Year-end consensus · Hard Rock & Metal · one countdowns combined
The best hard rock songs of 1980
One radio stations and charts published year-end countdowns for 1980: KISW. Combining every list, the top hard rock song of 1980 is “Back in Black” by AC/DC, which appeared on one of the one countdowns and was voted number one by one of them. AC/DC was the year’s most-charted artist, with three different songs placing 3 times across the countdowns.
Top 100 songs of 1980
Ranked by combined points across every 1980 year-end countdown in this format. How it works.
| # | Song | Strength | Lists | Best | #1s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Back in Black AC/DC | 1 | #1 | 1 | |
| 2 | And the Cradle Will Rock Van Halen | 1 | #2 | – | |
| 3 | Another One Bites the Dust Queen | 1 | #3 | – | |
| 4 | Anyway You Want It Journey | 1 | #4 | – | |
| 5 | You Shook Me All Night Long AC/DC | 1 | #5 | – | |
| 6 | Crazy Train Ozzy Osbourne | 1 | #6 | – | |
| 7 | Don't Stand So Close to Me The Police | 1 | #7 | – | |
| 8 | The Zoo Scorpions | 1 | #8 | – | |
| 9 | Whip It Devo | 1 | #9 | – | |
| 10 | Even It Up Heart | 1 | #10 | – | |
| 11 | Against the Wind Bob Seger | 1 | #11 | – | |
| 12 | Let My Love Open The Door Pete Townshend | 1 | #12 | – | |
| 13 | Love Stinks J. Geils Band | 1 | #13 | – | |
| 14 | Once in a Lifetime Talking Heads | 1 | #14 | – | |
| 15 | I Don't Know Ozzy Osbourne | 1 | #15 | – | |
| 16 | Fashion David Bowie | 1 | #16 | – | |
| 17 | Living After Midnight Judas Priest | 1 | #17 | – | |
| 18 | Hit Me With Your Best Shot Pat Benatar | 1 | #18 | – | |
| 19 | Keep On Loving You REO Speedwagon | 1 | #19 | – | |
| 20 | Hells Bells AC/DC | 1 | #20 | – | |
| 21 | Bad Reputation Joan Jett | 1 | #21 | – | |
| 22 | Freewill Rush | 1 | #22 | – | |
| 23 | Turn Me Loose Loverboy | 1 | #23 | – | |
| 24 | Mr. Crowley Ozzy Osbourne | 1 | #24 | – | |
| 25 | I Will Follow U2 | 1 | #25 | – |
Every station’s number one of 1980
| Station | Number one song | Countdown |
|---|---|---|
| KISW | I Will Follow U2 | KISW 25 Greatest Rock Songs from 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 hard rock results; use the tabs above to switch formats. Read the full methodology.