People With Elite Music Taste Still Listen To 8 1980s Songs On Repeat
Adam McCullough | Shutterstock So many songs from the 1980s are iconic not just because the decade is nostalgic, it was a decade of incredible social and technological change. Artists made music unlike anything anyone had heard, and that created a culture where people took wild risks and accepted some truly unique sounds.
Young people appreciate these songs not just for their retro quality, but for how unique they are, even for today. That's why people with elite music taste still listen to these 1980s songs on repeat.
Songs from the 80s people with elite music taste still listen to on repeat
1. ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’ by Joy Division
Ben Houdijk | Shutterstock.com
Right on the cusp of the two wildly different decades, this 1980 track is more than a catchy melody. It’s a story, and an emotional one at that, for anyone who remembers the cultural context and story of Joy Division around this time. As a posthumous release after Ian Curtis’ passing, it’s more than just a cool song, but a reflection of the struggles of his personal life.
As an opposition to the 1975’s “Love Will Keep Us Together,” it’s surprising that the song took off as one of their first music chart hits, but it did. And today, it’s usually the coolest people, with great music taste and an appreciation for the context of 1980s hits and culture, who still play it over and over again.
2. ‘Blue Monday’ by New Order
This 1983 song is a blend of everything that defined the 1980s: synth sounds, pop references, and dance music. If you’ve stuck to a certain genre or lane, this song might touch on at least one. It’s a musical battle between tons of different songs, but there’s no doubt: it’s cool.
Songs like this are a great reminder of the shift away from traditional instruments that was already happening in the 80s. Small synthesizers and drum machines created songs like this, edgy and effortlessly new-sounding, regardless of when you’re listening.
Yes, there are very obvious Joy Division sounds in this eclectic, hodge-podge band, but songs like this remind everyone of the lane they crafted for themselves in sheer dance, techno music.
3. ‘Holiday’ by Madonna
You couldn’t possibly give someone the title of “best music taste” without including Madonna, whether it’s 1980s songs or not. They’re all worthy of the title, but this 1983 track is especially iconic. Even if she’s solidified a forever spot in pop culture today, for a long time, she was a trailblazer and pioneer of movements that didn’t always have a space in the public eye.
It’s songs like this that don’t just bring us back to a time of pop culture stardom. The 80s were about changing tech, shifting culture, and a whole new type of iconography with working-class glam stars like Madonna.
4. ‘Running Up That Hill’ by Kate Bush
While the song’s huge revival in 2022, after being included in the fourth season of Netflix’s “Stranger Things,” is partially to blame for Kate Bush’s icon status in modern culture, she’s always been a pillar of the 80s music legacy.
With a song like this, the more people who listen and internalize the lyrics, the better. We might have been growing into a more narcissistic society in the era, but it’s music like this, people still found grounding in emotional honesty.
5. ‘Everywhere’ by Fleetwood Mac
Randy Miramontez | Shutterstock.com
There are few pop songs more timeless than a Fleetwood Mac song. While 80s culture might’ve defined the band’s changing dynamics and member drama, it’s part of what each passing generation grows to love about their history. I mean, there’s a reason why their 1997 reunion concert still gets millions of views today.
The song Everywhere remains timeless because it's a dreamy, ethereal, always-dance-worthy track that anyone can learn to love, whenever or wherever they end up hearing it.
6. ‘When Doves Cry' by Prince
Prince was like nobody anyone had seen in the 1980s and somehow remains exactly that unique today. He was a small-framed guy who wasn't tall in an era of jocks, but he famously dated the most beautiful, important women in pop culture at the time.
Even more importantly, he wrote songs that changed the cultural landscape. The guitar solos on When Doves Cry are like almost nothing before or after, with drum lines that were both pop-ish and funky in the same song. Add to that the overall heat of the lyrics and you've got a song that is instantly identifiable even today.
Add to that a dramatic and emotional music video hinting at a much more serious relationship dynamic and you've got a truly elite song joining many other Prince songs that could be on this list.
7. ‘This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody)’ by Talking Heads
The Talking Heads were a truly iconic band. David Byrne was a front man like nobody had ever seen. He wasn't about being a dream-boat pop star or even a bad by rocker, he was what we now affectionately call a nerd or a geek. In the Flock of Seagulls era of hairstyles, Byrne's hair was high and tight like it was the 1960s and instead of tight-fitting tee shirts or slashed-up Levis, Byrne wore outrageous costumes like his wildly oversized suit.
While there are many Talking Heads songs that could go on a list like this (just like Prince), This Must Be The Place is now remembered as one of the most beautiful, unique love songs of the era. There are no other songs that sound like this, even now. You could get lost in the synth and electrified aspects of it and not notice the lyrics, but when you finally hear them, you can't help but fall in love with this song both musically and lyrically.
8. ‘Higher Love’ by Steve Winwood
Sterling Munksgard | Shutterstock.com
While it presents as a standard 80s love ballad, this 1986 hit from Winwood is what Gen Zers today would call “textbook yearning.” It captures the layeredness that so many songs from this decade encapsulate: floaty on the radio, deep and existential on paper. Just check out this couplet in the lyrics: "I could light the night up with my soul on fire / I could make the sun shine from pure desire" and you get the picture.
You can listen to the iconic song and its melodies, but when you pay closer attention to the lyrics, there’s no escaping a much deeper, entrancing story.
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a senior editorial strategist with a bachelor’s degree in social relations & policy and gender studies who focuses on psychology, relationships, self-help, and human interest stories.
