VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the '80s

Best Songs of the '80s

The '80s was a time of big hair, big fashion, and even bigger music! The Sony Walkman first became available in the early '80s, allowing music lovers to listen to music on the go. Rap music began to rise in the mainstream, and new wave, soft rock, punk, and electronic music paved the way for the new and edgier sound that emerged from the end of the '70s.

MTV launched in the early '80s and created a revolution in how fans consumed music—thus arose the dawn of the music video. The show The Greatest on MTV's sister channel, VH1, is often considered an important cultural source of the best music and artists in existence. Read on to discover the most popular and best '80s songs on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the '80s list!

VH1's 10 Greatest Songs of the '80s

1. "Livin' on a Prayer" by Bon Jovi (1986)
2. "Pour Some Sugar on Me" by Def Leppard (1987)
3. "Hungry Like the Wolf" by Duran Duran (1982)
4. "Billie Jean" by Michael Jackson (1982)
5. "When Doves Cry" by Prince (1984)
6. "I Can't Go for That (No Can Do)" by Hall & Oates (1981)
7. "Sweet Child O' Mine" by Guns N' Roses (1987)
8. "Like a Virgin" by Madonna (1984)
9. "Walk This Way" by Run DMC (1986)
10. "You Shook Me All Night Long" by AC/DC (1980)

1. "Livin' on a Prayer" by Bon Jovi (1986)

"Livin' on a Prayer" is undeniably Bon Jovi's all-time greatest hit and a decade-defining rock classic. It's a karaoke favorite that has been featured in several video games, and Bon Jovi performed an acoustic version in New York as tribute after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

2. "Pour Some Sugar on Me" by Def Leppard (1987)

"Pour Some Sugar on Me" was a chart-topping success from the English new wave heavy metal band Def Leppard. It's the band's signature song, and two different music videos were released.

3. "Hungry Like the Wolf" by Duran Duran (1982)

"Hungry Like the Wolf" is British new wave band Duran Duran's defining song. Although it didn't achieve commercial success in the U.S. when it was first released, MTV heavily circulated the music video, and it eventually picked up steam and became one of the top smash hits of the '80s.

4. "Billie Jean" by Michael Jackson (1982)

"Billie Jean," from the all-time bestselling album Thriller, won two Grammy Awards and is often considered one of the greatest songs ever written. The music video is legendary and was the introduction to Jackson's famous moonwalking; it also helped cement MTV's cultural significance throughout the following decades.

5. "When Doves Cry" by Prince (1984)

"When Doves Cry" was the top-selling single of 1984, and the music video, directed by Prince himself, was controversial due to its sexual nature. The song rose in popularity again after Prince's death in 2016 and remains one of his signature songs and a defining smash hit of the '80s.

6. "I Can't Go For That (No Can Do)" by Hall & Oates (1981)

"I Can't Go For That (No Can Do)" by American pop duo Hall & Oates was a major hit of the '80s; Michael Jackson even admitted to Daryl Hall that he had lifted the bass line from the song for his own smash hit, "Billie Jean" (#4 on this list). The song achieved commercial success on pop music charts as well as R&B charts and has been sampled numerous times.

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7. "Sweet Child O' Mine" by Guns N' Roses (1987)

"Sweet Child O' Mine" has one of the greatest opening guitar riffs of all time and also features a top-ranked guitar solo. It's American hard rock band Guns N' Roses' only number 1 US single, and the original music video features all of the band members' girlfriends at the time.

8. "Like a Virgin" by Madonna (1984)

"Like a Virgin" was Madonna's first number-one hit in numerous countries and went on to become one of her defining songs that elevated her to the level of pop culture icon. The song is known for its open-ended lyrics, filled with innuendos and open to various interpretations. It has been covered countless times and featured in numerous films and television shows.

9. "Walk This Way" by Run-D.M.C. (1986)

"Walk This Way" was originally written by American rock band Aerosmith and was one of the band's major hits in the 1970s. Run-D.M.C.'s 1986 cover, done in collaboration with Aerosmith, elevated the song to a new level and helped create the new musical subgenre of rap rock.

10. "You Shook Me All Night Long" by AC/DC (1980)

"You Shook Me All Night Long" was a smash hit of Australian rock band AC/DC and became a staple in the band's repertoire following its release in 1980 on the album Back in Black. The song was a huge success internationally and is considered to be one of AC/DC's greatest songs of all time.

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