In the interest of year end countdowns and the like, here are my picks for the top 100 songs of the 1980s. This is a fluid list that is continually changing depending on the day and new exposure to deep catalog. And yes, I do believe the eighties were the best decade for music (and movies). I have limited choices to no more than four per artist. Here's ten picked randomly, with more to follow.
The Bangles-"Eternal Flame"-I didn't really care for The Bangles earlier output (hated Walk Like an Egyptian), but couldn't resist this one. There was a pop song in 2002, I think, that totally ripped off this song.
Duran Duran-"American Science"-If you never listened to the Notorious album, you missed this one. Very good album, and I didn't even like the song "Notorious" very much.
Erasure-"Chains of Love"-Hugely successful in England, Erasure never quite broke through in this country, though this song was a minor hit. For whatever reason "Always" was a also a minor hit for them a few years later, though I wouldn't rank it in their top 20 songs.
George Michael-"Kissing a Fool"-This adult contemporary song somehow made the pop charts. It's now almost forgotten, and I don't think I've ever heard it in an eighties playlist.
John Lennon-"Watching the Wheels"-Somehow this song never really attracted my attention until the Wonderboys movie a few years ago.
Madonna-"Material Girl"-I still don't know what she is singing in the chorus.
The Pet Shop Boys-"West End Girls"-One of the poppiest acts that I like, and I'm surprised that they weren't more successful in this country.
Queen and David Bowie-"Under Pressure"-Survived Vanilla Ice.
Squeeze-"The Hourglass"-Are they disposing of a body?
U2-"All I Want Is You"-From the much maligned Rattle and Hum album.
