The Greatest Song of the 80s as voted by YOU!
The countdown of the top 100 songs of the 1980s, as voted for by you - our listeners!
Last updated 6th Dec 2019
As part of our celebrations for Absolute 80s' 10th birthday, we asked our listeners to vote for their favourite song from the decade that brought us more bangers than you can shake a stick at.
The best 80s song is...
Now we can reveal the top 100 - and boy was it close. Just 32 votes separated the top two, after tens of thousands of entries!
1. Vienna - Ultravox
The song that spent an entire month at number two in the UK Singles Chart without ever reaching number one gets the top spot in our list!
The famous chorus "This means nothing to me! Oh Vienna!" is a tale of pure coincidence. Written in January 1980, Ultravox violinist Bille Currie wanted it to sound like it was the work of a late-19th-century romantic composer.
Vocalist Midge Ure was hesitant about this musical direction, saying "This means nothing to me." Producer Conny Plank replied: "Well, sing that then." The rest, as they say, is history.
Watch the video below and revel in its gloriously baffling 80s style:
2. Take On Me - a-ha
Arguably one of the most recognisable synth melodies of all time, let alone the 80s, Norwegian hunks a-ha are second on our list with the iconic 'Take On Me'.
The central riff was written by keyboardist Magne Furuholmen when he was just 15 years old! The first time Morten Harket heard it, he apparently thought "This is the key to the world". And so it proved to be...
Initially the band thought it too "pop" for their sound, but after 2 failed releases as a single it finally flew up the charts, in no small part thanks to its era-defining Rotoscoped video, which took an eye-watering 4 months to hand-draw!
Drink it in, and try to hit the high notes in "one of the hardest-to sing choruses in pop history".
3. Sweet Child o' Mine - Guns N' Roses
Woaaah, oh, oh, it's number 3.
A top ten of 80s songs wouldn't be complete without a cameo from Guns 'N' Roses and what a song you've voted as the 3rd best of the decade.
From their 1987 album Appetite for Destruction, it was actually the band's only US number one single. It peaked at the UK at number six but despite its success, Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash has been quoted as saying the success of the song "makes me sick."
He said: "I like it, but I hate what it represents." Well, clearly you're in the minority Slash!
4. Billie Jean - Michael Jackson
One of the most instantly recognisable songs from his huge back catalogue, Michael Jackson's 'Billie Jean' beat his other huge 80s hit 'Thriller' to make it into the top 10 of our list.
The track remained on the Billboard chart for seven weeks and has sold over 10 million records worldwide making it one of the best-selling singles of all time.
5. Do They Know It's Christmas? - Band Aid
At number 5 is our highest ranked Christmas song in the list, which is no mean feat for a decade that had its fair share of festive hits from the likes of Shakin' Stevens, Wham! and The Pogues.
Written by Boomtown Rats star Bob Geldof and Ultravox frontman Midge Ure, the single was performed by a supergroup consisting of popular Irish and UK music acts, and was released in 1984 to raise money and awareness for the 1983-1985 famine in Ethiopia.
Famous faces that feature on the single include George Michael, Boy George, Paul Weller, Sting and many, many, more.
6. Blue Monday - New Order
How does it feel?
With a synth intro that seems to last forever but at the same time, isn't long enough... it's the huge 'Blue Monday' at number 6.
Originally released by British rockers New Order in 1985, the song has had success in many incarnations over the years thanks to re-releases and remixes.
But the original synth-pop dance track that has become a defining track for the band's career unsurprisingly was popular from the off, peaking at number 9 in the UK charts.
7. Livin' on a Prayer - Bon Jovi
An 80s top 10 wouldn't be complete without long haired glam rockers, Bon Jovi.
This was their second number one in a row on the US Billboard chart after the smash hit, 'You Give Love A Bad Name'.
With lyrics that almost feel like they were crafted with drunken karaoke sessions in mind, the opening verse is firmly embedded in rock history:
"Tommy used to work on the docks, union's been on strike
He's down on his luck, it's tough, so tough
Gina works the diner all day working for her man
She brings home her pay, for love, for love"
Revel in the video's cheesy 80s magnificence below:
8. Relax - Frankie Goes To Hollywood
Frankie Goes To Hollywood's debut single has made it into the top ten and rightly so. This is an anthem of the 1980s and has been cemented in pop history forever thanks to the controversies surrounding it.
Some took offence to the single's controversial ad campaign which spawned a trend for those in favour of the track wearing t-shirts in support with the slogan 'Frankie Says Relax'.
9. Under Pressure - Queen & David Bowie
Two musical titans of the 1980s teamed up for this enormous hit.
Originally released as a single in 1981, it later featured on Queen's 1982 album Hot Space and was the band's second number one following the success of 'Bohemian Rhapsody' in 1975.
It was Bowie's third number one following 'Space Oddity' and 'Ashes to Ashes'.
Sadly, due to both Bowie and Queen's touring commitments they were unable to record a music video for the track together. Instead, the video features stock video footage of traffic jams and commuter trains.
When it came to strange music videos, the 80s really couldn't be topped...
10. Careless Whisper - George Michael
Written by George Michael and his Wham! bandmate Andrew Ridgeley, this song has become legendary for its crooning saxophone solo.
Despite being performed by George alone, it did actually appear on Wham!'s 1984 album 'Make It Big'.
It reached number one in nearly 25 countries, selling about 6 million copies worldwide - 2 million of them in the United States.
Here's a countdown of the rest of the songs that made the top 100...
11 Human League - Don't You Want Me
12 Prince - Purple Rain
13 Simple Minds - Don't You Forget About Me
14 Joy Division - Love Will Tear Us Apart
15 Toto - Africa
16 Tears For Fears - Everybody Wants To Rule The World
17 Michael Jackson - Thriller
18 Soft Cell - Tainted Love
19 U2 - With Or Without You
20 Queen - Radio Gaga
21 The Jam - Town Called Malice
22 Dexys Midnight Runners - Come On Eileen
23 Bryan Adams - Summer Of 69
24 Duran Duran - Rio
25 Pet Shop Boys - West End Girls
26 Rick Astley - Never Gonna Give You Up
27 David Bowie - Ashes To Ashes
28 Adam And The Ants - Stand And Deliver
29 Waterboys - Whole Of The Moon
30 Wham! - Last Christmas
31 Stone Roses - Fools Gold
32 Don Henley - The Boys Of Summer
33 The Jam - Going Underground
34 The Smiths - This Charming Man
35 David Bowie - Let's Dance
36 Abc - The Look Of Love
37 Frankie Goes To Hollywood - Two Tribes
38 Wham! - Wake Me Up Before You Go Go
39 Phil Collins - In The Air Tonight
40 Journey - Don't Stop Believin'
41 Blondie - Atomic
42 Depeche Mode - Just Can't Get Enough
43 The Specials - Ghost Town
44 Erasure - A Little Respect
45 Bronski Beat - Smalltown Boy
46 Duran Duran - The Reflex
47 Prince - When Doves Cry
48 Spandau Ballet - True
49 Aerosmith & Run Dmc - Walk This Way
50 U2 - Where The Streets Have No Name
51 Heaven 17 - Temptation
52 Dire Straits - Money For Nothing
53 Aztec Camera - Somewhere In My Heart
54 Spandau Ballet - Gold
55 Bonnie Tyler - A Total Eclipse Of The Heart
56 Bruce Springsteen - Dancing In The Dark
57 Eurythmics - Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)
58 Van Halen - Jump
59 Whitney Houston - I Wanna Dance With Somebody
60 Stranglers - Golden Brown
61 Culture Club - Karma Chameleon
62 Madness - Baggy Trousers
63 Yazoo - Only You
64 Europe - Final Countdown
65 Kate Bush - Running Up That Hill
66 Peter Gabriel - Sledgehammer
67 Talk Talk - It's My Life
68 Communards - Don't Leave Me This Way
69 Madness - It Must Be Love
70 Huey Lewis & The News - The Power Of Love
71 Beautiful South - Song For Whoever
72 The Police - Every Breath You Take
73 Starship - Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now
74 Fleetwood Mac - Everywhere
75 Belinda Carlisle - Heaven Is A Place On Earth
76 Whitesnake - Here I Go Again
77 Queen - One Vision
78 Nena - 99 Red Balloons
79 U2 - Pride (In The Name Of Love)
80 Proclaimers - I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)
81 Bill Medley & Jennifer Warne - I've Had The Time Of My Life
82 Beastie Boys - (You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party)
83 Dead Or Alive - You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)
84 Talking Heads - Once In A Lifetime
85 Deacon Blue - Real Gone Kid
86 Foreigner - I Want To Know What Love Is
87 Cure - The Love Cats
88 Crowded House - Don't Dream It's Over
89 Tina Turner - The Best
90 George Michael - Faith
91 Berlin - Take My Breath Away
92 Madonna - Like A Prayer
93 Inxs - Need You Tonight
94 Black Box - Ride On Time
95 Bee Gees - You Win Again
96 Cyndi Lauper - Time After Time
97 UB40 - Red Red Wine
98 Bangles - Eternal Flame
99 Billy Idol - White Wedding
100 Yazz & The Plastic Population - The Only Way Is Up