Having lived through all but 6 months of the 80s, I’ve always had a strong affinity for that decade. Towards the end of high school, I started to become obsessed. (I even permanently crimped my hair by putting my hair in many tiny braids and pouring home perm solution all over it. Yeah. Not one of my best life choices…) That’s when I began listening, almost exclusively, to music from the 80s.

To this day, I still REALLY, REALLY love the 80s.

I mentioned briefly in an earlier post that I didn’t listen to a lot of popular music when I was kid, so I didn’t know a lot of the songs that were considered classic 80s tunes yet. It wasn’t until I started to collect those hits that I became familiar with most of them. (There are some exceptions. The first few songs on this playlist are songs I’ve known and loved since I was teeny tiny.)

Just after high school, I kept seeing commericals for one of those Time Life collections of hits from the 80s. Of course, I had no money for such luxuries as pre-made compilations, so I decided to make my own. And make it better. Add my favourites that they had missed.

And then, when Hubby and I first moved in together, we bought several variations of SingStar for his PlayStation. (It’s like Rock Band, but with just singing, for those that are too young to remember that one.) My favourite one, naturally, was SingStar 80s. It has even more great songs that Time Life had missed so I added them to my growing list.

Obviously this playlist needs some major heavy editing. There are some songs on here that I would delete now. Some weren’t that popular and some, I just don’t like. But, for posterity, here is my original Definitive 80s Playlist that I had set in stone (or at least 4 burnt CDs) around 2003.

Which 80s songs are your favourites?

a Playlist by kmah88~

Vol. 1

1. Peter Schilling – Major Tom
2. A-ha – Take One Me
3. Wham! – Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go
4. John Parr – St. Elmo’s Fire (Man in Motion)
5. Men Without Hats – Safety Dance
6. Thomas Dolby – She Blinded Me with Science
7. Culture Club – Karma Chameleon
8. Devo – Whip It
9.  The Buggles – Video Killed the Radio Star
10. Dexy’s Midnight Runners – Come On Eileen
11. George Michael – Faith
12. Corey Hart – Sunglasses at Night
13. Billy Idol – Dancing with Myself
14. David Bowie – China Girl
15. Thompson Twins – Hold Me Now
16. Kenny Loggins – Footloose
17. Cyndi Lauper – Girls Just Wanna Have Fun
18. George Michael – I Want Your Sex
19. Wham! – Freedom

Vol. 2

1. Simple Minds – Don’t You (Forget About Me)
2. Dead or Alive – You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)
3. The Human League – Don’t You Want Me Baby?
4. Culture Club – Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?
5. Naked Eyes – Always Something There to Remind Me
6. Tears for Fears – Shout
7. Robert Palmer – Addicted to Love
8. Talk Talk – It’s My Life
9. Soft Cell – Tainted Love
10. Lipps, Inc. – Funkytown
11. Neneh Cherry – Buffalo Stance
12. Blondie – Call Me
13. Eddy Grant – Electric Avenue
14. Nena – 99 Luftballons
15. Olivia Newton-John – Physical
16. The Bangles – Walk Like an Egyptian
17. Tommy Tutone – 867-5309 Jenny
18. Cyndi Lauper – Time After Time
19. Wall of Voodoo – Mexican Radio

Vol. 3

1. Belinda Carlisle – Heaven Is a Place on Earth
2. Bonnie Tyler – Total Eclipse of the Heart
3. Duran Duran – Girls on Film
4. Kim Carnes – Bette Davis Eyes
5. M – Pop Muzik
6. Men Without Hats – Pop Goes the World
7. David Bowie – Let’s Dance
8. Deniece Williams – Let’s Hear It for the Boy
9. Irene Cara – Fame
10. Men At Work – Who Can It Be Now?
11. Madness – Our House
12. Pet Shop Boys – West End Girls
13. Ray Parker Jr. – Ghostbusters
14. A Flock of Seagulls – I Ran
15. Crowded House – Don’t Dream It’s Over
16. Depeche Mode – Just Can’t Get Enough
17. The Bangles – Eternal Flame
18. Michael Sembello – Maniac
19. The Bangles – Manic Monday

Vol. 4

1. Survivor – Eye of the Tiger
2. New Order – Bizzare Love Triangle
3. Tears for Fears – Everybody Wants to Rule the World
4. Duran Duran – Hungry Like the Wolf
5. Heart – Alone
6. Pat Benatar – Heartbreaker
7. Starship – We Built This City
8. Styx – Mr. Roboto
9. Frankie Goes to Hollywood – Relax
10. Harold Faltermeyer – Axel F
11. Glenn Frey – The Heat Is On
12. Irene Cara – What a Feeling
13. Billy Ocean – Caribbean Queen (No More Love on the Run)
14. Bananarama – Cruel Summer
15. Club Nouveau – Lean on Me
16. The Beach Boys – Kokomo
17. Duran Duran – Rio
18. Billy Ocean – Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car
19. Blondie – Heart of Glass