Top 10 80's Songs You Forgot Were Awesome

#10: “The Telephone Call” - Kraftwerk

First on our list is the classic German electronic band Kraftwerk, sometimes called “the electronic Beatles”. Their most famous hit is probably “The Model” from 1978, but their catalogue is phenomenally huge, since they’ve been continuously active since 1970. From their 80s era, one of their most definitive hits was “The Telephone Call”. It was released in 1987 and quickly took the top spot on the US Billboard Dance Club chart, where it stayed for a fortnight. Interestingly, it’s their only song that featured Karl Bartos on vocals, who was with them for 15 years.

#9: “Election Day” - Arcadia

The majority of us remember Duran Duran, one of the most defining new wave bands of the 80s. Few of us know Arcadia, a short-lived side project created by three Duran Duran members. They only released one album, “So Red the Rose”, which included a variety of high-profile features like David Gilmour & Herbie Hancock. Its biggest single was “Election Day”, which became a bigger hit in Italy than Britain or America. It interestingly also featured celebrated musician and model Grace Jones. They also managed to hire Roger Christian for the music video, who won an Academy Award for his work on the original “Star Wars”.

#8: “Age of Consent” - New Order

Joy Division was one of the most influential bands of the late 70s. Unfortunately, when lead singer Ian Curtis died in 1980, they decided to disband. They went on to form New Order, who dominated 80s pop. Their 1983 track “Blue Monday” is easily their best-selling record. This tune was released alongside their second album, “Power, Corruption & Lies”, which opened with the hit tune “Age of Consent”. It’s not their most popular song, but it was a huge hit in its day. They got so tired of playing it, in 1989, they took it off set lists entirely, and wouldn’t bring it back until 22 years later.

#7: “We Close Our Eyes” - Go West

This duo formed in 1982 and went on to achieve wide success in the following years. They're still together, but are exceptionally far from mainstream these days. One of their most successful tracks was “King of Wishful Thinking”, which featured in “Pretty Woman” in 1990. Another hit of theirs, which you may not remember, was “We Close Our Eyes” from 1985. It became a global hit, drawing attention from Freddie Mercury, who said they’d be “very, very big”. His intuition wasn’t entirely correct, since Go West fell from popularity in the 90s.

#6: “Rage Hard” - Frankie Goes to Hollywood

The Liverpool pop band became massive after their debut album in 1984. Hits off it include “Relax” and “The Power of Love”. They were briefly banned by the BBC, for songs like “Relax” being too mature. This had the effect of making them wildly popular in 1984. Two years later, they released the single “Rage Hard” from their second album. It hasn’t been immortalised to the same extent as “Relax”, but it was still fairly successful. Quite a lot of us also forget, the band's members, Johnson and Rutherford, were trailblazers for LGBTQ+ representation, being some of the first openly gay singers in pop.

#5: “Temptation” - Heaven 17

The Human League was one of the most pivotal bands in the 80s, well remembered for their hit “Don’t You Want Me”. After their first album, two of their founding members, Ian Craig Marsh and Martyn Ware, left and created the band Heaven 17. They’re not as well remembered as the band they left, but they were fairly successful in the 80s. A lot of this success came from the track “Temptation”, released in 1983. It wasn’t that popular outside the UK, but it still receives occasional radio play and earned itself a silver certification.

#4: “Manhattan Skyline” - A-ha

There are quite a few people alive who consider A-ha one-hit wonders, but even more people would refute that claim. Alongside “Take On Me”, they also did “The Sun Always Shines on T.V.” and “Hunting High and Low”. They’ve been surprisingly active since the 80s, even releasing an album in 2022. One of their less remembered but still adored songs is “Manhattan Skyline” from 1987. It begins with a relaxing classical melody. Then, as soon as the guitar comes in, it’s nigh on impossible not to get goosebumps. It’s also famous for being featured in a “Limmy’s Show” sketch, which caused “Benny Harvey”’s name to be written in toilets across the nation.

#3: “Breathing” - Kate Bush

In the 70s, Kate Bush became known as one of Britain’s most talented vocalists. Her debut album became so successful, she’s been a household name ever since. Despite her talent, she’s always been much more popular within the UK. That was until “Stranger Things,” of course. That was because of “Running Up That Hill”, which we’ve all heard to death. She’s got a discography full of lesser-known hits, like “Breathing” from 1980. It’s a remarkably powerful anti-war song, with lyrics discussing radiation’s harmful effects on babies. It was the first single from her second album, which became the first number 1 album by a solo female artist. “Breathing” impressively stayed in the charts for seven weeks straight.

#2: “Belfast Child” - Simple Minds

Everyone remembers “Don’t You (Forget About Me)”, recorded by Glaswegian band Simple Minds, then featured on “The Breakfast Club”. Way more people remember that track, rather than one of their many protest songs. Their 1989 album “Street Fighting Years” was a hugely successful protest album, covering topics like Nelson Mandela, the Berlin Wall, and Ireland’s troubles. The most celebrated track from the album was “Belfast Child”, which became a number one single in the UK, Ireland, and the Netherlands. It’s a shame they’re known for a pop song they didn’t much care for, rather than their politically charged anthems they were deeply passionate about.

#1: “Forbidden Colours” - David Sylvian & Ryuichi Sakamoto

Taking our top spot, it’s a collaboration between Japan’s lead singer Sylvian and Yellow Magic Orchestra’s Sakamoto. The song was written for the 1983 war film “Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence”, featuring David Bowie as the main character, alongside Sakamoto. Sakamoto scored the majority of the film, which won him a BAFTA Award. “Forbidden Colours” however, stands tall with Sylvian’s incredible vocals fitting the hauntingly beautiful pianowork of Sakamoto. Among the late Ryuichi Sakamoto’s incredible library of songs, this track bringing together two close, musical friends is perhaps one of the most enduring.

Were there any absolute classics even we forgot were awesome? Let us know in the comments below!