The Personal Top Songs of 198x
While some tunes should certainly be written off as childhood sins, there are others that have stood the
test of time and remain favourites to this day.
Not all of them were released as "singles" in the technical sense, nor is it necessarily the single- or album
version that made the cut. Songs by South African acts are highlighted.
Personal top 10 of 1985
| # | Title | Artist |
|---|
| 10 | Live Is Life | Opus |
| 9 | You Spin Me Round (Like A Record) | Dead Or Alive |
| 8 | Money For Nothing | Dire Straits |
| 7 | Sleeping Bag | ZZ Top |
| 6 | Into The Groove | Madonna |
| 5 | Run To You / Somebody | Bryan Adams |
| 4 | One Night In Bangkok | Murray Head |
| 3 | Voices Carry | 'Til Tuesday |
| 2 | Axel F. | Harold Faltermeyer |
| 1 | The Whole Of The Moon | The Waterboys |
Personal Top 20 Hits of 1986
| # | Title | Artist |
|---|
| 20 | Everybody Have Fun Tonight | Wang Chung |
| 19 | Rock Me Amadeus | Falco |
| 18 | Underground | David Bowie |
| 17 | The Sun Always Shines On TV | A-ha |
| 16 | West End Girls / Suburbia / Opportunities | Pet Shop Boys |
| 15 | Silent Running | Mike And The Mechanics |
| 14 | Paranoimia | The Art Of Noise & Max Headroom |
| 13 | Why Can't This Be Love | Van Halen |
| 12 | The Way It Is | Bruce Hornsby And The Range |
| 11 | More Than I Can Bear | Matt Bianco |
| 10 | Stairway To Heaven | The Far Corporation |
| 9 | The Honey Thief | Hipsway |
| 8 | Look Away | Big Country |
| 7 | Suffragette City | Frankie Goes To Hollywood |
| 6 | Sledgehammer | Peter Gabriel |
| 5 | Rage Hard (Slam Blam - The 12") | Frankie Goes To Hollywood |
| 4 | Lessons In Love | Level 42 |
| 3 | Princes Of The Universe | Queen |
| 2 | One Vision | Queen |
| 1 | Something About You | Level 42 |
The personal top 40 singles of 1987
| # | Title | Artist |
|---|
| 40 | Rockestra Theme | Duane Eddy |
| 39 | Full Metal Jacket (I Wanna Be Your Drill Instructor) | Abigail Mead & Nigel Goulding |
| 38 | Surrender | Swing Out Sister |
| 37 | Ship Of Fools | World Party |
| 36 | Let's Work | Mick Jagger |
| 35 | Boy In The Bubble | Paul Simon |
| 34 | The Color Of Money | Hollywood Beyond |
| 33 | Don't Argue | Cabaret Voltaire |
| 32 | (I Love To Listen To) Beethoven | Eurythmics |
| 31 | Barcelona | Freddie Mercury & Montserrat Caballé |
| 30 | Sheila Take A Bow | The Smiths |
| 29 | La Isla Bonita | Madonna |
| 28 | Like Flames | Berlin |
| 27 | Misfit | Curiosity Killed The Cat |
| 26 | (A Ship Called) Dignity | Deacon Blue |
| 25 | Mary's Prayer | Danny Wilson |
| 24 | Paradise | Icehouse |
| 23 | World Shut Your Mouth | Julian Cope |
| 22 | U Got The Look | Prince & Sheena Easton |
| 21 | One More Chance | Pet Shop Boys |
| 20 | Call It Love | Yello |
| 19 | Wild Horses | Gino Vanelli |
| 18 | Where The Streets Have No Name | U2 |
| 17 | Don't Need A Gun | Billy Idol |
| 16 | Why Can't I Be You | The Cure |
| 15 | Wonderful Life | Black |
| I Don't Mind At All | Bourgeous Tagg |
| Weeping | Bright Blue |
| True Colors | Cyndi Lauper |
| China In Your Hand | T'Pau |
| 14 | Big Time | Peter Gabriel |
| 13 | Land Of Confusion | Genesis |
| 12 | Swallowed By The Cracks / Welcome To The Boomtown | David + David |
| 11 | Real Wild Child | Iggy Pop |
| 10 | Over The Hills And Far Away / Friday On My Mind | Gary Moore |
| 9 | Thorn In My Side | Eurythmics |
| 8 | Star Trekkin' | The Firm |
| 7 | We'll Be Together | Sting |
| 6 | A Town Called Big Nothing | The MacManus Gang |
| 5 | Alone Again Or | The Damned |
| 4 | Through The Barricades | Spandau Ballet |
| 3 | Everybody Have Fun Tonight | Wang Chung |
| 2 | The Dream | David Sanborn |
| 1 | Pump Up The Volume | M/A/R/R/S |
The personal top 16 of 1988
| # | Title | Artist |
|---|
| 16 | I Want Your Love / Tell That Girl To Shut Up | Transvision Vamp |
| 15 | Desire / Wild Wild West | U2 / The Escape Club |
| 14 | Englishman In New York | Sting |
| 13 | King Of The West / The Christmas Song | The Psycho Reptiles |
| 12 | Crash / Way Behind Me | The Primitives |
| 11 | The Colours | The Men They Couldn't Hang |
| 10 | Underneath The Radar / Glory Glory | Underworld |
| 9 | Fisherman's Blues | The Waterboys |
| 8 | Perfect | Fairground Attraction |
| 7 | Reach! | Martini Ranch |
| 6 | Kiss | The Art Of Noise & Tom Jones |
| 5 | Orinoco Flow | Enya |
| 4 | Peek-a-boo | Siouxsie And The Banshees |
| 3 | Blue Monday '88 | New Order |
| 2 | Dreamworld / Beds Are Burning | Midnight Oil |
| 1 | The Race | Yello |
The personal top 16 of 1989!
| # | Title | Artist |
|---|
| 16 | Now You're In Heaven | Julian Lennon |
| 15 | The Beat(en) Generation | The The |
| 14 | Fire Woman / The Look | The Cult / Roxette |
| 13 | I Don't Want A Lover / One Choice | Texas |
| 12 | When Love Comes To Town | U2 & B.B. King |
| 11 | Lullaby | The Cure |
| 10 | Batdance | Prince |
| 9 | Paint It Black | No Friends Of Harry |
| 8 | Baby I Don't Care / The Only One | Transvision Vamp |
| 7 | Pink Sunshine / Self | Fuzzbox |
| 6 | I Want It All / Breakthru | Queen |
| 5 | Belfast Child | Simple Minds |
| 4 | The Price Of Love | Bryan Ferry |
| 3 | Something's Jumping In Your Shirt | Malcolm MacLaren And The Bootzilla Orchestra |
| 2 | Voices Of Babylon | The Outfield |
| 1 | Was It All Worth It | Queen |
Personal top songs of the eighties
| # | Title | Artist | Year |
|---|
| 26 | Juke Box Hero | Foreigner | 1982 |
| 25 | The Race | Yello | 1988 |
| 24 | Another One Bites The Dust | Queen | 1980 |
| 23 | Suffragette City | Frankie Goes To Hollywood | 1986 |
| 22 | Sleeping Bag | ZZ Top | 1985 |
| 21 | Sunset Grill | Don Henley | 1985 |
| 20 | Something About You | Level 42 | 1986 |
| 19 | Relax | Frankie Goes To Hollywood | 1983 |
| 18 | Welcome To The Pleasuredome | Frankie Goes To Hollywood | 1984 |
| 17 | White Wedding | Billy Idol | 1981 |
| 16 | Money For Nothing | Dire Straits | 1985 |
| 15 | Cannonball | Supertramp | 1985 |
| 14 | Pump Up The Volume | M/A/R/R/S | 1987 |
| 13 | Who Wants To Live Forever | Queen | 1986 |
| 12 | Message In A Bottle | The Police | 1982 |
| 11 | Si Senor The Hairy Grill | Yello | 1986 |
| 10 | Happy Station (12") | Fun Fun | 1984 |
| 9 | Abacab | Genesis | 1982 |
| 8 | Blue Monday | New Order | 1983 |
| 7 | Body Language | Queen | 1982 |
| 6 | The Whole Of The Moon | The Waterboys | 1985 |
| 5 | Hammer To Fall | Queen | 1984 |
| 4 | Two Tribes | Frankie Goes To Hollywood | 1984 |
| 3 | One Vision | Queen | 1985 |
| 2 | Under Pressure | Queen & David Bowie | 1981 |
| 1 | Machines (or: Back To Humans) | Queen | 1984 |
This page last updated: 29-11-2015
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