Kenneth Glad
A look back at some of the songs that helped define one of music’s most influential decades. The selections reflect the wide range of styles that shaped popular music during the era.
Few decades transformed popular music as dramatically as the 1980s. New recording technology, the rise of MTV and the commercial breakthrough of hip-hop reshaped how artists reached audiences around the world.
A WatchMojo video countdown ranking influential songs from the era highlights 30 tracks that reflect those changes. The selections span arena rock, synth-driven pop and politically charged rap, illustrating how varied the decade’s sound became.
The MTV moment
When MTV launched in 1981, music videos quickly became a major force in the industry. British bands in particular benefited from the network’s global exposure during what critics later called the “Second British Invasion.”
Norwegian group A-ha reached international fame with “Take On Me,” whose innovative animated video became one of the channel’s most recognizable clips. Duran Duran’s “Hungry Like the Wolf” also received heavy MTV rotation, helping the band break through in the United States.
Pop superstars embraced the format as well. David Bowie’s “Let’s Dance,” Madonna’s “Like a Prayer,” and Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)” all became major chart successes during the decade. Houston’s 1987 hit topped the Billboard Hot 100 and later earned a Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.
Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” became another landmark of the MTV era. His 1983 performance of the song on Motown 25 introduced the moonwalk to millions of viewers and cemented its place in pop culture. WatchMojo’s countdown describes the track as one of the most recognizable songs of the decade.
Rock and pop power
Throughout the 1980s, arena rock and polished pop production dominated radio and record sales.
Van Halen’s “Jump,” released in 1984, reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and marked a shift toward synthesizers in mainstream rock. Lionel Richie’s “All Night Long (All Night)” blended pop and Caribbean rhythms and became one of the defining hits of his solo career.
According to the video, anthems such as Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer,” Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’,” and AC/DC’s “Back in Black” helped define the stadium-rock atmosphere of the period.
Ballads also played a major role. Cyndi Lauper’s “Time After Time,” Peter Gabriel’s “In Your Eyes,” and U2’s “With or Without You” showed how emotional songwriting could reach mainstream audiences.
Meanwhile, acts like Sade with “The Sweetest Taboo,” Eurythmics with “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This),” and Toto with “Africa” reflected the growing influence of synthesizers and studio experimentation in pop production.
New sounds emerge
By the late 1980s, new styles were pushing into the mainstream. Guns N’ Roses delivered a harder rock edge with “Welcome to the Jungle,” while Ozzy Osbourne’s “Crazy Train” helped define the sound of early 1980s heavy metal.
Experimental approaches also appeared in songs like Talking Heads’ “Once in a Lifetime” and Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God).” Both tracks blended unconventional structures with electronic textures.
Hip-hop, meanwhile, was becoming an increasingly powerful cultural force. N.W.A.’s “Straight Outta Compton” introduced many listeners to West Coast rap, while Public Enemy’s “Fight the Power,” written for Spike Lee’s 1989 film Do the Right Thing, became closely associated with political activism in music.
The video countdown furthermore points to influential rock and pop recordings from the era. These include Tom Petty’s “Free Fallin’,” Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the U.S.A.,” and Phil Collins’ “In the Air Tonight.”
Prince’s “Purple Rain,” The Cure’s “Just Like Heaven,” and the Queen–David Bowie collaboration “Under Pressure” further demonstrate the range of sounds shaping the decade.
Many of these songs later found new audiences through films, television and social media. Together, the selections show how the 1980s blended emerging technology with traditional songwriting in ways that still influence pop music today.
Four decades later, these recordings remain staples of streaming playlists, movie soundtracks and concert setlists — a reminder of how deeply the 1980s reshaped modern popular music.
Source: WatchMojo video on YouTube
