We’re almost to the end and the last song before the top has managed an unbelievable longevity. While initially popular, the song faded away but regained notoriety in a few noted movie scenes and then became hugely popular again thanks to The Sopranos. Since then, it can be heard at sporting events and has since become the band’s biggest song. Coming in at #2 is Don’t Stop Believin’ by Journey.
If you wonder why this band has been able to tour stadiums for years, you can thank the next song in my 1981 countdown. My mom loved this song so I heard it quite a bit growing up, and today it ranks up there along with Satisfaction as one of the band’s ultimate staples. Coming in at #3 is Start Me Up by The Rolling Stones.
Our next song was considered the ultimate summer song of 1991, and it’s still popular today. You can still hear the song played at summer parties, clubs, and in cars going “2mph so everybody sees you.” Even when I was listening to these tracks, this tune made me wish it was summertime already. Coming in at #3 is Summertime by DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince.
This next track might surprise some of you given how high it’s placed here. It, however, cemented this artist’s comeback after the Album of the Year winning Nick of Time, and it is still considered one of her best songs of the 90s and is also a song I just love. If nothing else, it gives you Something to Talk About, the #4 1991 song by Bonnie Raitt.
What many people consider the quintessential song for this band debuted in 1981. The opening E blows up any speaker system, and after Geddy’s introductory vocal, you’re off on a wild ride. Time signature changes, iconic synths, and a drum solo that Neil Peart loved doing every time make this the band’s most popular song. At #4 it’s Tom Sawyer by Rush.
We enter the top 5 with another song that holds a firm place in 80s culture based solely on its sound. It is still a huge song today, almost always in every 80s radio station rotation, and it’s hard not to sing along to every lyric too. Arriving at #5 in my countdown is Don’t You Want Me by Human League.