The Clash was in the first wave of the British punk movement. Their sound successfully combined reggae and rock with lyrics portraying social issues of the time. "Rolling Stone" magazine voted The Clash as one of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. Its major albums from 1980 to 1985 included "London Calling," "Sandinista!," and "Combat Rock." Only "Rock the Casbah" from the 1982 album "Combat Rock" became a top 10 single for the band. The era had a ton of one-hit wonders. The Pet Shop Boys, a leader on the electronic music scene, had one major hit with "West End Girls" in 1986. The band was later recognized by The Guinness Book of World Records as the most successful duo in British music.
Australia's AC/DC began 1980 in a bad way when vocalist Bon Scott died that February. Brian Johnson replaced him, and that same year "Back in Black" put the band back in the spotlight. The album sold more than 10 million copies by 1989. Van Halen also emerged in the '80s as a commercial force. The 1984 single "Jump" went to No. 1 on the "Billboard" charts. Rock's working man role was filled by '70s holdover Bruce Springsteen. Springsteen experienced his greatest commercial success in 1984 with "Born in the U.S.A." Guns N' Roses claimed the biggest selling rock debut album of the decade with "Appetite for Destruction." Its first track, the 1987 hit "Welcome to the Jungle," became a favorite anthem at sporting events in the United States.
Duran Duran is synonymous with 80s pop music. It benefited greatly from the then new video exposure from MTV. "Hungry like a Wolf" in 1982 was a major early hit that also won a Grammy for Best Short Form Music Video. Yet another pop video and chart star was George Michael, who had emerged earlier in the decade as part of the duo Wham. Wham's breakthrough hit was "Wake Me Up Before You Go Go" from 1984. That was also the year Madonna's debut single, "Holiday," went to No. 16 in the U.S. By the end of the decade, no female pop singer had more hits or fame. No '80s hit list would be complete without Michael Jackson. "Billie Jean" was one of seven chart hits off his 1983 album "Thriller," which became "Billboard's" best-selling album of all time. "Bad" from 1988 produced seven more chart hits. The self-proclaimed "King of Pop" died in 2009.