Ten Favorite Billboard Number Ones of the 1980s
(in order of preference, based on this complete list)
“Come On Eileen” by Dexys Midnight Runners [April 23, 1983, for one week]
“When Doves Cry” by Prince [July 7, 1984, for five weeks]
“Time After Time” by Cyndia Lauper [June 9, 1984, for two weeks]
“Take On Me” by a-ha [October 19, 1985, for one week]
“Shout” by Tears for Fears [August 3, 1985, for three weeks]
“Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” by Eurythmics [September 3, 1983, for one week]
“Billie Jean” by Michael Jackson [March 5, 1983, for seven weeks]
“Sweet Child o’ Mine” by Guns N’ Roses [September 10, 1988, for two weeks]
“One More Try” by George Michael [May 28, 1988, for three weeks]
“Another One Bites the Dust” by Queen [October 4, 1980, for three weeks]
Note: You’ll find my 1960s list here and my 1970s list here. I confess, though, that it was more difficult for me to pare down the number ones of the 1980s than either of the others. My starting list of worthy eighties number ones was 43 tracks long! By contrast, I had no luck at all making a 1990s list; discovered, in fact, that there were only seven 1990s number ones I liked at all. It was a grievously bad decade for chart-toppers, and it only got worse after the century turned, so I called it quits at 1989.
— August 17, 2022