FadingSoul

Since there is a 90's song, I think there should be one for the 80's. I can't decide between:
Every Breath You Take
I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
With or Without You
It's just too hard to pick!
What do you think is the song of the 80's?

J-Dubya

Tainted Love - Soft Cell
The Unforgettable Fire - U2`
Blue Monday - New Order
Total Eclipse of the Heart - Bonnie Tyler
Let's Dance - David Bowie
Sister Christian - Night Ranger

I Ran - Flock of Seagulls

raithen

NewOrder - Bizarre Love Triangle

-matt

pantala

No question.

1986, Peter Gabriel, In Your Eyes

Cornfed

I need to mention:
When in Rome - "The Promise"
Cutting Crew - "I Just Died in Your Arms Tonight"
AHA - "Take on me"
Another vote for "Bizarre Love Triangle"
Til Tuesday - "Voices Carry"
Cyndi Lauper "Time After Time"
Cyndi Lauper "All Through the Night"

I could go on, its really hard to pick just one. These were just some off the top of my head. I probably forgot some doozies.

Three Day Delay

Tracy Chapman- Fast Car
U2- With or Without You
Paul Simon- You Can Call Me Al
Bruce Springsteen- Brilliant Disguise
Lou Reed- Dirty Boulevard
Tom Petty- Free Fallin'

mllefoo

Difficult choice because it depends on your style of music. For me, the new wave artists are what the 80s are all about so I'd pick:

Tainted Love/Where Did Our Love Go - Soft Cell (though I prefer Sex Dwarf)
Don't Tell Me - Blancmange
This Is The Day - The The
Have In Mind - Cetu Javu
Turning Japanese - The Vapors

But if you choose the money makers the 80s song should go to the following:

Thriller - Michael Jackson
Lucky Star - Madonna
Born in the USA - Bruce Springsteen
Hot For Teacher - Van Halen
Eyes Without a Face - Billy Idol

atlantamoi

Joy Division "Love Will Tear Us Apart"

RoyalTea

Well, if you wanna caputure the feelings of the Cold War, the song of the decade should be Nena - 99 Luftballoons.

grunter

Haircut 100's - "Love Plus One"

I warn you not to defy me!!

Drexl

I'll vote for "Once in a Lifetime" by Talking Heads.

Daytripper

All great choices!

When I think of the 80's I think of:

The Smiths - "How Soon Is Now?"
Talk Talk - "It's My Life"
Siouxie and the Banshees - "Cities in Dust"
Thompson Twins - "Hold Me Now"
Joy Division - "Love Will Tear Us Apart"
Human League - "Don't You Want Me"
The English Beat - "Too Nice To Talk To"
Tears For Fears - "Everybody Wants To Rule The World"
U2 - "(Pride) In the Name of Love)"
Ministry - "Everyday is Halloween"
Dead or Alive - "You Spin Me Round" (Come on!)
Yaz - "Situation"
Scritti Politti - "Perfect Way"
Naked Eyes - "Always Something There To Remind Me"
Bronski Beat - "Small Town Boy"
Heaven 17 - "Temptation"
Culture Club - "Time"
Pet Shop Boys - "West End Girls"
The Cure - "Close to Me"
Depeche Mode - So many songs, but I suppose the one everyone remembers them for in the 80's is "People Are People". Not my first choice though.

Gdrlv

While "In Your Eyes" is an infinitely better song, if I had to pick a Peter Gabriel song as song of the 80s, it would probably be "Sledgehammer."

monkey

A few more:

OMD - If You Leave
Mike and the Mechanics - The Living Years

MatthewCho

Easy, even though I like loads of 80's acts.

Big County - In A Big Country
Madness - Our House

Applejack

I would say either Sledgehammer by Peter Gabriel or You Might Think by the Cars.

When people mention songs of the 80's, I always think of these... even though I don't really think that any one song can define an entire decade.

slop101

That actually came out in 1979.

If I had to sum up the '80s with one song, it'd be Peter Gabriel's "Big Time" - mostly for it's lyrics.

My personal choise would be The Style Council's "My Ever Changing Mood", again, more for it's song-writing, as it's production is crap.

It's really hard to single out one song from the '80s, as it is the most musically diverse decade ever. From punk to rap to metal to pop to new wave - this was the decade where everything got catagorized and there was very little overlap in musical styles.

atlantamoi

slop 101, are you SURE "Love Will Tear Us Apart" came out in 1979? I've always thought that song was released around the time of Ian Curtis' death in 1980.

Wag The Frog

U2 - with or without you

Pikul

According to Post-Punk Diary and the unofficial (and spectacular) Factory Records site, "Love Will Tear Us Apart" was released in June of 1980.

raithen

Recorded in March, 1980.
7" released April, 1980
12" released June, 1980

-matt

Thumbs

If I could only pick one, my 80's flashback song would be:

Hungry Like the Wolf -- Duran Duran

Although looking over the songs mentioned makes it a very tough call.

Jack Straw

Hulkaburger

Melt With You - Modern English
In Your Eyes - Peter Gabriel
Just Like Heaven - Cure
White Wedding- Billy Idol

Crazy Train -Ozzy?

slop101

I stand corrected.

I bought the 12" import around '82 and I just thought it was an earlier JD song, not one of the last ones.

But still, wouldn't 1980 be considered the last year of the 70's?

Just like how 2000 is the last year of the century and 2001 is the first.
I mean, when you count, you start with 1, not zero, right?