Pitchfork
The 200 Best Songs of the 1980s
1. Prince and the Revolution – "Purple Rain"
2. Michael Jackson – "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'"
3. N.W.A – "Straight Outta Compton"
4. New Order – "Blue Monday"
5. Public Enemy – "Fight the Power"
6. Kate Bush – "Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God)"
7. Joy Division – "Love Will Tear Us Apart"
8. Talking Heads – "Once in a Lifetime"
9. Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five – "The Message"
10. The Smiths – "How Soon Is Now?"
11. Prince and the Revolution – "When Doves Cry"
12. The Cure – "Just Like Heaven"
13. Michael Jackson – "Billie Jean"
14. The Smiths – "There Is a Light That Never Goes Out"
15. Sonic Youth – "Teen Age Riot"
16. Fugazi – "Waiting Room"
17. Madonna – "Into the Groove"
18. Marvin Gaye – "Sexual Healing"
19. Eric B. & Rakim – "Paid in Full" / "Paid in Full (Seven Minutes of Madness Mix)"
20. Whitney Houston – "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)"
21. Prince and the Revolution – "Kiss"
22. Talking Heads – "This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)"
23. Slick Rick – "Children's Story"
24. Pixies – "Where Is My Mind?"
25. New Order – "Temptation"
26. Public Enemy – "Bring the Noise"
27. Janet Jackson – "Love Will Never Do (Without You)"
28. Kate Bush – "Hounds of Love"
29. Diana Ross – "I'm Coming Out"
30. Beastie Boys – "Shake Your Rump"
31. Frankie Knuckles / Jamie Principle – "Your Love"
32. N.W.A – "Fuck tha Police"
33. Prince and the Revolution – "I Would Die 4 U"
34. Afrika Bambaataa & the Soulsonic Force – "Planet Rock"
35. Sade – "The Sweetest Taboo"
36. Michael Jackson – "Human Nature"
37. Tom Tom Club – "Genius of Love"
38. Salt-n-Pepa – "Push It"
39. Cocteau Twins – "Lorelei"
40. The Cure – "Close to Me"
41. Guns N' Roses – "Welcome to the Jungle"
42. Eurythmics – "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)"
43. New Order – "Bizarre Love Triangle"
44. Laurie Anderson – "O Superman (For Massenet)"
45. De La Soul – "Me, Myself and I"
46. The Jesus and Mary Chain – "Just Like Honey"
47. Joy Division – "Atmosphere"
48. Janet Jackson – "When I Think of You"
49. Neneh Cherry – "Buffalo Stance"
50. Madonna – "Like a Prayer"
51. Bruce Springsteen – "I'm on Fire"
52. The Stone Roses – "I Wanna Be Adored"
53. Kraftwerk – "Computer Love"
54. Roxy Music – "More than This"
55. New Order – "Ceremony"
56. Bob Marley and the Wailers – "Could You Be Loved"
57. Eric B. & Rakim – "Follow the Leader"
58. Daryl Hall & John Oates – "I Can't Go for That (No Can Do)"
59. Depeche Mode – "Never Let Me Down Again"
60. ESG – "Moody"
61. Gang Starr – "DJ Premier in Deep Concentration"
62. Art of Noise – "Moments in Love"
63. Stevie Nicks – "Edge of Seventeen"
64. David Bowie – "Let's Dance"
65. Echo & the Bunnymen – "The Killing Moon"
66. The Replacements – "Alex Chilton"
67. Guns N' Roses – "Sweet Child o' Mine"
68. Biz Markie – "Just a Friend"
69. Prince – "When You Were Mine"
70. Pet Shop Boys – "West End Girls"
71. Bruce Springsteen – "Atlantic City"
72. Bad Brains – "Pay to Cum"
73. Pixies – "Debaser"
74. Dinosaur Jr. – "Freak Scene"
75. Black Flag – "Rise Above"
76. Fingers Inc. – "Can You Feel It?"
77. Metallica – "Master of Puppets"
78. The Specials – "Ghost Town"
79. Boogie Down Productions – "South Bronx"
80. Zapp – "Computer Love"
81. Diana Ross – "Upside Down"
82. Tears for Fear – "Everybody Wants to Rule the World"
83. My Bloody Valentine – "You Made Me Realise"
84. Slayer – "Angel of Death"
85. Luther Vandross – "Never Too Much"
86. Tracy Chapman – "Fast Car"
87. Tenor Saw – "Ring the Alarm"
88. Evelyn "Champagne" King – "Love Come Down"
89. Fela Kuti – "Coffin for Head of State"
90. Blondie – "Call Me"
91. Bill Withers / Grover Washington, Jr. – "Just the Two of Us"
92. Fleetwood Mac – "Gypsy"
93. U2 – "With or Without You"
94. Change – "The Glow of Love"
95. Grace Jones – "Pull Up to the Bumper"
96. Cherrelle / Alexander O'Neal – "Saturday Love"
97. Chaka Khan / Rufus – "Ain't Nobody"
98. Violent Femmes – "Blister in the Sun"
99. Sister Nancy – "Bam Bam"
100. The Church – "Under the Milky Way"
101. Eazy-E – "Boyz-n-the-Hood"
102. Michael Jackson – "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)"
103. Whitney Houston – "How Will I Know"
104. AC/DC – "Back in Black"
105. The Cure – "Pictures of You"
106. Madonna – "Borderline"
107. The Alan Parsons Project – "Eye in the Sky"
108. Frankie Knuckles – "Baby Wants to Ride"
109. The Smiths – "This Charming Man"
110. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – "The Mercy Seat"
111. The Clash – "The Magnificent Seven" / "The Magnificent Dance"
112. Nirvana – "About a Girl"
113. The Isley Brothers – "Between the Sheets"
114. Talk Talk – "Life's What You Make It"
115. INXS – "Never Tear Us Apart"
116. Sade – "Is It a Crime"
117. Rhythim Is Rhythim – "Strings of Life"
118. Minutemen – "History Lesson - Part II"
119. Soul II Soul – "Back to Life (However Do You Want Me)"
120. Rick James – "Give It to Me Baby"
121. Slick Rick / Doug E. Fresh – "La Di Da Di"
122. Grandmaster & Melle Mel – "White Lines (Don't Don't Do It)"
123. Run-D.M.C. – "It's Like That"
124. De La Soul – "Eye Know"
125. The Replacements – "Bastards of Young"
126. Janet Jackson – "Control"
127. Cyndi Lauper – "Girls Just Want to Have Fun"
128. R.E.M. – "Radio Free Europe"
129. This Mortal Coil – "Song to the Siren"
130. Phil Collins – "In the Air Tonight"
131. Yellowman – "Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt"
132. Godley & Creme – "Cry"
133. Fleetwood Mac – "Everywhere"
134. Queen & David Bowie – "Under Pressure"
135. Pixies – "Gigantic"
136. Motörhead – "Ace of Spades"
137. Mission of Burma – "That's When I Reach for My Revolver"
138. Rob Base / DJ E-Z Rock – "It Takes Two"
139. Spacemen 3 – "Walkin' with Jesus"
140. Bronski Beat – "Smalltown Boy"
141. Beat Happening – "Indian Summer"
142. Tears for Fears – "Head Over Heels"
143. Anthony Red Rose – "Tempo"
144. Big Daddy Kane – "Ain't No Half-Steppin'"
145. Liquid Liquid – "Optimo"
146. David Bowie – "Modern Love"
147. Michael McDonald – "I Keep Forgettin' (Every Time You're Near)"
148. Al B. Sure! – "Nite and Day"
149. Shannon – "Let the Music Play"
150. Beastie Boys – "Paul Revere"
151. Dead Kennedys – "Holiday in Cambodia"
152. Galaxie 500 – "Tugboat"
153. Joe Jackson – "Steppin' Out"
154. Tangerine Dream – "Love on a Real Train"
155. A Guy Called Gerald – "Voodoo Ray"
156. Siouxsie and the Banshees – "Cities in Dust"
157. Orange Juice – "Rip It Up"
158. 808 State – "Pacific State"
159. George Clinton – "Atomic Dog"
160. Sheila E. – "The Glamorous Life"
161. U2 – "Sunday Bloody Sunday"
162. Orchestra Baobab – "Mouhamadou Bamba"
163. Peter Gabriel – "In Your Eyes"
164. Hüsker Dü – "Pink Turns to Blue"
165. Inner City – "Good Life"
166. George Benson – "Give Me the Night"
167. Yoko Ono – "Walking on Thin Ice"
168. LL Cool J – "I Can't Live Without My Radio"
169. The Chills – "Pink Frost"
170. Cybotron – "Clear"
171. King Sunny Ade and His African Beats – "Ja Funmi"
172. The Sugarcubes – "Birthday"
173. Wipers – "Youth of America"
174. Suicidal Tendencies – "Institutionalized"
175. K-Rob / Rammellzee – "Beat Bop"
176. Schoolly D – "P.S.K. What Does It Mean?"
177. The Pretenders – "Brass in Pocket"
178. Nina Simone – "Fodder in Her Wings"
179. Joubert Singers – "Stand on the Word"
180. Patrice Rushen – "Forget Me Nots"
181. Womack & Womack – "Teardrops"
182. Strafe – "Set It Off"
183. Loose Joints – "Is It All Over My Face"
184. Wayne Smith – "Under Me Sleng Teng"
185. Class Action – "Weekend"
186. The Clash – "Rock the Casbah"
187. Mtume – "Juicy Fruit"
188. Carly Simon – "Why"
189. EPMD – "You Gots to Chill"
190. Gregory Isaacs – "Night Nurse"
191. Alice Coltrane – "Jagadishwar"
192. William Onyeabor – "Good Name"
193. Kano – "I'm Ready"
194. Too $hort – "Freaky Tales"
195. Jungle Brothers – "Straight Out the Jungle"
196. Dinosaur L – "Go Bang! #5 (Francois K Mix)"
197. Donald Byrd / 125th Street, N.Y.C. – "Love Has Come Around"
198. A Certain Ratio – "Shack Up"
199. Tom Zé – "Nave Maria"
200. Egyptian Lover – "I Cry (Night After Night)"