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Big Hit Songs of the 80s

The 1980’s saw the introduction of new genres of music like New Wave and Synthpop, represented by bands like Duran Duran, The Police and B-52’s, who produced some of the more popular songs from this era. Rock ‘n’ Roll was another important genre, which was expmplified by bands like Aerosmith, Def Leppard and Van Halen. There were hits from other categories like pop, fronted by such artists like Olivia Newton-John, R n B, Country and the early forms of Hip Hop.

  1. Every Breath You Take

    • “Every Breath You Take” is a single from The Police, which reached the number one position on the Billboard charts in July 1983 and stayed there for eight weeks. It was to be the only number one single for The Police. The song was written by Sting and is a fusion of pop/rock. “Every Breath You Take” was sampled by Puff Daddy and Faith Evans in 1997 and climbed the charts again to remain at the number one spot for eleven weeks.

    Lady

    • “Lady” was written and produced by Lionel Richie of the Commodores for Kenny Rogers after Richie split with his longtime producer Larry Butler. The song was released in 1980 and proved to be a huge hit. It appeared on the Hot 100, Country, Black Singles and Adult Contemporary charts and held the top spot on three of those charts. “Lady” reached the number one spot on Billboard’s Hot 100 in November 1980 and held the position for three weeks. It was Roger’s first number one song on the Hot 100 and his fourth million-selling single.

    Call Me

    • Blondie’s “Call Me” was a hit in both the United States and in the United Kingdom. It was a best-selling single for the group in the US while it was their fourth number one song in the UK. The song was commissioned by Giogio Moroder, the score producer for the movie "American Gigolo." At first, Giogio had approached Stevie Nicks to help him compose the song for the movie, but due to a restrictive contract with Motown, Nicks declined and so Giogio worked with Debby Harry of Blondie to produce the single. It reached the number one position on the Billboard charts in April of 1980 and stayed in that spot for six weeks.

    Billie Jean

    • “Billie Jean” is the first of the two number one singles to emerge from “Thriller,” Michael Jackson’s album. The song had all the elements of a hit: a catchy melody, a good beat and even a compelling storyline. It reached the number one position on the Billboard Hot 100 in March 1983, and stayed there for seven weeks.

    Upside Down

    • “Upside Down” was written for Diana Ross by Nile Rogers and Bernard Edwards. It reached the top spot on the Billboard Top 100 in September 1980 and stayed there for four weeks.

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