75) Elvis Costello & the Attractions- “The Only Flame In Town”
A splendidly cascading current of New Wave stylings colliding with straight-up 1984-pop. One could opine that this one has grown alarmingly gawdy with the passing of times and fads, but let’s be real folks: this one was just as egregiously smooth and glitzy out of the gate. And with Elvis Costello’s trademark idiosyncratic vocals at the center of it all, it’s all the better for it.
74) The Jacksons and Mick Jagger- “State of Shock”
Look, it’s understandable why this hit has not lived on in pop culture’s collective memory like you would naturally expect it to given the talent that it gathers. Sure, “State of Shock” has its catchy qualities, but there was no comparing it to the monumental heights of the outright pop euphoria that Michael Jackson had achieved with the record-breaking run of singles off of Thriller the two years prior. Against that backdrop, pretty much anything would feel like a step down. Nevertheless, this is Michael Jackson and Mick Jagger duetting together, and between that and its distinction as The Jacksons’ final chart triumph, it’s an important part of 1984’s musical story. (We’re also still impatiently waiting for that lost version with Jackson and Freddie Mercury to see the light of day.)
73) Steve Perry- “Oh Sherrie”
So, how many of you reading this were today-years-old when learning that “Oh Sherrie” is a Steve Perry solo track vs. just another Journey mega-hit? You’d be forgiven in light of the fact that Perry’s first solo album happened concurrently with his band’s run, and given that this track has basically been treated as an honorary member of the band’s canon ever since. It’s another example of Perry’s melodramatic but undeniably effective vocal powers in their pristine prime, and emphasizes how precisely his pipes were made for this era.
72) The Pointer Sisters- “Jump (For My Love)”
This timeless bop wore the dance floor crown throughout 1984, thanks to the sibling trio’s elastic ability to meld their R&B chops with post-disco contagion and the irresistible campiness of the era. It remains every bit as delightful and infectious today as it was then.
71) The Judds- “Had a Dream (For the Heart)”
The breathtaking first dozen seconds of this debut single is one of the most revelatory introductions to a new act in all of music history. The sound of 19-year-old Wynonna’s vocals on that opening verse is still enough to stop you in your tracks, and as it slowly segued into The Judds’ signature acoustic and harmony-driven sound, it pumped additional blood into country music’s burgeoning roots revival in the process.
70) John Lennon- “Nobody Told Me”
There’s something both jarring and positively delightful in hearing John Lennon’s voice cast against a jangly, keys-soaked mid-80s pop-rock arrangement. But Yoko Ono should be given credit for what she did here with this bona-fide highlight amongst Lennon’s posthumous releases. It basically allowed our ears to feast on what his work may have sounded like if he had lived through the peak of Heartland Rock. It was particularly comforting in the wake of his murder to hear his trademark world-weariness filtered through a more light-hearted, almost comedic narrative.
69) Philip Bailey and Phil Collins- “Easy Lover”
A soulful cornerstone of the 80s hit-parade and of any classic pop playlist curated ever since, and for multiple good reasons. The combination of Bailey’s soulful R&B emoting and Collins’ passionately raspy urgency made for a deliciously silky sandpaper combination, and the song spills over with the most infectious sonic hooks from the pop, R&B, and rock & roll playbooks.
68) Rockwell and Michael Jackson- “Somebody’s Watching Me”
Jackson’s understandable demand for side-work certainly helped keep rabid fans temporarily at bay during the painstaking gap between Thriller and Bad. He certainly didn’t phone it in either. He delivers a now-legendarily ferocious and haunting vocal that perfectly tempered the more novelty components of Rockwell’s turns on this ultimate paranoia anthem, and in Jackson’s case, his second Halloween staple.
67) Ray Parker Jr.- “Ghostbusters”
Speaking of Halloween staples, Ray Parker Jr.’s career, will for better and worse, forever be defined by this blockbuster soundtrack smash. I’m sure he’s hardly complained as he’s cashed his royalties from the song’s initial success and the staying power it’s been provided every October 31st (not to mention the Huey Lewis litigations that followed in later years). “Ghostbusters”, both the song and the film, remains quintessential 80s fun, and has proven to be a durably timeless pop-culture classic for new generations to adore in the decades that follow.
66) Merle Haggard- “Let’s Chase Each Other Around the Room”
The Hag’s run of renaissance hits in the 80s helped keep core country sounds alive on the genre’s airwaves while we waited for the budding generation of New Traditionalists to bump Urban Cowboy (and ultimately and ironically legends like Haggard himself) off the mainstream charts. Until then however, Merle Haggard remained at the top of his legendary game on new classics such as this flirtatious and shuffling attempt at injecting a stale marriage with some much-needed, new vigor.
65) The Pointer Sisters- “Automatic”
The Pointers’ hit-factory was on fire during this time, with this effervescent jam becoming a cross-genre smash, and a certifiable dance floor anthem for the rest of all time. Interestingly, it served as the first hit with Ruth Pointer’s low contralto voice featured in the lead role, and amusingly had some listeners wondering who the mysterious male voice was signing on the new Pointer Sisters duet. Never mind any of that; “Automatic” proves that these Sisters didn’t need any outside help, much less that of a man’s, to take their girl-power to dominant heights.
64) Dolly Parton- “Tennessee Homesick Blues”
An expectedly deliriously campy alternative POV for the same sentiments that Merle Haggard bemoaned in his classic curmudgeonly ways three years earlier on “Big City”. Parton too wants to break free from the chains of the booming metropolis she finds herself drowning in, but she colors it with a cheerful, down-home celebration of her country roots, rather than an outright slam against the Big Apple’s bustling way of life. The music from the Rhinestone film she co-starred in with Sylvester Stallone was certainly miles better than the movie itself, which better-off left in the archives for eternity.
63) Reba McEntire- “How Blue”
A game-changing moment for a future legend and the surrounding musical universe itself. “How Blue”, and the classic My Kind of Country album that it launched, is the sound of Reba McEntire finally realizing the musical identity she’d been subverting after toiling on the country scene for nearly a decade. Sure, she’d enjoyed some sizable hits before this. But it’s when surrounded by her convicted traditionalist sound of twin fiddles and unflinching twang that she finally ascended to the A-list, and the sky was clearly the limit from here on out.
62) Elton John- “Sad Songs (Say So Much)”
An enduring dark-horse hit from what would prove to be a transitional period for Sir Elton. It’s simply straight-up solid pop-rock, with a timelessly dichotomous take on a break-up, delivered by one of the truly great voices and entertainers of any era. The song itself says the rest.
61) Sade- “Your Love Is King”
The progressive R&B band’s debut single remains a contemporary soul gem of the very highest order. Sade Adu’s vocal power and cultural impact would only grow in the years ahead, but this remains a stunning introduction and a high-water mark in the group’s catalog. No other track on our countdown goes down as silky smooth as “Your Love Is King”.
60) Bananarama- “Cruel Summer”
Bananarama remains one of the easiest pop acts to underestimate, a fact only exasperated by just how maddeningly escapable bops like “Cruel Summer” have been for the past four decades. And all of those other contributing factors are ever-present on “Cruel Summer”: the cheesy aesthetic, the overly-girly and at-times robotic harmonies, etc. etc. But lingering underneath it all is a surprisingly dark and introspective underbelly of a summer-time melancholy that is not reserved solely for those suffering from teenaged angst.
59) The Cars- “Magic”
As one of the initial and premier purveyors of New Wave, few rock bands were as seamlessly prepared for the sounds and trends of the early 80s as The Cars. “Magic” arrived near the climax of their hot-streak, but in listening to this track, you’d have thought their reign would’ve lasted forever. Effortlessly crisp performances from the band combined with astutely polished sonics from the hands of new producer Mutt Lange, “Magic” remains one of their most accessibly fresh hits.
58) Billy Joel- “The Longest Time”
There were plenty of critics understandably decrying an act of career suicide when Billy Joel decided to release an album of original 50s-influenced music as the New Wave and MTV eras were reaching their greatest heights. The fact that this retro indulgence did nothing to halt Joel’s chart success speaks not just to his level of superstardom at the time, but also to the sheer quality of the music born out of this passion project. Hearing the Piano Man exchange timeless doo-wop harmonies with himself (there was no actual vocal group accompanying him here) remains a nostalgic delight for music fans of multiple generations.
57) David Allan Coe- “Mona Lisa Lost Her Smile”
It’s easy to allow David Allan Coe’s raunchy Outlaw image and the problematic social components of his infamous underground catalog to distract us from what an absolutely brilliant country poet the man is. This gorgeously devastating classic is as magnificent a showcase of these talents as any in his proper discography. Frankly, it reaches Kristofferson levels of songwriting mastery, and his vocal delivery is startlingly elegant.
56) Culture Club- “Karma Chameleon”
“Karma Chameleon” is one of those classic hits that so boldly exemplifies the essential qualities of 80s pop gold. Boy George may not have been the heartthrob that fellow George (Michael) was, but he matches Michael step-for-step here in terms of charismatic delivery and cut-throat pop hookery. The social commentary lurking underneath all of the color should not be slighted either.
55) Phil Collins- “Against All Odds (Take A Look At Me Now)”
Unequivocally one of the truly essential power-ballads of the 1980s, and that’s no small feat. Collins injects every ounce of gusto, drama, and soul into what, outside of “In the Air Tonight”, still feels like the highest-stakes performance of his career.
54) Duran Duran- “The Reflex”
Out of the gate, it’s impossible not to become completely swept up in the oddball musical arrangements of “The Reflex”, with its unapologetic gleeful mash up of funk and New Wave. Then Simon Le Bon’s hypnotically sleek vocals come in front and center, and they likewise hold the listener in a stone-cold trance…until of course that dizzying instrumental bridge starts up. There’s so much auditory goodness to behold throughout “The Reflex”, that it’s almost overwhelming, and exuberantly so.
53) The Cars- “Drive”
A masterclass in moody pop balladry, not just for the 1980s, but for any era of popular music. It’s of course forever trapped in a mid-80s time-capsule thanks to Mutt Lange’s walls of synth and keys, but there’s no denying that element’s contribution to the track’s magic either. It’s bassist Benjamin Orr’s soulfully desolate vocal that rises above all of the gloss to give the track its place in the annals of rock greatness, and ultimately provided the Cars with a new signature hit that was beautifully different from all of their other classics.
52) The Smiths- “What Difference Does It Make”
As we’ll note multiple times throughout this countdown, we should not allow all of the pizazz and pageantry of what was happening in the conventional top forty to distract from what a moment sub-genres like alternative and roots-rock were having in 1984. The Smiths’ despondent third single, anchored by Morrissey’s soon-to-be legendary skill for merging rock’s most jangly and dreary qualities, is a tantalizing hallmark of what was happening creatively in the rock underground at the time.
51) Scandal- “The Warrior”
“Shooting at the walls of heartache, BANG BANG!” With the everlasting potency of that fiery hook, Patty Smyth and her ill-fated band, Scandal etched their names in the entire 80s pantheon of iconic hits. Though not a one-hit-wonder as many believe (don’t do “Goodbye to You” that dirty, folks), “The Warrior” is the most fetching female slice of 80s power pop-rock not recorded by Pat Benatar.
Previous: Part I: #100-76
Next: Part III: #50-26
The 706 
’84 was my first year of college. Having graduated high school at 16 being in a dorm was eye opening. That said, the absence of guitar rock was a constant topic of conversation around the dorm when students indulged in those things students discovered in college. In retrospect, ‘84 had some great tunes as you’ve expertly listed. Just know some of us found bands like Del Fuegos to bridge the gap.
If I knew then what I know now…