Who doesn’t remember those weird, red energy domes?  They are synonymous with 80s pop culture, and the video and song that launched them into the public consciousness is the #7 song of 1980.  Nobody else that I can think of could have pulled off this song and production the way these guys did, and the song is still playable to this day.  Coming in at #7 is Whip it by Devo.

Pat Benatar returns for the second time in this countdown with her best track from Crimes of Passion.  The song’s chorus is actually quite anthem-like when you listen to it, and the song doesn’t get old the more you listen to it.  The fact that this track lives on to this day is a testament to it’s greatness.  At #8 is Hit Me With Your Best Shot by Pat Benatar.

We enter the top 10 40 year old songs countdown with the second of AC/DC’s classic return tracks.  The reason why this one scored better than the anthem preceding it is because of its musical and cultural impact.  This song has so many great guitar riffs that rock guitarists love to play, and it drives like a mother.  Try not banging your head slightly as you hear this song I dare you.  It also is the title track for an album that sold over 20 million copies, hard not to place Back in Black by AC/DC as the #10 song …..more →

Here is an example of an artist my wife doesn’t really care for but whose songs I really like, and this is one of my favorites from him.  It’s a great driving-through-the-country-at-45-mph song, and the last 90 seconds features an iconic refrain that I dare you not to find yourself singing it slightly by the end.  At #11 in the Top 40 year old songs countdown is Against the Wind by Bob Seger.

These 40 year old countdowns are going to start highlighting key songs of my childhood and this is one of those songs.  I used to listen to this song many times when I was just a toddler, and like two other artists on this countdown, this tune is also the first of two to enter the list.   Coming in at #12 is Kiss On My List by Daryl Hall & John Oates.

The slowest song on this countdown is one of Bette Midler’s best songs.  The movie of the same name is a tragic story of a rock star’s self-destructive descent into loneliness and alcoholism.  The song plays during the 1979 movie’s closing credits but it wasn’t officially released until 1980, thus making it to this countdown.  When Family Guy covers your tune, you know it’s a classic.  The #13 song on this countdown is The Rose by Bette Midler.