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Top Songs of the 1980s: the decade of the big chorus, told as a story

Every song on this page plays a free 30-second preview, right in your browser. No sign-up, no app — press play and hear the decade that invented the music video, at full volume.

Bigger, brighter, louder

The 1980s were the decade pop learned to be seen. MTV turned songs into films, synthesizers turned bedrooms into orchestras, and the chorus — always the chorus — got bigger until it needed stadiums to hold it. Michael Jackson and Madonna became the template for every pop star since, Prince did everything at once, hip-hop threw its first gold chains over the fence, and rock responded with the largest choruses in its history. Subtlety was not invited. It was not missed.

The opening of Deezer's 80s Hits playlist reads like the decade's official portrait: Toto's “Africa” — a song that has only grown more beloved with every passing year — Whitney Houston dancing with somebody, Michael Jackson's “Billie Jean,” Journey's “Don't Stop Believin',” a-ha, The Police, Bon Jovi, and AC/DC all inside the first ten. If you turned on a radio at any point in the eighties, some combination of these songs was playing. They have never really stopped.

Top 10

The opening ten of the playlist, at a glance. The full list, playable top to bottom, is just below — loaded fresh from Deezer's “80s Hits” playlist every time this page opens.

  1. Africa — Toto
  2. Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) (2005 Remaster) — Eurythmics
  3. I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me) — Whitney Houston
  4. Every Breath You Take — The Police
  5. Don't Stop Believin' — Journey
  6. Take on Me — a-ha
  7. Billie Jean — Michael Jackson
  8. Everybody Wants To Rule The World — Tears For Fears
  9. Livin' On A Prayer — Bon Jovi
  10. Back In Black — AC/DC

The full 1980s playlist

Built to be seen

The eighties were the first decade where a song's video could be as famous as the song — where a moonwalk on a Motown special could double an album's sales overnight and a rotating keyboard could become a visual signature. That changed how hits were built: intros became logos, choruses became slogans, and pop stars became characters with costumes and storylines. Every artist working the short-video era today is living in a house the eighties built.

But strip the visuals away and the songs still stand — that's the surprise this playlist delivers. These are some of the most durable melodies ever written, engineered for arenas and somehow intimate enough for a car radio. Press Play All and hear the neon decade with your eyes closed. It loses nothing.

Looking for a song from another time?

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