Top 10 Decade Defining Songs of the ’80s

Tracks That Dominated Radio and MTV
The ’80s was an interesting time in music. The disco mania was beginning to dwindle away – people were now gravitating towards new wave and pop. And it was a glorious time for hard rock too. And let’s not forget MTV and its rise to prominence – it was a game-changer because everyone wanted their music videos to get a heavy amount of airplay.
In an era of Cabbage Patch Kids, Super Mario Bros., E.T., Gremlins, legwarmers and big hair, we picked out 10 songs which defined the ’80s. They’re not the greatest but they’re the ones that best represents the decade. If you’re looking for anything by Madonna, Cyndi Lauper or Cher, you won’t find them here. Although they had some decade-defining hits, we’ll just go for all things rock ‘n roll.
Let’s check it out.
10. Bruce Springsteen – “Born in the USA” (1984)
https://youtu.be/lZD4ezDbbu4
This American classic hit is Bruce Springsteenโs protest song. The message is about the effects of the Vietnam War and how the veterans were treated when they are back home. They didnโt get a heroโs welcome and most of them were largely ignored despite their massive sacrifice.
You can understand where heโs coming from especially since some of his friends died in the war.
โWhen you think about all the young men and women that died in Vietnam, and how many died since they’ve been back โ surviving the war and coming back and not surviving โ you have to think that, at the time, the country took advantage of their selflessness. There was a moment when they were just really generous with their lives.โ โ Bruce Springsteen
Itโs more than just a song โ itโs an anthem. And Bruce Springsteen hit a gold mine with this track. There are songs that leave a lasting impression โ this is one of them.
9. Queen and David Bowie – “Under Pressure” (1981)
https://youtu.be/YoDh_gHDvkk
Itโs one of those collaborations you canโt help but say, โWhy didnโt they do this sooner?โ and also makes you wonder why itโs just one song. They could have worked together for an entire album and that wouldโve made all our flamboyant dreams come true.
Freddie Mercury and David Bowie both have big personalities which translated to stellar performance on stage every single time. At first, we thought they were going to outdo each other (like Mick Jagger and Bowie in their cringe-worthy music video) but hey, they didnโt and itโs not just good โ itโs legendary.
โIt was hard, because you had four very precocious boys and David, who was precocious enough for all of us. David took over the song lyrically. Looking back, it’s a great song but it should have been mixed differently. Freddie and David had a fierce battle over that. It’s a significant song because of David and its lyrical content.โ โ Brian May
Minus the same larger-than-life, otherworldly personas, they were similar in more ways than one. They were both fabulous and they know how to put on a show. Thereโs no way you can put this on and not be transported back to the โ80s.
8. Run DMC feat. Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of Aerosmith – “Walk This Way” (1986)
Steven Tyler has always been unpredictable but one thing we didnโt see coming was Aerosmith collaborating with hip hop group Run-DMC. We were shocked and skeptical – it’s the same reaction we had when we found out Paul McCartneyโs been working with Kanye West. But unlike the latter, we were pleasantly surprised with the former.
Still, itโs a bit ironic that two of the members had no idea who Aerosmith was even if they released the original version 10 years before.
โI went through my whole album collection looking for a song that Run-D.M.C. could do that would point out the relationship between hip-hop and other kinds of music. ‘Walk This Way’ had a familiar rock sensibility to it, but at the same time, with very little change, would function as a hip-hop song.โ โ Producer Rick Rubin
The โ70s was a golden time for Aerosmith but during the โ80s, their records didnโt even make it to the charts. And since this remake of โWalk this Wayโ was a huge success, it gave both groups what they want โ Run-DMC breaking into mainstream and Aerosmith getting back into the game.
7. Def Leppard – “Pour Some Sugar On Me” (1987)
https://youtu.be/3kw8brY5oCo
Well, hello there hair metal era. For the record, we know Def Leppardโs got a string of amazing songs but nothing quite like โPour Some Sugar on Me.โ Thereโs a reason why itโs the bandโs signature track and why it remains unmatched decades after it was first released.
It was something thatโs hard to ignore because you can hear it everywhere and thanks to MTV for playing it on heavy rotation which contributed much to the songโs success.
โThe song, a raw anthem dedicated purely to sex, boasts some of hard rock’s most unmistakable booming drum lines, courtesy of Rick Allen, who began to play an electronic kit after a car crash cost him his left arm.โ โ AllMusicโs Liana Jonas
It may have been written by accident but the song more than compensated for the costs and losses, it became a big win for the band. However, it wasnโt an immediate success because it was largely ignored at first. Listeners eventually came around.
6. Guns ‘n Roses – “Welcome to the Jungle” (1987)
https://youtu.be/5jd9e6QCuXE
This is one of the reasons why Guns โn Rosesโ debut album was the bomb. โWelcome to the Jungleโ basically summed up what the band had to offer and it worked, they gained massive following because of hits like this.
Only this explosive track is the perfect way to open โAppetite for Destruction.โ Of course, it made GnR a phenomenon.
โIf somebody had told me it was gonna be this huge record, Iโd have laughed in their face.โ โ Slash
GnR at their prime was unstoppable. Say what you want about them but they made history and towards the late โ80s, they left everyone else in the dust. It was so wild and intense, it was like a bucket of ice water poured over your head.
GnR was on the rise and they werenโt any other group you can just forget about. Besides, you know a band is something else when their songs remain timeless.
5. Bon Jovi – “Livin’ on a Prayer” (1986)
Hot on the heels of โYou Give Love A Bad Name,โ โLivinโ on a Prayerโ was played on heavy rotation in MTV โ because seriously, who doesnโt want to see Jon Bon Joviโs smoking hot bod and gorgeous face on TV? The man was the stuff of every teenage girl’s dreams.
If you can remember back in the โ80s, you can hear it on radio stations almost every 15 minutes. Then again, you canโt blame them. It was catchy and highly addicting to listen to.
โYou know that thing is not very easy to play. Basically everything gets fed through a one-inch tube that goes in your mouth. Then you try to sing through it into a live mic. I tried it once. It will damn near take your face off. Your eyeballs are being dislodged from their sockets, man.โ โ Jon Bon Jovi
Itโs that one song even haters learn to love. It may be overrated, overplayed and overexposed but itโs the track that transports you back to the โ80s once it comes on.
4. Metallica – “Master of Puppets”
โMaster of Puppetsโ is the kind of tune thatโs difficult not to try to air-guitar or air-drum to โ heck, some even โsing alongโ to the guitar solo. It rocks hard like that. Is it the best thrash metal track out there? Weโd leave that for you to decide but fact is, itโs a definitive song of the โ80s.
This was Metallicaโs tour de force and they blew every other group out of the water which isnโt an easy task to accomplish. But they did it, spectacularly too.
โWe had so much energy and belief. Itโs interesting how instinctive things used to be, how impulsive. I donโt remember labouring over ideas or ways to do things. We just did it.โ โ Lars Ulrich
Metallica was propelled into international stardom and fans just canโt enough. And besides, you know you did something right when one of your classic hits made competitors step up their heavy metal game.
3. Joan Jett & The Blackhearts – “I Love Rock ‘N Roll” (1982)
Joan Jett hit the jackpot with her cover version of The Arrowsโ โI Love Rock โn Roll.โ It was a huge hit for her especially when she recorded with The Blackhearts. It topped the charts for several weeks and received platinum certification status from the RIAA.
You donโt need to look far to know why this earned massive success โ the tune is catchy and MTV, as with the other songs on this list, played a big part by putting the music video on heavy rotation.
โI did a very early version with them, it was great working with them, and no, there was no sense of trepidation on my part, despite the fact that everyone was telling me they were the most notorious band on the planet.โ โ Joan Jett on recording with The Sex Pistolsโ Paul Cook and Steve Jones
This is Joan Jettโs happy ending especially because before she made it big with โI Love Rock โn Roll,โ her career seemed to be going down the drain. The song had edge, it had attitude but it was also danceable.
2. Motรถrhead – “Ace of Spades” (1980)
https://youtu.be/eBIa0o36pPo
This is how you welcome the decade โ with a bang courtesy of Motรถrhead. โAce of Spadesโ is heavy, hard-hitting, and unrelenting. If the band only had this one song and nothing else, they would still secure a spot in the rock โn roll pantheon. This tune sealed the deal for the boys.
Itโs their signature track and a real crowd favorite even if Lemmy Kilmister believes there are better songs in their catalog. Still, itโs easily recognizable and not even the number of years since it was released dulled its fire.
โItโs a fantastic track. Itโs got a natural speed, a velocity of its own, itโs got a great arrangement and it rocks like a bastard. And Lemmyโs lyrics are fantastic.โ โ Eddie Clarke
And this isnโt just for fans of rock music. Itโs an anthem so itโs no surprise that you can hear this being played in video games and various TV shows.
1. Van Halen – “Jump!” (1983)
Van Halen scored big with one of their most popular songs โJump.โ Itโs a classic and an epic masterpiece at that. Besides, these are the guys who can have big, glamorous hair and tight-fitting suits and still look bad ass. How many can pull that off? It screams โ80s whether you only listen to the music or watch the music video.
โthe first thing I did up here was ‘Jump’ and they [Roth and Templeman] didn’t like it. I said ‘take it or leave it’, I was getting sick of their ideas of what was commercial..โ โ Eddie Van Halen
Sure, it wasnโt the best time for the band and there was a lot of drama surrounding them but hey, itโs not every day someone comes up with a majestic piece like this. And when you think about it, probably every other metal band wished they had โJumpโ in their catalog. That says a lot if you ask us.