For this third go-round of our unique countdown, the rules remain the same:
I’m listing the top 100 songs for four decades since rock music began topping the Billboard pop chart by three factors:
- 1 point for peaking at 10
- 2 points for peaking at 9, and so on…
- Up to 10 points for Number One records.
Each song in each year receives a score in reverse ranking, meaning 1 point for peaking at 10, 2 points for peaking at 9, and so on – up to 10 points for #1 records. Ties are broken in that order where possible.
This decade survey differs from the first two (1955-1964 and 1965-1974) in that so many hits scored much bigger overall scores.
While compiling an aggregate in the 50s was a shoo-in for inclusion in the previous listings, that’s not the case here.
For example, “I Go Crazy” by Paul Davis in 1978 seemed a sure bet for inclusion.
It stayed on the Hot 100 for a staggering 40 weeks total, which combined with its peak at #8 for 3 weeks and 5 weeks in the top 10 gave it an impressive score of 57.
Even so, it placed only at #125 in this survey. In fact, the competition was so tough that the minimum entry score this time is 61. And so…
That’s where we begin the countdown!
100. “Lost in Love,” Air Supply – 61 points
(1980; #3, 4 weeks, 6 weeks top 10, 23 weeks total)
Air Supply is one of three native Australia acts, the others being Olivia Newton-John and Men at Work. (The Bee Gees and Andy Gibb were born in the United Kingdom before growing up in Australia.)
99. “The Best of Times,” Styx – 61 points
(1981; #3, 4 weeks, 10 weeks top 10, 19 weeks total)
97 (tie). “Do You Really Want to Hurt Me,” Culture Club – 61 points
(1983; #2, 3 weeks, 9 weeks top 10, 25 weeks total)
97 (tie). “Making Love Out of Nothing At All,” Air Supply – 61 points
(1983; #2, 3 weeks, 9 weeks top 10, 25 weeks total)
96. “Kiss on My List,” Hall and Oates – 61 points
(1981; #1, 3 weeks, 8 weeks top 10, 23 weeks total)
Like Air Supply, Hall and Oates is another duo that appears thrice on this listing. A few other male duos will appear, but all but Wham! will be one-time collaborations.
95. “Karma Chameleon,” Culture Club – 61 points
(1984; #1, 3 weeks, 9 weeks top 10, 22 weeks total)
93 (tie). “Escape (The Pina Colada Song),” Rupert Holmes – 61 points
(1979; #1, 3 weeks, 10 weeks top 10, 21 weeks total)
93 (tie). “Ghostbusters,” Ray Parker Jr. – 61 points
(1984; #1, 3 weeks, 10 weeks top 10, 21 weeks total)
92. “Misty Blue,” Dorothy Moore – 62 points
(1976; #3, 4 weeks, 8 weeks top 10, 22 weeks total)
Dorothy is the first of 15 female soloists here. That’s almost the same amount of ladies who made the previous two decades of countdowns combined.
89 (tie). “Just the Two of Us,” Grover Washington Jr. with Bill Withers – 62 points
(1981; #2, 3 weeks, 11 weeks top 10, 24 weeks total)
89 (tie). “Slow Hand,” The Pointer Sisters – 62 points
(1981; #2, 3 weeks, 11 weeks top 10, 24 weeks total)
89 (tie). “Start Me Up,” The Rolling Stones – 62 points
(1981; #2, 3 weeks, 11 weeks top 10, 24 weeks total)
A 1981 perfect tie trifecta. Somewhat surprisingly, this is the only time for both the Pointer Sisters and the Rolling Stones in this countdown.
88. “The Wild Boys,” Duran Duran – 62 points
(1984; #2, 4 weeks, 8 weeks top 10, 18 weeks total)
87. “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go,” Wham! – 62 points
(1984; #1, 3 weeks, 8 weeks top 10, 24 weeks total)
86. “Coming Up (Live at Glasgow),” Paul McCartney – 62 points
(1980; #1, 3 weeks, 11 weeks top 10, 21 weeks total)
The first of four appearances for McCartney, two solo and two with a male singing partner. Another ex-Beatle, John Lennon, shows up later in the listing.
85. “With You I’m Born Again,” Billy Preston and Syreeta – 63 points
(1980; #4, 4 weeks, 6 weeks top 10, 29 weeks total)
84. “Muskrat Love,” The Captain and Tennille – 63 points
(1976; #4, 5 weeks, 8 weeks top 10, 20 weeks total)
83. “The Safety Dance,” Men Without Hats – 63 points
(1983; #3, 4 weeks, 7 weeks top 10, 24 weeks total)
82 (tie). “Blue Bayou,” Linda Ronstadt – 63 points
(1977; #3, 4 weeks, 8 weeks top 10, 23 weeks total)
82 (tie). “Love So Right,” The Bee Gees – 63 points
(1976; #3, 4 weeks, 8 weeks top 10, 23 weeks total)
This marks the first of 4 appearances by the Gibb brothers, more than any other group in this countdown. Their brother Andy shows up twice solo as well.
81. “Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue,” Crystal Gayle – 63 points
(1977; #2, 3 weeks, 10 weeks top 10, 26 weeks total)
80. “December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night),” The Four Seasons – 63 points
(1976; #1, 3 weeks, 6 weeks top 10, 27 weeks total)
79. “Little Jeannie,” Elton John – 64 points
(1980; #3, 4 weeks, 11 weeks top 10, 21 weeks total)
Elton John gets on the board with the first of just 2 appearances here. His second one is a duet later in the countdown.
78. “Say It Isn’t So,” Hall and Oates – 64 points
(1983; #2, 4 weeks, 10 weeks top 10, 18 weeks total)
77. “Jessie’s Girl,” Rick Springfield – 64 points
(1981; #1, 2 weeks, 12 weeks top 10, 32 weeks total)
76. “Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now),” Phil Collins – 64 points
(1984; #1, 3 weeks, 10 weeks top 10, 24 weeks total)
75. “Footloose,” Kenny Loggins – 64 points
(1984; #1, 3 weeks, 11 weeks top 10, 23 weeks total)
The last 2 are back-to-back nominees for the Best Song Oscar in 1984. The song that beat them for the statuette is at #65.
74. “Y.M.C.A.,” The Village People – 65 points
(1979; #2, 3 weeks, 12 weeks top 10, 26 weeks total)
73. “Shame on the Moon,” Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band – 65 points
(1983; #2, 4 weeks, 8 weeks top 10, 21 weeks total)
71 (tie). “Play That Funky Music,” Wild Cherry – 65 points
(1976; #1, 3 weeks, 10 weeks top 10, 25 weeks total)
71 (tie). “Beat It,” Michael Jackson – 65 points
(1983; #1, 3 weeks, 10 weeks top 10, 25 weeks total)
Of course we have MJ. He shows up four times, including an upcoming duet with fellow quadruple entrant Paul McCartney.
70. “Woman in Love,” Barbra Streisand – 65 points
(1980; #1, 3 weeks, 11 weeks top 10, 24 weeks total)
69. “Boogie Oogie Oogie,” A Taste of Honey – 65 points
(1978; #1, 3 weeks, 12 weeks top 10, 23 weeks total)
68. “Hot Stuff,” Donna Summer – 65 points
(1979; #1, 3 weeks, 14 weeks top 10, 21 weeks total)
Summer and Streisand will each reappear one more time. Speaking of Summer, she’s got one of at least 12 disco songs on this chart (your definition of disco may vary).
66 (tie). “Ride Like the Wind,” Christopher Cross – 66 points
(1980; #2, 4 weeks, 9 weeks top 10, 21 weeks total)
66 (tie). “Dancing in the Dark,” Bruce Springsteen – 66 points
(1984; #2, 4 weeks, 9 weeks top 10, 21 weeks total)
65. “I Just Called to Say I Love You,” Stevie Wonder – 66 points
(1984; #1, 3 weeks, 10 weeks top 10, 26 weeks total)
64. “Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do),” Christopher Cross – 66 points
(1981; #1, 3 weeks, 12 weeks top 10, 24 weeks total)
Like the Stevie Wonder entry preceding it, this one won the Oscar for Best Song.
63. “Disco Lady,” Johnnie Taylor – 67 points
(1976; #1, 4 weeks, 8 weeks top 10, 19 weeks total)
62. “What’s Love Got to Do With It,” Tina Turner – 68 points
(1984; #1, 3 weeks, 10 weeks top 10, 28 weeks total)
61. “Love Theme from ‘A Star is Born’ (Evergreen),” Barbra Streisand – 68 points
(1977; #1, 3 weeks, 13 weeks top 10, 25 weeks total)
Yet another winner of the Oscar for Best Song. Two more are on their way at numbers #15 and #2.
60. “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart,” Elton John and Kiki Dee – 68 points
(1976; #1,, 4 weeks, 8 weeks top 10, 20 weeks total)
59. “Love Will Keep Us Together,” The Captain and Tennille – 69 points
(1975; #1, 4 weeks, 6 weeks top 10, 23 weeks total)
This is the only song from 1975 to make this list. It’s the lowest showing by any year so far in this series.
58. “Don’t You Want Me,” The Human League – 70 points
(1982; #1, 3 weeks, 12 weeks top 10, 28 weeks total)
57. “I Will Survive,” Gloria Gaynor – 70 points
(1979; #1, 3 weeks, 13 weeks top 10, 27 weeks total)
56. “Uptown Girl,” Billy Joel – 72 points
(1983; #3, 5 weeks, 10 weeks top 10, 22 weeks total)
Surprisingly, this is Joel’s only appearance on this listing despite many hits during the decade. It’s also the last song to peak in third place. The rest will chart higher.
55. “Baby Come Back,” Player – 72 points
(1978; #1, 3 weeks, 10 weeks top 10, 32 weeks total)
53 (tie). “Funkytown,” Lipps Inc. – 72 points
(1980; #1, 4 weeks, 9 weeks top 10, 23 weeks total)
53 (tie). “Magic,” Olivia Newton-John – 72 points
(1980; #1, 4 weeks, 9 weeks top 10, 23 weeks total)
How do you feel about this placement, @Tom Breihan? (Here’s his much-criticized review of this song…)
52. “Jack & Diane,” John Mellencamp – 72 points
(1980; #1, 4 weeks, 10 weeks top 10, 22 weeks total)
51. “Gloria,” Laura Branigan – 73 points
(1982; #2, 3 weeks, 10 weeks top 10, 36 weeks total)
50. “All Out of Love,” Air Supply – 73 points
(1980; #2, 4 weeks, 10 weeks top 10, 27 weeks total)
49. “Rock With You,” Michael Jackson – 73 points
(1980; #1, 4 weeks, 9 weeks top 10, 24 weeks total)
Only two of Michael’s 4 songs on this listing came from his smash album Thriller. This one was from its predecessor, Off the Wall.
48. “Reunited,” Peaches and Herb – 73
(1979; #1, 4 weeks, 10 weeks top 10, 23 weeks total)
47. “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy?” Rod Stewart – 73
(1979; #1, 4 weeks, 12 weeks top 10, 21 weeks total)
46. “Crazy Little Thing Called Love,” Queen – 74
(1980; #1, 4 weeks, 12 weeks top 10, 22 weeks total)
45. “Electric Avenue,” Eddy Grant – 75
(1983; #2, 5 weeks, 8 weeks top 10, 22 weeks total)
Among more than 20 male soloists to make this countdown, 9 including Eddy Grant hail from outside the United States. Others are Elton John, Rick Springfield, Phil Collins, Rod Stewart, Leo Sayer, Gerry Rafferty, John Lennon and Andy Gibb.
44. “Down Under,” Men at Work – 75 points
(1983; #1, 4 weeks, 10 weeks top 10, 25 weeks total)
43. “Kiss You All Over,” Exile – 75 points
(1978; #1, 4 weeks, 12 weeks top 10, 23 weeks total)
42. “Hold Me,” Fleetwood Mac – 76 points
(1982; #4, 7 weeks, 10 weeks top 10, 17 weeks total)
While Rumours from 1976 was the group’s biggest selling album, none of its 4 songs that made the top 10 had as much chart longevity as this. Last song to peak at #4.
41. “Another One Bites the Dust,” Queen – 76 points
(1980; #1, 3 weeks, 15 weeks top 10, 31 weeks total)
40. “Maneater,” Hall and Oates – 76 points
(1980; #1, 4 weeks, 13 weeks top 10, 23 weeks total)
39. “More Than I Can Say,” Leo Sayer – 77 points
(1980; #2, 5 weeks, 9 weeks top 10, 23 weeks total)
38. “Another Brick in the Wall (Part II),” Pink Floyd – 77 points
(1980; #1, 4 weeks, 12 weeks top 10, 25 weeks total)
One of a few UK-based bands to make the listing. Others are Culture Club, Duran Duran, Wham!, the Human League, Queen, the Bee Gees, and for half-credit, Fleetwood Mac and Foreigner.
37. “All Night Long (All Night),” Lionel Richie – 77 points
(1983; #1, 4 weeks, 13 weeks top 10, 24 weeks total)
36. “Rosanna,” Toto – 79 points
(1982; #2, 5 weeks, 11 weeks top 10, 23 weeks total)
35. “Hurts So Good,” John Mellencamp – 80 points
(1982; #2, 4 weeks, 16 weeks top 10, 28 weeks total)
34. “How Deep is Your Love,” The Bee Gees – 80 points
(1977; #1, 3 weeks, 17 weeks top 10, 33 weeks total)
33. “Total Eclipse of the Heart,” Bonnie Tyler – 80 points
(1983; #1, 4 weeks, 11 weeks top 10, 29 weeks total)
32. “Stayin’ Alive,” The Bee Gees – 80 points
(1978; #1, 4 weeks, 13 weeks top 10, 27 weeks total)
“How Deep is Your Love” and “Stayin’ Alive” are two of the three songs that come from the album with tracks that have the most representation on this listing, Saturday Night Fever. One more will appear at #8.
31. “Bad Girls,” Donna Summer – 80 points
|(1979; #1, 5 weeks, 10 weeks top 10, 20 weeks total)
30. “Silly Love Songs,” Paul McCartney – points
80 (1976; #1, 5 weeks, 11 weeks top 10, 19 weeks total)
29. “Jump,” Van Halen – 81 points
(1984: #1, 5 weeks, 10 weeks top 10, 21 weeks total)
28. “Open Arms,” Journey – 82 points
(1982; #2, 6 weeks, 10 weeks top 10, 18 week total)
“Don’t Stop Believin’” gets a lot more airplay nowadays, but this follow-up ballad to that top 10 record was bigger at the time on the Hot 100 for Journey.
27. “When Doves Cry,” Prince – 82 points
(1984: #1, 5 weeks, 11 weeks top 10, 21 weeks total)
26. “Baker Street,” Gerry Rafferty – 83 points
(1987; #2, 6 weeks, 9 weeks top 10, 20 weeks total)
There’s a whole backstory as to whether this was actually #1 for one week, which calls into suspicion Bill Wardlow.
As chart director for Billboard from 1974-1983, he may have made other “adjustments” that didn’t accurately reflect the impact of songs then. Leaving that aside, I’ll note that there’s one more song with a peak at the runner up position further in the countdown.
25. “Upside Down,” Diana Ross – 83 points
(1980; #1, 4 weeks, 14 weeks top 10, 29 weeks total)
24. “Best of My Love,” The Emotions – 85 points
(1977; #1, 5 weeks, 12 weeks top 10, 23 weeks total)
Not to be confused with “Best of My Love” by the Eagles. That group is the most successful act of this period on the Hot 100 that somehow failed to make this listing.
23. “(Just Like) Starting Over,” John Lennon – 86 points
(1980; #1, 5 weeks, 14 weeks top 10, 22 weeks total)
22. “I Just Want to Be Your Everything,” Andy Gibb – 87 points
(1977; #1, 4 weeks, 16 weeks top 10, 31 weeks total)
21. “Like a Virgin,” Madonna – 88 points
(1984; #1, 6 weeks, 9 weeks top 10, 19 weeks total)
20. “My Sharona,” The Knack – 94 points
(1981; #1, 6 weeks, 12 weeks top 10, 22 weeks total)
19. “Say Say Say,” Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney – 95 points
(1983; #1, 6 weeks, 13 weeks top 10, 22 weeks total)
As with “Don’t Stop Believin’” for Journey, Michael’s follow-up to this song, “Thriller,” is better remembered even though it had a shorter chart run.
17 (tie). “Call Me,” Blondie – 97 points
(1980; #1, 6 weeks, 12 weeks top 10, 25 weeks total)
17 (tie). “Centerfold,” The J. Geils Band – 97 points
(1982; #1, 6 weeks, 12 weeks top 10, 25 weeks total)
16. “Lady,” Kenny Rogers – 98 points
(1980; #1, 6 weeks, 13 weeks top 10, 25 weeks total)
15. “Flashdance … What a Feeling,” Irene Cara – 99 points
(1983; #1, 6 weeks, 14 weeks top 10, 25 weeks total)
13 (tie). “Le Freak,” Chic – 100 points
(1978; #1, 6 weeks, 15 weeks top 10, 25 weeks total)
13 (tie). “Eye of the Tiger,” Survivor – 100 points
(1982; #1, 6 weeks, 15 weeks top 10, 25 weeks total)
Yet another Oscar-nominated Best Song. It lost to “Up Where We Belong,” which fell just short of making this countdown.
12. “Ebony and Ivory,” Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder – 101 points
(1982; #1, 7 weeks, 12 weeks top 10, 19 weeks total)
11. “I Love Rock ‘n Roll,” Joan Jett and the Blackhearts – 102 points
(1982; #1.7 weeks, 12 weeks top 10, 20 weeks total)
10. “Billie Jean,” Michael Jackson – 105 points
(1983; #1, 7 weeks, 11 weeks top 10, 24 weeks total)
9. “Shadow Dancing,” Andy Gibb – 107 points
(1978; #1, 7 weeks, 12 weeks top 10, 25 weeks total)
8. “Night Fever,” The Bee Gees – 113 points
(1978; #1, 8 weeks, 13 weeks top 10, 20 weeks total)
Barry Gibb is the most frequently credited writer in this listing, having done both “Shadow Dancing” and “Night Fever” as well as numbers #82, #70, #34, #32 and #22.
7. “Tonight’s the Night,” Rod Stewart – 114 points
(1976; #1, 8 weeks, 11 weeks top 10, 23 weeks total)
6. “Every Breath You Take,” The Police – 115 points
(1983; #1, 8 weeks, 13 weeks top 10, 22 weeks total)
5. “Waiting for a Girl Like You,” Foreigner – 128 points
(1982; #2, 10 weeks, 15 weeks top 10, 23 weeks total)
Along with “Work It” by Missy Elliott in 2002, this had the longest run at the runner-up spot without topping the chart. Nine of its 10 peak weeks were behind this countdown’s top record.
4. “Endless Love,” Lionel Richie and Diana Ross – 130 points
(1981; #1, 9 weeks, 13 weeks top 10, 27 weeks total)
3. “Bette Davis Eyes,” Kim Carnes – 130 points
(1981; #1, 9 weeks, 14 weeks top 10, 26 weeks total)
2. “You Light Up My Life,” Debby Boone – 139 points
(1977; #1, 10 weeks, 14 weeks top 10, 25 weeks total)
1:
“Physical,” Olivia Newton-John – 141 points
(1981; #1, 10 weeks, 15 weeks top 10, 26 weeks total)
Thank God Livvy beat out Pat Boone’s daughter for the top spot. Whew!
Will 1985-1994 have similarly large overall scores in its top 100?
Find out in the next post!
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Great list, and yes, it’s amazing at the songs that didn’t make the chart — but then there were lots of charttoppers (especially in 1975) that had a week at the top and fairly short top 10 stays …
That “Baker Street” reference and link led me back to that bonus review and the comments … good times. (Speaking of which … where did that Chic song wind up — the 140s??)
And say, say, say, that pre-Photoshop cover of Paul and Michael is horrific. There’s no way either of those two men had those body proportions.
Regarding the record sleeve art? Seriously? Anybody with any basic knowledge of image manipulation could have done better than that… wait… Hang on a second…
Sorry. Forget I said anything.
I faintly remember this…
#GoodSportLink
And the font spacing there at the bottom…
I knew 97 of these. Absent from my memory were “Misty Blue” (I like it. How did I miss out on Dorothy Moore?), Seger’s “Shame on the Moon” and Duran Duran’s “The Wild Boys”, which sounds like a Laura Branigan rip off with better bass and drums. That’s not necessarily derogatory, by the way.
“Physical” snagging the top spot is not surprising. I didn’t like the song much at all at the time it was hot, but listening back a few years ago, I had to admit it had it going on more than I remember. Maybe no one else feels the same way.
I saw Dorothy Moore a few years ago at the Blues Music Awards in Memphis, and she’s still got it. “Misty Blue” sounded just like the record.
Nice
It is surprising to find that the Rolling Stones only entry is with a number from the 80s. Probably their last universally recognised song before they slipped into legacy act status. It was their last UK top 10 anyway.
No escaping the Bee Gees and brother in this period. Getting the recognition they deserve for their dominance.
Physical certainly brings back memories. I was only 5 when it came out but that video with ONJ’s sweat sheened face and leotard induced feelings that it would take many years to understand.
Thanks, Oz! The juxtaposition of pairs of songs that were equally huge at the time and are now polar opposites in terms of popularity/playability is sometimes striking. ‘Say Say Say’ vs. ‘My Sharona,’ for instance, or ‘More Than I Can Say’ and ‘Another Brick in the Wall pt. 2.’ And ‘Muskrat Love’ vis-a-vis ‘The Safety Dance.’ Only one of these is still a stone-cold, USDA prime-cut classic.
Muskrat Love for the win?
Ha-ha-ha!
At least 5 of those top 10 songs are objectively horrible. This is why I question the wisdom of the charts — they are fun as a cultural artifact, but only occasionally land on good music.
“Objectively”? Not so sure about that …
Although I will say that word can be used, literally, about the video of No. 1.
Thank goodness, thank goodness, thank goodness “Endless Love” was not #1. Ugh. It may be my least favorite song of the 100. I’m not a fan of the Air Supply songs, either, except for #100…I genuinely like that song.
“More than I Can Say” at #39? I mean I like that song, but even living through that era, I never would have guessed it was anywhere close to that popular.
“Muskrat Love” at #84? I actually like that song, too, I just had no idea it would have appeared on this list.
There were no songs here that I didn’t know. This is absolutely my era. If I were going to split hairs, 1974-1983 would probably be my most perfect decade. Thanks for the good work!
1975-1984 encapsulates many of my most ardent music-following years, as I was 14 through 23 years old during that time. Thanks for crunching these numbers – though I really only liked one of the top 4 songs on the list. Your guess as to which one.
If it’s You Light Up My Life, I’m gonna start second guessing some of your other musical choices. Just saying ….
Fear not, it’s not “You Light Up My Life”, lol. It is “Bette Davis Eyes”.