The Best Of 80s Music? (1985)

This is the 2nd part of my discussion of 80s music. Click here for Part 1. The rules are quite simple. I'm using the info from the video below, the most popular songs for each month since January 1980. The list was compiled by reviewing weekly charts in various countries. 

Watch January 1985 through December 1985 for the purposes of this blog. Of course you may watch all of it if you like. I've decided to focus on one year at a time, instead of 5 year intervals.

You might be wondering about 1985. Terrorism and regional wars were all the rage. A famine in Ethiopia, as well as other nations led to several major fundraising events and the release of We Are The World. How much money actually made it to Africa is anybody's guess. For more on 1985, see the video review at the end.

Other noteworthy milestones include the launch of Windows 1.0, Nintendo Entertainment System was released, and the Internet's Domain Name System (DNS) was created - allowing me to have this very blog!

The Most Popular Songs From 1985 - according to the video above.

Jan 85 - I Want To Know What Love Is - Foreigner

Feb 85 - Careless Whisper - George Michael

Mar 85 - We Are The World - USA For Africa

Apr 85 - Material Girl - Madonna

May 85 - Everybody Wants To Rule The World - Tears For Fears

Jun 85 - View To A Kill - Duran Duran

Jul 85 - Get Into The Groove - Madonna

Aug 85 - Money For Nothing - Dire Straits

Sep 85 - Dancing In The Street - David Bowie & Mick Jagger

Oct 85 - Take On Me - A-HA

Nov 85 - We Built This City - Starship

Dec 85 - Say You Say Me - Lionel Ritchie

A-HA finally got the worldwide recognition for their song Take On Me. Since I already picked them as best on my earlier post, I will leave them off here. Click the following link for a Take On Me story from the Fall of 85. Its amazing how quickly they were on top and then faded away.

The challenge picking the best song is that so much of what lands in the "popular" category is not something you necessarily like. Sure, I like Duran Duran, and View To A Kill was an OK Bond film. But I'm not driving around town with that song blasting. Nor do any of these motivate me to look ridiculous on the dance floor. Do I really want to SEE David Bowie and Mick Jagger dance together in 1985 - or any year?

So my pick of these songs for 1985 - Money For Nothing - Dire Straits. Many folks liked the song for the video - which was unique for the time. The song was a little silly - yet memorable - probably not WOKE enough for today's musical ears. HOWEVER, the CD - Brothers in Arms was acquired and listened by me quite often. So Far Away, Walk Of Life, The Man's Too Strong - and others made for some quality driving music.

Of the songs released in 1985 that did not make the list above, there are quite a few to choose between. Driver 8 - REM, Can't Get There From Here, All You Zombies - The Hooters, And We Danced - The Hooters, You Spin Me Round (Like A Record) - Dead or Alive, Lay It Down - Ratt, In Between Days - The Cure, Close To Me - The Cure, Cities In Dust - Siouxsie and the Banshees, Rain - The Cult, Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God) - Kate Bush, Your Love - The Outfield

I would put any of the these tunes up against the most popular list above - as all were hits in their own way. And many have stood the test of time. For instance, Running Up That Hill (Deal With God) by Kate Bush got a whole new life by being included in a crucial scene of Netflix's Stranger Things.

So what is my pick for the best song released in 1985? Well first, let me do a runner-up. This band out of the UK had some success and a pretty big hit with the following song. I found the lyrics uplifting and the tone of the song quite inspiring. And when I played it for people, I rarely heard anything negative. Even after so many years, the song still has a modern feel to it. So here you go, The Whole of the Moon by The Waterboys.

 

It could be argued that the following song was released in 1984. In fact, it was released multiple times, yet Wikipedia lists 1985 as the release date - so let's go with that. Its been covered by multiple bands, including the Russian female duo t.A.T.u. 

If you ever visited a dance club in the mid to late 80s, you heard this song, likely danced to it - for a very long time, since it was 6+ minutes long. You probably thought to yourself - There's a club if you'd like to go. You could meet somebody who really loves you. So you go and you stand on your own. And you leave on your own. And you go home and you cry. And you want to die.

And if you were like me, you likely laughed a little at those lyrics, realizing that no matter how depressing life might get, it could be worse. So just listen to Morrissey, and enjoy the song. My favorite song of 1985 - How Soon Is Now? By The Smiths.

And in case you don't quite remember 1985, here is a nice review of major events of that year. Enjoy!

Its Not Just For Dinner