Classic hits from the 80s

By Rob Sheffield. Lighters up for the late, great Biz Markie, one of the most beloved music heroes of the Eighties or any other decade. The Diabolical One. The Human Beatbox.

Thanks for subscribing! Look out for your first newsletter in your inbox soon! By entering your email address you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and consent to receive emails from Time Out about news, events, offers and partner promotions. Our newsletter hand-delivers the best bits to your inbox. Sign up to unlock our digital magazines and also receive the latest news, events, offers and partner promotions. That's the big question. This was the golden era of some of our most beloved stars, even in , from Madonna to Prince, characterised by big hair, scrunchies, and weirdly big shoulder pads.

Classic hits from the 80s

The s may have been the decade of questionable fashion choices, but we'll probably say the same about the s in a few years It was also the decade of great movies, the rise of video games and downright fantastic music. We've attempted the ridiculously hard but not in any way a chore task of picking the very best s songs ever. Here are our picks - are your favourites in there? You might not have realised it, but Neil Diamond first recorded this song back in But it's UB40's cover that became the most well-known in The song truly brought the band to the mainstream, and reached number one in the UK. It ended up topping the US charts too in , after being performed at Nelson Mandela's birthday tribute concert. This ballad saw Phil Collins sing the tune from a third-person perspective, looking at a man crossing the street to ignore a homeless woman, imploring listeners not to turn a blind eye to those in need. It became Phil's seventh and final number one single in America, while David Crosby of Crosby, Stills and Nash appears on backing vocals. This was the song that made Boy George an even bigger star around the world. It was the UK's biggest selling single of and topped the US chart. Boy George later explained the song: "It is about the terrible fear of alienation that people have, the fear of standing up for one thing. It's about trying to suck up to everybody. If there's one song from the Stock, Aitken and Waterman era that has stood the test of time, it's Rick Astley 's international number one smash.

An early proto-riot-grrrl pipe bomb.

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Classic hits from the 80s

Synthesizers, catchy lyrics, and unique melodies were the foundation of the best 80s songs of the era. The 80s had much more to offer than just big hair, fanny packs, and neon fashion, as some of the most iconic anthems ever produced came from the decade. This famous song from Madonna focuses on the glorious feeling of being in love with a new person. The song also appears on our best songs about loneliness playlist. The song peaked at 11 on the Billboard Hot in

Shimano 21 speed gears

This ballad saw Phil Collins sing the tune from a third-person perspective, looking at a man crossing the street to ignore a homeless woman, imploring listeners not to turn a blind eye to those in need. Shout-out to Bobby, who manages to die three times. To help keep your account secure, please log-in again. This was an absolute monster hit in , becoming that year's biggest-selling single in the UK, while Rush became the first female artist ever to have a million-selling single. Wrapped in chest hair, sunglasses and terry cloth, these feathery dudes were too anonymous to be deserving of the term supergroup. Sade is just so damned smooth. This was a golden time era for music, and let's never forget it. It was covered twice in the early s: as a trance track by DJ Sammy in , and as a pop punk hit by The Ataris in Oh, and there's also the little matter of the greatest drum fill in pop history at the mark. The song itself has often been misinterpreted. The band's Andrew Farriss said that the riff appeared suddenly in his head while waiting for a taxi to go to the airport to fly to Hong Kong. Then I knew it was gonna be a good record. It all adds up to a brain-obliterating noise that feels like rapture. His records were as much comedy albums and demonstrations of sampling as pretentious works of art, which made them even greater works of art.

By Rob Sheffield. Lighters up for the late, great Biz Markie, one of the most beloved music heroes of the Eighties or any other decade.

More than three decades on, it never fails to make us sing our fool hearts out on the dance floor. The hits, the deep cuts, the fan favorites. It was covered twice in the early s: as a trance track by DJ Sammy in , and as a pop punk hit by The Ataris in Part 1 is the standard album version this version , Part 2 is an instrumental version, Part 3 is a vocal version without the orchestral overdubs and Part 4 is a short acoustic instrumental. Considering the titanic forces at work in this tune, it's relatively understated, but it does ultimately climb to the sparkling heights that both Bowie and Freddie Mercury inhabited with such ease. Famously, NYC had record stores that opened early Sunday morning, right after closing time at the Garage, so rival DJs could snap up whatever Levan just played. Taken from one of the most popular synthpop albums of the era and produced by Trevor Horn, this song is actually split into four parts. When you think of '80s cinema moments, the sight of Jennifer Beals swapping her welding gear for a seriously epic dance routine to the tune of 'What a Feeling' in Flashdance is right up there. It is. The class clown of old-school hip-hop. He asked the driver to wait a couple of minutes while he grabbed something from his motel room. Beep louder! The pair then worked together on this track and the album of the same name, giving Bowie one of the biggest hits of his career. So there was nothing for anybody to have a reference to. I consider it a gift that was sent through me.