I can't pick just one. Lately, I’ve been listening to The Boys of Summer by Don Henley a lot. It’s so atmospheric.

Absolute love the 80s
But if I had to pick a few.
China crisis Blackman Ray.
The smiths the boy with a thorn in his side.
Nik kershaw wouldn't it be good.
Cock robin the promise you made.
Howard jones everlasting love.
The adventures broken land.

Why is Hunting High and Low banned by the BBC? It's a terrific song - as is the entire album!

Prince-

Sign Of The Times
1999
Michael Jackson-

Billie Jean
The Way You Make Me Feel
Human Nature

Whitney Houston- Saving All My Love

A much maligned decade, but I think it was brillient ...

Prince - Raspberry Beret
http://uploadsociety.com/video_v102047

Prince - Kiss
http://videos.sapo.pt/g706YmEhnNVopTpcVaSg

Prince - Alphabet Street
http://www.mojvideo.com/video-prince...ff6890b9804887

The Smiths - Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SckD99B51IA

The Smiths - There Is A Light That Never Goes Out
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRtW1MAZ32M

Morrissey - Suedehead
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0AvuweztG4Q

Morrissey - Everyday Is Like Sunday
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0LeL9BUPtA

Depeche Mode - Everything Counts
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1t-gK-9EIq4

Depeche Mode - Shake The Disease
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_0sL_SQYvw

Depeche Mode - Never Let Me Down Again
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snILjFUkk_A

Depeche Mode - Personal Jesus
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1xrNaTO1bI

Depeche Mode - Enjoy The Silence
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGSKrC7dGcY

David Bowie - Ashes To Ashes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGfzpqgBvl8

David Bowie - Let's Dance
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2HWuR2mq5M

Adam & The Ants - Antmusic
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rm9drIwmmU4

Adam And The Ants - Stand And Deliver
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4B2a6l6wM2k

a-ha - Take On Me
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djV11Xbc914

a-ha - The Sun Always Shines On TV
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3ir9HC9vYg

a-ha - Hunting High And Low
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6VaeFCxta8

a-ha - Manhattan Skyline
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WY2r28M1TrY

Kate Bush - Babooshka
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xckBwPdo1c

Kate Bush - Army Dreamers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOZDKlpybZE

Kate Bush - Running Up That Hill
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wp43OdtAAkM

Kate Bush - Hounds of Love
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VerK4zwMRQw

The Cure - A Forest
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xik-y0xlpZ0

The Cure - Lullaby
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijxk-fgcg7c

The Cure - Lovesong
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ks_qOI0lzho

Nena - 99 Luftballons
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfPTC7-wCL8

Sheila E - A Love Bizarre
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56gpwl6cohc

Apollonia 6 - Sex Shooter
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0AcdGteG3kc

The Psychedelic Furs - Pretty In Pink
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqmTMiIMG74

Secret Service - Flash in the Night
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEmpagABHmg

Fine Young Cannibals - Johnny Come Home
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2H5Se-9XAVE

Kim Wilde - Kids in America
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_GH6M7cUq4

Kim Wilde - You Keep Me Hangin' On
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJZF-skCY-M

Madness - House of Fun
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJ2X9SANsME

Rufus Chaka Khan - Ain't Nobody
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJYfUS96f6w

Electric Avenue - Eddy Grant
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKJLbv5khLg

Rick James - Super Freak
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYHxGBH6o4M

Madness - Baggy Trousers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dc3AovUZgvo

Madness - Our House
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwIe_sjKeAY

Frankie Goes To Hollywood - The Power Of Love
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyoTvgPn0rU

Duran Duran - The Wild Boys
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M43wsiNBwmo

INXS - Need You Tonight
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-rv2BQa2OU

INXS - Mystify
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMi5KU0UjYE

Soft Cell - Tainted Love
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZVpR3Pk-r8

Yazoo - Nobody's Diary
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vh1C1VDlmmk

Bronski Beat - Smalltown Boy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xuz94ZIPfJk

Eurythmics - Sweet dreams
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeMFqkcPYcg

Dead Or Alive - You Spin Me Round
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGNiXGX2nLU

Visage - Fade To Grey
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMPC8QJF6sI

Cameo - Word Up
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZjAantupsA

Fleetwood Mac ‎- Little Lies
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5HkuhSEnPQ

The Clash - Should I Stay Or Should I Go
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLQJVKP3YlM

The Clash - Rock the Casbah
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJ9r8LMU9bQ

Billy Idol - White Wedding
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAZQaYKZMTI

Blondie - Heart Of Glass
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGU_4-5RaxU

Blondie - Atomic
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Tko1G6XRiQ

Cyndi Lauper - Girls Just Want To Have Fun
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIb6AZdTr-A

The Bangles - Walk like an Egyptian
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cciDvX7vA1Y

The Stranglers - Golden Brown
https://vimeo.com/32736093

Guns N' Roses - Sweet Child O' Mine
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1w7OgIMMRc4

Simple Minds - Don't You
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdqoNKCCt7A

Faith No More - We Care A Lot
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yachrjvO2Ow

Pixies - Gouge Away
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMHykYTomdo

The Stone Roses - Fools Gold
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSD11dnphg0

... and you know what? I could keep going!



I'm not sure it's still banned, as stated earlier in this thread.

It was one of many innocuous songs put on a Radio 1 "no-play list" during the first Gulf War, for no reason other than the title.

Blondie - Rapture
Yazoo - Don't go
Ice - T - Reckless
Mantronix & Just Ice - Cold gettin' dumb
Chaka Khan - Aint nobody & I feel for you
Flash & Furious 5 - The message & Step off & White lines
Herbie hancock - Rockit
Dennis edwards & Sedah garret - Don't look any further
Afrika bambaataa & Soul sonic force - Planet rock
The Clash - Should i stay or should i go
Salt N Pepa - Push it & Tramp
Juicy - Sugar free
Stone roses - Fools gold
Eric B and rakim - Paid in full & I know you got soul
Shannon - Let the music play
Frankie knuckles - Your love
Rick james - Superfreak
Curiosity killed the cat - Down to eath
Mary jane girls - All night long
Survivor - Eye of the tiger
BDP - My Philosophy
Prince - Alphabet street
Eddy grant - Electric avenue
Soul II Soul - Fairplay & Keep on moving
BIg daddy kane - Wrath of kane & Raw
Diana ross - Upside down
Arthur baker - Breakers revenge
808 state - Pacific state
Rob base & EZ rock - It takes two
Kariya - Let me love you for tonight
Alexander O'neal & Cherrelle - Saturday love
Cameo - Word up & Candy
Sade - Smooth operator & Sweetest taboo
Bob Marley - Three little birds & One love & Redemption song
Run DMC - Its like that & Sucker Mc's
SOS band - Just be good to me
Kool and the Gang - Fresh & Celebration
De la soul - Eye know & Say no go
Inner city - Good life & Big fun
Joan jett - I love rock n roll
Coldcut & Lisa stansfield - People hold on
Alyson williams - Sleep talk
Marvin gaye - Sexual healing
Michael jackson - Billie jean
Madonna - Into the groove
Cheryl lynn - Encore
Adamski - NRG & Killer
Fatback band - I found lovin'
The Pointer sisters - Automatic
Isley brothers - Between the sheets
Public Enemy - Rebel without a pause & Bring the noise
Joyce sims - (You are my) All and all & Lifetime love

Eurythmics - There Must Be an Angel (and the video to this)

Stevie Wonder - Overjoyed

ABBA - One of Us, The Winner Takes It All, Fernando

99 Red Balloons is the quintessential '80s song in my mind so that's my #1 choice.

Long playlist

99 Red Balloons - Nena
Running Up That Hill - Kate Bush
Hey - The Pixies
Pulling Mussels From A Shell - Squeeze
The Killing Moon - Echo and the Bunnymen
Kids In America - Kim Wilde
Lullaby - The Cure
Blue Monday - New Order
Always The Sun - The Stranglers
Dirty Old Town - The Pogues
The Power Of Love - Frankie Goes To Hollywood
Games Without Frontiers - Peter Gabriel
Electricity - OMD
I Wanna Be Adored - The Stone Roses
True Love Will Find You In The End - Daniel Johnston
How Soon Is Now? - The Smiths
Rise - Public Image Limited
Ashes To Ashes - David Bowie
Purple Rain - Prince

Scott & Charlene - 'Especially for you'

Mel and Kim -; respectable
Olivia Newton john - x an adult
Blondie -atomic
ABBA - winner takes it all
Donna summer - state of independence
Barbara doust - if you love somebody
Evelyn Thomas - high energy
Grace jones - slave to the rhythm

Olivia should be xanadu 😄

Something Inside So Strong - Labi Siffre

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otuwNwsqHmQ

Cars was released in 1979

so many fantastic songs already mentioned, just cannot pick a favourite, i will just add another that i don't think has been mentioned

Ghost Town - The Specials

come on guys - this is best!!!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yz2eiaP3yug

80s were a bit before my time but I love 'Time after Time' by Cyndi Lauper.

Yeah its good.

Relax.

Powerful, pulsating, sexy, groundbreaking.

..and banned by that t*t Mike Read - as soon as he figured out what it was about

Just watching "Kings Of Soul" on BBC4

"Jah Mo Be There" by James Ingram & Michael McDonald was a hell of a song, wasn't it?

I'm a massive eighties fan and love lots of songs, especially anything by:

PSB
Depeche Mode
Madonna

Also,

The Specials
Madness
Peter Gabriel
FGTH
OMD

But...

Som of my fave more obscure songs from the eighties are:

Atmospherics (Listen To The Radio) by Tom Robinson
Police Officer by Smiley Culture
Some People by Belouis Some
Sunset Grill by Don Henley

And yes, Ya Mo B There is an absolutely brilliant song, same goes for Ai No Corrida and Somebody's Watching Me!

Surprised these two have not been mentioned yet:

Martha and the Muffins - Echo Beach

Kim Carnes - Bette Davis Eyes

80's fans will also appreciate this video from a few years ago when Howard Jones & Nik Kershaw got together on stage:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amD2G9Kuu10

Galaxie 500 - Blue Thunder

Felt - Riding on the Equator

Now you're talking. Definitely in my all time top 10 favourite songs.

Yeh love the Nik kershaw and Howard jones tunes, have watched that video a few times its a nice duet and version.

Love this song

There are countless favourite 80's songs from the likes of AHA, Duran Duran, Madness, Belinda Carlisle, Kim Wilde, Spandu Ballet, Adam & the Ants etc etc, that I couldn't list them all. However there are a couple of gems that I always have to sing along to

Red Box - Lean on me

The Mighty Wah - Story of the Blues

The 80's were the best decade for me for music & will hopefully be going to Reload this year as the lineup looks superb.

http://www.reloadfestival.co.uk/