Decade consensus · All Rock Formats · 40 year-end countdowns + 8 decade countdowns

The best rock songs of the 1980s

This ranking of the 1980s combines 40 year-end countdowns from 1980 through 1989 with eight “songs of the decade” countdowns aired by WLIR / WDRE, 91X, WFNX, Channel 104.9, KISW, 90.9 The Bridge, The Colorado Sound and WFPK. The top song of the '80s is “Just Like Heaven” by The Cure, which charted on 11 countdowns and reached number one two times. The decade’s most-charted artists are U2, The Cure, The Smiths, Depeche Mode and New Order.

2,800songs charted

40year-end countdowns

8decade countdowns

Top 100 songs of the '80s

Top 1000 →

#	Song	Strength	Lists	Best	#1s	Year
1	Just Like Heaven The Cure	1,033	11	#1	2	1987
2	With or Without You U2	1,003	13	#3	–	1987
3	Dear God XTC	891	12	#1	1	1987
4	How Soon is Now? The Smiths	874	10	#1	6	1984
5	Need You Tonight INXS	874	12	#5	–	1987
6	Love Shack The B-52's	864	10	#1	1	1989
7	Blue Monday New Order	848	12	#1	1	1983
8	Pride (In the Name of Love) U2	847	10	#1	1	1984
9	Bizarre Love Triangle New Order	815	10	#1	1	1986
10	Beds are Burning Midnight Oil	796	10	#3	–	1988
11	It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine) R.E.M.	792	10	#7	–	1987
12	Love Song The Cure	789	11	#1	1	1989
13	Strangelove Depeche Mode	784	9	#2	–	1987
14	Lips Like Sugar Echo and the Bunnymen	776	11	#2	–	1987
15	True Faith New Order	758	9	#3	–	1987
16	Don't You (Forget About Me) Simple Minds	751	9	#1	1	1985
17	Orange Crush R.E.M.	745	10	#1	1	1988
18	The One I Love R.E.M.	743	9	#5	–	1987
19	Every Breath You Take The Police	708	9	#3	–	1983
20	New Year's Day U2	708	11	#5	–	1983
21	In Between Days The Cure	707	11	#4	–	1985
22	I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For U2	707	10	#16	–	1987
23	Sunday Bloody Sunday U2	704	10	#5	–	1983
24	I Melt With You Modern English	694	8	#2	–	1983
25	The Lovecats The Cure	693	9	#2	–	1983
26	Fast Car Tracy Chapman	690	8	#1	1	1988
27	Desire U2	678	10	#2	–	1988
28	Burning Down the House Talking Heads	668	9	#13	–	1983
29	Sledgehammer Peter Gabriel	653	8	#2	–	1986
30	Relax Frankie Goes to Hollywood	646	9	#1	1	1984
31	She Sells Sanctuary The Cult	640	9	#4	–	1985
32	Everybody Wants to Rule the World Tears for Fears	638	8	#1	1	1985
33	Suedehead Morrissey	633	10	#4	–	1988
34	In Your Eyes Peter Gabriel	632	9	#2	–	1986
35	Stand R.E.M.	624	9	#4	–	1989
36	Once in a Lifetime Talking Heads	620	8	#4	–	1980
37	Why Can't I Be You? The Cure	620	9	#1	1	1987
38	Panic The Smiths	616	9	#5	–	1986
39	Let's Dance David Bowie	616	8	#6	–	1983
40	Running Up That Hill Kate Bush	613	8	#4	–	2022
41	People are People Depeche Mode	613	7	#11	–	1984
42	Take On Me a-ha	612	7	#2	–	1985
43	Close to Me The Cure	610	9	#11	–	1986
44	The Killing Moon Echo and the Bunnymen	605	8	#9	–	1984
45	In a Big Country Big Country	597	9	#3	–	1983
46	White Wedding Billy Idol	593	9	#7	–	1982
47	Don't You Want Me The Human League	591	7	#5	–	1982
48	Peek-A-Boo Siouxsie and the Banshees	588	7	#1	1	1988
49	Girlfriend in a Coma The Smiths	587	8	#2	–	1987
50	Walk Like an Egyptian The Bangles	578	8	#6	–	1986
51	Whip It Devo	576	8	#1	1	1980
52	West End Girls Pet Shop Boys	576	8	#11	–	1984
53	Dead Man's Party Oingo Boingo	569	7	#1	1	1985
54	Tainted Love Soft Cell	563	7	#6	–	1982
55	She Drives Me Crazy Fine Young Cannibals	558	9	#4	–	1989
56	Shout Tears for Fears	557	8	#5	–	1985
57	Radio Free Europe R.E.M.	557	7	#11	–	1983
58	Route 66 Depeche Mode	555	6	#1	2	1988
59	Hungry Like the Wolf Duran Duran	551	8	#22	–	1982
60	I Ran (So Far Away) A Flock of Seagulls	551	7	#2	–	1982
61	We Got the Beat The Go-Go's	542	7	#3	–	1981
62	Alive and Kicking Simple Minds	533	7	#1	1	1985
63	Here Comes Your Man The Pixies	527	8	#2	–	1989
64	Mad World Tears for Fears	525	9	#5	–	1983
65	Alex Chilton The Replacements	525	9	#8	–	1987
66	Save It For Later The English Beat	521	7	#27	–	1983
67	Where the Streets Have No Name U2	520	7	#12	–	1987
68	Red Red Wine UB40	519	8	#1	1	1983
69	Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) Eurythmics	517	8	#4	–	1983
70	Don't Stand So Close to Me The Police	512	7	#7	–	1980
71	What You Need INXS	512	8	#7	–	1986
72	Rock the Casbah The Clash	509	8	#1	1	1982
73	Rio Duran Duran	507	7	#18	–	1983
74	Big Time Peter Gabriel	503	8	#16	–	1986
75	Personal Jesus Depeche Mode	501	6	#4	–	1989
76	Under the Milky Way The Church	500	7	#3	–	1988
77	Mandinka Sinéad O'Connor	494	9	#5	–	1988
78	Come On Eileen Dexy's Midnight Runners	492	7	#5	–	1982
79	So Alive Love and Rockets	487	8	#1	1	1989
80	Tenderness General Public	484	7	#1	1	1984
81	Just Can't Get Enough Depeche Mode	484	8	#3	–	1981
82	If You Leave Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark	483	6	#16	–	1986
83	Head Over Heels Tears for Fears	476	6	#16	–	1985
84	I Love Rock-N-Roll Joan Jett	473	7	#4	–	1981
85	Monkey Gone To Heaven The Pixies	471	7	#5	–	1989
86	Rebel Yell Billy Idol	471	9	#3	–	1983
87	Our House Madness	469	8	#15	–	1983
88	Veronica Elvis Costello	469	7	#10	–	1989
89	Should I Stay or Should I Go? The Clash	465	7	#10	–	1982
90	Chains of Love Erasure	462	6	#7	–	1988
91	Boys Don't Cry The Cure	458	7	#2	–	1986
92	Let's Go Crazy Prince	457	6	#3	–	1984
93	Ask The Smiths	451	7	#5	–	1986
94	Hold Me Now Thompson Twins	451	7	#10	–	1984
95	Tempted Squeeze	447	7	#34	–	1981
96	Bigmouth Strikes Again The Smiths	447	9	#3	–	1986
97	She Blinded Me With Science Thomas Dolby	443	8	#13	–	1983
98	Don't Stop Believing Journey	441	5	#3	–	1981
99	A Little Respect Erasure	440	8	#4	–	1988
100	Sweet Child o' Mine Guns N Roses	439	5	#1	1	1988

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.