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For my friend Frank's birthday, I want to make a mix CD of the best 80's songs out there. Now, normally this would be easy as pie for me because I a) love 80's music and b) pick my favourites to share with people. But this is a little different. See, Frank has only lived in the U.S. for 1 1/2 years and hasn't come across all that much American 80's music, so he doesn't know a lot of it yet (although what he does know he loves).

So, my question to you is, what are the essential 80's songs? Think of this like a real-life time capsule kind of thing. You know how you have to make time-capsules, picking a choosing certain things to best epitomize a certain time period? Well, your task is to do that by choosing the most 80ish of 80's songs (or just your faves, either way) so that I can compile the best of them into a CD of about 20 songs.

Ready, set, go!

And thanks for your help, should any of you choose to accept this mission.

Billy Idol. "You spin me right round" and "Rebel Yell" and "White Wedding".

Soft Cell. "Tainted Love".

There are some good U2 songs (their best songs were from the 80s). "With or Without You" is a goodie.

Metallica had its best songs from the 80s (so-called 'old school' metallica). "Fade to Black" and "Sanitarium" and the instrumentals, "Call of Ctulu", "Orion" and "To Live is to Die".

The Smiths - How Soon is Now
Michael Jackson - Beat It
Dead or Alive: Spin Me Right Round
Blondie - Call Me
U2 - With or Without you
Police - Every Breath You Take
Cars - Just What I needed
Golden Earring - Twlight Zone
Guns and Roses - Welcome to the Jungle
Dire Straits - Sultans of Swing
Madonna - Material Girl
Romantics - Talking in Your Sleep
Thompson Twins - Hold Me Now
Heart - Magic Man
Michael Jackson - Smooth Criminal
Bruce Springstein - Glory Days
Bon Jovi - Living on a Prayer
Genesis - Land of Confusion
Run DMC - Walk This Way
Duran Duran - Hungry Like the Wolf

A mix of music from the 80s. The Police I think are essential as are U2, Madonna, and Michael Jackson. You can throw in the one hit wonders as well as the bands that people tend to associate with the 80s: Duran Duran, Genesis, Bangles, Cyndi Lauper, etc. Some of the Boss's greatest work was during the 80s as well. I threw in How Soon is Now by the Smiths since it is a great song that tends to get overlooked as well as not associated with the 80s.

Edit: Dalton is a right on. Completly forgot about GNR. Added.
Edit: Grammer

Guns N' Roses - Welcome to the Jungle

Hmmm. I'd probably put "King of Pain" in instead of "Every Breath You Take" just because it's one of my favourite songs. And U2? Do I have to? *wrinkles nose*

And I don't know anything by Golden Earring. At least not by name. Hm.

You can't have an '80s mix tape without some cheese.

Wham! - Wake Me Up Before You Go Go
Twisted Sister - I Wanna Rock
Flock of Seagulls - I Ran
Culture Club - Do You Really Want to Hurt Me, The War Song, Karma Chameleon
Poison - Talk Dirty to Me, Every Rose Has Its Thorn
Frankie Goes to Hollywood - Relax
Anything from the Spinal Tap soundtrack
Rick James (bitch!) - Superfreak

and the grand poobah of cheese

Eddie Murphy - Party All the Time

Zaia wrote:Hmmm. I'd probably put "King of Pain" in instead of "Every Breath You Take" just because it's one of my favourite songs. And U2? Do I have to? *wrinkles nose*

And I don't know anything by Golden Earring. At least not by name. Hm.

They are more or less a one hit wonder. Twilight Zone is their major hit.. The Eurythmics and Fleetwood Mac might be worth adding as well. The Clash, The Ramones, New Order, and Blue Oyster Cult as well if you want a different take on the 80s.

Joe wrote:You can't have an '80s mix tape without some cheese.

Wham! - Wake Me Up Before You Go Go
Twisted Sister - I Wanna Rock
Flock of Seagulls - I Ran
Culture Club - Do You Really Want to Hurt Me, The War Song, Karma Chameleon
Poison - Talk Dirty to Me, Every Rose Has Its Thorn
Frankie Goes to Hollywood - Relax
Anything from the Spinal Tap soundtrack
Rick James (bitch!) - Superfreak

and the grand poobah of cheese

Eddie Murphy - Party All the Time

Joe is right. Cheese is a must. These are outlawed in most states. Lunatic Fringe by Red Rider is also a little known hit that is quite good.

How can you not have "Under Pressure"?

DPDarkPrimus wrote:How can you not have "Under Pressure"?

Hell yeah, David Bowie and Freddie Mercury? Hah!

Just so you know my own personal tastes (before I gleefully head off to bed after this long, long day), here are some of my favourite 80's songs:

Wild Wild West - Escape Club
Baby Got Back - Sir Mix-a-Lot (80's or early 90's?)
Rudy Can't Fail - The Clash
Hold Me Now - Thompson Twins
You Might Think - The Cars
Missing You - John (Jack?) Waite
Paul Revere - The Beastie Boys
Come On Eileen - Dexy's Midnight Runners
Under Pressure - David Bowie & Queen
Shattered Dreams - Johnny Hates Jazz
She-Bop - Cindy Lauper
Mirror in the Bathroom - English Beat
King of Pain - The Police
Poison - Bel Biv Devoe (80's or early 90's?)
Changes - Yes
All Out of Love - Air Supply (shut up)
Glory of Love (from 'The Karate Kid') - Peter Cetera
Down Under - Men at Work
Pictures of You - The Cure
I Want You to Want Me - Cheap Trick (80's or early 90's?)

Anything by Huey Lewis & the News, Billy Joel, Tears for Fears and, of COURSE, 'The Final Countdown' by Europe.

Disclaimer: More of those might actually be from the 90's than I noted--I'm old at the decades are all starting to run together...

I don't see "Cars" by Fear Factory in any of the lists above...

No 80s CD is complete without "Moonlight Shadow" by Mike Oldfield and Maggie Reilly. Be sure to get the long version and not just the single edit.

Does "Love Will Tear Us Apart" by Joy Division count as 80s or had Ian Curtis already committed suicide by then?

*Gets the hell out of this thread before further damaging his metal fan street cred.*

DD

In the 80s, it was impossible to go to a party and not hear AC/DC songs like "You Shook Me All Night Long" and "Back in Black" or "Hells Bells". An 80s "time capsule" CD without at least one AC/DC song would be an utter travesty.

Must include something by Yazoo (Yaz), just to cover the more New Wave-ish aspect of the early 1980s. I suggest "Situation."

Darth Wong wrote:In the 80s, it was impossible to go to a party and not hear AC/DC songs like "You Shook Me All Night Long" and "Back in Black" or "Hells Bells". An 80s "time capsule" CD without at least one AC/DC song would be an utter travesty.

Hell fucking yeah. Put on "For Those About to Rock".

Don't for get some songs by the Pet Shop Boys.
People are people...

How about One night in Bangkok?

You know whats funny, is on the weekends I listed to 106.5 all 80's weekend. I'm old enough to have my own decade of music.

"Rock Me Amadeus" or "Der Kommisar" by Falco.

This is kinda late 80's, but "What's on your mind" or "Walking Away" by Information Society are good ones to throw into the mix.

"Run to you" is my fav Bryan Adams tune, but almost anything by him is good to hear.

And finally, "Sister Christian" by Night Ranger. I fell in love with that song all over again when I saw "Boogie Nights."

Ooh, how about "Play With Me" by Extreme, off the Bill & Ted soundtrack?

TrailerParkJawa wrote:Don't for get some songs by the Pet Shop Boys.
People are people...

How about One night in Bangkok?

Good choice on the latter song! I haven't heard that one in years.

Add to the list "Fascination" by Human League, "Saftey Dance" by Men Without Hats, and "Don't you (Forget about me)" by Simple Minds.

Yello - Oh Yeah
Devo - Whip It!
AC/DC - Dirty Deeds
Van Halen - Panama
Huey Lewis and The News - The Power of Love

Here endeth my contribution.

Stofsk wrote:Billy Idol. "You spin me right round"

Actually by Dead or Alive

some good Billy songs - Mony Mony, Dancing with myself. Eyes without a face

Canadian boy, Corey Hart - Never Surrender, Sunglasses At Night

How about some songs from Michael Jackson's album Thriller. That way he can understand why it can be so depressing for some people that the guy has turned himself into such a freak.

Billie Jean, Beat It


Which almost means you should put some Weird Al parody music in there but that's probably pushing it a bit.

Speaking of parodies, why not some crapy 80's Madona music?

Others:

Quiet Riot: Cum On Feel the Noize

The Cars: Moving In Stereo then you'll have to show him "Fast Times at Ridgemont High".

Twisted Sister: We're Not Gonna Take It

Frankie Goes to Hollywood: Relax

Duran Duran: Hungry Like the Wolf

The Scorpions: Rock You Like a Hurricane

Def Leppard - Something from the Pyromania album like Rock of Ages, Photograph or Foolin'.

TrailerParkJawa wrote:Don't for get some songs by the Pet Shop Boys.
People are people...

I thought that was Depeche Mode...

It is Depeche Mode.