U2 - With or without you
Dire Straights - Brothers in arms
Guns n Roses - Sweet Child O Mine
Duran Duran - Save a prayer
Bangles - Eternal flame (as i was 100% in love with the main singer)

I'm sure there are better even in my memory banks, but those are a few that stood out on many a car trip

Belouis some - imagination

It's just not possible to narrow it down to 5

Even a top 50 would be hard! But I'll have a go.

Don Henley - Boys of Summer
Talk Talk - It's My Life
Suzanne Vega - Luka
Belinda Carlisle - Heaven Is a Place on Earth
Boy Meets Girl - Waiting for a Star to Fall

Joy Division love will tear us apart
Pixies where is my mind
Smiths how soon is now
New order blue monday
Adam and the ants kings of the wild frontier

Do they have to be singles or just songs from an album?

Dead or alive ....you spin me right round

comment by TopForm (U15726)
posted 24 minutes ago
Joy Division love will tear us apart
Pixies where is my mind
Smiths how soon is now
New order blue monday
Adam and the ants kings of the wild frontier
----------------------------------------------------------------------

First four I'm right there with you.

Last one not so much 😂

Debaser - Pixies
Do Nothing - The Specials
Candyman - Siouxsie and the Banshees
Heartland - The The
Personal Jesus - Depeche Mode

Michael Jackson - Billy Jean
Scorpions - Rock you like a hurricane
Def Leppard - Pour some sugar on me
Whitesnake - Still of the night
Billy Joel - We didn't start the fire

Surprised you don’t have any Wham songs in there.

Tears for Fears - everybody wants to rule the world
Don Henley - boys of Summer
Starship - nothings gonna stop us now
Journey- separate ways
Boston - Amanda

It's pretty tough but this would probably be mine:

1. Simple Minds- Glittering Prize
2. Simple Minds- Don't you forget about me
3. Philip Bailey and Phil Collins- Easy Lover
4. Metallica- Battery
5. Michael Jackson- Billie Jean

The Chameleons - Up the down escalator
Echo & the bunnymen - Show of strength
Stone Roses - She bangs the drums
Style council - The Paris match
Human League - Sound of the crowd

Mike Oldfield - Moonlight Shadow
Huey Lewis and the News - Power of Love
The Stranglers - Golden Brown
Talking Heads - Road to Nowhere
The Vapours - Turning Japanese

Wasted Years - Iron Maiden
Radio Ga Ga - Queen
Raining Blood - Slayer
Purple Rain - Prince
Paradise City - Guns N Roses

You must be young enough to have missed out on the 60's and 70's when, I think, the level of musical ability and experience of the artists was mostly superior to the manufactured, image-driven, stuff that came later.
We had people like John Peel, and "Whispering" Bob Harris on OGWT who were the champions of bringing through the real talent. We had Radio Luxembourg with Stuart Henry and Radio North Sea International / Radio Caroline with Johnnie Walker, DLT, Emperor Rosko, even Kenny Everett.
Most of these were rebels in the eyes of the BBC Establishment but they gave the public what they wanted from their own playlists, not PC adjusted ones. Sadly, several have "spun-off" their mortal coil.

comment by Glazers Out (SE85) (U21241)
posted 31 minutes ago
comment by TopForm (U15726)
posted 24 minutes ago
Joy Division love will tear us apart
Pixies where is my mind
Smiths how soon is now
New order blue monday
Adam and the ants kings of the wild frontier
----------------------------------------------------------------------

First four I'm right there with you.

Last one not so much 😂
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Nah, are all good, at a push I'd change blue Monday for Dazzlers Chameleons tune

Blimey, this is tough! This list could change daily but,

George Michael - A Different corner
Mike & The Mechanics - living years
Simply Red - Holding back The years
Bon Jovi - I'll Be There For You
Pet Shop Boys - it's A sin

The 80s was the worst decade for music. Apart from metal and some rock.

Metallica - Master of Puppets
GnR - Paradise City
Toto - Africa
Slayer - South of Heaven
AC/DC - Back in black

Master of Puppets
Fade to Black
One
Battery
For Whom the Bell Tolls

comment by goadocwatson (U1016)
posted 15 minutes ago
You must be young enough to have missed out on the 60's and 70's when, I think, the level of musical ability and experience of the artists was mostly superior to the manufactured, image-driven, stuff that came later.
We had people like John Peel, and "Whispering" Bob Harris on OGWT who were the champions of bringing through the real talent. We had Radio Luxembourg with Stuart Henry and Radio North Sea International / Radio Caroline with Johnnie Walker, DLT, Emperor Rosko, even Kenny Everett.
Most of these were rebels in the eyes of the BBC Establishment but they gave the public what they wanted from their own playlists, not PC adjusted ones. Sadly, several have "spun-off" their mortal coil.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

The only show on Radio One worth listening to other than John Peel was the Friday Rock show with Tommy Vance.

One of the difficult things about this is the idea that "great 80s songs" and "great songs from the 80s" might not always be the same thing. Some top bands probably have album tracks that fall into the latter category but the former might mean those iconic 80s tracks.

I'll have a go at the former, but it could easily be five different ones in an hour, and then again in another hour...

Africa - Toto
Down Under - Men at Work
Heaven is a Place on Earth - Belinda Carlisle
The Power of Love - Frankie Goes to Hollywood
Little Lies - Fleetwood Mac (arguably the greatest song ever written)

comment by Spurtle (U1608)
posted 24 minutes ago
Mike Oldfield - Moonlight Shadow
Huey Lewis and the News - Power of Love
The Stranglers - Golden Brown
Talking Heads - Road to Nowhere
The Vapours - Turning Japanese
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Moonlight Shadow