# Best #1 single of the decade: the 1980s **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 15, 2014, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-decade-the-1980s/707307 "2014-12-15T17:14:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2014, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-decade-the-1980s/707307/1 "2014-12-15T17:14:25Z")
Round four of our semi-finals brings us to the '80s. So far, I’ve been pretty surprised with the results - not only have none of my picks won, but none of the songs I _expected_ to win won either. Pick your winner out of this batch and then vote in any '90s polls you may have missed. Previous polls: [1955-56](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=731649) [1957](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=731871) [1958](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=732021) [1959](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=732199)[1960](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=732526) [1961](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=732691) [1962](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=732872) [1963](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=733112) [1964](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=733297) [1965](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=733526) [1966](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=733750) [1967](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=733958) [1968](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=734168) [1969](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=734331) [1970](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=734535) [1971](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=734741) [1972](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=735107) [1973](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=735304) [1974](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=735502) [1975](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=735659) [1976](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=735871) [1977](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=736076) [1978](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=736316) [1979](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=736501) [1980](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=736705) [1981](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=736957) [1982](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=737099) [1983](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=737315) [1984](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=737488) [1985](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=737732) [1986](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=737957) [1987](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=738178) [1988](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=738403) [1989](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=738639) [1990](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=738829) [1991](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=739067) [1992](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=739360) [1993](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=739525) [1994](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=739880) [1995](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=740122) [1996](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=740302) [1997](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=740497) [1998](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=740709) [1999](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=740859) [2000](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=741047) [2001](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=741267) [2002](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=741450) [2003](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=741604) [2004](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=741730) [2005](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=741915) [2006](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=742069) [2007](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=742147) [2008](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=742282) [2009](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=742467) [2010](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=742676) [2011](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=742846) [2012](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=675664) [2013](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=710843) [1950s](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=743046) [1960s](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=743240) [1970s](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=743399) ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2014, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-decade-the-1980s/707307/2 "2014-12-15T17:19:47Z")
Ooo, fun selection here. I went with King of Pop. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2014, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-decade-the-1980s/707307/3 "2014-12-15T17:21:23Z")
Tough call. I guess “Sledgehammer” is my favorite “single” from this list, but it was hard to pass on _The Wall_ and several others. ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2014, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-decade-the-1980s/707307/4 "2014-12-15T17:24:39Z")
Tough choice! I went with Dire Straits, but When Doves Cry was a close second. All the others are close thirds. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2014, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-decade-the-1980s/707307/5 "2014-12-15T17:30:59Z")
“Money for Nothing” pulls all the right strings for me. The guitar work is remarkable, and it has those tongue-in-cheek reverse homophobic lyrics that The Canadian Broadcast Standards Council failed to notice when it got banned (and subsequently unbanned once it was explained to the geezers). ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2014, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-decade-the-1980s/707307/6 "2014-12-15T17:32:04Z")
MJ owned the decade, he owns this list. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2014, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-decade-the-1980s/707307/7 "2014-12-15T17:37:53Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > MJ owned the decade, he owns this list. This^. Regards. Shodan ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2014, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-decade-the-1980s/707307/8 "2014-12-15T17:43:20Z")
Prince. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2014, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-decade-the-1980s/707307/9 "2014-12-15T17:57:55Z")
Unlike with the 1970s, some of the best songs of the decade made this list. That makes it a tougher choice! I’m gonna have to think about this one. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2014, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-decade-the-1980s/707307/10 "2014-12-15T20:22:25Z")
Put another dime in the juke box, baby. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2014, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-decade-the-1980s/707307/11 "2014-12-15T21:35:40Z")
“When Doves Cry” finishes comfortably ahead of second-place “Billie Jean” in the world-famous **Ponch8 Music Rating System**. I did not vote for _any_ of these ten songs in their respective best-of-the-year polls, but “When Doves Cry” just barely lost out to another Prince song, “Let’s Go Crazy,” in my 1984 vote. “Another Brick in the Wall” is dead-ass last. If you’re in the mood for a song with an anti-school message, Alice Cooper’s “School’s Out” is far superior. ---
**Author:** ![JohnGalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johngalt/32/184_2.png) [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2014, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-decade-the-1980s/707307/12 "2014-12-15T21:48:43Z")
It’s gotta be _Billie Jean_. Every time I hear I’m still trying to figure why the chair is not his son. ---
**Author:** ![Nema98](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d2c977/32.png) [@Nema98](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nema98)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2014, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-decade-the-1980s/707307/13 "2014-12-15T22:40:28Z")
For me I boiled down to Michael Jackson and Pink Floyd. I have already voted for Blondie, Madonna, Prince and others on various polls before. And I was not going to vote for Dire Straits, to me it is a terrible song. I have voted for the King of Pop before, never for Floyd. Decided to change things up and Pink Floyd got my vote. That being said over all these are good songs. For their respective years I did not vote with the majority in the 1980’s polls. ---
**Author:** ![Eddie\_F](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/22d042/32.png) [@Eddie\_F](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eddie_F)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2014, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-decade-the-1980s/707307/14 "2014-12-16T03:16:24Z")
Prince, clearly and easily. Not that I don’t like the song or anything, but “Money for Nothing” is tied for number one with “Billie Jean”? Really? I was certain that “Sledgehammer” and “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” would be slugging it out over the top spot, because the Straight Dope, and because RAWK. ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2014, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-decade-the-1980s/707307/15 "2014-12-16T03:41:21Z")
For the record, here is where these songs stand in _Rolling Stone_’s list of the 500 greatest songs of all time (published in the mid-2000s): Another Brick in the Wall: #375 Rapture: not ranked I Love Rock & Roll: #484 Billie Jean: #58 When Doves Cry: #52 Money for Nothing: not ranked Sledgehammer: not ranked I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For: #93 Sweet Child O’ Mine: #196 Like a Prayer: #300 So it looks like _Rolling Stone_’s music rating system aligns well with the world-famous **Ponch8 Music Rating System** for the 1980s (at least for the best two). ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2014, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-decade-the-1980s/707307/16 "2014-12-16T05:14:35Z")
I’ve been relistening to “Like a Prayer,” and you know what, it’s quite a good piece of music making. Since this year was its [25th anniversary](http://www.slantmagazine.com/house/article/through-the-years-madonnas-like-a-prayer-at-25?fb_action_ids=10204762570957963&fb_action_types=og.likes), people have been taking another listen in retrospect and re-evaluating its impact. I am convinced it truly is the song of the '80s. ---
**Author:** ![Art\_Rock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/art_rock/32/525_2.png) [@Art\_Rock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Art_Rock)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2014, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-decade-the-1980s/707307/17 "2014-12-16T06:33:23Z")
Pink Floyd (although far from their best song) ahead of Michael Jackson (clearly his best song). ---
**Author:** ![Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/les_espaces_du_sommeil/32/308_2.png) [@Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Les_Espaces_Du_Sommeil)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2014, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-decade-the-1980s/707307/18 "2014-12-16T11:19:09Z")
Mmmm, excellent list - one of the best so far and thus a tough choice… **Pink Floyd** ’s _Another Brick In the Wall (Part II)_ is the winner. It’s one of the first songs I remember and it tells a story that still works for me. Plus, solid guitar work. **Blondie** ’s \*Rapture \* would have gotten my vote if not for the silly rapping. It may have been edgy then but it’s embarassing now. Otherwise, it’s a wonderful single. **Joan Jett and the Blackhearts** ’s \*I Love Rock & Roll \* is a great 70s song. Too bad it’s the 80s poll. **Michael Jackson** - _Billie Jean_. The decade belongs to him but I said the same thing about **The Beatles** in the 60s and, last I checked they had unbelievably fallen behind _Satisfaction_, so I have no remorse not voting for him. Groovy bass line, though **Prince** - _When Doves Cry_. A great 80s song but it places no higher than 3rd or 4th in this poll. **Dire Straits** - _Money For Nothing_. One of the greatest guitar riffs of the decade but that’s about it. The rest of the song is meh. **Guns & Roses** - _Sweet Child O’ Mine_. I’ve never understood the appeal of this song. It’s one of the weaker tracks on _Appetite for Destruction_. Still, kudos to it for making heavy guitars popular again. _Like a Prayer_, _Sledgehammer_ and most of all _I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For_ (yuck) are way behind the other songs on the list. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2014, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-decade-the-1980s/707307/19 "2014-12-17T17:21:36Z")
“I Love Rock and Roll” is a remake - basically a note for note cover - so it’s out. “Rapture” is kind of boring. “Like A Prayer,” like a lot of Madonna songs, is just too silly to take seriously. Other than that, what a lineup. I’d buy this album. I voted for “Billie Jean” but could have been talked into several other songs. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2014, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-decade-the-1980s/707307/20 "2014-12-17T20:37:01Z")
I take issue with dismissing “Like a Prayer” as “too silly to take seriously,” RickJay. It’s a well-made composition and a great work of musical craftsmanship. It’s a song that expresses a woman’s sexuality. I expect you don’t dismiss women’s sexuality as “too silly to take seriously,” so there’s no a priori reason to dismiss this out of hand just because it’s by Madonna, who has earned serious academic and critical study. Paraphrasing Scott Joplin: Madonna is no indication of light or trashy music, and to shy bricks at “hateful Madonna” no longer passes for musical culture. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-decade-the-1980s/707307.md?page=2)