The 100 Greatest Songs of the 1980s
Earlier this summer, Paste began its big, multi-month project: picking the greatest songs of all time. The plan is to go decade by decade and choose our favorite singles and deep cuts before producing one large definitive ranking later this fall. In June, we tackled the 1960s. Last month, we surveyed the 1970s. Now, our focus is on the 1980s—maybe the most innovative decade of music ever.
As I noted last time, this isn’t us saying our ranking is better than anyone else’s. Instead, we are looking to curate an interesting perspective on an important 10-year span in music history. Some of our picks will have overlap with other publications’ choices from over the years. That’s inevitable, because some songs really are that good. But we didn’t want to just settle for songs you can find on albums in every record store in the country. Instead, this is a combination of undeniable hits and personal picks released between 1980 and 1989. We aren’t working from any template other than last month’s.
The criteria from June and July remains the same: We are only featuring one song per artist. If you’re not interested in entries 100-11, you can view the top ten of this list here. Enjoy our rankings, disagree with us in the comments, and come back next month to see what we have to say about the 1990s.
The Definitive 1980s Ranking
From the post-punk grit of The Stone Roses to the synth-pop mastery of The Human League, the 1980s offered a sonic landscape that redefined popular music. Our list includes iconic tracks like Iron Maiden’s “Run to the Hills,” the avant-garde brilliance of Laurie Anderson’s “O Superman,” and the hip-hop revolution sparked by Boogie Down Productions’ “South Bronx.”
Whether it is the raw hardcore energy of Bad Brains, the dream-pop atmosphere of Julee Cruise, or the chart-topping glam metal of Def Leppard, these selections represent the diverse and innovative spirit of the decade. We have curated these 100 tracks to reflect the undeniable hits and the personal favorites that defined the era between 1980 and 1989.
