Decade consensus · Indie & Adult Alternative · 0 year-end countdowns + 3 decade countdowns

The best indie rock songs of the 1980s

This ranking of the 1980s combines 0 year-end countdowns from 1980 through 1989 with three “songs of the decade” countdowns aired by 90.9 The Bridge, The Colorado Sound and WFPK. The top song of the '80s is “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” by Tears for Fears, which charted on 3 countdowns and reached number one one times. The decade’s most-charted artists are Prince, U2, R.E.M., The Cure and Bruce Springsteen.

1,435songs charted

0year-end countdowns

3decade countdowns

Top 100 songs of the '80s

Top 1000 →

#	Song	Strength	Lists	Best	#1s	Year
1	Everybody Wants to Rule the World Tears for Fears	298	3	#1	1	1985
2	Just Like Heaven The Cure	298	3	#2	–	1987
3	Purple Rain Prince	298	3	#3	–	–
4	Take On Me a-ha	297	3	#2	–	1985
5	Don't You (Forget About Me) Simple Minds	296	3	#7	–	1985
6	With or Without You U2	295	3	#5	–	1987
7	Sweet Child o' Mine Guns N Roses	291	3	#8	–	1988
8	Radio Free Europe R.E.M.	291	3	#11	–	1983
9	Girls Just Want To Have Fun Cyndi Lauper	289	3	#4	–	1984
10	Time After Time Cyndi Lauper	288	3	#9	–	–
11	Love Will Tear Us Apart Joy Division	288	3	#11	–	2005
12	Don't Dream It's Over Crowded House	287	3	#10	–	–
13	Under Pressure Queen	287	3	#7	–	1981
14	In Your Eyes Peter Gabriel	286	3	#2	–	1986
15	Thriller Michael Jackson	286	3	#14	–	–
16	I Melt With You Modern English	282	3	#23	–	1983
17	When Doves Cry Prince	282	3	#13	–	1984
18	It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine) R.E.M.	282	3	#26	–	1987
19	The Killing Moon Echo and the Bunnymen	281	3	#17	–	1984
20	Love Shack The B-52's	281	3	#25	–	1989
21	Every Breath You Take The Police	281	3	#39	–	1983
22	Billie Jean Michael Jackson	280	3	#6	–	–
23	Let's Go Crazy Prince	280	3	#15	–	1984
24	Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) Eurythmics	280	3	#4	–	1983
25	Fast Car Tracy Chapman	280	3	#30	–	1988
26	West End Girls Pet Shop Boys	279	3	#22	–	1984
27	Don't Change INXS	278	3	#30	–	1983
28	Free Fallin' Tom Petty	278	3	#24	–	1989
29	Jump Van Halen	278	3	#20	–	–
30	Rio Duran Duran	276	3	#21	–	1983
31	Need You Tonight INXS	276	3	#10	–	1987
32	Sledgehammer Peter Gabriel	275	3	#30	–	1986
33	Africa Toto	275	3	#17	–	–
34	Where Is My Mind? The Pixies	273	3	#23	–	2005
35	Dancing in the Dark Bruce Springsteen	272	3	#60	–	–
36	Tempted Squeeze	265	3	#34	–	1981
37	More Than This Roxy Music	262	3	#12	–	–
38	Running Up That Hill Kate Bush	261	3	#33	–	2022
39	Don't Stop Believing Journey	261	3	#35	–	1981
40	I Love Rock-N-Roll Joan Jett	261	3	#48	–	1981
41	I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For U2	260	3	#45	–	1987
42	Livin' on a Prayer Bon Jovi	258	3	#62	–	–
43	I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me) Whitney Houston	258	3	#21	–	1987
44	Hungry Like the Wolf Duran Duran	257	3	#31	–	1982
45	Fall On Me R.E.M.	257	3	#52	–	1986
46	You Gotta Fight For Your Right (To Party) Beastie Boys	257	3	#35	–	1987
47	Walking On Sunshine Katrina and the Waves	256	3	#25	–	1985
48	We Got the Beat The Go-Go's	256	3	#13	–	1981
49	Burning Down the House Talking Heads	253	3	#16	–	1983
50	Down Under Men At Work	253	3	#36	–	1982
51	Under the Milky Way The Church	252	3	#38	–	1988
52	Don't You Want Me The Human League	252	3	#42	–	1982
53	I Ran (So Far Away) A Flock of Seagulls	251	3	#18	–	1982
54	The One I Love R.E.M.	249	3	#95	–	1987
55	Walk Like an Egyptian The Bangles	249	3	#45	–	1986
56	Jack and Diane John Mellencamp	247	3	#88	–	–
57	9 To 5 Dolly Parton	247	3	#12	–	–
58	Closer To Fine The Indigo Girls	246	3	#83	–	1989
59	What's Love Got To Do With It Tina Turner	245	3	#68	–	–
60	Come On Eileen Dexy's Midnight Runners	243	3	#35	–	1982
61	Money for Nothing Dire Straits	242	3	#66	–	1985
62	Bizarre Love Triangle New Order	242	3	#47	–	1986
63	Rapture Blondie	241	3	#88	–	–
64	Once in a Lifetime Talking Heads	241	3	#4	–	1980
65	Genius of Love Tom Tom Club	240	3	#81	–	–
66	Raspberry Beret Prince	239	3	#48	–	1985
67	Call Me Blondie	236	3	#73	–	–
68	Faith George Michael	235	3	#90	–	–
69	Shout Tears for Fears	233	3	#105	–	1985
70	Like a Prayer Madonna	233	3	#23	–	–
71	The Tide Is High Blondie	232	3	#31	–	–
72	Head Over Heels Tears for Fears	231	3	#131	–	1985
73	Born in the U.S.A. Bruce Springsteen	230	3	#26	–	–
74	The Boys of Summer Don Henley	230	3	#43	–	–
75	Drive The Cars	229	3	#33	–	1984
76	Kiss Prince	228	3	#55	–	1986
77	Material Girl Madonna	228	3	#6	–	–
78	In a Big Country Big Country	228	3	#16	–	1983
79	Orange Crush R.E.M.	226	3	#138	–	1988
80	I Won't Back Down Tom Petty	226	3	#73	–	–
81	Brass in Pocket The Pretenders	225	3	#115	–	1980
82	Back in Black AC/DC	224	3	#47	–	1980
83	Just Can't Get Enough Depeche Mode	223	3	#81	–	1981
84	Like a Virgin Madonna	223	3	#67	–	1984
85	The Way It Is Bruce Hornsby and the Range	223	3	#99	–	1986
86	Edge of Seventeen Stevie Nicks	222	3	#101	–	1981
87	In the Air Tonight Phil Collins	221	3	#116	–	1981
88	Holding Back The Years Simply Red	220	3	#93	–	1985
89	Roam The B-52's	218	3	#164	–	1990
90	Blister in the Sun Violent Femmes	218	3	#28	–	–
91	Blue Monday New Order	218	3	#10	–	1983
92	Glory Days Bruce Springsteen	218	3	#132	–	–
93	You Can Call Me Al Paul Simon	217	3	#174	–	1986
94	Our Lips Are Sealed The Go-Go's	216	3	#79	–	1981
95	White Wedding Billy Idol	215	3	#85	–	1982
96	She Sells Sanctuary The Cult	212	3	#18	–	1985
97	How Soon is Now? The Smiths	212	3	#1	2	1984
98	Redemption Song Bob Marley	211	3	#69	–	–
99	Tainted Love Soft Cell	210	3	#8	–	1982
100	Jessie's Girl Rick Springfield	210	3	#49	–	–

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.