38 –
39 Even It Up Heart
64		 1 #39 –
40 Danger The Motels
63		 1 #40 –
41 Ramrod Bruce Springsteen
62		 1 #41 –
42 Rough Boys Pete Townshend
61		 1 #42 –
43 5ive Gears in Reverse Elvis Costello & the Attractions
60		 1 #43 –
44 My Beach The Surf Punks
59		 1 #44 –
45 Fashion David Bowie
58		 1 #45 –
46 Teacher Teacher Rockpile
58		 1 #46 –
47 Ain't This the Life Oingo Boingo
57		 1 #47 –
48 Girl U Want Devo
56		 1 #48 –
49 Here Comes My Girl Tom Petty
55		 1 #49 –
50 Emotional Rescue The Rolling Stones
54		 1 #50 –
51 Misfit Kid The Cars
53		 1 #51 –
52 You Shook Me All Night Long AC/DC
52		 1 #52 –
53 Victims of the Fury Robin Trower
51		 1 #53 –
54 Rock It (Prime Jive) Queen
50		 1 #54 –
55 Free Me Roger Daltry
49		 1 #55 –
56 Snortin' Whiskey Pat Travers
48		 1 #56 –
57 (Just Like) Starting Over John Lennon
47		 1 #57 –
58 Strobe Light The B-52's
46		 1 #58 –
59 Talk of the Town The Pretenders
45		 1 #59 –
60 Run Like Hell Pink Floyd
44		 1 #60 –
61 Canary In A Coalmine The Police
43		 1 #61 –
62 Generals and Majors XTC
42		 1 #62 –
63 Love Stinks J. Geils
42		 1 #63 –
64 Turn It On Again Genesis
41		 1 #64 –
65 Houses in Motion Talking Heads
40		 1 #65 –
66 Gates of Steel Devo
39		 1 #66 –
67 London Calling The Clash
38		 1 #67 –
68 Betty Lou's Gettin' Out Bob Seger
37		 1 #68 –
69 Gimme Some Slack The Cars
36		 1 #69 –
70 Even the Losers Tom Petty
35		 1 #70 –
71 Send it to Me The Rolling Stones
34		 1 #71 –
72 Everybody Wants Some Van Halen
33		 1 #72 –
73 Dragon Attack Queen
32		 1 #73 –
74 Gi'me Wings Rod Stewart
31		 1 #74 –
75 I Can't Stand Up For Falling Down Elvis Costello & the Attractions
30		 1 #75 –
76 Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps) David Bowie
29		 1 #76 –
77 Bebe Le Strange Heart
28		 1 #77 –
78 Pain Alice Cooper
27		 1 #78 –
79 Not One of Us Peter Gabriel
26		 1 #79 –
80 Christine Siouxsie and the Banshees
25		 1 #80 –
81 Who Cares Huey Lewis and the News
25		 1 #81 –
82 Hells Bells AC/DC
24		 1 #82 –
83 Driven To Tears The Police
23		 1 #83 –
84 Brass in Pocket The Pretenders
22		 1 #84 –
85 Don't Bring Me Down Tom Petty
21		 1 #85 –
86 She Talks In Stereo Gary Myrick & Figures
20		 1 #86 –
87 Don't Tell Me No The Cars
19		 1 #87 –
88 All Night Long Joe Walsh
18		 1 #88 –
89 Temporary Secretary Paul McCartney
17		 1 #89 –
90 Seriously Affected The Romeos
16		 1 #90 –
91 Gettin' Mighty Crowed Elvis Costello & the Attractions
15		 1 #91 –
92 My Wave The Surf Punks
14		 1 #92 –
93 High Priest of Rhythmic Noise Cheap Trick
13		 1 #93 –
94 My Mistake The Kingbees
12		 1 #94 –
95 Anyway You Want It Journey
11		 1 #95 –
96 Nothin More To Lose Dave Davies
10		 1 #96 –
97 Rockin Heaven Down Heart
9		 1 #97 –
98 Crazy Little Thing Called Love Queen
8		 1 #98 –
99 Passion Rod Stewart
8		 1 #99 –
100 Cuban Slide The Pretenders
7		 1 #100 –

Every station’s number one of 1980

StationNumber one songCountdown
KROQ Whip It Devo KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1980

All 1980 countdowns in this ranking

About the 1980 ranking

Radio stations count down their listeners’ favorite songs at the end of every year. Each station’s list reflects its own audience, so a song that ruled Los Angeles could miss the top ten in Chicago. To find the songs that defined 1980 everywhere, RockLists gives every appearance percentile-based points (a number one earns 100, the last position earns close to zero) and adds them up across all one qualifying countdowns. Each radio format is ranked separately, so classic rock and hard rock countdowns never shift the alternative results; use the tabs above to switch formats. Read the full methodology.