We have now reached the #1 song of 1980, and this one is a no-brainer. The second I played this song, I just knew this would be the top track. I mean, come on! Is there anybody who has NOT heard this song before? And it’s always this version, that’s how good it is. I dare you to find a song release in 1980 that’s better than this one. The #1 song turning 40 years old is Celebration by Kool & The Gang.
As we approach the very top of this countdown, we come to a song that still gets played at sporting events, parties, etc. For a band whose songs were mainly written by the singer and guitarist, who would have thought that one of the very few songs written by the bass player would be Queen’s biggest billboard hit. When you hear it, you know it, and its title is another phrase used repeatedly in various situations. Coming in at #2 is Another One Bites The Dust by Queen.
Childhood alert again! The second Hall & Oates song to enter this countdown is one I worn out on my mom’s vinyl player. So upbeat, dance-able, it’s hard not to smile when you hear it, and it’s still being used today in commercials and dj parties. Coming in at #3 is You Make My Dreams by Daryl Hall & John Oates.
Despite it being on the same 1979 album as Another Brick in the Wall, it wasn’t released as a single until January 4, 1980, thus passing the criteria for making it into this countdown. And boy does this song make an impact even today. It is one of the greatest guitar solos of all time, and the song is still as massive today as it was then. When you can listen to the song and end up singing back both the lyrics and the guitar solos, it’s not to place this at #4 in the countdown – Comfortably Numb by …..more →
We enter the top 5 with a song that is as much important today in its lyrical subject matter as it was back then. At a time when many 70s prog rock bands were dying out, the few that survived into the 80s changed with the times. This song was no different, but even better was it managed to stick to its prog rock roots while having enough crossover appeal in its sound. It is almost a rock masterpiece, lyrically and musically, and it’s the #5 song turning 40 years old, The Spirit of Radio by Rush.
The sixth song on this countdown wouldn’t be on many others’ countdowns but it’s here for personal reasons. It’s one of my all time favorite Genesis songs during the post-Gabriel/Hackett era, and I worn this song out when I first listened to it. I still love it and could listen to it non-stop. Coming in at #6 is Turn it On Again by Genesis.