Table of Contents
Long hair, guitar solos, and lots of the best rock bands of all time provided in the 1980s for a perfect mood. In our playlist, you can find the 150 best rock songs of the 80s.
In the 80s, pop-metal bands caused a big stir in the charts. Bands like Bon Jovi, Europe, and the most successful German band, the Scorpions, were the focus of the music lovers.
Punk music had it harder at the beginning of the 80s. The so-called post-punk with groups like The Cure and Joy Division delivered a new soundtrack that was convincing.
Bands like Queen, Simple Minds, U2, Van Halen, and Whitesnake managed the balancing act between pop and rock music. Guns N’ Roses was particularly successful, captivating the world with songs like “Paradise City” and “Sweet Child of Mine.”
Heavy metal bands experienced one of their best phases in the 80s. Iron Maiden, Motörhead, or Metallica made it into the charts with some songs and thus provided musical variety.
The following 150 songs are from rock music and related subgenres. These songs have been chosen for their initial and ongoing popularity and their influence and impact on the development of rock and its subgenres.
(At the end of the article, we have created a Spotify playlist for you with all the songs listed here.)
The most successful rock songs of the 80s:
Each song is linked via the title with the associated music video.
№: | Listen: | Performer: | |
---|---|---|---|
1. | Jump | Van Halen | |
2. | The Flame | Cheap Trick | |
3. | Don’t Stop Believin’ | Journey | |
4. | Money For Nothing | Dire Straits | |
5. | Take on Me | a-ha | |
6. | Welcome to the Jungle | Guns N Roses | |
7. | Karma Chameleon | Culture Club | |
8. | Another One Bites the Dust | Queen | |
9. | When Doves Cry | Prince | |
10. | Beat It | Michael Jackson | |
11. | Another Brick in the Wall, Pt. 2 | Pink Floyd | |
12. | One | Metallica | |
13. | Every Breath You Take | The Police | |
14. | Sharp Dressed Man | ZZ Top | |
15. | Sweet Child O’ Mine | Guns N’ Roses | |
16. | Here I Go Again | Whitesnake | |
17. | Tom Sawyer | Rush | |
18. | Hallowed Be Thy Name | Iron Maiden | |
19. | The Final Countdown | Europe | |
20. | Straight to Hell | The Clash | |
21. | Shot in the Dark | Ozzy Osbourne | |
22. | Sexual Healing | Marvin Gaye | |
23. | Breaking the Law | Judas Priest | |
24. | Heaven | Warrant | |
25. | Tainted Love | Soft Cell | |
26. | Alone | Heart | |
27. | Fast Car | Tracy Chapman | |
28. | Rock You Like a Hurricane | Scorpions | |
29. | I Love It Loud | Kiss | |
30. | Livin’ On a Prayer | Bon Jovi | |
31. | House of Fun | Madness | |
32. | Big City Nights | Scorpions | — |
33. | I Love Rock ‘N’ Roll | Joan Jett & The Blackhearts | |
34. | Where the Streets Have No Name | U2 | |
35. | People are People | Depeche Mode | |
36. | Back In Black | AC/DC | |
37. | Way Cool Jr. | Ratt | |
38. | Master of Puppets | Metallica | |
39. | Every Rose Has It’s Thorn | Poison | |
40. | Too Young To Fall In Love | Mötley Crüe | |
41. | So Lonely | The Police | |
42. | Eye of the Tiger | Survivor | |
43. | Cold Blood | Kix | |
44. | Jessie’s Girl | Rick Springfield | |
45. | Sweet Dreams | Eurythmics | |
46. | Should I Stay or Should I Go | The Clash | |
47. | I Don’t Remember | Peter Gabriel | |
48. | Don’t You Want Me? | The Human League | |
49. | Carrie | Europe | |
50. | When the Children Cry | White Lion | |
51. | You Shook Me All Night Long | AC/DC | |
52. | Like a Virgin | Madonna | |
53. | Run to the Hills | Iron Maiden | |
54. | Nothin’ But A Good Time | Poison | |
55. | I’ll Be You | The Replacements | |
56. | Rock the Casbah | The Clash | |
57. | Ace of Spades | Motorhead | |
58. | Pour Some Sugar on Me | Def Leppard | |
59. | Round and Round | Ratt | |
60. | Living After Midnight | Judas Priest | |
61. | Call Me | Blondie | |
62. | You’ve Got Another Thing Coming | Judas Priest | |
63. | You Give Love A Bad Name | Bon Jovi | |
64. | When It’s Love | Van Halen | |
65. | We’re Not Gonna Take It | Twisted Sister | |
66. | Angel of Harlem | U2 | |
67. | Crazy Train | Ozzy Osbourne | |
68. | Dreams | Van Halen | |
69. | Patience | Guns N’ Roses | |
70. | Cum on Feel the Noize | Quiet Riot | |
71. | Call Me | Blondie | |
72. | Wanted Dead or Alive | Bon Jovi | |
73. | Once Bitten, Twice Shy | Great White | |
74. | Talk Dirty To Me | Poison | |
75. | Runaway | Bon Jovi | |
76. | My Girl | Madness | |
77. | I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For | U2 | |
78. | Every Little Thing She Does is Magic | The Police | |
79. | Panama | Van Halen | |
80. | Never Surrender | Corey Hart | |
81. | Back For More | Ratt | |
82. | Rapture | Blondie | |
83. | Photograph | Def Leppard | |
84. | Unchained | Van Halen | |
85. | Wait | White Lion | |
86. | Seventeen | Winger | |
87. | Boys Don’t Cry | The Cure | |
88. | Is This Love | Whitesnake | |
89. | Why Can’t This Be Love | Van Halen | |
90. | 18 & Life | Skid Row | |
91. | West End Girls | Pet Shop Boys | |
92. | Sister Christian | Night Ranger | |
93. | Metal Health (Bang Your Head) | Quiet Riot | |
94. | Our House | Madness | |
95. | Dr. Feelgood | Mötley Crüe | |
96. | The Number Of The Beast | Iron Maiden | |
97. | No One Like You | The Scorpions | |
98. | Against the Wind | Bob Seger | |
99. | Armageddon It | Def Leppard | |
100. | Don’t Believe in Love | Queensryche | |
101. | For Those About to Rock | AC/DC | |
102. | Edge of a Broken Heart | Bon Jovi | |
103. | Bringin’ on the Heartbreak | Def Leppard | |
104. | I Want A Woman | Ratt | |
105 | Red Rain | Peter Gabriel | |
106.. | The Magnificent Seven | The Clash | |
107. | Paradise City | Guns N’ Roses | |
108. | In Your Eyes | Peter Gabriel | |
109. | Pride (In the Name of Love) | U2 | |
110. | I Wanna Rock | Twisted Sister | |
111. | Heading Out to the Highway | Judas Priest | |
112. | Still of the Night | Whitesnake | |
113. | Love Will Tear Us Apart | Joy Division | |
114. | Love Song | Tesla | |
115. | The Search is Over | Survivor | |
116. | Waiting Room | Fugazi | |
117. | Dear God | XTC | |
118. | Fallen Angel | Poison | |
119. | Alone Again | Dokken | |
120. | Down Boys | Warrant | |
121. | I Can’t Drive 55 | Sammy Hagar | |
122. | Bad Medicine | Bon Jovi | |
123. | Born to Be My Baby | Bon Jovi | |
124. | Girls Just Wanna Have Fun | Cyndi Lauper | |
125. | Superstitious | Europe | |
126. | Shout At The Devil | Mötley Crüe | |
127. | Don’t Close Your Eyes | Kix | |
128. | Headed for a Heartbreak | Winger | |
129. | Don’t Change | INXS | |
130. | Born In the U.S.A. | Bruce Springsteen | |
131. | Physical | Olivia Newton-John | |
132. | Cult of Personality | Living Colour | |
133. | Start Me Up | Rolling Stones | |
134. | Hells Bells | AC/DC | |
135. | Let’s Go Crazy | Prince | |
136. | Rock of Ages | Def Leppard | |
137. | Personal Jesus | Depeche Mode | |
138. | Luka | Suzanne Vega | |
139. | Faithfully | Journey | |
140. | Love Shack | B-52’s | |
141. | Rainbow in the Dark | Dio | |
142. | Purple Rain | Prince | |
143. | Save Your Love | Great White | |
144. | Do You Really Want To Hurt Me? | Culture Club | |
145. | Day by Day | The Hooters | |
146. | Shake Me | Cinderella | |
147. | Modern Love | David Bowie | |
148. | Nobody’s Fool | Cinderella | |
149. | And We Danced | Hooters | |
150. | Animal | Def Leppard |
80s rock songs Spotify playlist:
You haven’t had enough of rock music?
– Also visit our playlist with the 200 best rock songs of all time!