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

The best alternative rock songs of 1985

Four radio stations and charts published year-end countdowns for 1985: KROQ, 91X, John Peel (BBC Radio 1) and Studio Brussel. Combining every list, the top alternative rock song of 1985 is “Alive and Kicking” by Simple Minds, which appeared on three of the four countdowns and was voted number one by one of them. Four different songs were voted number one somewhere: “Shake the Disease” by Depeche Mode, “Don't You (Forget About Me)” by Simple Minds, “Never Understand” by Jesus & Mary Chain and “Alive & Kicking” by Simple Minds. New Order was the year’s most-charted artist, with six different songs placing 10 times across the countdowns.

4countdowns
218songs charted
4different #1s

Top 100 songs of 1985

All 218 songs →

Ranked by combined points across every 1985 year-end countdown in this format. How it works.

# Song Strength Lists Best #1s
1 Alive and Kicking Simple Minds
286		 3 #1 1
2 In Between Days The Cure
266		 4 #4 –
3 Take On Me a-ha
220		 3 #7 –
4 Road to Nowhere Talking Heads
208		 3 #2 –
5 Shake the Disease Depeche Mode
191		 2 #1 1
6 The Perfect Kiss New Order
189		 2 #2 –
7 Shout Tears for Fears
189		 2 #5 –
8 Don't You (Forget About Me) Simple Minds
188		 2 #1 1
9 This Time INXS
182		 2 #8 –
10 You Spin Me Round (Like a Record) Dead or Alive
180		 2 #6 –
11 Dead Man's Party Oingo Boingo
172		 2 #10 –
12 Everybody Wants to Rule the World Tears for Fears
168		 2 #9 –
13 Sun City Artists United Against Apartheid
167		 3 #6 –
14 Dancing in the Streets Mick Jagger & David Bowie
167		 2 #5 –
15 Head Over Heels Tears for Fears
165		 2 #16 –
16 Running Up That Hill Kate Bush
163		 2 #4 –
17 Subculture New Order
161		 3 #18 –
18 Stay Up Late Talking Heads
160		 2 #14 –
19 Bring on the Dancing Horses Echo and the Bunnymen
156		 3 #21 –
20 Be Near Me ABC
151		 2 #18 –
21 Love Vigilantes New Order
145		 2 #16 –
22 The Bottom Line Big Audio Dynamite
141		 2 #15 –
23 World Destruction Time Zone
136		 2 #18 –
24 She Sells Sanctuary The Cult
134		 2 #4 –
25 So In Love Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
132		 2 #17 –
26 If You Love Somebody, Set Them Free Sting
132		 2 #20 –
27 Just Another Day Oingo Boingo
128		 2 #27 –
28 Weird Science Oingo Boingo
128		 2 #34 –
29 Strength The Alarm
128		 2 #20 –
30 Lay Your Hands on Me Thompson Twins
124		 2 #22 –
31 Close to Me The Cure
123		 2 #12 –
32 Slave to Love Bryan Ferry
121		 2 #30 –
33 Broken Wings Mr. Mister
113		 3 #22 –
34 Russians Sting
110		 2 #10 –
35 Never Understand The Jesus and Mary Chain
100		 1 #1 1
36 The Boy With The Thorn In His Side The Smiths
99		 2 #8 –
37 Vigilante Felony
99		 1 #2 –
38 Opportunities Pet Shop Boys
98		 1 #3 –
39 Just Like Honey The Jesus and Mary Chain
98		 1 #2 –
40 Things Can Only Get Better Howard Jones
98		 2 #42 –
41 How Soon is Now? The Smiths
98		 1 #3 –
42 Cruisers Creek The Fall
96		 1 #3 –
43 Burning House of Love X
95		 2 #37 –
44 A Night Like This The Cure
95		 1 #6 –
45 Money for Nothing Dire Straits
93		 1 #7 –
46 Nikita Elton John
93		 1 #3 –
47 Aikea-Guinea Cocteau Twins
92		 1 #5 –
48 Last Time Forever Squeeze
90		 1 #10 –
49 Slave to the Rhythm Grace Jones
90		 1 #4 –
50 Revolution Chumbawamba
90		 1 #6 –
51 Viva La Rock Adam Ant
89		 1 #13 –
52 Primitive Painters Felt
88		 1 #7 –
53 Bad U2
87		 1 #13 –
54 Castles in Spain The Armoury Show
86		 2 #51 –
55 Love and Pride King
86		 1 #16 –
56 Nemesis Shriekback
86		 2 #54 –
57 Perfect Kiss New Order
84		 1 #9 –
58 Flexible Depeche Mode
83		 1 #19 –
59 This is England The Clash
82		 1 #17 –
60 Flag Day The Housemartins
82		 1 #10 –
61 Love is the 7th Wave Sting
82		 2 #31 –
62 A Good Heart Feargal Sharkey
80		 1 #7 –
63 Ironmasters Men They Couldn't Hang
80		 1 #11 –
64 Blue Kiss Jane Weidlin
79		 1 #23 –
65 One Night in Bangkok Murray Head
79		 1 #24 –
66 And She Was Talking Heads
78		 1 #21 –
67 You Trip Me Up The Jesus and Mary Chain
78		 1 #12 –
68 Just Another Night Mick Jagger
78		 1 #25 –
69 Marlene on the Wall Suzanne Vega
77		 1 #8 –
70 Kosciusko Midnight Oil
77		 1 #26 –
71 Sally Maclennane The Pogues
76		 1 #13 –
72 Would I Lie To You? Eurythmics
76		 2 #61 –
73 Sussudio Phil Collins
76		 1 #27 –
74 Good Bye Bad Times Philip Oakey & Giorgio Moroder
75		 1 #28 –
75 Death Of The European Three Johns
74		 1 #14 –
76 Fortress Around Your Heart Sting
74		 1 #25 –
77 Brand New Friend Lloyd Cole
73		 1 #9 –
78 Blowing Up Detroit John Palumbo
73		 1 #30 –
79 Go Out And Get 'Em Boy Wedding Present
72		 1 #15 –
80 The Perfect Way Scritti Politti
71		 1 #32 –
81 Voices Carry Til Tuesday
70		 1 #28 –
82 A Sort of Homecoming U2
70		 2 #57 –
83 I Got You Babe UB40
69		 1 #29 –
84 Life in One Day Howard Jones
69		 2 #55 –
85 I Got You Babe UB40/Chrissie Hynde
68		 1 #35 –
86 Tonight She Comes The Cars
68		 2 #58 –
87 All That Ever Mattered Shop Assistants
68		 1 #17 –
88 Election Day Arcadia
67		 1 #36 –
89 Hits of the Year Squeeze
66		 2 #40 –
90 Roll Over Thompson Twins
66		 1 #32 –
91 A View to a Kill Duran Duran
65		 1 #38 –
92 Can't Get There From Here R.E.M.
65		 1 #33 –
93 Move Me The Woodentops
64		 1 #19 –
94 It's Called a Heart Depeche Mode
64		 1 #40 –
95 All You Zombies The Hooters
63		 1 #35 –
96 A Pair Of Brown Eyes The Pogues
62		 1 #20 –
97 Some Like It Hot Power Station
62		 1 #42 –
98 Master and Servant Depeche Mode
62		 1 #36 –
99 My Heart Goes Bang Dead or Alive
61		 1 #43 –
100 What You Need INXS
60		 2 #53 –

Every station’s number one of 1985

StationNumber one songCountdown
KROQ Shake the Disease Depeche Mode KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1985
91X Don't You (Forget About Me) Simple Minds 91X Top 91 Songs of 1985
John Peel (BBC Radio 1) Never Understand Jesus & Mary Chain John Peel's Festive Fifty of 1985
Studio Brussel Alive & Kicking Simple Minds Studio Brussel De Eindafrekening 1985

All 1985 countdowns in this ranking

About the 1985 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 1985 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 four 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.