Neil’s Top 30 Songs of the 1980s
The 1980s – the decade fashion forgot! But how good was the music! From Rupert Holmes with Escape (The Pina Colada Song) through to The B52’s inviting us to their Love Shack, there were over 2150 singles that charted in Australia during the 1980s.
In this countdown, Neil selects his favourite songs of the 1980s … how many of these would you include in your list?
- Flame Trees – Cold Chisel
- Going Home (Theme from “Local Hero”) – Mark Knopfler
- Islands In The Stream – Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers
- Romeo & Juliet – Dire Straits
- You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling – Long John Baldry & Kathi McDonald
- One Perfect Day – Little Heroes
- Crying – Don McLean
- Total Eclipse Of The Heart – Bonnie Tyler
- You Weren’t In Love With Me – Billy Field
- Alone – Heart
- Under The Milky Way – The Church
- Life In A Northern Town – Dream Academy
- Radio Ga Ga – Queen
- Carmilla – Jon English
- Jealous Guy – Roxy Music
- Throw Your Arms Around Me – Hunters and Collectors
- Don’t Stop Believing – Journey
- Waiting For A Girl Like You – Foreigner
- Burn For You – INXS
- Working Class Man – Jimmy Barnes
- Stop! – Sam Brown
- Come On Eileen – Dexy’s Midnight Runners
- To Her Door – Paul Kelly
- He’s Just No Good For You – Mental As Anything
- Reckless – Australian Crawl
- Can’t Fight This Feeling – REO Speedwagon
- Dancing In The Dark – Bruce Springsteen
- Don’t Tell Me The Time – Martha Davis
- You Shook Me All Night Long – AC/DC
- With Or Without You – U2
The next 10 cabs off the rank if we had taken it to number 40 – in chronological order:
- You’re Only Lonely – JD Souther – 1980
- Twisting By The Pool – Dire Straits – 1983
- Don’t Pay The Ferryman – Chris de Burgh – 1983
- Hold Me Now – Thompson Twins – 1984
- Careless Whisper – George Michael – 1984
- The Boys Of Summer – Don Henley – 1985
- Summer of ’69 – Bryan Adams – 1985
- Make Me Lose Control – Eric Carmen – 1988
- Never Tear us Apart – INXS – 1988
- Young Years – Dragon – 1989