# Your top five 80's songs? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 9, 2003, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-five-80s-songs/147548 "2003-01-09T17:31:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dante](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dante/32/9673_2.png) [@Dante](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dante)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2003, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-five-80s-songs/147548/1 "2003-01-09T17:31:36Z")
Apologies if this has been done recently, but I’m curious, especially among those Dopers who were teens during the 80’s, and can hear a song that immediately transports them back to high school. My picks: 1. Melt With You - Modern English 2. Tainted Love - Soft Cell 3. Rock the Casbah - The Clash 4. How Soon is Now - The Smiths 5. Bizarre Love Triangle - New Order ---
**Author:** ![Legomancer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/779978/32.png) [@Legomancer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Legomancer)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2003, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-five-80s-songs/147548/2 "2003-01-09T17:38:44Z")
In no order: I Melt With You - Modern English Always Something There to Remind Me - Naked Eyes Careless Whispers - Wham People Are People - Depeche Mode Like a Virgin - Madonna ---
**Author:** ![XJETGIRLX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9fc29f/32.png) [@XJETGIRLX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XJETGIRLX)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2003, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-five-80s-songs/147548/3 "2003-01-09T17:40:36Z")
1. One Night In Bangkok – Murray Head 2. Turning Japanese – The Vapors 3. Hazy Shade of Winter – The Bangles 4. Dead Man’s Party – Oingo Boingo 5. Kokomo – The Beach Boys ---
**Author:** ![lauramarlane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a5b964/32.png) [@lauramarlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lauramarlane)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2003, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-five-80s-songs/147548/4 "2003-01-09T18:53:55Z")
Our Lips are Sealed - The Go-Gos Like a Virgin - Madonna Addicted to Love - Robert Palmer Hold Me Know - Thompson Twins Girls Just Want to Have Fun - Cyndi Lauper Sometimes I miss the 80s–then I remember the clothes. ---
**Author:** ![dorkusmalorkusmafia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorkusmalorkusmafia/32/7266_2.png) [@dorkusmalorkusmafia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorkusmalorkusmafia)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2003, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-five-80s-songs/147548/5 "2003-01-09T20:00:47Z")
In no particular order: Take On Me - Aha Shout - Tears for Fears Whip It - Devo Nasty (was that late 70’s or early 80’s?) - The Damned Burning Down the house - Talking Heads (?) ---
**Author:** ![jk1245](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/49beb7/32.png) [@jk1245](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jk1245)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2003, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-five-80s-songs/147548/6 "2003-01-09T20:14:11Z")
Sweet Child O’ Mine - GnR (That whole album really) With or Without You - U2 (That whole album too) Melt With You - Modern English Crazy for You - Madonna (_So…ummm…do you…ummm… wanna… dance?_ :D) Livin On a Prayer - Bon Jovi ahhh…memories! Time to go turn on VH1 classic! Now, where are my parachute pants? ---
**Author:** ![merge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9f8e36/32.png) [@merge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/merge)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2003, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-five-80s-songs/147548/7 "2003-01-09T20:25:57Z")
Take on me… deffinatly… Jenny(867-530 ni—e---ine) anything by the squeeze… tainted love and Talk dirty to me ---
**Author:** ![auntie\_em](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5e9695/32.png) [@auntie\_em](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/auntie_em)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2003, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-five-80s-songs/147548/8 "2003-01-09T20:37:44Z")
Eh, I’ll probably change my mind about these when more people weigh in with songs I’ve forgotten (age, you know). But right off the top of my head . . . PYT – Michael Jackson Is There Something I Should Know – Duran Duran Purple Rain – Prince Big Country – Big Country She’s Blinded Me With Science – Thomas Dolby ---
**Author:** ![CuriousCanuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@CuriousCanuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CuriousCanuck)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2003, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-five-80s-songs/147548/9 "2003-01-09T20:40:44Z")
In no real order: Take on Me - A-ha Raspberry Beret - Prince Billie Jean - Michael Jackson (pity he is such a joke now) Swet Child O Mine - Guns n Roses Heart of Rock and Roll - Huey Lewis and the News ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2003, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-five-80s-songs/147548/10 "2003-01-09T20:52:17Z")
Men without hats - Safety Dance Thomas Dolby - She Blinded me with science Kajagoogoo - Too shy shy Oingo Boingo - Weird Science / Dead Man’s Party Prince - 1999 ---
**Author:** ![cowgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8c91f0/32.png) [@cowgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cowgirl)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2003, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-five-80s-songs/147548/11 "2003-01-09T20:58:36Z")
Walkin’ on Sunshine - Katrina and the Waves Alive and Kicking - can’t remember Sweet Child o’ Mine - G n’ R Peace of Mind - Grapes of Wrath We Built This City - Starship ---
**Author:** ![CuriousCanuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@CuriousCanuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CuriousCanuck)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2003, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-five-80s-songs/147548/12 "2003-01-09T21:01:17Z")
I can’t wait to compile these, and make a great 80s party… now where did I put those acid washed jeans… ---
**Author:** ![NurseCarmen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5daacb/32.png) [@NurseCarmen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NurseCarmen)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2003, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-five-80s-songs/147548/13 "2003-01-09T21:05:52Z")
Psychadelic Furs - Heaven Icicle Works - Whisper to a scream The Suburbs - Love is the law Thomas Dolby - One of our submarines Dead Kennedys - Kill the Poor ---
**Author:** ![Interrobang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/interrobang/32/17463_2.png) [@Interrobang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Interrobang)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2003, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-five-80s-songs/147548/14 "2003-01-09T21:40:05Z")
There are songs from the '80s that I like better than these, but that I don’t really think of as “'80s songs” – especially stuff by artists like Elvis Costello and Talking Heads. Top 5 '80s songs: **Melt with You (Modern English)** – one of my favorite songs, period; I was dismayed when it showed up in a Burger King commercial **Let’s Go Crazy (Prince)** **One Night in Bangkok (Murray Head)** **Karma Chameleon (Culture Club)** – from one of the first albums I owned! **99 Luftballoons (Nena)** – definitely prefer the German version ---
**Author:** ![Raymond\_Luxury\_Yacht](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/raymond_luxury_yacht/32/4099_2.png) [@Raymond\_Luxury\_Yacht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raymond_Luxury_Yacht)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2003, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-five-80s-songs/147548/15 "2003-01-09T21:44:47Z")
Peter Piper - Run DMC Blister in the Sun - Violent Femmes Fall on Me - REM How Soon is Now? - The Smiths Beds are Burning - Midnight Oil BTW, Simple Minds did Alive and Kicking, and for me, Whisper to a Scream needs to be the remix version. ---
**Author:** ![SkipMagic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skipmagic/32/20706_2.png) [@SkipMagic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkipMagic)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2003, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-five-80s-songs/147548/16 "2003-01-09T21:56:37Z")
**I Wanna Be A Cowboy** - Boys Don’t Cry **Tempted** - Squeeze **Thriller** - Michael Jackson **Don’t Forget Me (When I’m Gone)** - Glass Tiger **Africa** - Toto And a special salute to Bonnie Tyler’s **Total Eclipse Of The Heart** 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![kevja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/aeb1de/32.png) [@kevja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kevja)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2003, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-five-80s-songs/147548/17 "2003-01-09T22:25:46Z")
Sweet Child O’ Mine Every Breath You Take Little Red Corvette With Or Without You Hit Me With Your Best Shot ---
**Author:** ![cornflakes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@cornflakes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cornflakes)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2003, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-five-80s-songs/147548/18 "2003-01-09T22:53:10Z")
[ul][li]Hell and Back - D.O.A.[/li][li]Up the Neck - Pretenders[/li][li]Talking to Myself - Let’s Active (strangely enough, and it might be torture to hear this song now)[/li][li]Tied to the Tracks - Soul Asylym[/li]Greatest Gift - Scratch Acid (I don’t think these guys were really known outside of Texas, but I had to add something really psychedelic and _really scary_.)[/ul] ---
**Author:** ![okielady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/fbc32d/32.png) [@okielady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/okielady)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2003, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-five-80s-songs/147548/19 "2003-01-10T00:49:05Z")
Oh crap. Every song from that era takes me back to a particular memory, so it would be hard to choose just 5. However, the OP said “immediately transports them back to high school,” so I’d have to say: Hazy Shade of Winter- Bangles Hands to Heaven - Breathe Straight Up - Paula Abdul Welcome to the Jungle - GNR Once Bitten Twice Shy - Great White These aren’t necessarily my favorites (although I do like them) but they have the ability to transport me back to high school. ---
**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:** [January 10, 2003, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-five-80s-songs/147548/20 "2003-01-10T04:43:45Z")
Off the top of my head: Just Like Heaven - **The Cure** Senses Working Overtime - **XTC** Gigantic - **The Pixies** Almost With You - **The Church** Map Ref. 41N 93W - **Wire** [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-five-80s-songs/147548.md?page=2)