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Get ready to turn up the volume for the ultimate musical time capsule! Join us as we count down the most unforgettable hits that defined a decade of big hair, bigger emotions, and boundary-breaking sounds. From soaring power ballads to dance floor anthems, these tracks didn't just top charts—they changed pop culture forever!
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00:00Never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down, never gonna run around and desert you.
00:08Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for songs released from 1980 to 1989 that defined the decade.
00:16I can't live with or without you.
00:25Number 10. Don't Stop Believin' Journey.
00:27Just a small town girl, living in a lonely world.
00:35While younger audiences may associate it with The Sopranos or even Glee,
00:38those who lived through the 80s know that Don't Stop Believin' was already a cultural touchstone long before it became a meme.
00:44This Journey anthem perfectly encapsulates the decade's signature blend of sincerity and excess,
00:49from Steve Perry's soaring vocals to the song's now legendary piano intro.
00:53Strangers, wait till.
00:57Fueled by the band's years of grinding it out on the road,
01:03it's an ode to resilience, romance, and chasing something bigger.
01:07And sure, there's technically no South Detroit, but when Perry sings it, who cares?
01:12The point isn't geography, it's belief.
01:14Don't Stop Believin'
01:17It was never a question of if a Bon Jovi track would make our list, only which one.
01:38After all, these arena rock titans are practically synonymous with the 80s.
01:43The real toss-up came down to this song and You Give Love a Bad Name,
01:46the chart-topping single that hit airwaves just before it.
01:49Shot through the heart, and you're to blame.
01:53You give love a bad name.
01:56Both are undeniable anthems, but in the end, we had to go with Livin' on a Prayer.
02:02Like Don't Stop Believin', it's a power ballad built on grit, hope, and a chorus made to be screamed in dive bars and stadiums alike.
02:09Decades later, Tommy and Gina are still holding on, and so are we.
02:14Of course we were going to save a spot for one of the tenderest, most romantic songs of the 80s, or so it seems.
02:37Every Breath You Take is often mistaken for a heartfelt ode to lasting love,
02:41but over the years, singer and bassist Sting has repeatedly clarified that it's actually about obsession and control.
02:55It sounds like a comforting love song, he once said.
02:57I didn't realize at the time how sinister it is.
03:00I think I was thinking of Big Brother, Surveillance, and Control.
03:03Even so, the track remains a masterclass in pop minimalism and mood,
03:08earning its place in the annals of 80s greatness, and on our list,
03:11with Grammy wins and countless imitators to prove it.
03:14I feel so cold and I long for your embrace.
03:18I keep crying, baby, baby, please.
03:25Number 7. Take On Me. Aha.
03:28Take on me. Take on me.
03:33For a song Rolling Stone once dubbed, quote,
03:35one of the hardest-to-sing choruses in pop history,
03:38this Norwegian synth-pop banger has proven to be one of the 80s' most enduring hits.
03:42Take on me is a shimmering slice of new wave perfection,
03:46but it's just as famous for its groundbreaking music video,
03:49which used the then-obscure rotoscoping technique to dazzling era-defining effect.
03:54More than anything, though,
04:05it is a showcase for frontman Morton Harkett,
04:07whose sky-high falsetto has humbled generations of karaoke hopefuls.
04:12Sure, few have hit those notes,
04:14but it's hard to deny that everyone knows them.
04:16I'll be gone in a day.
04:25Take on me.
04:27Number 6. I Want to Dance with Somebody Who Loves Me.
04:30Whitney Houston.
04:31The clock strikes upon the hour,
04:34and the sun begins to fade.
04:38It's hard to believe in hindsight,
04:40but this summery feel-good anthem was met with a lukewarm reception upon release.
04:44Critics at the time dismissed I Want to Dance with Somebody as lightweight,
04:48even drawing unflattering comparisons to Houston's own How Will I Know.
04:51But the public knew better.
04:53I'm gonna wind up till now
04:56It's the light of day that shows me how
05:00The track shot to number one on the Billboard Hot 100
05:03and went on to sell over 18 million copies worldwide,
05:06eventually earning an eight-time platinum certification in the U.S.
05:10The verdict was clear.
05:12This was Whitney's signature song.
05:14And if there's one lesson here, it's simple.
05:16Never bet against Whitney Houston.
05:18Oh, I want to dance with somebody.
05:22I want to feel the heat with somebody.
05:26Number 5. Fast Car. Tracy Chapman.
05:28You get a fast car.
05:31I want to get to anywhere.
05:33Maybe we make a deal.
05:34By now, we all know fast car is a poignant tale of escaping generational struggle.
05:39But its path to icon status was not guaranteed.
05:43That changed in June 1988 at the Nelson Mandela's 70th Birthday Tribute Concert at London's Wembley Stadium.
05:49For Tracy Chapman, it was the biggest audience of her career.
05:53When Stevie Wonder unexpectedly pulled out of his surprise set, Chapman was asked to fill the gap.
06:04Alone on stage with just her guitar, she delivered a raw acoustic performance of Fast Car to a global audience across 67 countries.
06:12That was the moment that transformed a quietly affecting folk rock song into a healing generational hymn for the 80s.
06:18I, I, I had a feeling I could be someone, be someone, be someone.
06:25Number 4. Like a Prayer. Madonna.
06:28Life is a mystery. Everyone must stand alone.
06:37Leave it to Madonna to ignite a firestorm and drop one of the most iconic songs of the 80s in a single move.
06:43With its gospel-infused sound, confessional lyrics, and a video that sparked outrage from the Vatican,
06:48Like a Prayer was a full-blown cultural event.
06:51Blending pop hooks with religious imagery and in-your-face politics,
06:54Madonna didn't just push buttons. She mashed them.
06:57When you call my name, it's like a little prayer.
07:01I'm down on my knees. I wanna take you there.
07:06The controversy only amplified its impact,
07:08lifting the track to become a worldwide sensation and a defining statement for the hitmaker.
07:13Provocative, powerful, and impossible to ignore,
07:16Like a Prayer proved pop could be more than just catchy.
07:19It could be confrontational, too.
07:21Just like a prayer, your face can take me there.
07:25Just like a muse to me, you are a mystery.
07:29Number 3. Sweet Child O' Mine, Guns N' Roses.
07:39They were arguably the biggest band of the late 80s.
07:43Brash, electrifying, and impossible to ignore.
07:45But it was Sweet Child O' Mine that truly cemented Guns N' Roses' place in rock history.
07:50She's got a smile that it seems to me
07:54Reminds me of childhood memories
07:57With its unmistakable opening riff and soaring chorus,
08:01the track didn't just top the Billboard Hot 100.
08:03It became one of the decade's most iconic anthems,
08:05blending hard rock grit with a surprising dose of romantic vulnerability.
08:10Ironically, Slash, the guitarist behind that legendary riff,
08:13originally hated the song, quote,
08:15with a huge passion.
08:17Love it or not,
08:18Sweet Child O' Mine became the anthem of a generation
08:20raised on leather, lighters, and loud guitars.
08:23Number 2. Purple Rain, Prince and the Revolution.
08:31I only want to see you laughing in the purple rain.
08:38There are power ballads, and then there's Purple Rain,
08:41a song so towering it practically demands its own weather system.
08:45Released at the peak of Prince's imperial phase,
08:47the track closed both the album and film of the same name,
08:50delivering a cathartic, genre-blurring masterpiece
08:53that fused rock, soul, and gospel into something otherworldly.
08:57Purple Rain, Purple Rain.
09:00Clocking in at nearly nine minutes, it shouldn't have worked.
09:03But in Prince's hands, it became a slow-burning epic for the ages.
09:08Emotional, operatic, and unmistakably his,
09:11Purple Rain wasn't just a career milestone,
09:13it was a coronation.
09:23Before we unveil our top pick,
09:25here are some honorable mentions.
09:27Once in a Lifetime, Talking Heads.
09:30Girls Just Want to Have Fun, Cindy Lauper.
09:44Careless Whisper, Wham! featuring George Michael.
09:51I'm never gonna dance again.
09:53Guilty, I've got no rhythm.
09:57Everybody Wants to Rule the World, Tears for Fears.
09:59Everybody Wants to Rule the World, Tears for Fears for Fears for Fears for Fears for Fears for Fears, for Fears for Fears for Fears for Fears for Fears for Fears for Fears for Fears for Fears for Fears.
10:11Fight the Power!
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10:29Number 1. Billie Jean, Michael Jackson.
10:37If there's one track that captures Michael Jackson's meteoric rise in the 80s, it's Billie Jean.
10:46With its pulsing bass line, icy synths, and Jackson's unmistakable vocals,
10:51the song didn't just dominate the charts, it rewired pop music.
10:55It was mysterious, moody, and utterly magnetic.
11:06And when Jackson moonwalked to it on national television in 1983,
11:10the song transcended radio and became a generational event.
11:14It seems safe to say that Billie Jean was more than a hit.
11:17It was the blueprint for the modern pop single.
11:20Decades later, the song's opening drum hits and slinky bass lines
11:23still conjure the electric cool of early 80s nightlife.
11:26All sweat, swagger, and sequins.
11:36Which song on our list defined the 80s for you?
11:40Are there any decade-defining anthems we missed?
11:42Be sure to let us know in the comments below.
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