Decade consensus · Alternative & Modern Rock · 37 year-end countdowns + 4 decade countdowns

The best alternative rock songs of the 1980s

This ranking of the 1980s combines 37 year-end countdowns from 1980 through 1989 with four “songs of the decade” countdowns aired by WLIR / WDRE, 91X, WFNX and Channel 104.9. The top song of the '80s is “Just Like Heaven” by The Cure, which charted on 8 countdowns and reached number one two times. The decade’s most-charted artists are U2, The Cure, The Smiths, Depeche Mode and New Order.

1,974songs charted

37year-end countdowns

4decade countdowns

Top 100 songs of the '80s

Top 1000 →

#	Song	Strength	Lists	Best	#1s	Year
1	Just Like Heaven The Cure	735	8	#1	2	1987
2	Dear God XTC	724	9	#1	1	1987
3	With or Without You U2	684	9	#3	–	1987
4	How Soon is Now? The Smiths	661	7	#1	4	1984
5	Pride (In the Name of Love) U2	651	7	#1	1	1984
6	Strangelove Depeche Mode	635	7	#2	–	1987
7	Blue Monday New Order	630	9	#1	1	1983
8	Desire U2	630	8	#2	–	1988
9	Beds are Burning Midnight Oil	615	8	#3	–	1988
10	Need You Tonight INXS	598	9	#5	–	1987
11	Suedehead Morrissey	597	9	#4	–	1988
12	Love Song The Cure	593	8	#1	1	1989
13	Lips Like Sugar Echo and the Bunnymen	590	8	#2	–	1987
14	Love Shack The B-52's	583	7	#1	1	1989
15	In Between Days The Cure	582	9	#4	–	1985
16	True Faith New Order	579	7	#3	–	1987
17	Bizarre Love Triangle New Order	573	7	#1	1	1986
18	The Lovecats The Cure	558	7	#2	–	1983
19	Route 66 Depeche Mode	555	6	#1	2	1988
20	Girlfriend in a Coma The Smiths	538	7	#2	–	1987
21	Stand R.E.M.	526	7	#4	–	1989
22	Orange Crush R.E.M.	519	7	#1	1	1988
23	Why Can't I Be You? The Cure	514	7	#1	1	1987
24	It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine) R.E.M.	510	7	#7	–	1987
25	The One I Love R.E.M.	494	6	#5	–	1987
26	Sunday Bloody Sunday U2	490	7	#5	–	1983
27	Peek-A-Boo Siouxsie and the Banshees	480	5	#1	1	1988
28	New Year's Day U2	472	7	#7	–	1983
29	Panic The Smiths	462	7	#5	–	1986
30	Don't You (Forget About Me) Simple Minds	455	6	#1	1	1985
31	Relax Frankie Goes to Hollywood	449	6	#1	1	1984
32	I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For U2	446	7	#16	–	1987
33	What You Need INXS	446	7	#7	–	1986
34	Dead Man's Party Oingo Boingo	439	5	#1	1	1985
35	People are People Depeche Mode	436	5	#11	–	1984
36	Mad World Tears for Fears	430	7	#5	–	1983
37	Chains of Love Erasure	428	5	#7	–	1988
38	She Sells Sanctuary The Cult	427	6	#4	–	1985
39	Close to Me The Cure	427	7	#11	–	1986
40	Let's Go to Bed The Cure	421	6	#13	–	1983
41	Burning Down the House Talking Heads	414	6	#13	–	1983
42	Bigmouth Strikes Again The Smiths	414	7	#3	–	1986
43	I Melt With You Modern English	412	5	#2	–	1983
44	Fast Car Tracy Chapman	410	5	#1	1	1988
45	Mandinka Sinéad O'Connor	395	7	#5	–	1988
46	She Drives Me Crazy Fine Young Cannibals	394	6	#4	–	1989
47	Tenderness General Public	392	5	#1	1	1984
48	Ask The Smiths	385	6	#5	–	1986
49	Master and Servant Depeche Mode	385	6	#5	–	1984
50	So Alive Love and Rockets	381	6	#1	1	1989
51	White Wedding Billy Idol	378	6	#7	–	1982
52	Sledgehammer Peter Gabriel	378	5	#2	–	1986
53	Alex Chilton The Replacements	376	6	#8	–	1987
54	Every Breath You Take The Police	375	5	#3	–	1983
55	Alive and Kicking Simple Minds	373	5	#1	1	1985
56	Lullaby The Cure	368	6	#3	–	1989
57	Rebel Yell Billy Idol	356	6	#8	–	1984
58	Red Red Wine UB40	356	5	#1	1	1983
59	Let's Dance David Bowie	355	5	#6	–	1983
60	Rock the Casbah The Clash	355	5	#1	1	1982
61	In a Big Country Big Country	354	5	#3	–	1983
62	Running Up That Hill Kate Bush	352	5	#4	–	1985
63	In Your Eyes Peter Gabriel	346	6	#10	–	1986
64	Personal Jesus Depeche Mode	345	4	#4	–	1989
65	Where the Streets Have No Name U2	344	5	#12	–	1987
66	Everybody Wants to Rule the World Tears for Fears	339	5	#9	–	1985
67	Don't You Want Me The Human League	339	4	#5	–	1982
68	Hourglass Squeeze	339	5	#11	–	1987
69	Fascination Street The Cure	338	5	#5	–	1989
70	Oh L'Amour Erasure	335	4	#3	–	1986
71	Everyday Is Like Sunday Morrissey	334	5	#5	–	1988
72	Save It For Later The English Beat	334	5	#27	–	1983
73	Mayor of Simpleton XTC	333	4	#3	–	1989
74	Two Tribes Frankie Goes to Hollywood	331	4	#1	1	1984
75	Once in a Lifetime Talking Heads	331	4	#9	–	1980
76	No New Tale To Tell Love and Rockets	331	4	#13	–	1987
77	Walk Like an Egyptian The Bangles	329	5	#6	–	1986
78	Never Let Me Down Again Depeche Mode	329	5	#9	–	1987
79	Whip It Devo	328	4	#1	1	1980
80	Birthday The Sugarcubes	324	4	#1	1	1988
81	A Little Respect Erasure	324	5	#4	–	1988
82	Shout Tears for Fears	324	5	#5	–	1985
83	The Killing Moon Echo and the Bunnymen	324	5	#9	–	1984
84	It's a Sin Pet Shop Boys	322	4	#11	–	1987
85	Our House Madness	322	5	#15	–	1983
86	Crash The Primitives	322	5	#12	–	1988
87	Here Comes Your Man The Pixies	322	5	#2	–	1989
88	If You Leave Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark	318	4	#16	–	1986
89	I Go Crazy Flesh for Lulu	318	5	#21	–	1987
90	Take On Me a-ha	315	4	#7	–	1985
91	Big Time Peter Gabriel	314	5	#16	–	1986
92	Fire Woman The Cult	313	4	#6	–	1989
93	She Blinded Me With Science Thomas Dolby	312	6	#13	–	1983
94	This Corrosion Sisters of Mercy	311	7	#7	–	1988
95	Boys Don't Cry The Cure	310	5	#2	–	1986
96	The Perfect Kiss New Order	308	7	#2	–	1985
97	Don't Stand So Close to Me The Police	305	4	#17	–	1980
98	Wild Wild Life Talking Heads	304	4	#4	–	1986
99	You Spin Me Round (Like a Record) Dead or Alive	302	4	#6	–	1985
100	Monkey Gone To Heaven The Pixies	299	4	#5	–	1989

Station countdowns of the '80s

Listener-voted “best of the decade” countdowns as broadcast.

About this ranking

The 1980s ranking adds together two kinds of evidence: the year-end countdowns from each year of the decade, and the retrospective “songs of the decade” countdowns that stations aired afterwards. Year-end lists capture what listeners loved at the time; decade countdowns capture what lasted. Every appearance earns percentile-based points, and the totals are ranked. See the methodology for details.