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FEATURED SONG

Take My Breath Away

Take My Breath Away by Berlin - Song #85

If this dreamy love song by new wave/electropop band Berlin sounds morose to you, that’s because lead singer Terri Nunn was feeling gloomy when she recorded it: “I had no love life at the time. There were no prospects for a relationship. I was alone, sad, and I was going through some personal crises... I was looking for meaning in my life, and I felt like a failure because I had no personal relationship. That’s where I was coming from when I recorded the song. I was singing about the yearning of finding someone who would take my breath away,” she told Deseret News in 2004.

Take My Breath Away peaked at #1 on the U.S. Billboard Top 40 in 1986, and also hit #1 in Belgium, Ireland, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. It was a hit in Australia, Sweden, South Africa, New Zealand, Canada, France, Finland, Spain, Austria, Switzerland, Norway, and West Germany. In 2016, Terri Nunn told news.com.au, “People just have history with that song. It puts people into a zone. I get to watch them go into that zone. If I get to meet them after the show, they want to tell me their story how Take My Breath Away was the soundtrack of something that mattered to them——their first kiss, the first record they bought, their first baby——it’s in their DNA. I know what that’s like. I have songs that changed my life too. They came at a time when I needed them, and I played them over and over. I get it. It’s really cool to have a song like that. It’s an emotional experience.”

 

Take My Breath Away is the love theme from the highest-grossing film of 1986, Top Gun, which stars American actor Tom Cruise as a naval aviator who trains at the U.S. Navy’s Fighter Weapons School at Naval Air Station Miramar in San Diego, California. If the movie seems like military recruitment propaganda to you, that’s because it is. The producers made Top Gun with the cooperation of the U.S. Navy. The Navy got full script approval in exchange for permission to feature the Navy’s aircraft, ships, and bases in the movie. The propaganda was very effective, as evidenced by the major increase in military enlistment following the film’s release.

 

In the film, Take My Breath Away plays during a steamy love scene between Tom Cruise and American actress Kelly McGillis. This scene was not in the original cut of the film, but because test audiences wanted some sex, re-shoots were done, and the scene was added. In fact, the reason the actors are shown in silhouette in the sex scene is because by then, Kelly McGillis had dyed her hair for another role. (Watch the scene from the film here.) Top Gun has sustained in popularity, and is still one of Tom Cruise’s most popular and highest-grossing films. In 2013, it was re-released in IMAX 3D. In 2015, the U.S. Library of Congress added it to the National Film Registry, which features films that are “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”

 

The Top Gun soundtrack, which is one of the best-selling movie soundtracks of all time, also features Danger Zone by American musician Kenny Loggins, which is song #182 on this list of THE TOP 500 POP SONGS OF THE 1980S. Two more Kenny Loggins songs (both also from movies) are on this list: I’m Alright from Caddyshack, at #434, and Footloose at #72. American rock band Toto (which has six songs on this list) was originally meant to record Danger Zone, but there was a dispute between Toto’s lawyers and the film’s producers. Canadian musician Bryan Adams (who has four songs on this list) was considered a potential candidate to perform a song for the soundtrack, but he declined because he felt that the film glorified war. The soundtrack includes Top Gun Anthem by German musician Harold Faltermeyer and American guitarist Steve Stevens, which won a Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance in 1987. The soundtrack also includes Canadian rock band Loverboy’s Heaven In Your Eyes, which peaked at #12 on the U.S. Billboard Top 40, but did not make this list; the only Loverboy song to make this list is Working For the Weekend at #274. The original Top Gun soundtrack also includes songs by American rock band Cheap Trick, American R&B musician Teena Marie, and American pop band Miami Sound Machine, all of whom have one song on this list: The Flame at #272, Lovergirl at #384, and Conga at #462, respectively.

 

Italian composer Giorgio Moroder wrote the music for Danger Zone, and then teamed up with Tom Whitlock to add lyrics, and to compose Take My Breath Away. In 2020, Giorgio Moroder told The Guardian, “My Ferrari was parked behind the studio, with brake trouble. One day a guy, Tom Whitlock, came by and said he was a mechanic and could fix it. Later he said: ‘Oh, and, by the way, I’m also a lyricist. If you ever need some words...’ I was never good at lyrics, so gave him my demos. He wrote words for Danger Zone and Take My Breath Away among others, and the imagery was perfect.” Giorgio Moroder is known as “the father of disco” for his synthesizer work in early electronic dance music, most notably with American singer Donna Summer in the ‘70s. He produced some of her most popular songs during the disco era, including 1975’s Love to Love You Baby, 1977’s I Feel Love, 1978’s Last Dance, 1978’s MacArthur Park, 1979’s Hot Stuff, and 1979’s On the Radio. On the Radio was released in 1979, but peaked at #5 on the U.S. Billboard Top 40 in 1980; it did not make this list of the TOP 500 POP SONGS OF THE 1980S, but it came close, at #541. (Donna Summer’s only song on this list is She Works Hard For the Money at #231.)

 

Giorgio Moroder produced the soundtrack for 1980’s American Gigolo, which features American rock band Blondie’s Call Me, song #53 on this list. He also composed film soundtracks for 1978’s Midnight Express (for which he won an Oscar for Best Original Score), 1983’s Scarface, 1984’s The NeverEnding Story, and the 1984 restoration of the 1927 film Metropolis. Giorgio Moroder stated that the work he is most proud is Take My Breath Away, for which he won an Oscar for Best Original Song in 1987. He won the same award in 1984 for Flashdance...What a Feeling by American singer Irene Cara, song #26 on this list. In 2020, he told The Guardian, “Take My Breath Away is my favorite work, because of the components and the way Terri sings it. It won best original song at the Golden Globes and my third Oscar. There’s some things you forget but this one felt incredible.” Terri Nunn refused to perform Take My Breath Away at the Academy Awards as part of a medley of the Oscar-nominated songs in 1987. She said that she would perform the song only if she could sing it in its entirety. The song won the Oscar, but wasn’t performed at the show. She says that she still regrets that decision.

 

In 2020, Terri Nunn told The Guardian, “We loved what Giorgio Moroder was doing and begged to work with him, but he was huge. He had worked with David Bowie, Donna Summer, Blondie, and on Flashdance. We could eventually afford him for just one song, No More Words. While we were working with him, he got the contract for Top Gun and wrote Take My Breath Away. He’d tried other singers on it but the film’s producers had turned them all down, so Giorgio suggested us. We hadn’t had big hits, but he could be very convincing and told them: ‘Oh, they’ll be huge.’” No More Words was Berlin’s first U.S. Billboard Top 40 hit, peaking at #23 in 1984.

 

Berlin is a new wave band that formed in 1978. Despite its name, Berlin is an American band with no connection to the capital of Germany. The name was chosen to make them seem “exotically European.” The band’s best-known lineup is singer Terri Nunn, bass guitarist and vocalist John Crawford, keyboardist David Diamond, guitarist Ric Olsen, keyboardist Matt Reid, and drummer Rod Learned. Originally called The Toys when formed in 1976, the band made some changes and added Terri Nunn in 1979, but she left the band later that year to pursue an acting career.

 

Terri Nunn appeared in several television shows in the ‘70s and ‘80s, including T.J. Hooker, Lou Grant, Vega$, and James at 15. She is in several movies as well, including the 1978 widely-panned disco comedy Thank God It’s Friday (which also features Donna Summer and her song Last Dance, produced by Giorgio Moroder). In 2020, Terri Nunn told The Guardian, “Before I was in Berlin, I auditioned for the part of Princes Leia in Star Wars. I was 15 but looked 12. Harrison Ford was over 30 but looked 19 or 20 [watch her audition here]. We sat in deckchairs to say our lines. George Lucas, bless him, sent me a letter thanking me and saying: ‘We chose Carrie Fisher, but we’d like to help you.’ He introduced me to Steven Spielberg and all these guys. I was offered the part of Lucy Ewing [on American TV show] Dallas, but the seven-year contract scared me because I really wanted to do music. My mother told me to go with my heart, but my agent was so annoyed with me for turning down Dallas that he dropped me. A year later, I met John Crawford, and joined Berlin.” She said that she was happy that she didn’t get these roles because then her life would not have been about music.

 

After Terri Nunn re-joined Berlin in 1980, Berlin had a minor hit with The Metro, from the album Pleasure Victim. The next single released from the album was the controversial Sex (I’m a...), which was a hit in the U.S. on the Billboard Dance Club and Mainstream Rock charts. Sex (I’m a...) was banned by some radio stations due to its sexually-charged lyrics, which of course, made it a cult hit.

 

In 1984, Berlin finally had a U.S. Billboard Top 40 hit with the first song Giorgio Moroder produced for the band, No More Words, from the album Love Life. Almost a year after peaking at #23 on the U.S. Billboard Top 40, No More Words was featured in the 1985 film Vision Quest, and was the B-side of Madonna’s huge hit single Crazy For You (song #122 on this list). The video for No More Words, which received a lot of airplay on MTV, is quite elaborate for 1984——a car chase and shoot-out in the vein of the 1967 film Bonnie and Clyde, with some interesting twists. No More Words was also a hit on the U.S. Billboard Dance Club and Mainstream Rock charts. Other noteworthy Berlin songs include 1983’s Masquerade, 1984’s Now It’s My Turn, 1987’s You Don’t Know, and 1987’s Like Flames, which were minor hits in the U.S. and other countries.

 

“By 1986 we’d already been together as a band 13 years and were on our third album,” Terri Nunn told The Sunday Express in 2006. “We were approached by the producer Giorgio Moroder... He said, ‘I’ve got this great ballad, it’s going to be the sound of the summer, it’s going to be huge, you have to do it.’ I was happy to go ahead, but John Crawford [Berlin’s founder, primary songwriter, and bass guitarist] hated it. He kept saying it just wasn’t our sound or the right direction for us as a band, and that if we didn’t write it, we shouldn’t record it. But our label [Columbia Records] insisted it wouldn’t hurt us, so we went ahead. The song didn’t go straight to #1. In fact, it couldn’t get any radio play at all, but for some reason, someone at Columbia just wouldn’t give up on it. They pushed it for a month and then it exploded.”

 

Terri Nunn viewed Take My Breath Away as an opportunity for more recognition for the band, but other bandmembers didn’t like it because it wasn’t written or composed by any of them. Berlin was already having problems, and Terri Nunn lamented, “Take My Breath Away came along and that was another reason to fight. John [Crawford] was like, ‘That’s not our song. We have our own songs.’ I said, ‘Who cares? It’s Giorgio Moroder, if he farts, I’ll sing it. I love that guy.’ We fought about that. Then we fought about the fact [that] we had to play it in concerts. John didn’t like that either. We were just fighting to fight.” Berlin disbanded in 1987. “We were just tired,” she said. “We were mad at each other because we’d seen each other for 24 hours a day for the previous six years. Looking back, all we needed was a break, but we were kids, and the record label just wants you to work so they can get their money as long as the gravy train lasts.”

 

Terri Nunn began a solo career in 1991, releasing the album Moment Of Truth. In 1996, she won a legal battle that gave her the rights to the name Berlin, which John Crawford had chosen for the band. She reformed the band with a new lineup, and Berlin began recording and touring in 1997. In 1999, Berlin opened for American all-female rock band The Go-Go’s on their reunion tour. (The Go-Go’s have three songs on this list of THE TOP 500 POP SONGS OF THE 1980S, and lead singer Belinda Carlisle has two solo songs.)

 

In 2004, as part of U.S. music channel VH1’s Bands Reunited series, Terri Nunn reunited with all of the original members of Berlin (watch it here). The band continues to record new material and tour, often with some of the original bandmembers, including John Crawford. In 2020, Berlin released their ninth album, Strings Attached, which includes re-recordings of some of the band’s previous songs, backed by a full orchestra. The new recording of Take My Breath Away features The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra and The Slovenia Symphonic Film Orchestra.

 

Take My Breath Away is featured in the following films: 2001’s Ocean’s 11, 2006’s Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (the song plays when the title character sees Canadian-American actress Pamela Anderson on TV for the first time), 2010’s Going the Distance, 2017’s Despicable Me 3, 2017’s Death Note, and 2019’s Corpus Christi. Take My Breath Away is referenced in the 2012 film Captain America: The First Avenger; a character says, “I can think of some folks in Berlin who are about to get very nervous,” and another character responds, “Yep, after they do Take My Breath Away from the Top Gun soundtrack, they’re pretty much through.” Some of the television shows that have featured Take My Breath Away include The King Of Queens in 2002, Dancing With the Stars in 2006, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia in 2007, Glee in 2012 (watch the scene here), and Brooklyn Nine-Nine in 2019. In 1990, the National Basketball Association included Take My Breath Away as part of a tribute to Michael Jordan in an NBA Superstars video documentary.

 

Before Berlin recorded Take My Breath Away, it was offered to American new wave band The Motels, who recorded a demo version, but the Top Gun producers rejected it. The Motels’ demo was released in 2001. Two songs by The Motels almost made this list of THE TOP 500 POP SONGS OF THE 1980S: Only the Lonely (#545) and Suddenly Last Summer (#649).

 

Take My Breath Away has been covered by many artists representing a wide variety of music genres from all over the world, including the following:

 

  • Italian singer Cristiano Malgioglio in 1986 (click here)

  • French singer/songwriter Gérard Lenorman in 1986 (click here)

  • German singer Ute Berling in 1986 (click here)

  • The London Symphony Orchestra in 1987 (click here)

  • English instrumental rock group The Shadows in 1987 (click here)

  • Taiwanese singer Tracy Huang in 1987 (click here)

  • Turkish singer Neşe Karaböcek in 1987 (click here)

  • Czech singer Petra Janů in 1987 (click here)

  • French pianist Richard Clayderman in 1987 (click here; it’s a medley with British-Irish musician Chris de Burgh’s The Lady In Red, song #361 on this list)

  • Belgian classical guitarist Francis Goya in 1988 (click here)

  • Slovak pianist Peter Breiner in 1990 (click here)

  • British a cappella group The Flying Pickets in 1994 (click here)

  • German electronic dance music DJ Jan Wayne featuring Charlene in Dance in 2002 (click here)

  • U.K. remix artists Soda Club featuring Hannah Alethea in 2002 (click here)

  • American rock band Copeland in 2004 (click here)

  • American singer Jessica Simpson in 2004 (click here; her version was a moderate hit in the U.S., Australia, Belgium, France, and Canada)

  • American rock band My Morning Jacket in 2004 (click here)

  • American singer Diana Ross in 2006 (click here)

  • English musician Gordon Haskell in 2008 (click here)

  • Scottish alternative rock musician Sharleen Spiteri in 2010 (click here)

  • German new age band Gregorian in 2012 (click here)

  • Latin pop group OV7 in 2012 (click here)

  • American rock band We Are Scientists in 2013 (click here)

  • British singer-songwriter Will Young in 2015 (click here)

  • Dutch singer/songwriter Duncan Laurence in 2022 (click here)

In 2013, Take My Breath Away surged in popularity after being sampled in several songs, including American rapper Trick Daddy’s 2012 song They Took My Dog Away, American rapper Juvenile’s 2012 song Take My Breath, American singer Lloyd’s 2012 song Do It Again, and American rapper Brianna Perry’s 2013 song (featuring American singer/songwriter Teyana Taylor) Take My Breath Away.

 

Terri Nunn has remained in the spotlight for more than just music. She hosted a podcast and a radio show. In 2010, she was a guest judge on American reality competition TV show RuPaul’s Drag Race, and mentored the contestants in a singing challenge. Although her acting career didn’t take off, she said that her acting experience helped her with Take My Breath Away: “In acting, I’d learned a lot about channeling emotion. I was alone. I’d been so busy with the band, I’d not had a relationship for four years. So I sang [Take My Breath Away] from a feeling of sadness and longing, and maybe that’s what resonated. It taught me that the most important thing is to sing a song from honesty, whatever it is for me at that time... The thing that people comment on is how sad I sound because I was. I was sad.” Terri Nunn has a Master’s Degree in Applied Human Nutrition. She became a vegetarian at the age of 19, and then became vegan in 2011 after reading The China Study: The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition Ever Conducted by T. Colin Campbell.

 

A sequel to Top Gun was released in 2022. Before the film’s release, when asked if Take My Breath Away would be featured in Top Gun: Maverick, Terri Nunn said, “All we heard was there’s talk that they’re putting it...in the movie, like, he [Tom Cruise] goes into a bar and hears it and says, ‘Oh, I really like that song!’ Which would be very cool!” But it turns out that Take My Breath Away is not featured in the sequel. (The movie does begin with the other huge hit from the original Top Gun, Danger Zone by Kenny Loggins.) Top Gun: Maverick director Joseph Kosinski explained to CinemaBlend, “Take My Breath Away is an incredible song, but it’s really connected with that relationship (between Tom Cruise and Kelly McGillis), you know? So for Maverick...we needed something new.”

 

Terri Nunn told ABC News Radio in 2020, “[Take My Breath Away] was a gift in my life that just keeps on giving. I’m in awe of it because it just keeps going. People never seem to get tired of it. Some things...they take off and they have their own lives. Take My Breath Away...it’s one of those songs, you know?”

Top 500 Pop Songs of the 1980s

THE TABLE

 

Using the table below, you may sort the list of THE TOP 500 POP SONGS OF THE 1980S by rank, title, artist, and year.

 

When sorting song titles or artists in the table, they will be alphabetized. (The four songs that begin with a parenthesis will be listed first, followed by the four songs that begin with numbers.)

 

Songs and artists that begin with A or The are alphabetized that way. (For example, you’ll find The Police and The Pretenders with the letter T, and A Flock Of Seagulls with the letter A.)

 

Solo artists are alphabetized by their first names. (For example, Bryan Adams is with the letter B, and Richard Marx is with the letter R.)

Click on an image to read a detailed description of the song.

Summer of '69 Bryan Adams
Right Here Waiting Richard Marx
Part-Time Lover Stevie Wonder
Hold Me Now Thompson Twins
Back To Life Soul
Love Bites Def Leppard
Queen Another One Bites the Dust
Freeway Of Love Aretha Franklin
Dr. Feelgood Mötley Crüe
Rose Bette Midler
I'm Coming Out Diana Ross
Kyrie Mr. Mister
Patience.jpg
Looking New Love Jody Watley
Pump Up the Volume
Caught Up In You 38 Special
Don't You Want Me Human League
Let's Groove Earth Wind Fire
Express Yourself Madonna
Working Weekend Loverboy
Goody Two Shoes Adam Ant
Ain't Nobody Chaka Khan
Vacation Go-Go's
Mr. Roboto Styx

Click on an image to read a detailed description of the song.

Miss You Much Janet Jackson
Tainted Love Soft Cell
Private Eyes Hall Oates
Longest Time Billy Joeal
King Of Pain Police
I Want To Know What Love Is Foreigner
Love Battlefield Pat Benatar
We Built This City.jpg

 WHO HAS THE MOST SONGS ON THE LIST?

 

Is it Madonna, Prince, George Michael, Whitney Houston, or Michael Jackson? Click here to find out.

DETAILS ABOUT THE SONGS & ARTISTS

For more information and interesting facts about the songs and the artists, plus other great ‘80s songs that didn’t make this TOP 500 list, and much more, check out PAGE 2: THE MUSIC.

Look Of Love ABC
Living America James Brown
Africa Toto
Human Nature Michael Jackson
Break My Stride by Matthew Wilder
Nightshift Commodores
Hey Nineteen Steely Dan
Hungry Like the Wolf Duran Duran
Kiss Prince
Luka Suzanne Vega

THE TABLE

 

Using the table below, you may click on the headers to sort the 500 songs by rank, title, artist, and year. (Unfortunately, the table doesnt display properly on some mobile devices.)

 

When sorting song titles or artists in the table, they will be alphabetized. (The four songs that begin with a parenthesis will be listed first, followed by the four songs that begin with numbers.)

 

Songs and artists that begin with A or The are alphabetized that way. (For example, you’ll find The Police and The Pretenders with the letter T, and A Flock Of Seagulls with the letter A.)

 

Solo artists are alphabetized by their first names. (For example, Bryan Adams is with the letter B, and Richard Marx is with the letter R.)

THE SEARCH BOX

 

The search box is in the top right corner of the table below. When you type a word or words into the search box, the table will collapse, revealing the search results, which you may then sort by clicking on the table headers. (NOTE: To get back to the full list of 500 songs after doing a search, you must clear the search box.)

To see all of an artist’s songs ranked in order, enter the artist’s name in the search box, and then, to sort the results by rank, click on the # at the top of the first column.

SORTING BY YEAR

 

To see songs from a specific year ranked in order, enter a year in the search box, and then sort the results by rank. The year indicates when each song entered the U.S. Billboard Top 40. (Songs that entered the U.S. Billboard Top 40 in December of any year are considered songs from the subsequent year.) For lists of the Top 10 songs of each year, click here.

Use the table below to sort the list by rank, title, artist, & year.

THE TOP 500 POP

Search box

SONGS OF THE 1980S

80S MUSIC PLAYLIST
Best Songs 1980s
Best Songs 1980s

Click on a song title below for a video on YouTube (if one is available).

500 LIST

THE TOP 500 POP SONGS OF THE 1980S

Click on a song title for a video on YouTube (if one is available).

 

Detailed song descriptions are available on THE MUSIC page.

 

This list is available on Spotify.

Using the table above this list, you may sort the 500 songs by rank, title, artist, and year. You may also use a search box. (Unfortunately, the table doesn’t display properly on some mobile devices.)

  1. Don’t Stop Believin’ — Journey

  2. When Doves Cry — Prince and the Revolution

  3. Livin’ On a Prayer — Bon Jovi

  4. Don’t You (Forget About Me) — Simple Minds

  5. Time After Time — Cyndi Lauper

  6. Billie Jean — Michael Jackson

  7. Pour Some Sugar On Me — Def Leppard

  8. Every Breath You Take — The Police

  9. I Love Rock ‘n Roll

     Joan Jett & the Blackhearts

 10. Girls Just Want To Have Fun — Cyndi Lauper

 11. Take On Me — A-ha

 12. Like a Prayer — Madonna

 13. Eye Of the Tiger — Survivor

 14. Here I Go Again — Whitesnake

 15. I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)

     Whitney Houston

 16. With Or Without You — U2

 17. Another One Bites the Dust — Queen

 18. Jessie’s Girl — Rick Springfield

 19. Sweet Child O’ Mine — Guns N’ Roses

 20. Total Eclipse Of the Heart — Bonnie Tyler

 21. Everybody Wants To Rule the World

     Tears For Fears

 22. You Shook Me All Night Long — AC/DC

 23. Karma Chameleon — Culture Club

 24. Jack & Diane — John Cougar

 25. Another Brick In the Wall (Part II)

     Pink Floyd

 26. Flashdance...What a Feeling — Irene Cara

 27. Little Red Corvette — Prince

 28. Like a Virgin — Madonna

 29. Careless Whisper

     Wham! featuring George Michael

 30. Purple Rain — Prince and the Revolution

 31. Beat It — Michael Jackson

 32. Born In the U.S.A. — Bruce Springsteen

 33. Hungry Like the Wolf — Duran Duran

 34. Africa — Toto

 35. I Want To Know What Love Is — Foreigner

 36. Summer of ‘69 — Bryan Adams

 37. Tainted Love / Where Did Our Love Go

     Soft Cell

 38. Love Is a Battlefield — Pat Benatar

 39. Don’t You Want Me — The Human League

 40. Kiss — Prince and the Revolution

 41. Welcome To the Jungle — Guns N’ Roses

 42. Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go — Wham!

 43. Jump — Van Halen

 44. Under Pressure — David Bowie and Queen

 45. Walk This Way — Run-D.M.C.

 46. Borderline — Madonna

 47. Down Under — Men At Work

 48. In the Air Tonight — Phil Collins

 49. Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This) — Eurythmics

 50. You Give Love a Bad Name — Bon Jovi

 51. Faith — George Michael

 52. Photograph — Def Leppard

 53. Call Me — Blondie

 54. Celebration  — Kool & the Gang

 55. Thriller — Michael Jackson

 56. Faithfully — Journey

 57. Bette Davis Eyes — Kim Carnes

 58. Physical — Olivia Newton-John

 59. Stand Back — Stevie Nicks

 60. Holiday — Madonna

 61. Keep On Loving You — REO Speedwagon

 62. 1999 — Prince

 63. Funkytown — Lipps, Inc.

 64. Heaven — Bryan Adams

 65. Start Me Up — The Rolling Stones

 66. Let’s Go Crazy — Prince and the Revolution

 67. True  — Spandau Ballet

 68. All Night Long (All Night) — Lionel Richie

 69. I Can’t Go For That (No Can Do)

     Daryl Hall and John Oates

 70. Crazy Little Thing Called Love — Queen

 71. Come On Eileen — Dexy’s Midnight Runners

 72. Footloose — Kenny Loggins

 73. The Tide Is High — Blondie

 74. Love Shack — The B-52’s

 75. Walk Like an Egyptian — The Bangles

 76. Dancing In the Dark — Bruce Springsteen

 77. What’s Love Got To Do With It — Tina Turner

 78. (I’ve Had) The Time Of My Life

     Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes

 79. Centerfold — J. Geils Band

 80. Push It — Salt-N-Pepa

 81. Man In the Mirror — Michael Jackson

 82. Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now — Starship

 83. Back In Black — AC/DC

 84. Heaven Is a Place On Earth — Belinda Carlisle

 85. Take My Breath Away — Berlin

 86. Free Fallin’ — Tom Petty

 87. Need You Tonight / Mediate — INXS

 88. Super Freak — Rick James

 89. These Dreams — Heart

 90. Never Gonna Give You Up — Rick Astley

 91. Endless Love — Diana Ross and Lionel Richie

 92. Always Something There To Remind Me

     Naked Eyes

 93. Let’s Dance — David Bowie

 94. Fast Car — Tracy Chapman

 95. Let the Music Play — Shannon

 96. Every Rose Has Its Thorn — Poison

 97. Do You Really Want To Hurt Me — Culture Club

 98. Whip It — Devo

 99. Pink Houses — John Cougar Mellencamp

100. I Just Called To Say I Love You

     Stevie Wonder

101. Hurts So Good — John Cougar

102. Kiss On My List — Daryl Hall and John Oates

103. Pride (In the Name Of Love) — U2

104. Sexual Healing — Marvin Gaye

105. Don’t Dream It’s Over — Crowded House

106. Hit Me With Your Best Shot — Pat Benatar

107. (I Just) Died In Your Arms — Cutting Crew

108. Gloria — Laura Branigan

109. Right Here Waiting — Richard Marx

110. Wanted Dead Or Alive — Bon Jovi

111. I Still Haven’t Found What I’m

     Looking For — U2

112. We Are the World — USA For Africa

113. We Got the Beat — The Go-Go’s

114. Modern Love  — David Bowie

115. Just Like Heaven — The Cure

116. The Boys Of Summer — Don Henley

117. Straight Up — Paula Abdul

118. Can’t Fight This Feeling — REO Speedwagon

119. Sister Christian — Night Ranger

120. Saving All My Love For You — Whitney Houston

121. Alone — Heart

122. Crazy For You — Madonna

123. We Belong — Pat Benatar

124. Bust a Move — Young MC

125. How Will I Know — Whitney Houston

126. Broken Wings — Mr. Mister

127. Paradise City — Guns N’ Roses

128. Manic Monday — The Bangles

129. Walking On Sunshine — Katrina and the Waves

130. Higher Love — Steve Winwood

131. I’m So Excited — The Pointer Sisters

132. Father Figure — George Michael

133. St. Elmo’s Fire (Man In Motion) — John Parr

134. Fool In the Rain — Led Zeppelin

135. Edge Of Seventeen — Stevie Nicks

136. Red Red Wine — UB40

137. Where the Streets Have No Name — U2

138. Greatest Love Of All — Whitney Houston

139. Rock You Like a Hurricane — Scorpions

140. Take Me Home Tonight — Eddie Money

141. Panama — Van Halen

142. West End Girls — Pet Shop Boys

143. Just the Two Of Us — Grover Washington, Jr.

144. Sunglasses At Night — Corey Hart

145. The Final Countdown — Europe

146. The Living Years — Mike + the Mechanics

147. Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic

     The Police

148. (You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party!) —

     Beastie Boys

149. It Takes Two — Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock

150. Money For Nothing — Dire Straits

151. Open Arms — Journey

152. Drive — The Cars

153. I Feel For You — Chaka Khan

154. The Way It Is — Bruce Hornsby and the Range

155. Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)  — Journey

156. Take It On the Run — REO Speedwagon

157. Rock Of Ages — Def Leppard

158. Material Girl — Madonna

159. Maneater — Daryl Hall and John Oates

160. Upside Down — Diana Ross

161. Brass In Pocket (I’m Special) — The Pretenders

162. Head Over Heels — Tears For Fears

163. Rock the Casbah — The Clash

164. Ride Like the Wind — Christopher Cross

165. Everything She Wants — Wham!

166. Eyes Without a Face — Billy Idol

167. Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’ — Michael Jackson

168. So Emotional — Whitney Houston

169. Invisible Touch — Genesis

170. The Power Of Love — Huey Lewis and the News

171. The Way You Make Me Feel — Michael Jackson

172. I Ran (So Far Away) — A Flock Of Seagulls

173. 99 Luftballoons — Nena

174. Our House — Madness

175. Abracadabra — Steve Miller Band

176. Cars — Gary Numan

177. Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do)

     Christopher Cross

178. That’s What Friends Are For

     Dionne and Friends

179. Hello — Lionel Richie

180. If You Leave

     Orchestral Manoeuvres In the Dark

181. All Through the Night — Cyndi Lauper

182. Danger Zone — Kenny Loggins

183. Easy Lover — Philip Bailey and Phil Collins

184. Addicted To Love — Robert Palmer

185. 9 To 5 — Dolly Parton

186. Heartbreaker — Pat Benatar

187. She Blinded Me With Science — Thomas Dolby

188. One More Try — George Michael

189. Against All Odds (Take a Look At Me Now)

     Phil Collins

190. Sledgehammer — Peter Gabriel

191. Missing You — John Waite

192. Out Of Touch — Daryl Hall and John Oates

193. Listen To Your Heart — Roxette

194. Oh Sherrie — Steve Perry

195. Rapper’s Delight — The Sugarhill Gang

196. Mickey — Toni Basil

197. Heat Of the Moment — Asia

198. 867-5309/Jenny — Tommy Tutone

199. That’s All — Genesis

200. Ghostbusters — Ray Parker Jr.

201. Say You, Say Me — Lionel Richie

202. She Drives Me Crazy — Fine Young Cannibals

203. I Can’t Wait — Nu Shooz

204. Morning Train (Nine To Five) — Sheena Easton

205. Legs — ZZ Top

206. You Make My Dreams — Daryl Hall and John Oates

207. Wild Thing — Tone Lōc

208. Shout — Tears For Fears

209. Don’t Come Around Here No More

     Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

210. True Colors — Cyndi Lauper

211. Any Way You Want It — Journey

212. Raspberry Beret — Prince and the Revolution

213. Relax — Frankie Goes To Hollywood

214. Rock With You — Michael Jackson

215. Der Kommissar — After the Fire

216. Orinoco Flow (Sail Away) — Enya

217. Baby, Come To Me

     Patti Austin and James Ingram

218. Kokomo — The Beach Boys

219. We’re Not Gonna Take It — Twisted Sister

220. It’s Still Rock and Roll To Me — Billy Joel

221. Our Lips Are Sealed — The Go-Go’s

222. The Winner Takes It All — ABBA

223. P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing) — Michael Jackson

224. Caribbean Queen (No More Love On the Run)

     Billy Ocean

225. Glory Days — Bruce Springsteen

226. Twilight Zone — Golden Earring

227. Uptown Girl — Billy Joel

228. I’m On Fire — Bruce Springsteen

229. Up Where We Belong

     Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes

230. Burning Down the House — Talking Heads

231. She Works Hard For the Money — Donna Summer

232. Rio — Duran Duran

233. La Isla Bonita — Madonna

234. Word Up! — Cameo

235. Papa Don’t Preach — Madonna

236. Do They Know It’s Christmas? — Band Aid

237. Dude (Looks Like a Lady) — Aerosmith

238. Everybody Have Fun Tonight — Wang Chung

239. Shake It Up — The Cars

240. Waiting For a Girl Like You — Foreigner

241. Hard To Say I’m Sorry / Get Away — Chicago

242. Rock Me Amadeus — Falco

243. In Your Eyes — Peter Gabriel

244. Maniac — Michael Sembello

245. Sailing — Christopher Cross

246. My Prerogative — Bobby Brown

247. I Guess That’s Why They Call It the Blues

     Elton John

248. Lucky Star — Madonna

249. Run To You — Bryan Adams

250. Cruel Summer — Bananarama

251. Glory Of Love — Peter Cetera

252. White Wedding — Billy Idol

253. All Out Of Love — Air Supply

254. You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)

     Dead Or Alive

255. Here Comes the Rain Again — Eurythmics

256. Every Time You Go Away — Paul Young

257. Open Your Heart — Madonna

258. One Moment In Time — Whitney Houston

259. The One I Love — R.E.M.

260. Never Tear Us Apart — INXS

261. Waiting For a Star To Fall — Boy Meets Girl

262. Cult Of Personality — Living Colour

263. If I Could Turn Back Time — Cher

264. Round and Round — Ratt

265. Young Turks — Rod Stewart

266. Mony Mony — Billy Idol

267. Ebony and Ivory

     Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder

268. Back To Life (However Do You Want Me)

     Soul II Soul

269. I’m Coming Out — Diana Ross

270. A View To a Kill — Duran Duran

271. Electric Avenue — Eddy Grant

272. The Flame — Cheap Trick

273. The Rose — Bette Midler

274. Working For the Weekend — Loverboy

275. Look Away — Chicago

276. Live To Tell — Madonna

277. Kyrie — Mr. Mister

278. Nightshift — The Commodores

279. On My Own — Patti LaBelle and Michael McDonald

280. Express Yourself — Madonna

281. Dr. Feelgood — Mötley Crüe

282. I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)

     Aretha Franklin and George Michael

283. Hold Me Now — Thompson Twins

284. Baby, I Love Your Way / Freebird Medley

     Will To Power

285. The Reflex — Duran Duran

286. Owner Of a Lonely Heart — Yes

287. Sign O’ the Times — Prince

288. Love Bites — Def Leppard

289. Goody Two Shoes — Adam Ant

290. Nasty — Janet Jackson

291. Got My Mind Set On You — George Harrison

292. Voices Carry — ‘Til Tuesday

293. Pump Up the Volume — M|A|R|R|S

294. Queen Of Hearts — Juice Newton

295. Freeway Of Love — Aretha Franklin

296. The Stroke — Billy Squier

297. Break My Stride — Matthew Wilder

298. Hey Nineteen — Steely Dan

299. The Look Of Love — ABC

300. Part-Time Lover — Stevie Wonder

301. Lovesong — The Cure

302. Who Can It Be Now? — Men At Work

303. Pump Up the Jam — Technotronic

304. Rapture — Blondie

305. Cum On Feel the Noize — Quiet Riot

306. I Won’t Back Down — Tom Petty

307. Cherish — Kool & the Gang

308. Harden My Heart — Quarterflash

309. Your Love — The Outfield

310. Private Eyes — Daryl Hall and John Oates

311. Hold On To the Nights — Richard Marx

312. Living In America — James Brown

313. Let’s Groove — Earth, Wind & Fire

314. Chariots Of Fire – Titles — Vangelis

315. Human Nature — Michael Jackson

316. When I Think of You — Janet Jackson

317. King Of Pain — The Police

318. We Didn’t Start the Fire — Billy Joel

319. Cold Hearted — Paula Abdul

320. No One Is To Blame — Howard Jones

321. U Got the Look — Prince

322. Bad — Michael Jackson

323. You Keep Me Hangin’ On — Kim Wilde

324. Do You Believe In Love

     Huey Lewis and the News

325. Too Shy — Kajagoogoo

326. Patience — Guns N’ Roses

327. Vacation — The Go-Go’s

328. Caught Up In You — .38 Special

329. Making Love Out Of Nothing At All — Air Supply

330. I Would Die 4 U — Prince and the Revolution

331. Another Day In Paradise — Phil Collins

332. Hungry Heart — Bruce Springsteen

333. The Longest Time — Billy Joel

334. Sirius / Eye In the Sky

     The Alan Parsons Project

335. Shakedown — Bob Seger

336. Talk Dirty To Me — Poison

337. Let’s Hear It For the Boy — Deniece Williams

338. We Built This City — Starship

339. Shake You Down — Gregory Abbott

340. Looking For a New Love — Jody Watley

341. Into the Night — Benny Mardones

342. The Next Time I Fall

     Peter Cetera and Amy Grant

343. Holding Back the Years — Simply Red

344. Roll With It — Steve Winwood

345. Wishing Well — Terence Trent D’Arby

346. Only In My Dreams — Debbie Gibson

347. (Just Like) Starting Over — John Lennon

348. Ain’t Nobody — Rufus featuring Chaka Khan

349. Miss You Much — Janet Jackson

350. I Can Dream About You — Dan Hartman

351. Venus — Bananarama

352. Why Can’t This Be Love? — Van Halen

353. Luka — Suzanne Vega

354. You’re the Inspiration — Chicago

355. Mr. Roboto — Styx

356. Candle In the Wind (Live 1986) — Elton John

357. Southern Cross — Crosby, Stills, & Nash

358. Tell It To My Heart — Taylor Dayne

359. Rhythm Of the Night — Debarge

360. Theme From Greatest American Hero

     (Believe It or Not) — Joey Scarbury

361. The Lady In Red — Chris de Burgh

362. Lady — Kenny Rogers

363. Stuck On You — Lionel Richie

364. I’ll Be There For You — Bon Jovi

365. Wind Beneath My Wings — Bette Midler

366. Touch Of Grey — Grateful Dead

367. The Heat Is On — Glenn Frey

368. Truly — Lionel Richie

369. Lost In Love — Air Supply

370. Angel Of the Morning — Juice Newton

371. I Need Love — LL Cool J

372. Nothin’ But a Good Time — Poison

373. Islands In the Stream

     Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton

374. I Keep Forgettin’ (Every Time You’re Near)

     Michael McDonald

375. Let My Love Open the Door — Pete Townshend

376. I Want a New Drug — Huey Lewis and the News

377. You Are  — Lionel Richie

378. Smooth Operator — Sade

379. Don’t Stand So Close To Me — The Police

380. Never — Heart

381. Give It To Me Baby — Rick James

382. Small Town — John Cougar Mellencamp

383. Sussudio — Phil Collins

384. Lovergirl — Teena Marie

385. Secret Lovers — Atlantic Starr

386. What You Need — INXS

387. La Bamba — Los Lobos

388. Rosanna — Toto

389. Stand — R.E.M.

390. The Glamorous Life — Sheila E.

391. I’ve Never Been To Me — Charlene

392. Girl You Know It’s True — Milli Vanilli

393. Would I Lie To You? — Eurythmics

394. Don’t Worry, Be Happy  — Bobby McFerrin

395. Love In an Elevator — Aerosmith

396. Sad Songs (Say So Much) — Elton John

397. Slow Hand — The Pointer Sisters

398. Keep Your Hands To Yourself

     The Georgia Satellites

399. Beds Are Burning — Midnight Oil

400. Somebody’s Baby — Jackson Browne

401. Better Be Good To Me — Tina Turner

402. Somebody’s Watching Me — Rockwell

403. What Have You Done For Me Lately

     Janet Jackson

404. Human — The Human League

405. Bad Medicine — Bon Jovi

406. Eternal Flame — The Bangles

407. Stuck With You — Huey Lewis and the News

408. Little Jeannie — Elton John

409. Smooth Criminal — Michael Jackson

410. Save a Prayer — Duran Duran

411. You Can Call Me Al — Paul Simon

412. Angel — Aerosmith

413. Rock This Town — The Stray Cats

414. Dirty Laundry — Don Henley

415. Jump (For My Love) — The Pointer Sisters

416. Desire — U2

417. I’m Still Standing — Elton John

418. Brilliant Disguise — Bruce Springsteen

419. The Promise — When In Rome

420. The Safety Dance — Men Without Hats

421. Back On the Chain Gang — The Pretenders

422. Sowing the Seeds Of Love — Tears For Fears

423. Come Dancing — The Kinks

424. You Might Think — The Cars

425. One Thing Leads To Another — The Fixx

426. Conga — Miami Sound Machine

427. The Sweetest Taboo — Sade

428. Mad About You — Belinda Carlisle

429. Gypsy — Fleetwood Mac

430. I Know There’s Something Going On — Frida

431. Jeopardy — The Greg Kihn Band

432. Life In a Northern Town — The Dream Academy

433. Time (Clock Of the Heart) — Culture Club

434. I’m Alright — Kenny Loggins

435. You Got It (The Right Stuff)

     New Kids On the Block

436. Against the Wind

     Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band

437. Late In the Evening — Paul Simon

438. Dirty Diana — Michael Jackson

439. Let It Whip — The Dazz Band

440. Don’t Get Me Wrong — The Pretenders

441. Buffalo Stance — Neneh Cherry

442. At This Moment — Bill Vera & the Beaters

443. I Think We’re Alone Now — Tiffany

444. Sara — Fleetwood Mac

445. You Got It — Roy Orbison

446. New Attitude — Patti LaBelle

447. Dance Hall Days — Wang Chung

448. Private Dancer — Tina Turner

449. Burnin For You – Blue Öyster Cult

450. Always On My Mind — Willie Nelson

451. Hard Habit To Break — Chicago

452. Lean On Me — Club Nouveau

453. Cherish — Madonna

454. Something About You — Level 42

455. Steppin’ Out — Joe Jackson

456. One Night In Bangkok — Murray Head

457. C’est La Vie — Robbie Nevil

458. What Have I Done To Deserve This?

     Pet Shop Boys with Dusty Springfield

459. Every Little Step — Bobby Brown

460. Sweet Love — Anita Baker

461. America — Neil Diamond

462. True Faith — New Order

463. Magic — Olivia Newton-John

464. People Are People — Depeche Mode

465. It’s My Life — Talk Talk

466. Jungle Love — The Time

467. Puttin’ On the Ritz — Taco

468. Hungry Eyes – Eric Carmen

469. Fame — Irene Cara

470. You Dropped a Bomb On Me — The Gap Band

471. Union Of the Snake — Duran Duran

472. Don’t Talk To Strangers — Rick Springfield

473. Kids In America — Kim Wilde

474. Send Me an Angel — Real Life

475. Obsession — Animotion

476. What I Am — Edie Brickell & New Bohemians

477. Genius Of Love — Tom Tom Club

478. Say Say Say

     Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson

479. Chains Of Love — Erasure

480. You Better, You Bet — The Who

481. Head To Toe — Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam

482. One — Metallica

483. Dress You Up — Madonna

484. Straight From the Heart — Bryan Adams

485. Little Lies — Fleetwood Mac

486. Automatic — The Pointer Sisters

487. Watching the Wheels — John Lennon

488. Me Myself and I — De La Soul

489. I Can’t Tell You Why — Eagles

490. Being With You — Smokey Robinson

491. Songbird — Kenny G

492. Freeze-Frame — J. Geils Band

493. How ‘Bout Us — Champaign

494. I.G.Y (What a Beautiful World) — Donald Fagen

495. Self Control — Laura Branigan

496. Blame It On the Rain — Milli Vanilli

497. She Bop — Cyndi Lauper

498. Hysteria – Def Leppard

499. Running Up That Hill — Kate Bush

500. Pass the Dutchie — Musical Youth

For songs 501 to 700, click HERE.

TOP 10 LISTS

Top 10s
Top 10 Pop Songs of 1980
Top 10 Pop Songs of 1981
Top 10 Pop Songs of 1982
Top 10 Pop Songs of 1983
Top 10 Pop Songs of 1984
Top 10 Pop Songs of 1985
Top 10 Pop Songs of 1986
Top 10 Pop Songs of 1987
Top 10 Pop Songs of 1988
Top 10 Pop Songs of 1989
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