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November 14, 2011
9. Rufus & Chaka Khan, "Ain't Nobody" (1983)
"Ain't Nobody" is contagious; the song's repeating synthesizer loop gets trapped in your head for days and you can't help but groove. Chaka's voice is an insurmountable force, soaring above the bassline. The song is impassioned and just a little dirty; that feeling of danger makes it unforgettable. — C.M.
Listen: Rufus & Chaka Khan, "Ain't Nobody"
8. U2, "With or Without You" (1988)
In this ambiguous classic, Bono has got it bad. Even twenty plus years later, "With or Without You" remains of U2's most impassioned, emotionally resonant songs to date — that howl he lets out has to stir you, even if you think U2 is a little much. — K.H.
Listen: U2, "With or Without You"
7. The Cure, "Lovesong" (1989)
There had been plenty of nervous pop moments in The Cure’s dark catalog before this 1989 smash, but it only took a deceptively subtle two-word twist for Robert Smith to modify all of his previous moping, revealing him helplessly, hopelessly in love. “Whenever I’m alone, with you…” Written as a wedding present to his childhood sweetheart (now wife of twenty-three years), and containing only the starkest, simplest language possible (plus some truly, truly sweet guitar), it earns its blankly descriptive title, lifting it to some sort of platonic ideal. — Jeff Klingman
Listen: The Cure, "Lovesong"
6. Guns N' Roses, "Sweet Child O' Mine" (1987)
Is there a better romance than metal romance? Pheromones and hot nights all wrapped up in a teased-out halo preserved in time through a haze of Aqua Net. I would love to say that this song played host to a great romance in Dallas, Texas in the summer of '88. But alas, it merely provided the soundtrack to some teenage fantasies of boys in leather pants during those steamy months of fast times and virginal confusion. — Linda Park, of SXSW
Listen: Guns N' Roses, "Sweet Child O' Mine"
5. Pete Townshend, "Let My Love Open the Door" (1980)
Who doesn't want to be saved by Pete Townshend and his groovy love? Or, you know, by any man or woman who would give you a four-leaf clover and take all the worry out of your mind? It's easy to be closed off in this oft-fucked-up world, but I'm pretty sure we all dream of redemptive love and an open heart. — Linda Park, of SXSW
Listen: Pete Townshend, "Let My Love Open the Door"
4. Prince, "Adore" (1987)
Prince overdubs himself into the world's coolest soul harmony group, just so he can serenade that crucial lady he plans to worship until the end of time. His warmest ballad is also his funniest, as he pledges, "You can burn all my clothes, smash up my ride — well, maybe not the ride." On his latest tour, he changed that line to "smash up my Bentley," but the sentiment remains undeniable: he's got to have your face on his pillowcase. — Rob Sheffield, writer for Rolling Stone and author of Talking to Girls About Duran Duran
Listen: Prince, "Adore"
3. Talking Heads, "This Must Be The Place" (1983)
"I try to write about small things — paper, animals, a house. Love is kind of big." That's David Byrne on writing love songs. Nevertheless, he managed one of the most beautiful ever, which builds in five minutes from uncertainty to soaring joy. Having entered a relationship with the most basic hopes ("I'm just an animal looking for a home — share the same space for a minute or two"), Byrne realizes he's gotten a lot more. Okay, I have to stop writing about this now, because I'm kind of tearing up. — P.S.
Listen: Talking Heads, "This Must Be The Place"
2. Peter Gabriel, "In Your Eyes" (1986)
If you leave Say Anything out of it, "In Your Eyes" is a touching song about love under pressure. Like "Don't Give Up," also off Gabriel's hit So, it's a testament to love's ability to keep you sane while you struggle to stay alive. — P.S.
Listen: Peter Gabriel, "In Your Eyes"
1. Cyndi Lauper, "Time After Time" (1983)
Cyndi Lauper's most enduring masterpiece hits at the very essence of commitment. Lauper may be most often (and unfairly) remembered for the excesses of her image, but she captures real romance in the most simple and straightforward of lines: If you're lost, you can look and you will find me, time after time. — Jonathan Keefe, of Slant Magazine
Listen: Cyndi Lauper, "Time After Time"
Commentarium (81 Comments)
When I read this, I thought for sure I'd see "Hold Me Now" by Thompson Twins or "The Promise" by When In Rome somewhere. Still, can't disagree with most of the picks.
God! Tom Waits sucks!!!!!!!! How does anybody like that shit?
Tom Waits is brilliant. There is something for everyone...so "b" go ahead and turn up your Paula Abdul music.
Snap! This whole list could be Tom Waits, cuz there's about 24 other songs of his that express the emotion more eloquently. Ruby's Arms, Fish and Bird, Coney Island Baby, Little Trip to Heaven, etc., etc., etc.
Yawn.
Love Plus One!
Not so much a fan of 80s love songs as I am of the 60s and 70s (despite being an 80s child). On the pop tip, I would have had Hall & Oates on the list. They're about as 80s as can be, and a song like "Kiss On My List' is undeniably awesome (or even "You Make My Dreams" [as evidenced in 500 Days Of Summer]). Come to think of it, I'm not a huge fan, but the Pet Shop Boys possibly deserved a spot (perhaps "Rent"?) Also, not to be a pedantic 80s geek, but a minor correction: Roland Orzabal (the bro with the awesome mullet) sung lead on "Head Over Heels" not Curt Smith.
Hallelujah bro.
Faithfully or Open Arms by Journey. Total Eclipse of the Heart by Bonnie Tyler. Is This Love by Whitesnake.
I fought for "Faithfully." I fought so hard.
No Journey is a sin.
"No, Journey is a sin."
Fixed.
Shouldn't it be a semicolon?
I'm thinking quadruple exclamation point.
Open Arms, definitely. Forgiveness, redemption, reconciliation -- Journey outdid themselves.
Haters gonna hate.
"There Is A Light..." the apex of The Smiths catalog? Put the crack pipe down and walk away.
Where is the hard rock love songs?
No Eternal Flame?
Faithfully will forever hold a place in my heart. and I have to say this, because others may not- the 80's were kind of horrible, in a way.
Dude.....how can you possibly leave out Madonna?!? Seriously.....Queen of the 80s pop scene aside, people STILL love Crazy for You and Like a Prayer. Leaving out Madonna completely in the 80s portion of the countdown is like rejecting pop culture. No exagerration.
Because this is just a random list compiled by a bored author. Enjoy it for what it is... meaningless.
Ok......but did you have to fuck with my screen name? No pun intended.
Where's all the smooth R&B like Luther Vandross and Gregory Abbott? And no Phil Collins?! How can you have an 80's list without "A Groovy Kind of Love?"
Because Phil Collins s**ks, er, not good.
Actually, yeah. "Shake You Down" by Gregory Abbott should definitely have been here.
I actually second "Groovy Kind of Love". Phil Collins may be a joke, but that song gets me all misty......down there.
Extreme: "More Than Words" was released in 1990. I got nothing else.
Isn't the point of this song basically "just fuck me already, so we can dispense with this 'I love you' bullshit?" It's like a song sung by a douche to a girl who's not too bright.
I have to agree with J - we used to call this the "blowjob song" - "you wouldn't have to say you loved me - I'd already know..." - Hope the 90s list realizes this...
Uh, Gigantic isn't a true love song. She's in lust with someone based of of his, eh, physical characteristics. You guys definitely left a lot of groove out of here.
Nah, it's just a random list of shit the author likes. Why do you all get so worked up about it?
Move Closer, move your body real close until we, feel like we're really making love...
Agree with only half these tunes. Where's the whole soundtrack to Dirty Dancing?
Those first four songs are some of my favorites in the world, great list despite all the criticism! :D
Compared to the other lists (and having cut my teeth in the 80s), this list depresses the hell out of me. I guess I came to appreciate more unique forms of expression.
Thank you for remembering "Adore" by Prince. That song made me believe in pure romantic devotion.
Growing up in the 80s I can tell you that this list is pretty lame and very subjective.
Yeah, I think it's the weakest so far of these love song lists.
As above. Lame (max).
Great list! BUT, I am going to be one of those annoying readers that says "you should have included...". So, you should have included something from Bryan Ferry's - Bete Noir or Boys and Girls? Otherwise, thanks for the lovely stroll down 80's memory lane.
I'd like to grind Mr Bragg on my pubic mound. Thanks for his mention.
Beautiful. Thanks for chiming in. I fantasize that your pubic mound is in need of a vast trimming.
"This Must Be The Place" is one of the best songs of all time.
No Fine Young Cannibals?
"All this love" Debarge. If you aren't feeling that song, you're dead. May be a bit...over the top earnest, but I listen to it once and a while anyhow. :)
If you ever do that list of breakup songs, John Waite's "Missing You" has to be on the 80s list. All it takes is the first few bars, and I'm 15 again and getting my heart broken by a guy who was more interested in his BMX.
No "Power of Love" by Huey Lewis? D:
Where is Foreigner with "I Want to Know What Love Is"?! You forget to add Gary More's ballads (i.e. "Always Gonna Love You") and Leonard Cohen's (i.e. "I'm Your Man"). A-ha's "Take on Me" should be there as well and "Love is a Shield" from The Camouflage. The great finale: "Hallelujah" by Rufus Wainwright - lack of it (dispite the above) is just enough itself to call this list a bullshit. Wast of time and I won't revisit next week for '90. It is a shame that you used such promesing title - I hoped for some nice memmories, especially when you try to focuse only on positive ones.
Rufus Wainwright's first album came out in 1998, first of all. Second of all, "Hallelujah" is a breakup song. I'm not going to criticize your numerous spelling and syntax errors, since it appears that English might be your second language, but I can't let that one go.
I'm not going to criticise your egregious grammatical error, faulknersaysrelax, since it appears that English may be a lost art to you, but I can't let go of the fact that you're a knobbler.
You picked the wrong Cyndi Lauper song: "All Through the Night" is a much better song.
So where is Dire Straits? Romeo and Juliet, Espresso Love, Tunnel of Love, Brothers in Arms?
"Oh Juliet when we made love you used to cry
You said I love you like the stars above
You said "I'd love you till I die"
Those are all breakup songs! And Brothers in Arms is about war...
This seems like a list of more indie type artist sprinkled with a bit of mainstream favorites. I'd say something like Stephen Bishop's "It Might Be You" or Jackson Browne's "Somebody's Baby".
Downtown Train.
I fucking love that song, but I think "Johnsburg" is much more of a "pure " love song.
Fart.
Sinead O'Conner "Nothing Compares to You"?
And what about Chris Deburgh(sp?) "Lady in Red"?
OMG!! Or Right Said Fred "I'm Too Sexy"?
Or at the very least Meatloaf's 'Paradise by the Dashboard Lights"? Or was that 70's?
Human League "Don't You Want me Baby?".
Just about anything by OMD...
Geez, I could go on forever....
Please do.
This is sarcastic, right? This was made in full knowledge that all of these songs are awful?
Well, "Nothing Compares 2U" is good, but it's about someone getting dumped.
"I'm Too Sexy" is from the 90's and not at all a love song.
"paradise by the dashboard lights" is originally from 1977 and then was re-released in the 90's, and it's not really a love song either.
"Don't you want me baby"- NOT A LOVE SONG EITHER (this is obvious from the title).
Also! "Nothing Compares 2u" was released in the 90's, not the 80's.
Depeche Mode's "Somebody".
"I want somebody to share, share the rest of my life, share my innermost thoughts, know my intimate details...."
"And when I must leave, I want somebody, who will put their arms around me kiss me tenderly".
Its a nice list of good songs. i like to listen "Running Up That Hill" of Kate Bush very much.
This Must Be the Place and Time after Time are fine choices for the top 5. But...
Your Love by the Outfield is one of the best love songs ever. How can you miss that? And maybe even Bizarre Love Triangle could go on here.
Your Love is awesome. But it's about cheating on your girlfriend. "Josie's on vacation." And it doesn't sound like he's that attached to the fling, either: "I just want to use your love tonight."
Wow. The 80s were a tough, sucky decade.
Green Eyes by Husker Du
Ok first of all, if you were going to pick a U2 love song, "All I Want is You" or "Bad" would have been better options than "With or Without You." Just my humble opinion.
Also, "Sweet Child O' Mine" in the top 10, really? Guns n Roses doesn't belong in the top 10 of anything.
Marvin Gaye: "Sexual Healing." 1982. End of list.
The theme is "Love Songs!" Pay attention! Yeesh.
I'm partial to the Dead Milkmen's "Punk Rock Girl"
It's one thing to complain about songs not there, but it's another to have a song from a band there that isn't even their best love song. Crowded House's When You Come is light years better than D.D.I.O.
"Athena" by The Who is a fantastic love song, great lyrics written about Pete being smitten with one of the sexiest women of the 80s Theressa Russell.
"Take my Breath Away" by Berlin, so beyond 80s iconic, it's really hard to leave off a list.
b, turn down the crap ironic 80's music and listen the the genius TOM WAITS.
You been served b
Not a bad list, you knew you'd get backlash.
Just off the top of my head:
"Love Will Tear Us Apart"
Joy Division
..."Eyes without a Face"
Billy Idol
Van Morrison 'Have I Told You Lately"
Some of the songs on the CD do not represent the 80's.
I actually made a tattoo with the phrase Sweet child of mine after I broke up, so, yes, this is fairly a solid recognition for my one and only love! until the next one that sees it...if any, if ever... :(
talk talk is the big band missing here I think.......