Best of the Rest of the Top 40: 1986

The year is now 1986, and this was another banner year for #1s - I had to go all the way to #53 to compile the 25 songs on this list.

What’s your favorite?

Previous polls: 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985

Best #1 single polls: 1955-56 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s All-time

Yeesh. For my money the Top 40 really declined after '84. All the cool kids were listening to college radio: R.E.M., The Smiths, Psychedelic Furs, Jason and the Scorchers, Guadalcanal Diary, Del Fuegos…

I voted for The Bangles, because at least they had the jangly guitars going.

There are a few good songs this year but Manic Monday is the clear standout. Walk of Life is 2nd for me.

This will always be remembered as the year that Eddy Murphy should have been euthanized.

I went with Kenny Loggins for the straight-ahead rock effort. I like Robert Palmer a lot, but “Didn’t Mean To Turn You On” wasn’t one of his better efforts. Never could stand Susanna Hoffs’ voice, either.

Funny, you’d think 1982 would’ve been the year for that.

It’s between Ms. Jackson and Mr. Jones, for very different reasons. Gonna have to go with Janet.

After reading the choices, I approached this year’s poll with the mindset of “If forced at gunpoint to listen to one of these songs right now, which would I choose?”

So it’s down to OMD or Dire Straits. I guess OMD wins by a nose.

“Alive and kicking” all the way. Possibly the easiest choice I’ve had in years. (Well, poll years, that is :stuck_out_tongue: )

Wow. I must’ve missed something 'cause none of those songs really bring back any memories for me. Not a very inspiring list as far as I’m concerned but there’s one song on that list that I’ll still look for the video of online so it’s the one I picked: “I Can’t Wait” by Nu Shooz.

Howard Jones and “No One Is To Blame”…without hesitance among my utmost 80’s favorites.

I picked that song too. 1986 was one of my happiest years, but yeah, these songs don’t seem that special.

Only three votes for the greatest rock jam of the '80s?

Sterling Archer would be very disappointed in all of you.

Pretty much the same for me. I think I got more than half way down before I even recognized a title. I voted for Walk of Life.

I voted for Simple Minds, love that song and I like the change that occurs in the middle. Few others I like such as Sly Fox, Level 42, Bangles, and even the Kenny Loggins song. Level 42 would have been second place to vote.

IIRC, I couldn’t vote for The Bangles in the “Best #1 polls” so now’s their turn. Not their best song but nice enough.

I like Dire Straits all right but The Walk of Life is annoying. The video used to make laugh, though.

And Alive and Kicking came out in 1986? I’d have sworn it was way earlier than that.

Relatively easy vote for the Bangles, but, as a Cubs fan especially, Walk of Life would have been my second choice. (Like Van Halen’s “Jump” before that, “Walk of Life” was used extensively on WGN broadcasts of games.) But that roller rink organ does get a bit grating after awhile.

Well, it’s 29 years old already. :wink:

Ah, but I’m 40.

My memories from 29 years ago (age 11) are very different from those from 33 years ago (age 7) :D. Different worlds, really.

This +12. I haven’t had such an easy choice since 1978.

HUGE difference in paying attention to the wider world between those two ages.

I love the Bangles, but I love Dire Straights and “Walk of Life” in particular, so that’s where I voted. “Manic Monday” is popular but far from their best anyway. OMD is a good, solid 3rd place. I would have thought that song is three or four years older than 1986.