Join us on a nostalgic journey through the 80s as we explore the iconic songs that defied time and made epic comebacks! From unexpected TV and movie appearances to viral internet moments, these tracks prove that great music never truly fades away.
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00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most iconic songs from the 1980s that made a remarkable comeback years after their release.
00:1230. Fast Car, Tracy Chapman
00:23We have a feeling this folk rock song will live on forever.
00:2630. Fast Car, Tracy Chapman
00:32Tracy Chapman's Fast Car first gained widespread acclaim after her performance at Nelson Mandela's 70th birthday tribute concert in 1988.
00:40The song hit No. 6 on the Hot 100 and earned Chapman a Grammy Award.
00:4530. Fast Car, Tracy Chapman
00:51Over two decades later, it re-entered the spotlight when Michael Collins performed it on Britain's Got Talent in 2011, sending it to new heights on the UK charts.
01:00Fast Car enjoyed yet another resurgence after country star Luke Combs covered it on his 2023 album Gettin' Old.
01:0630. Fast Car, Luke Combs
01:12This version became a massive summer hit, reaching No. 2 on the charts and making Chapman the first Black person to win the CMA Award for Song of the Year.
01:2029. Never Let Me Down Again, Depeche Mode
01:30When it was first released, Depeche Mode's Never Let Me Down Again was an instant hit across Europe, cracking the top 10 in several countries.
01:3829. Never Let Me Down, Depeche Mode
01:43While the song has indeed never let fans down, with its up-tempo beats and infectious synths,
01:48it also helped prop the band up, keeping their legacy alive through decades.
01:5230. Never Let Me Down Again, Depeche Mode
01:57The track had faded from public memory until 2023, when it was featured on HBO's The Last of Us.
02:03Following its use in the series' premiere, it saw a staggering 200% increase in streaming overnight and gained popularity on TikTok.
02:1130. Never Let Me Down, Depeche Mode
02:17Its appearance in the episode may have spelled doom for the show's characters, but in real life, it helped introduce Depeche Mode to a new generation of listeners.
02:2631. Never Let Me Down, Depeche Mode
02:3228. Where Is My Mind, Pixies
02:35A truly great song always finds its way back into the spotlight, no matter how long ago it was released.
02:4031. Where Is My Mind, Pixies
02:46On their debut album, Surfer Rosa, American alt-rock band Pixies included a song that initially flew under the radar.
02:52It wasn't even released as a single.
02:55However, over a decade later, the song gained new life when it was played during the closing scene of 1999's Fight Club.
03:0131. Where Is My Mind, Pixies
03:08By then, the Pixies had disbanded, but the movie's success propelled the song to such popularity
03:14that it ultimately contributed to the band's reunion in 2004.
03:1731. Where Is My Mind, Pixies
03:23Today, Where Is My Mind has become a staple in film and TV,
03:27often used to depict characters struggling to distinguish reality from illusion.
03:3131. Where Is My Mind, Pixies
03:3727. Material Girl, Madonna
03:40A Material Girl never goes out of style, and this Madonna classic certainly proves that.
03:52Released as a single from her sophomore album, Material Girl rose to number two on the Hot 100
03:57and produced one of her most iconic music videos.
04:06It's been covered by stars like Britney Spears and Hilary Duff,
04:10but perhaps its biggest generational revival came in 2019
04:13when rapper Saucy Santana dropped his own track with the same title.
04:21While not a cover, Santana's version was inspired by Madonna's concept and even earned her approval.
04:27The song's popularity on TikTok revived interest in Madonna's original
04:31and led to a collaboration between the two artists.
04:34In 2022, they released Material Girl, blending the old and new into a fresh anthem.
04:4526. Take My Breath Away, Berlin
04:49It's rare for a song created specifically for a film to take on a life of its own,
04:53but that is exactly what happened with Berlin's Take My Breath Away.
04:56The New Wave band wrote the tune for the 1986 action film Top Gun, and it became a massive hit.
05:08It topped the charts in both the U.S. and U.K. and won the Oscar for Best Original Song.
05:19Just as the Top Gun franchise has soared to greater heights since then,
05:23the song has endured as well. In 1990, it saw a resurgence in the U.K. after Top Gun
05:29premiered on television and Peugeot featured the track in a series of commercials.
05:33This time, it reached number three on the charts.
05:4125. 99 Luftballons, Nina
05:44At the height of Cold War tensions, German New Wave band Nina delivered the ultimate anti-war
05:56anthem. The song, which follows the chaos that ensues after 99 red balloons are mistaken for
06:01enemy aircraft, became a massive success, topping charts around the world.
06:06But even as the Cold War came to an end, 99 Luftballons never completely faded into obscurity.
06:17The song saw a brief resurgence in 2006 during a Hurricane Katrina fundraiser,
06:21when one diehard fan donated $35,000 to have it played nonstop on VH1 Classic for one hour.
06:28The timing was fitting, as the world faced a new wave of political tension,
06:33and the devastation caused by the hurricane mirrored the aftermath of war.
06:4724. Somebody's Watching Me, Rockwell featuring Michael Jackson
06:51Paranoia has a way of creeping in no matter how hard you try to shake it off,
06:55which explains why the song resurfaces every now and again.
07:06Dubbed the perennial paranoia rock anthem by Rolling Stone,
07:09Somebody's Watching Me is pretty much the only memorable hit by Rockwell,
07:13the son of Motown founder Barry Gordy.
07:25Featuring the unmistakable vocals of Michael Jackson in the chorus,
07:29this tune hit number two in the US and was commercially successful around the globe.
07:38Thanks to its eerie themes, it has become a Halloween staple.
07:42It was during that period in 2021 that the song found new life on TikTok,
07:46climbing back onto the charts and peaking at number 47 in the UK.
07:5523. Another One Bites The Dust, Queen
08:01The impact of British rock band Queen on music will probably be felt until the end of time.
08:12That notion is perfectly encapsulated in their best-selling single,
08:16Another One Bites The Dust. It was the band's second and final number one hit in the US,
08:20and while it initially dropped off the charts, it later made a remarkable comeback.
08:25In 2018, the song was featured in the trailer for Bohemian Rhapsody,
08:34the biographical film about lead singer Freddie Mercury.
08:37This brought the track back into the mainstream,
08:40propelling it into the top 20 of Billboard's Hot Rock Songs chart.
08:43It became even more popular, reaching the top five,
08:46following the 2019 Academy Awards, where the film won four trophies.
08:5522. Heaven Is A Place On Earth, Belinda Carlyle
09:08Some songs perfectly capture the zeitgeist of the era in which they were created.
09:13Few do that as well as Belinda Carlyle's Heaven Is A Place On Earth.
09:17When the night falls down, I'll wait for you.
09:23This synth-heavy pop-rock tune catapulted Carlyle to stardom,
09:27becoming her only chart-topper in the US and earning her a Grammy nomination.
09:31It also served as an inspiration for Black Mirror creator Charlie Brooker
09:35while he was writing the acclaimed episode San Junipero, which is set in the 80s.
09:40As a result, Brooker featured the song prominently at the beginning and end of the episode.
09:44As viewers watched, many were either transported back to the good old days
09:48or discovered Carlyle for the first time, significantly reigniting the song's popularity.
10:0021. Danger Zone, Kenny Loggins
10:03The 1986 action classic Top Gun delivered adrenaline-pumping aerial sequences
10:08that were amplified by its unforgettable soundtrack.
10:15One of the most iconic songs was Kenny Loggins' high-octane anthem Danger Zone.
10:21Co-written by Giorgio Moroder and Tom Whitlock, the track captured the spirit of the original
10:26movie and helped cement Loggins as the king of the movie soundtrack.
10:36For the long-awaited 2022 sequel Top Gun Maverick, Loggins re-recorded the song with a modern twist,
10:42but star and producer Tom Cruise chose to stick with the original version.
10:46Danger Zone experienced a massive resurgence
10:48following its inclusion in the film's opening moments.
10:55It returned to the charts in several countries, proving that a well-placed classic
10:59can still electrify audiences decades later.
11:0220. Holding Out For A Hero, Bonnie Tyler
11:12While the good men and gods may have gone,
11:14this song will never leave our collective consciousness.
11:23Initially recorded by Bonnie Tyler for the Footloose soundtrack,
11:26Holding Out For A Hero has received several boosts thanks to its inclusion in various films and shows.
11:31The fairy godmother's take on the track in Shrek 2
11:34plays over one of the franchise's most action-packed sequences.
11:39It's easily the highlight of Jennifer Saunders' iconic voice performance.
11:43Years later, the song received a much more adult treatment in season 2 of Euphoria
11:47when theater kid Lexi used it to poke fun at toxic bad boy Nate Jacobs.
11:52Regardless of the context, Holding Out For A Hero remains larger than life.
11:5619. Time After Time, Cyndi Lauper
12:03If we had a photo album of 80s memories,
12:06this would be the picture that absolutely refuses to fade.
12:17Time After Time has taken on a life of its own
12:20as the essential slow dance scene soundtrack across media.
12:23It really got a boost after it appeared in 1997's Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion.
12:35From there, the song endured through the 2000s and 2010s
12:39with similarly heartwarming moments in Napoleon Dynamite and Stranger Things.
12:43Its tender lyrics focus on a drum beating out of time.
12:46The imagery of the song helped it become an anthem for outcasts
12:50looking to find support and community among each other.
12:53As the second hand unwinds,
12:55Time After Time continues to unite the wallflowers and misfits.
13:0618. Don't You Forget About Me, Simple Minds
13:10Thanks to its association with The Breakfast Club,
13:12Simple Minds' Don't You Forget About Me will forever be remembered
13:15as one of the most beloved hits of the 80s.
13:18That said, it also had a moment in the early 2010s thanks to being embraced by Easy A.
13:23But the song's dominance didn't stop there.
13:26Nickelodeon's Victorious, Pitch Perfect, and even Glee
13:29all had their own renditions of the feel-good song.
13:38This anthem was a way for younger kids to urge their peers
13:41to cherish the fun times before going their separate ways.
13:44Previously the theme song of Gen X nostalgia,
13:47Millennials and Gen Zs can also relate to the song's coming-of-age message.
13:59They've bought a ticket to the world, but now they've come back again.
14:07Spandau Ballet's moody ballad True has seen a new way to express itself.
14:13Besides belonging to the genre, it made a comeback nearly a decade later
14:17after being sampled in hip-hop group PM Don's Set Adrift on Memory Bliss.
14:28Maintaining the song's riff and expanding even further on the unique atmosphere,
14:32it's the rare remake that's just as good as the original.
14:35True is most often tied to the 80s movie Sixteen Candles.
14:42However, it also made for a good gag on Modern Family
14:49when Edward Norton appeared as a fictitious member of Spandau Ballet.
15:01Whitney Houston's I Wanna Dance With Somebody is the go-to 80s song
15:05for happy on-screen and real-life occasions.
15:13Still a floor-filler decades later, it's a staple at weddings and dances as well in rom-coms.
15:21Jenna's getting-ready scene in Thirteen Going On Thirty is easily one of the film's
15:25most beloved moments because of this banger of a song choice.
15:29And of course, The Voice's 2022 biopic named after the song once again renewed its popularity.
15:43One scene shows Houston enthusiastically listening
15:46to a demo before deciding she has to have it for herself.
15:50And as they say, the rest was history.
16:00For all we know, the child in the title might have kids of their own by now.
16:11Guns N' Roses' biggest smash first saw a resurgence
16:14when Sheryl Crow covered Sweet Child O' Mine in 1999.
16:18Now and then when I see his face, it takes me away to that special place.
16:25In the years since, the original has been featured in movies like 2008's Step Brothers,
16:30where Adam Scott's character showed us the fun and dangers of carpool karaoke.
16:34The song also featured prominently in 2022's Thor Love & Thunder.
16:38Thanks to its inclusion in the film,
16:40we had proof that the Guardians don't have an MCU monopoly on rock throwbacks.
16:45With lyrics of rose-colored childhood memories,
16:47it's no wonder Sweet Child O' Mine continues to resonate.
16:59Originally written as a protest song encouraging listeners to use their voices,
17:03Shout was repurposed for Shout for England for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
17:08Dizzy Rascal and a pre-late show James Corden combined their talents for some team spirit.
17:13While England sadly underperformed, the pair's efforts did not.
17:17The remade Shout debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart,
17:20introducing the song to a new generation with a new meaning.
17:30Meanwhile, the original has been used for dramatic and comedic effects
17:34The original has been used for dramatic and comedic effect alike,
17:38from Netflix's Dark to Everybody Hates Chris.
17:41Did you really expect it to go out with a whimper?
17:53Since its introduction in the 1980s as the Rocky III theme song,
17:57Survivor's Eye of the Tiger has gotten the crowd hyped at many a sporting event,
18:01boxing or otherwise.
18:04This song's competitive spirit has appeared in live-action movies and animated fare alike.
18:15However, not every use has been welcomed by the band.
18:23Political figures like Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich
18:25infamously faced legal action for using the song during their campaigns.
18:29Fortunately, incidents like that didn't stop Eye of the Tiger from getting in movies and shows.
18:35Case in point, Peter Griffin gives a surprisingly strong rendition of the song
18:42as he encourages Lois in the ring.
18:47Everyone loves some 80s cheese, and Livin' on a Prayer is a giant wheel of it.
18:53Bon Jovi's 1986 signature anthem about a struggling working-class couple
18:58continues to be referenced in pop culture today,
19:00with even their own songs calling back to it.
19:02The arena rockers mentioned Tommy and Gina in their 2000 hit It's My Life,
19:07dedicating the song to them for never backing down.
19:22In 2013, Livin' on a Prayer made a comeback to the charts
19:26after a 2009 video of a Boston Celtics fan dancing his heart out in the bleachers went viral.
19:31The song also appears in season 3 of Supergirl when villainous Rain breaks into prison.
19:47Who are we to disagree?
19:49Despite its title, Sweet Dreams sounds more like a nightmare.
19:59The 1983 hit's ominous vibe has made it a favorite for modern movie trailers,
20:04from A Wrinkle in Time to House of Gucci.
20:07It's also been covered numerous times, most notably by Marilyn Manson in 1995.
20:20His industrial rock rendition ramped the creepy factor up to 11,
20:24with Billboard calling its music video one of the scariest of all time.
20:28Actress Emily Browning also covered Sweet Dreams for the 2011 film Sucker Punch,
20:33and Britney Spears sampled it in Everybody from her 2007 album Blackout.
20:37Sweet Dreams was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2020,
20:41solidifying its status as a timeless 80s gem.
20:49How did a quirky new wave song about pogo dancing become so popular?
20:59Well, after the death of disco in the early 80s, pogoing was the new style of dance.
21:08Consisting of jumping up and down in place,
21:11Men Without Hats lead singer Ivan Dorshuk was kicked out of a club for trying the trend,
21:15and wrote the safety dance in protest.
21:19The song later appeared on South Park in 2015,
21:25and Alaska Airlines filmed a parody video in 2020 to promote their COVID-19 safety precautions.
21:35With lyrics about hand-washing and mask-wearing,
21:37the company chose the perfect song to get the message across.
21:44With a beat this infectious,
21:46it's easy to see why Tainted Love continues to bewitch well into the 21st century.
21:58Its opening synth instantly transports the listener to a seedy underground club from the future,
22:03making its inclusion in Doctor Who a no-brainer.
22:06In the second episode of the 2005 revival series,
22:09Christopher Eccleston's Ninth Doctor can be seen dancing to it at Lady Cassandra's
22:13end-of-the-world party.
22:21A year later, Rihanna sampled the song in her hit S.O.S.,
22:25referencing other 80s throwbacks by Aha, Michael Jackson, and Tears for Fears in her lyrics.
22:30Contrary to popular belief, Tainted Love precedes the 2000s and the 80s.
22:35Before Soft Cell covered it, it was actually a 60s soul song by Gloria Jones.
22:44Nothing ever lasts forever, except this song's legacy.
23:01Possibly one of the deepest chart-toppers ever recorded,
23:03Everybody Wants to Rule the World's existentialist lyrics grow more relevant with every passing year.
23:09Having Lorde cover it can't hurt either.
23:11While Tears for Fears' original version contrasts its heavy lyrics with upbeat production,
23:16Lorde's 2013 cover for The Hunger Games' Catching Fire soundtrack
23:20goes full dystopian in true capital fashion.
23:31With its profound lines about greed, corruption, and human nature in the Cold War era,
23:36Everybody Wants to Rule the World continues to resonate with listeners around the world,
23:40no matter the decade.
23:51Journey's Don't Stop Believin' just seems to get bigger with each passing year.
24:02It became particularly synonymous with 80s nostalgia in the late 2000s.
24:06Back then, it was used prominently in not one but two huge and wildly different TV series.
24:12It first closed out the bittersweet series finale of The Sopranos in 2007.
24:17It then got a wholesome rendition from New Directions in the pilot episode of Glee.
24:25Seasons later, it stands as one of the show's most beloved covers,
24:29resonating with listeners from all walks of life whether they assign it to endings or beginnings.
24:34Millions are still holding on to that feeling.
24:42Syntpop is one of the 1980s' most beloved genres,
24:46and Take On Me is arguably its crowning achievement.
24:56A sonic sugar rush from beginning to end,
24:59it gave Norwegian trio A-HA their first and only number one hit on the Billboard Hot 100,
25:05as well as one of the most iconic music videos of the MTV era.
25:15Flash forward to 2013, when it was sampled by the most unlikely artist possible,
25:20Pitbull. His duet with Christina Aguilera,
25:23Feel This Moment, transformed the iconic keyboard melody into a party song.
25:30When the rapper-singer duo performed at the 2013 Billboard Music Awards,
25:39they invited original A-HA singer Morten Harket on stage to celebrate the song's renewed success.
25:48Whether or not you lived through the 80s,
25:50you're almost certainly familiar with the steamy saxophone riff.
25:59George Michael's Careless Whisper hits perfectly when you're seeking out a serious,
26:05soulful breakup jam. But its flair for the dramatic is undeniably funny out of context.
26:17The song was used in memes galore throughout the 2010s,
26:20and even received a major movie moment thanks to its inclusion in Deadpool.
26:24In the film's final minute, Wade pulls out his phone to play Careless Whisper
26:28during his big kiss scene with Vanessa,
26:30leading into the end credits where an animated Deadpool plays the saxophone.
26:46The arrival of Stranger Things in 2016 introduced Generation Z to dozens of 80s classics,
26:53but none has received a boost quite like Toto's soft rock masterpiece.
26:58In the show's series premiere, Africa blasts over Nancy and Steve's makeout session.
27:07The song proved extremely popular among young fans of the show,
27:10and Weezer took note of its renewed popularity. The band's 2018 rendition
27:15became their first number one hit on Billboard's alternative chart in a decade.
27:20And they weren't the only ones to jump on the Africa bandwagon. Later that year,
27:24Pitbull sampled it in Ocean to Ocean, which played in the DC film Aquaman
27:28to unintentionally hilarious effect.
27:41The 1980s were full of bombastic power ballads, but none of them were as
27:45The 1980s were full of bombastic power ballads, but none are as beloved
27:51and ridiculed as Total Eclipse of the Heart.
28:02Thanks to its massive chorus and melodramatic lyrics, a 2013 survey saw it voted the most
28:08popular song to sing in the shower over more recent hits by Justin Bieber and One Direction.
28:13Much like Mariah Carey around the holidays,
28:16it also gets a bump whenever there's a real-life solar or lunar eclipse.
28:24During the solar eclipse of August 2017,
28:27Bonnie Tyler performed the song on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship
28:30with Joe Jonas' band DNCE backing her.
28:33Once upon a time, there was light in my life. Now there's only love in the dark.
28:40Despite its story of falling apart,
28:42new listeners are still falling in love with Total Eclipse of the Heart.
28:51Forget roads, hills and buildings,
28:53this 80s anthem ran up the charts a whopping three times.
28:57It doesn't hurt me. Do you wanna feel how it feels?
29:03Kate Bush's Running Up That Hill, A Deal With God made a minor comeback
29:06when a remix of the song was included in the 2012 Summer Olympics closing ceremony.
29:11But it wouldn't make waves across the pond until a decade later
29:15when it arrived in season four of Stranger Things.
29:22Heavily tied into Max's storyline throughout the season,
29:25Bush gave the show's producers her personal blessing to use the passionate track.
29:29It certainly paid off. The track became a worldwide hit that introduced her catalog
29:34to Gen Z listeners via Netflix, TikTok and elsewhere.
29:38These days, we're betting she wouldn't swap places with anyone.
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30:06Just as its lyrics promised, this 80s smash hit is never gonna say goodbye.
30:19Three decades after its release, Never Gonna Give You Up resurfaced in 2007
30:24when 4chan users posted disguised links to the music video at unexpected moments.
30:28The now common practice, known as Rickrolling,
30:31revived singer Rick Astley's career and became one of the biggest memes in internet history.
30:45Astley, who originally called the meme weird, eventually embraced the song's second life
30:50and gave a surprise performance at the 2008 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
31:03As of 2024, the Never Gonna Give You Up music video has over 1.6 billion views
31:08and the song has cemented its place in past and present pop culture.
31:12What are the 80 songs that will never lose their replay value for you?
31:16Share them with us in the comments below.
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