Every song that charted in 1985

Combined ranking of all 218 songs from the alternative rock year-end countdowns of 1985. ← Top 100 of 1985

#	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	–
101	It's Only Love Bryan Adams and Tina Turner	60	1	#13	–
102	Everyday is Halloween Ministry	58	1	#39	–
103	V2 That Petrol Emotion	58	1	#22	–
104	Say It Again Danse Society	58	1	#46	–
105	The Sweetest Taboo Sade	57	1	#14	–
106	Secret Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark	56	1	#48	–
107	Whole of the Moon The Waterboys	56	1	#41	–
108	Spoilt Victorian Child The Fall	56	1	#23	–
109	King for a Day Thompson Twins	55	1	#49	–
110	Vienna Calling Falco	54	1	#50	–
111	Sunrise New Order	54	1	#24	–
112	Say I'm Your Number One Princess	53	1	#15	–
113	Face the Face Pete Townshend	53	2	#68	–
114	And We Danced The Hooters	53	1	#44	–
115	Won't You Hold My Hand Now King	52	1	#52	–
116	I'm A Man You Don't Meet Every Day The Pogues	52	1	#25	–
117	Gratitude Danny Elfman	51	2	#73	–
118	Driver 8 R.E.M.	51	1	#46	–
119	Cloudbusting Kate Bush	50	1	#16	–
120	L.A. Rain Rose of Avalanche	50	1	#26	–
121	Vanity Kills ABC	50	1	#55	–
122	Communication Power Station	48	1	#57	–
123	The Bryan Adamix Bryan Adams	47	1	#17	–
124	Tenderness General Public	46	1	#50	–
125	Hymn From A Village James	46	1	#28	–
126	Lover Come Back to Me Dead or Alive	46	1	#59	–
127	Never You Done That General Public	46	2	#75	–
128	Fire in the Twilight Wang Chung	45	1	#60	–
129	The Headmaster Ritual The Smiths	44	1	#29	–
130	To Live and Die in L.A. Wang Chung	44	1	#52	–
131	The Power of Love Huey Lewis and the News	43	1	#18	–
132	Dancing the Streets David Bowie and Mick Jagger	43	1	#53	–
133	The Sun Always Shines On Tv a-ha	42	1	#63	–
134	Motor City Age Of Chance	42	1	#30	–
135	When Angels Kiss Gary Myrick	42	1	#54	–
136	Part Time Lover Stevie Wonder	40	1	#19	–
137	That Joke isn't funny anymore The Smiths	40	1	#31	–
138	Bang a Gong Power Station	39	1	#66	–
139	Sanctify Yourself Simple Minds	38	1	#67	–
140	Meat is Murder The Smiths	38	1	#32	–
141	Don't Lose My Number Phil Collins	37	2	#66	–
142	Sunday Bloody Sunday U2	37	1	#20	–
143	Don't Mess With Dr. Dream Thompson Twins	36	1	#69	–
144	Gut Of The Quantifier The Fall	36	1	#33	–
145	Black Cars Gino Vanelli	36	1	#70	–
146	Television Man Talking Heads	34	1	#61	–
147	A Hundred Words The Beloved	34	1	#34	–
148	How To Be A Millionaire ABC	34	1	#72	–
149	Pleasure And Pain The Divinyls	33	1	#62	–
150	Johnny Come Home Fine Young Cannibals	33	1	#73	–
151	Tupelo Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds	32	1	#35	–
152	Walking On Sunshine Katrina and the Waves	31	2	#80	–
153	Ball of Confusion Love and Rockets	31	1	#64	–
154	Marian Sisters of Mercy	30	1	#36	–
155	Can't Get Enough of You Baby The Colourfield	30	1	#65	–
156	Loving the Alien David Bowie	29	1	#77	–
157	I'm In Pittsburg And It's Raining Vibes	28	1	#37	–
158	Raging Moon Roger Daltry	27	1	#67	–
159	Bittersweet Hoodoo Gurus	26	1	#68	–
160	Universal Radio Nina Hagen	26	1	#80	–
161	Faron Young Prefab Sprout	26	1	#38	–
162	Don't Come Around Here No More Tom Petty	25	1	#69	–
163	Love Parade The Dream Academy	25	1	#81	–
164	Radioactive The Firm	24	1	#82	–
165	Blue Kiss Jane Wiedlin	24	1	#70	–
166	Couldn't Get Ahead The Fall	24	1	#39	–
167	Eye to Eye Go West	23	1	#83	–
168	Fool Yourself Forever Dirk Blanchart	23	1	#24	–
169	Walk of Life Dire Straits	23	1	#71	–
170	Break Them Down Graham Parker	22	1	#84	–
171	Between The Wars Billy Bragg	22	1	#40	–
172	Do They Know It's Christmas? Band Aid	22	1	#72	–
173	Tarzan Boy Baltimora	22	1	#85	–
174	Born in East LA Cheech Marin	21	1	#86	–
175	Always Alone The Popgun	20	1	#25	–
176	Well I Wonder The Smiths	20	1	#41	–
177	My Love is Chemical Lou Reed	20	1	#74	–
178	Raspberry Beret Prince	20	1	#87	–
179	Perfect Skin Lloyd Cole and the Commotions	19	1	#88	–
180	L.A. The Fall	18	1	#42	–
181	Hanging on a Heartbeat The Hooters	18	1	#76	–
182	In Too Deep Dead or Alive	17	1	#90	–
183	Holding Back The Years Simply Red	17	1	#26	–
184	Bang a Gong (Get It On) Power Station	16	1	#77	–
185	Some Kind Of Stranger Sisters of Mercy	16	1	#43	–
186	America Prince	16	1	#91	–
187	Trapped Colonel Abrams	14	1	#79	–
188	Colleen Living Daylights	14	1	#93	–
189	It Happens Primal Scream	14	1	#44	–
190	Dave Boomtown Rats	13	1	#94	–
191	Love You Like a Ball & Chain Eurythmics	12	1	#95	–
192	Face Up New Order	12	1	#45	–
193	Cities in Dust Siouxsie and the Banshees	11	1	#96	–
194	Don't Stop Dance Bryan Ferry	11	1	#82	–
195	Que Te Quiero Katrina and the Waves	10	1	#28	–
196	Makes No Sense At All Husker Du	10	1	#46	–
197	Love Comes Tumbling U2	10	1	#83	–
198	The Wind Of Change Robert Wyatt	8	1	#47	–
199	Lucky in Love Mick Jagger	8	1	#85	–
200	Midnight Man Flash and the Pan	7	1	#100	–
201	P-Machinery Propaganda	7	1	#29	–
202	Virgin Lords of the New Church	7	1	#86	–
203	Warning Sign Nick Heyward	7	1	#101	–
204	Well Well Well The Woodentops	6	1	#48	–
205	This is Not America David Bowie	6	1	#102	–
206	Love Breaks Down Prefab Sprout	5	1	#87	–
207	19 Paul Hardcastle	5	1	#103	–
208	Ways to Be Wicked Lone Justice	4	1	#88	–
209	Like One Thousand Violins One Thousand Violins	4	1	#49	–
210	An Act of War Elton John	4	1	#104	–
211	Elle adore le noir pour sortir le soir TC Matic	3	1	#30	–
212	Silent Run Mike and the Mechanics	3	1	#89	–
213	East of Eden Lone Justice	3	1	#105	–
214	Bad Child John Paul Jones	2	1	#90	–
215	All Day Long Shop Assistants	2	1	#50	–
216	Kat Box Beach Living Daylights	2	1	#106	–
217	Weekends Too Graham Parker	1	1	#91	–
218	Woodpeckers in Space Video Kids	1	1	#107	–