Top 20 Best Songs of the 80s

20 – Van Halen – Jump - One of the best rock bands of the 80s Van Halen was a no brainer to capture at least one spot on the list of the top 20 best songs of the. Here are the boys with the massive hit from the album 1984. It made it all the way to #1 on the billboard charts that year, and is amazingly the only Van Halen song ever to do so.

19 – Michael Jackson – Beat It - You knew you’d see some MJ on this list. Another of his endless parade of number 1 hits from that decade Beat It helped Jackson pull the rare feat of having two top 5 hits at the same time (Beat It and Billie Jean). The song is one of the best selling singles ever, and inspired the popular parody song Eat It by Weird Al Yankovic.

18 – Frankie Goes to Hollywood – Relax - The song that spawned one of the most controversial music videos of the decade is as recognizable as any other song of the decade. The song was so controversial it was actually banned by the BBC, which had the effect of launching it right to #1 on the UK charts. Note to the media bigwigs: music censorship doesn’t work.

17 – Bruce Springsteen – Dancing in the Dark - As popular as Born in the U.S.A. was it really didn’t lend itself to dancing. However, The Boss’s other major hit of 1984 was something that you could move your feet to. As a result it has endured and still gets plenty of air play to this day.

16 – Corey Hart - Sunglasses At Night - Okay, I'll admit some bias on this one. I'm Canadian and so is Corey Hart. I am not some huge Corey Hart fanboy or something, but I've still got to take care of my own. If you live in Canada you've heard this song an absolute ton over the years, and it is one of the true 80s anthems, so with my personal experience it is pretty hard not to give the song a high spot on the list.

15 - U2 - With or Without You - The best song on The Joshua Tree in my humble opinion, and U2's best song period to tell the truth. It was the group's first ever #1 hit back in 1987 and helped pave the way for the incredible success they've enjoyed ever since.

14 - Devo - Whip It - If you don't like this song, you can't call yourself a fan of 80s music. Were those flower pots on their heads in the music video. I don't know for sure, but I do know this would earn a definite look as one of the greatest one hit wonders of all time.

13 - Olivia Newton-John – Physical - With her signature headband and workout gear Olivia Newton-John could easily be mistaken for a fitness guru. She translated that look into a smash #1 hit back in 1981 when it spent a jaw-dropping 10 weeks at the top of the pop charts.

12 - J. Geils Band – Centerfold - Though they had been together since 1967 this blues rock band didn't really crack mainstream music popularity in a big way until 1982. Centerfold off the album Freeze Frame spent 6 weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 charts and the accompanying video got played to death in the early days of MTV.

11 - The Police - Every Breath You Take - Though they were only together a relatively short time (1977-1984) the British rock bank The Police are widely considered one of the greatest bands of all time, and Every Breath You Take from the smash album Synchronicity not only went to #1 back in 1983 but earned the group a Grammy as well.

10 - ACDC - You Shook Me All Night Long - A little heavy metal to mark our entrance to the top 10 Eighties songs. You Should Me All Night Long is considered by many to be the greatest ACDC song ever recorded, and though it only made it as high as #35 on the charts back into 1980 this hard rock classic remains just as popular today as it was nearly 30 years ago.

9 - Culture Club - Karma Chameleon - What would any list of 80s music be without an appearance by the biggest drag queen of the decade: Boy George. Karma Chameleon off the album Colour by Numbers went all the way to number 1 back in 1984 and is one of those songs on virtually everyone's favorite 80s songs list.

8 - Cyndi Lauper - Girls Just Want to Have Fun - Any song that features wrestling legend Captain Lou Albano in its music video is guaranteed a high spot on a list of best 80s songs. Captain Lou stars as the dad of rebellious teen Cyndi Lauper, whose Girls Just Want to Have Fun song remains an anthem for women everywhere, regardless of their age.

7 - Survivor- Eye of the Tiger - The theme from the movie Rocky III made the band Survivor a household name back in 1982. The song which helped motivate Rocky Balbao (Sylvester Stallone) to beat the powerful Clubber Lang (Mister T) enjoyed 6 weeks atop the Billboard charts that year.

6 - Joan Jett and the Blackhearts - I Love Rock N' Roll - One of the best female rock and roll bands of the 80s Joan Jett and the Blackhearts’ I Love Rock N' Roll is a karaoke favorite for the women, and once they've got a few drinks in them, they'll be belting out this song at the top of their lungs.

5 - a-ha - Take on Me - There weren't too many Norwegian new wave bands making a name for themselves in pop music back in the 80s. Come to think of there was only one. a-ha could definitely throw their hat in the ring as the greatest one hit wonder of all time, reaching #1 on the U.S. charts back in 1985. However, as good as the song was it is the music video they are best known for which featured animated sketch work known as rotoscoping and still stacks up as one of the best music videos ever produced.

4 - Wham! - Wake Me Up Before You Go Go - You knew this song was going to show up in a high spot. Who knows what this British duo might have accomplished had George Michael not decided to test a solo career. Watch you don't get run over by a stampede of women rushing the dance floor if they happen to play this at a night club while you're there.

3 - Madonna- Like a Virgin - The signature song that made Madonna the household name and the controversial figure she is today. A racy video with accompanying lyrics gave the first hint of just how famous this talented woman was destined to become. The song itself spent 6 weeks at the top of the charts and helped the Like a Virgin album sell 21 million copies worldwide.

2 - USA for Africa - We are the World - Though the 80s was a decade of self-indulgent "fluffy" pop music this particular song had enough substance to make up for all the other inane songs of the decade combined. Written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, more than 20 of music's biggest heavyweights got together to record the song in an effort to raise money to fight famine and disease in Africa. The song went to #1 in many countries around the world and the movement helped raise close to $100 million for the cause.

1 – Michael Jackson - Billie Jean - Was there really any other choice for the number 1 spot on the list of the top 20 best songs of the 80s? Michael Jackson dominated the music industry like no other artist throughout the bulk of the 80s, and his Thriller album remains the best-selling record of all time. Billie Jean soared to the top of the charts and seemed like it would never fall. Ultimately it earned 2 Grammys, and is considered by many to be the best Michael Jackson song of all time.