25) The Judds- “Why Not Me”
The chronology of The Judds’ first three singles, which all of course saw release in the staggering year of 1984, is a perfectly written roadmap of songs in terms of achieving superstar buzz right out of the gate. “Had a Dream” was the perfect dark-horse classic to spark chatter in listening circles. “Mama He’s Crazy” was the jaw-dropping revelation that got everybody paying attention. Enter “Why Not Me”, the flawless instant classic that it was all building toward, and that rightfully set Wynonna and Naomi on a stratospheric trajectory that helped define country music for the remainder of the 80s. It remains a gorgeous wonder to behold forty years on.
24) Cyndi Lauper- “She Bop”
“She Bop” is, of course, one of those pop classics that you’ve been singing along to for ages before actually realizing what the lyrics are really saying, and what a realization Cyndi Lauper has in store for you in that moment. This unapologetic celebration of self-pleasure certainly earned its inclusion on the PMRC’s infamous “Filthy Fifteen”, but is also equally earned the right to rise above all that naughty controversy to become a certifiable radio staple, thanks to Lauper’s unmistakably fun and campy musical signatures.
23) Hall & Oates- “Out of Touch”
The final chart-topping triumph for the dominant duo found Daryl & John still very much at their peak powers, with nary a suggestion that their chart streak was anywhere close to slowing down. “Out of Touch” merges heavy rock synth with chiming dance-pop sparkle, while the duo’s unmistakably golden vocal blend remains the sturdy anchor that capably holds it all together in its criminally addictive sweet-spot. Their radio fire may have soon been out of time, but Hall & Oates was anything but out of touch in this definitive moment.
22) Kenny Loggins- “Footloose”
A burst of musical energy and euphoria as exhilarating as any other in the entire pop lexicon. Period. Everything fires on all cylinders here, from Loggins’ exuberantly blissful performance, to the grinningly hooky writing, to the plum-perfect infection of the music itself. The song not only proved to be the perfect encapsulation of the film’s beating heart, but also just an overall mantra for overcoming the general warts of life. In case you can’t tell, I get giddy just writing about it. Got some blues to lose? Here’s your cure.
21) Prince and the Revolution- “I Would Die 4 U”
A sumptuously cascading roller-coaster of musical glitz, glamour, and drama, and one that would help define the vintage pop sounds of the 1980s. Prince is in all his performance glory here, delivering a contagiously frenetic vocal narrative that, for all its chaos and uncertainty, is also sturdily grounded by the unquestionable conviction with which he declares the song’s titular statement. His ability to seamlessly juggle all of these musical and emotional layers simultaneously is one of the true hallmarks of his unique artistry and eternal legacy.
20) Van Halen- “Jump”
With its startling, keys-driven sonic departure from Van Halen’s core rock sound, “Jump” was every bit the frightening yet liberating leap that they celebrate in the song itself. And it certainly paid off, becoming the biggest smash of the group’s career, not only living through the loud-speakers of every sporting event held since its release, but more importantly through the timeless enjoyment and inspiration it continues to bring to listeners worldwide. I think you know what I meeeaaan, right?
19) Queen- “Radio Ga Ga”
While the revolution created by MTV and the video age was the cause for much excitement and celebration, there was plenty of concern within the music industry as to what this would mean for the future of radio. Queen certainly wasn’t opposed to the new advent, as this clip for this song was as big of a hit as the record itself. The band doesn’t necessarily hone in on the specific music world implications of the new age like “Video Killed the Radio Star” did five years earlier, but takes it one step further by presenting an overall ode to the enormously formative impact that the radio medium made in culture during the pre-TV years. Mercury and the boys emotively deliver this story with the perfect dose of nostalgia and passion.
18) Frankie Goes to Hollywood- “Relax”
“Relax” took the provocative nature of earlier entry, “She Bop”, to the next level in every category imaginable: tone, intensity, imagery, and certainly in the marketing department as well. The buzzy controversy that the song courted served as a symbolic cornerstone for the promiscuity that was a key ingredient to the overall theme of excess that permeated throughout the 80s. But even if the song had truly not been about what it sounded like, as the band would sheepishly and half-heartedly claim at the time, or failed to become the indisputable queer anthem it remains today, the record itself was an undeniable thrill ride. A boldly innovative and progressive record, both sonically and topically, that revealed the atmospheric heights that pop and rock were truly capable of in this new era.
17) a-ha- “Take On Me”
There are so many individual qualities of “Take On Me” that feel permanently etched in one’s subconscious as definitive pillars of 80s music. The electrifying pace of the keys intro. The enthralling call-and-response of the backing vocals. The methodically pulsating pace of the chorus. And, of course, the piercing vocal climax of said chorus. Let’s face it: if the band had sustained their chart success in America post-“Take On Me”, Morten Harket would be in the same conversation with George Michael and others in terms of the era’s most impressive vocal powerhouses. The performance he delivers here is sublimely scintillating, and the way the record pairs it with such delicious ear-candy and energy is a spotless example of all of pop music’s perfect elements melding in glorious harmony.
16) Madonna- “Like A Virgin”
There have been plenty of sexual anthems to be found throughout this list, but the ultimate of course will forever belong to Madonna, whose ticket to pop music–and pop culture–superstardom was officially punched with this first career No. 1. It’s as unapologetically explicit of a metaphor to ever find its way onto the mainstream airwaves. More than just a song or a hit record, “Like A Virgin” is one of those rare moments that help define the story of popular music, whether your parents and grandparents liked it or not. Her performance of the track at the inaugural VMAs will forever live on in infamy, and to draw parallels of its momentous cultural impact with that of the first time Elvis shook his hips on a 50s bandstand is nowhere near an overstatement.
15) Prince- “Purple Rain”
The absolute epitome of the melodramatic and cinematic power of popular music in the 1980s. Is there a more profound expression of unconditional affection for a lover than the desire to hold each other into the fires of the apocalypse? Prince performs and the Revolution supports him to the musical ends of the earth on this epic, with all of the boiling emotion and impending doom of the song’s sentiment spilling over into the legend’s show-stopping guitar solo at the center of the song. It’s both a ferocious beast and a tender gem of a performance, and the solidifying moment for Prince’s status as masterful rock God and storyteller.
14) Bruce Springsteen- “Born In the USA”
By the time 1984 came around, Bruce Springsteen had been regarded as an underground rock & roll hero and poet for over a decade. Boasting a sudden streak of seven top ten singles, the Born In the USA album finally propelled The Boss into the superstardom that his loyalists had long proclaimed he was worthy of. The title track to that LP remains one of the most misinterpreted songs of all time, with its notoriously incessant misplacement as a patriotic campaign anthem for numerous politicians. What a surprise awaited those that took the initiative to peel back the song’s exterior, finding a disgraceful tale of a discarded Vietnam veteran. And therein lies the song’s true gift: Springsteen’s willingness to bring us behind the curtain of our nation’s often-blind jingoism to reveal that there’s just as much our country needs to regret and learn from, as there is to blissfully celebrate.
13) George Michael- “Careless Whisper”
A majestic vocal showcase and pop standard for a new era, “Careless Whisper” emphatically confirmed that, for all his undeniable magic as a bubblegum charmer, George Michael’s talents were being undeniably harnessed within the infectious confines of Wham!. He unleashes his limitless R&B and soul roots on this classic power-ballad, and in turn set the true long-term course for his journey as an artist, and one of significant impact. An absolute jewel of a performance. And once you get Steve Gregory’s silky smooth sax solo in your consciousness, it’s there for life.
12)- U2- “Pride (In the Name of Love)”
Just how high could the aural and emotional heights of 80s rock go? Enter U2 and “Pride (In the Name of Love”, a thrilling showcase of the magnificent power created when Bono’s hair-raising vocals, the band’s moody instrumental prowess, Daniel Lanois’ brilliant production, and the group’s reflective thematics were all in peak-form. “Pride” would be the moment that officially established the trajectory of the group’s overall body of work, as well as that of rock music as a whole, in the decades to follow. It was, and remains, a spiritual bedrock for both creators and lovers of the brand of rock music that places as much importance on what it says and feels, as it does on how it sounds.
11) Metallica- “Fade to Black”
Perhaps not so arguably the ultimate centerpiece in not only the Metallica catalog, but in that of heavy metal as an entire subgenre as well. With a soundscape that grapples between the format’s typical thrashing electric guitar riffs and unexpectedly tender acoustic flourishes, not to mention a theme that places itself as a unflinching suicide ballad, “Fade to Black” was revolutionary moment in hard rock. Its willingness and graceful ability to demonstrate that metal could tackle such weighty and fragile subject matter, while still retaining its attitudinal bravado, rendered it a pivotal statement, both artistically and socially.
10) Madonna- “Material Girl”
“Material Girl” is the perfect musical poster-child to represent the crass cliff of commercialism that American culture drove off as it navigated everything from Reganomics to the shopping-mall revolution of the 1980s. Her early pundits had already type-cast her at this point, but her artistic path of the past four decades now allows us to give her the proper credit for all of the satirical irony and underlying commentary she infuses into this performance. There was plenty of narrative meat lingering underneath all of the iconic Marilyn Monroe imagery. And the fact remains that its still her most fun and catchy hit to feast your ears on.
9) Bruce Springsteen- “Dancing In the Dark”
Without all the proper context, it’d be easy to cast “Dancing in the Dark” as Springsteen’s pop sell-out moment. It was written as a last-minute addition to Born in the USA in response to his label’s insistence for a worthy single, and finds the rock rebel diving head-first into synth-soaked dance-rock. Plus, it worked, becoming the legend’s first No. 1 single, and finally cemented him as a Top 40 favorite. But this narrative would ignore the fact that it does all of this while retaining all of Bruce’s signature gravitas, and that the record-setting six consecutive top-tens that followed from the album finally elevated all of his rock & roll bona-fides into the mainstream spotlight.
8) Tina Turner- “What’s Love Got To Do With It”
There’s a double-shot of gloriously scrappy survival provided by Tina Turner’s career song, both by way of the track’s story itself, and by that of its impressive chart success as well. The song itself is a gusty and empowering navigation through an experienced woman’s romantic highs and lows. Meanwhile, its chart performance’s distinction as the first chart-topper for the then-44-year-old Turner was its own wondrous triumph over the music industry’s increasing prejudice toward female performers of a certain age. It was a refreshing success story that would pave the way for similar “late”-blooming breakthroughs by women in other genres later in the 80s, including country scribe KT Oslin, and blues-rock legend Bonnie Raitt.
7) Cyndi Lauper- “Time After Time”
A gorgeously timeless standard in every sense of the word. The warm sentiment, alluring melody, and restrained production are all perfection, but they all ultimately pale in comparison to Lauper’s beautifully emotively vocal performance. It’s perfectly colored with combined elements of everlasting romance and bittersweet sadness; enduring devotion and weary vulnerability. The decade was loaded with theatrical power ballads, but it’s Lauper’s stripped and steady classic that has proven the most powerful throughout time.
6) Bruce Springsteen- “Cover Me”
It’s absolutely true that the aforementioned “Dancing in the Dark” was not the only pivot toward the pop mainstream that Bruce made on Born In the USA, and that consolidated sound was most certainly a contributing factor to his long overdue commercial breakthrough. But then there’s also “Cover Me”, the perfectly-timed palate cleanser that was “Dancing’s” successor single and retained all of the hard-rock trappings of earlier Boss gems like “Adam Raised A Cain”. It’s similar success asserted that Springsteen’s moment had finally arrived, and the song’s ability to unapologetically rock without the need to indulge in all the blustery noise of glam-rock confirmed that Bruce’s rock street cred was firmly in tact. A blistering and ferocious classic.
5) Wham!- “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go”
“Wake Me Up” is as candy-coated as pop music can possibly get, and in the 1984 musical universe, these are precisely the kind of calories you needed for a well-balanced sonic diet. After four decades of incessant spins, the world still cannot get enough of the unadulterated joy and escapism provided by George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley throughout their band’s undeniable centerpiece. Let’s face it: mainstream pop at its very best doesn’t have to necessarily mean anything, lyrically speaking. So long as the sound, personality, and sheer emotion of the performers is immaculately on point. The Beatles understood this in 1964, and Wham! certainly did as well on this jitter-buggin’ classic in 1984.
4) Prince and the Revolution- “When Doves Cry”
The true brilliance of Prince’s music is how he was able to be so great at so many things simultaneously. Sonically, he mastered a wide range of styles from pop and rock to funk, soul, and R&B, among others. Skillfully, he was a master vocally, instrumentally, compositionally, and in the arena of production as well. Few of his classics encapsulate all of this greatness in one fell swoop like “When Doves Cry”, the launching pad to Purple Rain fever, and his first song to peak on the summit of the Hot 100. With a sizzling vocal, one of the most memorable instrumental hooks of all time, and a poetic narrative surrounding a tense familial conflict, all buoyed by the fact the he solely handled all of the instrumentation and production of the record, it is unequivocally the crown jewel in terms of representing the flat-out genius that is Prince.
3) Cyndi Lauper- “Girls Just Want to Have Fun”
Lauper’s signature song, and one of the decade’s most enduring anthems, is bubblegum pop of the highest order, with plenty of feminist bite lingering underneath all the infectious fun and revelry. It doubles as universally lauded party bop, and a statement for feminine autonomy as well. Lauper and her ladies made it clear that they were going to have fun, not to mention manage their own lives, on their own terms, not those set by boys in their lives, be it their fathers, lovers, or anyone else. In the process, that joyous hybrid laid the groundwork for every other girl-power anthem to follow, from “Wannabe” to “Man! I Feel Like A Woman!” to “Run the World (Girls)” and beyond.
2) Don Henley- “The Boys of Summer”
Nostalgia for the glories of past romances and one’s overall youth has never been so cuttingly bittersweet as it is in “The Boys of Summer”. The changing of seasons, particularly the conclusion of a summer, has long been a soul-stirring metaphor to depict one’s transition from youth to middle-age, and its rarely been captured in as perfectly cinematic fashion as it has on Don Henley’s classic. Of course, with the song seeing release at the height of MTV, it was rewarded with a classic video to bring all of those magical qualities to life on the screen as well as through the speakers. However, if it had seen release a decade prior, listeners would have no trouble independently crafting the same story in their brains, thanks to Henley’s chilling and intoxicating performance, the rich imagery of the lyrics, and the distinguished musical tension created by the production itself. The record so vibrantly segues between tones of fond reminiscence, alluring seduction, and bitter solitude. It’s both Don Henley and mainstream 80s rock at its very best.
1) Michael Jackson- “Thriller”
By all historical standards, the industry dominance of Michael Jackson’s 1982 epic, Thriller should have been waning by the dawn of 1984. But this album had already proven it was rewriting history. As the year began, the album’s dazzling title track was emerging as the historic LP’s grand finale. The fact that it was released almost as an afterthought in the fall of 1983 seems mind-blowing now, but it was actually nearly overlooked as a single altogether for its “novelty” tendencies. In truth, it was and remains those novel qualities that contributed to it becoming one of the most buzz-worthy and impactful singles of all time. As an iconic bop across multiple genre fields including pop, R&B, funk, rock, and dance, its status as one of the most popular songs of all time is forever unshakable. The fiery and stylish performances that Jackson delivered throughout its parent album reach a fever pitch on this track. Meanwhile, its inspirations from the horror-movie craze of the era, highlighted by Vincent Price’s legendary guest narration, added another unique element, establishing it as a Halloween staple and giving it a renewed seasonal spark every October. Then, there’s of course the groundbreaking video, more appropriately titled a short film, that parlayed the phenomenon of MTV into one of the greatest pop culture moments of all time. As this entire list demonstrates, the music industry was already experiencing an historic boom, both artistically and commercially; choosing “Thriller” as No. 1 was in fact, not the foregone conclusion might expect. But ultimately, Michael Jackson simply raised the stakes for everyone around him in every way, from record sales and the bench of singles on an album, to sonic innovation and visual creativity. The sounds and images of this hit are absolutely synonymous with this entire era, and in the end, “Thriller” remains the crown-jewel of this landmark year in popular music.
We truly hope you’ve enjoyed our countdown of the 100 Greatest Singles of 1984! We’ll be taking a break from our retro series to focus on our annual year-end Best Of lists for 2024, but will return after the New Year for the 100 Greatest Albums of 1984!
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