80s Song of the Day

80s Song of the Day: Don’t Stop Believin’ by Journey

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Workin’ hard to get my fill
Everybody wants a thrill
Payin’ anything to roll the dice
Just one more time

dont_stop_believin

Don’t Stop Believin’ by Journey was released on October 6, 1981, with Natural Thing as the B side. It was a single from the band’s seventh studio album Escape.

The song reached No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 and sold over a million copies in vinyl. It has re-entered the charts in recent years, notable in 2007 after its use in the last scene of the series finale of The Sopranos. In 2009, it reached No. 6 in the United Kingdom, after failing to break the Top 40 there on its original release. Continue reading →

80s Song of the Day: Just Like Heaven by The Cure

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And found myself alone, alone
Alone above a raging sea
That stole the only girl I loved
And drowned her deep inside of me

justlikeheaven

Just Like Heaven by The Cure was released on October 5, 1987, as the third single from the album Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me. The songs Breathe and Snow in Summer were used as B sides for the 7″ singles.

Before Cure frontman Robert Smith had completed the lyrics, an instrumental version of the song was used as the theme for the French television show Les Enfants du Rock. Continue reading →

80s Song of the Day: Say Say Say by Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson

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You never ever worry and you never shed a tear
You’re saying that my love ain’t real
Just look at my face, these tears ain’t drying

say-say-say

Say Say Say by Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson was released on October 3, 1983, with Ode to a Koala Bear as the B side. It was a single from McCartney’s album Pipes of Peace.

The song became Jackson’s seventh Top 10 hit inside a year. It was a No. 1 hit in the United States, Canada, Norway, Sweden, and several other countries. It reached No. 2 in the United Kingdom. Continue reading →

80s Song of the Day: Home Sweet Home by Motley Crue

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You know I’m a dreamer
But my heart’s of gold
I had to run away high
So I wouldn’t come home low

motley-crue-home-sweet-home-330486

Home Sweet Home by Motley Crue was released September 30, 1985, with Red Hot as the B side. It was a single from the band’s third studio album Theatre of Pain.

The song reached No. 89 on the Billboard Hot 100. Upon it’s re-release in 1991 for the Decade of Decadence 81-91 compilation album, it reached No. 37. Continue reading →

80s Song of the Day: True Blue by Madonna

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I’ve heard all the lines
I’ve cried oh so many times
Those tear drops they won’t fall again
I’m so excited ’cause you’re my best friend

true-blue

True Blue by Madonna was released on September 29, 1986, with Ain’t No Big Deal as the B side. The song, about Madonna’s then-husband Sean Penn, was the third single from her third studio album of the same name.

The song reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was a No. 1 hit in the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Canada. Continue reading →

80s Song of the Day: Welcome to the Jungle by Guns N’ Roses

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Welcome to the jungle
We’ve got fun and games
We got everything you want
Honey, we know the names

welcome-jungle

Welcome to the Jungle by Guns N’ Roses was released in the United Kingdom on September 28, 1987, with Whole Lotta Rosie (Live) as the B side. It was a single from the band’s debut album Appetite for Destruction. It was later released in the United States on October 24, 1988, with Mr. Brownstone as the B side.

The song reached No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 24 on the UK Singles Chart. In 2009, VH1 named it the greatest hard rock song of all time. Continue reading →

80s Song of the Day: We Didn’t Start the Fire by Billy Joel

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We didn’t start the fire
It was always burning
Since the world’s been turning

we-didnt-start-the-fire

We Didn’t Start the Fire by Billy Joel was released on September 27, 1989, with House of Blue Light as the B side. A single from the album Storm Front, it includes references to more than 100 headline events from 1949, the year of Joel’s birth, to 1989 when the song was recorded.

The song reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was nominated for a Grammy Award for Record of the Year. It was a No. 2 hit in Canada and Australia. Continue reading →

80s Song of the Day: Purple Rain by Prince and the Revolution

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I never wanted to be your weekend lover
I only wanted to be some kind of friend
Baby I could never steal you from another
It´s such a shame our friendship had to end

purple-rain

Purple Rain by Prince and the Revolution was released on September 26, 1984, with God as the B side. It was the third single from the soundtrack album for the movie of the same name.

The song was recorded during a benefit concert for the Minnesota Dance Theatre at the First Avenue nightclub in Minneapolis on August 3, 1983. The performance was guitarist Wendy Melvoin’s live debut with The Revolution, at the age of 19. Continue reading →

80s Song of the Day: 1999 by Prince

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I was dreamin’ when I wrote this
So sue me if I go to fast
But life is just a party
And parties weren’t meant to last

1999

1999 by Prince was released on September 24, 1982, with How Come U Don’t Call Me Anymore? as the B side. It was a single from the album of the same name.

The song originally peaked at No. 44 on the Billboard Hot 100. In 1983, it was re-released following the success of Little Red Corvette and reached No. 12 on the Hot 100. In the United Kingdom, the song reached No. 25 in 1983, and No. 2 in 1985 after its re-release there. Continue reading →

80s Song of the Day: Need You Tonight by INXS

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Your moves are so raw
I’ve got to let you know
I’ve got to let you know
You’re one of my kind

need-you-tonight

Need You Tonight by INXS was released on September 23, 1987, with I’m Coming (Home) as the B side. It was the first worldwide release from the album Kick.

The song was the band’s only No. 1 hit in the United States. In the United Kingdom, it only reached No. 58 on the UK Singles Chart when it was originally released; after it was re-released there in November 1988, it went all the way to No. 2. Continue reading →