This next 1984 track could almost be considered a tie with the previous track.  What makes this track stand out slightly is not just the fact it is catchy, but the tune has a definitive characteristic that sets itself apart and makes it a defining track of the 1980s.  Being a key song in the movie that still gets much fanfare (we’ll get to that later) certainly helps its cause.  Try getting this #16 song out of your head today – it’s Let’s Hear It For The Boy by Deniece Williams.

While many would expect this artist’s title track of his biggest album to be in this 1984 list.  Instead, it was the album’s last track he recorded that ends up being his only song in this list (don’t worry there is next year, hehe).  This was one of maybe 5-10 songs that I associated with my childhood and it was actually my introduction to this man.  This track became his biggest billboard hit ever, introduced us to Courtney Cox, and it remains a classic song to this day.  Coming in at #17 is Dancing In The Dark by Bruce Springsteen.

When I started playing music professionally, frat/beer acoustic rock was still a big deal and a lot of it was thanks to this next group coming into the top 20 1994 songs countdown.  They had an even bigger hit but that was released the following year.  Yet, this track still managed to make its way in here and it introduced us to a band whose singer would go on to do great success years later.  Our #17 song turning 30 years old this year is Hold my Hand by Hootie and the Blowfish.

Hip-hop reigned supreme in last year’s 30-year old countdown, so it only makes sense for it to start trickling into this one.  The first of a few such songs we’ll see in this list to enter the countdown is a classic by one of the most well-known hip-hop artists of the 1990s.  The title is a phrase we hear often, and the track is still wide-spread played today.  Coming in at #18 for the 1994 countdown is Gin and Juice by Snoop Dogg.

This band had a lot of hits in 1983 and 1984, however only one song from that collection made it to this countdown.  That’s not to say the other ones didn’t deserve to be here, it’s just this one won out.  And being a song about the greatness and eclecticism of rock, with an awesome groove that never loses its energy, it’s earned every accolade to make this list.  Coming in at #18 is The Heart of Rock & Roll by Huey Lewis and The News.

In a year where a LOT of tough competition existed, this track only made its way back into this 1984 countdown due to repeated listenings and study.  The track is most known for the chorus featuring a certain gloved-artist that went unmentioned in the song credits.  Still this song’s groove is often played and heard in different contexts, and I found it hard not to have it deserved its spot at #19 – it is Somebody’s Watching Me by Rockwell.