Best Songs of the 80s
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The Best Selling Songs in the UK
Whatever we think of the following songs, these are what the UK public were buying throughout possibly the best musical decade - the 1980s.
Which 80s Song is the Best?
These songs are the top ten best selling singles of the eighties according to the people buying the black vinyl round things we called 45s in the UK, but which do you think is the best.......
The UK Best Selling Singles of the Eighties
1. Do They Know It's Christmas
Band Aid
2. Relax
Frankie Goes To Hollywood
3. I Just Called To Say I Love You
Stevie Wonder
4. Two Tribes
Frankie Goes To Hollywood
5. Don't You Want Me?
Human League
Do They Know It's Christmas
Band Aid
Do They Know It's Christmas? / Feed the World
Amazon Price: $84.99 (as of 06/04/2012)
Not only was Do They Know It's Christmas?
The song was written by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure and was performed by the top British artists of 1984 (under the name Band Aid) to raise money for the famine in Ethiopia.
Relax
Frankie Goes To Hollywood
Welcome to the Pleasuredome
Amazon Price: $17.51 (as of 06/04/2012)
Frankie Goes To Hollywood got their name from a headline in the paper which was announcing Frank Sinatra going to Hollywood. Relax
was their first single and when the song was at number 6 in the UK Charts it was famously banned by the BBC. The result of banning Relax? It consequently hit the number one spot and stayed there for five weeks!
Frankie Says Relax Adult White Distressed T-Shirt Tee
Amazon Price: (as of 06/04/2012)
The song is now considered an iconic 80s song and spawned the Frankie Say Relax t-shirts of the 80s, similar to the Wham! Choose Life and Go Go t-shirts.
I Just Called To Say I Love You
Stevie Wonder
The Woman In Red: Selections From The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
BUY NOW
Blind from birth Stevie Wonder was signed to Motown at just 11 under the moniker of Little Stevie Wonder and had his first hit at age 13.
I Just Called To Say I Love You was written, produced and sung by Stevie Wonder on the soundtrack of the 1984 film Lady in Red. The song became his first UK solo hit record. I Just Called To Say I Love You also won Stevie Wonder an Oscar and a Golden Globe.
Two Tribes
Frankie Goes To Hollywood
Welcome to the Pleasuredome
Amazon Price: $17.51 (as of 06/04/2012)
Frankie Goes To Hollywood actually became only the second UK group to have their first 3 singles hit the number one spot in the charts. (60s Liverpool band Gerry and the Pacemakers being the first) The singles - Relax, Two Tribes
Don't You Want Me
Human League
Dare
Amazon Price: $39.49 (as of 06/04/2012)
The song Don't You Want Me
Don't You Want Me is said to have been inspired by the movie A Star is Born.
Download the Best Songs of the 80s Here
UK Best Selling Singles of the Eighties
6. Last Christmas
Wham!
7. Karma Chameleon
Culture Club
8. Careless Whisper
George Michael
9. The Power of Love
Jennifer Rush
10. Come on Eileen
Dexy's Midnight Runners
Last Christmas
Wham!
Music From the Edge
Amazon Price: $4.52 (as of 06/04/2012)
Wham!'s Last Christmas actually held a record of being the highest selling single to peak at the number 2 spot in the UK charts. It was released at the same time as Band Aid's Do They Know It's Christmas. Instead of feeling cheated out of a Christmas number one slot the Wham! boys donated all of their royalties to the Ethiopian famine appeal.
Karma Chameleon
Culture Club
Colour By Numbers
Amazon Price: $11.98 (as of 06/04/2012)
Karma Chameleon
In an interview Boy George explained what the song is about. "The song is about the terrible fear of alienation that people have, the fear of standing up for one thing.......... Basically, if you aren't true, if you don't act like you feel, then you get Karma-justice, that's nature's way of paying you back."
Karma Chameleon was Culture Club's second number one in the UK, but was the only US number one that Culture Club ever had. Karma Chameleon became the biggest selling UK single of 1983 and was a number one hit in 16 countries.
Careless Whisper
George Michael
Make It Big
Amazon Price: $4.99 (as of 06/04/2012)
This was George's first solo release which helped him set a record in 1984 as being the only artist to have number 1 hits as 3 separate entities. A soloist, as a member of Wham! and as a member of Band Aid.
The ironic thing about this song was that it was co-written by his Wham! bandmate Andrew Ridgeley. Most of Wham!'s songs were written by George.
Careless Whisper
The Power of Love
Jennifer Rush
Jennifer Rush
Amazon Price: $15.00 (as of 06/04/2012)
Jennifer Rush's The Power Of Love
Jennifer Rush did however make it into the Guiness Book of Records as "the best selling single by a female solo artist in the history of the British music industry" for The Power of Love. She held on to this record until 1992 when she was usurped by Whitney Houston and I Will Always Love You
Come on Eileen
Dexy's Midnight Runners
Too-Rye-Ay
Amazon Price: $17.95 (as of 06/04/2012)
Come On Eileen
It is often referred to as a one hit wonder, although in the UK they had already had a number one single a couple of years earlier and continued to have hits.
Download the Best Songs of the 80s Here
More 80s Music
If you love 80s music you may be interested in these pages - What is 80s Music?, The Top Ten Songs of 1986, Madonna in the 80s, Band Aid 84, Best Selling Singes of 1980, Best Selling Singles of 1981, Best Selling Singles of 1982, Best Selling Singles of 1983, Best Selling Albums of the 80s, Born in the USA, Last Christmas, New Romantics, New Romantics Video Showcase, Pipes of Peace, Power Ballads Showcase and Wham's Fantastic Album.
80s Music Chat
Is your favorite song in the top ten UK hits of the 80s?
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brynimagire
Mar 26, 2012 @ 12:35 am | delete
- Very interesting lens ! Nice info
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earthybirthymama
Dec 7, 2011 @ 8:03 pm | delete
- Wowo what a flashback! I love Dexy's Midnight Runners!
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EMangl
Oct 1, 2011 @ 9:13 am | delete
- time to listen to "two tribes" again ..
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JebbieBlue
Sep 30, 2011 @ 11:50 am | delete
- I am a big Culture Club and Wham fan. Karma Chameleon was my favorite of the ones on this list.
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angielichtenstein
Sep 19, 2011 @ 3:02 pm | delete
- I MISS THE 80s!
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Links for These 80s Stars
- Frankie Goes To Hollywood's Official Site
- With top 80s hits like Relax, Two Tribes and The Power of Love Frankie Goes To Hollywood are 80s royalty.
- Stevie Wonder's Official Site
- Still going strong today Stevie Wonder's I Just Called to Say I Love You is an absolute classic.
- The Human League
- An unofficial website on The Human League, they do not have an official site because Phil Oakley believes they aren't important enough to warrent one!
- Wham!
- A site all about the history and songs of Wham!
- George Michael
- The official George Michael website.
- Culture Club
- The official Culture Club website.
- Jennifer Rush
- The official Jennifer Rush website.
- Dexy's Midnight Runners
- A Dexy's Midnight Runners fansite.
- Culture Club
- A site all about Culture Club's days as one of the biggest bands of the 80s.
This 80s webpage was last updated by lou16 on 25th May 2011
by lou16
I am a real 80s chick, I love the song 1985, although I'm a little concerned that it was written about me :)
I love 80s pop, new wave, new romantics,...
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