Top 30 80s Songs That Got Popular Again

[Music] welcome to watch Mojo 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 tonight number 30 Fast Car Tracy Chapman we have a feeling this folk rock song will live on forever I tick May a deal Tracy Chapman's fast car first gained widespread Acclaim after her performance at Nelson Mandela's 70th birthday tribute concert in 1988 the song Hit number six on the Hot 100 and earned Chapman a Grammy [Music] award over two decades later it re-entered the spotlight when Michael Collings

performed it on Britain's Got Talent in 2011 sending it to New Heights on the UK charts fast car enjoyed yet another Resurgence after country star Luke Colmes covered it on his 2023 album getting old this version became a massive summer hit reaching number two on the charts and making Chapman the first black person to win the CMA award for song of the [Music] year number 29 never let me down again the depes mode when it was first released depes Mode's never let me down again was an instant hit across Europe cracking the top 10 in

several [Music] countries while the song has indeed never let fans down with its uptempo beats and infectious synths it also helped prop the band up keeping their legacy alive through decades again the track had faded from public memory until 2023 when it was featured on HBO's The Last of Us following its use in the series premiere it saw a staggering 200% increase in streaming overnight and gained popularity on Tik Tok its appearance in the episode may have spelled Doom for the show's characters but in real life it helped introduce to PES mode to a new

generation of listeners number 28 Where Is My Mind Pixies a truly great song always finds its way back into the spotlight no matter how long ago it was released with your the head on ground on their debut album Surfer Rosa American alt rock band Pixies included a song that initially flew under the radar it wasn't even released as a single however over a decade later the song gained new life when it was played during the closing scene of 1999's Fight Club by then the Pixies had disbanded but the movie success propelled the song to such

popularity that It ultimately contributed to the band's reunion in [Music] [Applause] 2004 ask today whereas my mind has become a staple in film and TV often used to depict characters struggling to distinguish reality from illusion where number 27 Material Girl Madonna A Material Girl never goes out of style and this Madonna classic certainly proves [Music] that released as a single from her sophomore album Material Girl Rose to number two on the Hot 100 and produced one of her most iconic music videos [Music] it's been covered by stars like Britney Spears and Hillary Duff but perhaps

its biggest generational Revival came in 2019 when rapper Saucy Santana dropped his own track with the same title chck keep the while not a cover Santana's version was inspired by Madonna's concept and even earned her approval the song's popularity on Tik Tok Rev rived interest in Madonna's original and led to a collaboration between the two artists in 2022 they released material gel blending the old and new into a fresh [Music] Anthem number 26 Take My Breath Away Berlin it's rare for a song created specifically for a film to take on a life of its own

but that is exactly what happened with Berlin's Take My Breath Away watch every in love this game the New Wave band wrote the tune for the 1986 action film Top Gun and it became a massive hit it topped the charts in both the US and UK and won the Oscar for best original song [Music] anti just as the Top Gun franchise has soared to Greater Heights since then the song has endured as well in 1990 it saw a Resurgence in the UK after Top Gun premiered on television and pujo featured the track in a series

of commercials this time it reached number three on the [Music] charts number 25 99 Lu balons [Music] Nina at the height of Cold War tensions German New Wave band Nina delivered the ultimate anti-war Anthem the song which follows the chaos that ensues after 99 Red Balloons are mistaken for enemy aircraft became a massive success topping charts around the [Music] world but even as the cold war came to an end 99 Lu balones never completely faded Into Obscurity the song saw a brief Resurgence in 2006 during a hurricane Katrina fundraiser when one diard fan donated $355,000

to have it played non-stop on VH1 Classic for 1 hour [Music] the timing was fitting as the world faced a new wave of political tension and the devastation caused by the hurricane mirrored the aftermath of [Music] War number 24 Somebody's Watching Me Rockwell featuring Michael Jackson paranoia has a way of creeping in no matter how hard you try to shake it off which explains why the song resurfaces every now and again I'm just an average man with an average life I work from 9 to 5 he I pay the price dubbed The Perennial paranoia Rock

Anthem by Rolling Stone somebody's watching me is pretty much the only memorable hit by Rockwell the son of mtown founder Barry Gordy when I'm in the shower I'm afraid to wash my hair cuz I might open my eyes and find someone standing there featuring The unmistakable vocals of Michael Jackson in the chorus this tune hit number two in the US and was commercially successful around the [Music] globe thanks to its Eerie themes it has become a Halloween staple it was during that period in 2021 that the song found new life on Tik Tok climbing back

onto the charts and peeking at number 47 in the [Music] uks number 23 another one Bites the Dust Queen the impact of British Rock Band Queen on music will probably be felt until the end of time let's [Applause] go that notion is perfectly encapsulated in their bestselling single Another One Bites the Dust it was the band's second and final number one hit in the US and while it initially dropped off the charts it later made a remarkable comeback I going to get along that g in 2018 the song was featured in the trailer for Bohemian

rap city the biographical film about lead singer Freddy Mercury this brought the track back into the mainstream propelling it into the top 20 of Billboard's Hot Rock songs chart it became even more popular reaching the top five following the 2019 Academy Awards where the film won four [Music] trophies number 22 Heaven is a a place on Earth Belinda [Music] [Applause] carile some songs perfectly capture the Zeitgeist of the era in which they were created few do that as well as Belinda carlile's Heaven is a place on Earth this synth heavy pop rock tune catapulted carile

to stardom becoming her only chart topper in the US and earning her a Grammy nomination it also served as an inspiration for Black Mirror Creator Charlie Brooker while he was writing the acclaimed episode San Junipero which is set in the80s as a result Brooker featured the song prominently at the beginning and end of the episode as viewers watched many were either transported back to the good old days or discovered carile for the first time significantly reigniting the song's popularity heaven heaven number 21 danger zone Kenny Loggins the 1986 action classic Top Gun delivered adrenaline pumping

aerial sequences that were Amplified by its Unforgettable [Music] soundtrack one of the most iconic songs was Kenny Logan's high octane Anthem Danger Zone co-written by Georgio maroder and Tom witlock the track captured the spirit of the original movie and helped cement loggin as the king of the movie soundtrack [Music] got for the long awaited 20122 sequel top gun Maverick loggin re-recorded the song with a modern twist but star and producer Tom Cruz chose to stick with the original version danger zone experienced a massive Resurgence following its inclusion in the film's opening moments it returned to

the charts in several countries proving that a well-placed CL classic can still Electrify audiences decades later number 20 Holding Out for a Hero Bonnie Tyler while the good men and gods may have gone this song will never leave our Collective Consciousness where all and all initially recorded by Bonnie Tyler for the Foot Loose soundtrack Holding Out for a Hero has received several boosts thanks to its incl in various films and shows the fairy Godmother's take on the track in Shrek 2 plays over one of the franchise's most action-packed sequences it's easily the highlight of Jennifer

Saunders iconic voice performance years later the song received a much more adult treatment in season 2 of euphoria when theater kid Lexi used it to poke fun at toxic bad boy Nate Jacobs regardless of the context Holding Out for a Hero remains Larger than Life I'm Holding Out for a her the end of the number 19 Time After Time Cindy Lopper if we had a photo album of 80s memories this would be the picture that absolutely refuses to [Music] fade time after time has taken on a life of its own as the essential slow dance

scene soundtrack across media it really got a Boost after it appeared in 1997's ROM and Michelle's high school reunion you can look and you will find me after from there the song endured through the 2000s and 2010s with similarly heartwarming moments in Napoleon Dynamite and stranger things its tender lyrics focus on a drum beating out of time the imagery of the song helped it become an Anthem for outcasts looking to find support and Community among each other as the second hand unwinds Time After Time continues to unite the wallf flowers and misfits if you fall

I will catch you I will beting after time number 18 Don't You Forget About Me Simple Minds thanks to its association with The Breakfast Club Simple Minds Don't You Forget About Me will forever be remembered as one of the most beloved hits of [Music] the80s that said it also had a moment in the early 2010s thanks to being embraced by easya a but the song's dominance didn't stop there Nickelodeon's Victorious Pitch Perfect and even Glee all had their own Renditions of the Feelgood song This Anthem was a way for younger kids to urge their peers

to cherish the fun times before going their separate ways previously the theme song of Gen X Nostalgia Millennials and gen Z's can also relate to the songs coming of age message don't forget about me number 17 true Spandau Ballet they've bought a ticket to the world but now they've come back again so Spandau ballet's Moody ballad true has seen a new wave in more ways than one besides belonging to the genre it made a comeback nearly a decade later after being sampled in hip hop group PM Dawn set a drift on memory Bliss [Music] maintaining

the song's riff and expanding even further on the unique atmosphere it's the rare remake that's just as good as the original true is most often tied to the 80s movie 16 [Music] Candles however it also made for a good gag on Modern Family when Edward Norton appeared as a fictitious member of Spandau Ballet number 16 I want to dance with somebody who loves me Whitney Houston when the nightfalls our Nostalgia calls Whitney Houston's I want to dance with somebody is the goto80 song for Happy on screen in real life occasions strikes the and begin still

a floor filler decades later it's a staple at weddings and dances as well in romcoms Jenna's getting ready scene in 13 Going on 30 is easily one of the film's most beloved moments because of this Banger of a song choice [Music] [Applause] and of course the voices 2022 biopic named after the song once again renewed its popularity one scene shows Houston enthusiastically listening to a demo before deciding she has to have it for herself and as they say the rest was history number 15 Sweet Child of Mine Guns and Roses for all we know the

child in the title might have kids of Their Own by [Music] now guns and& Rose's biggest smash first saw Resurgence when Cheryl Crow covered Sweet Child of Mine in 1999 now and I me in the years since the original has been featured in movies like 200 8 Step Brothers where Adam Scott's character showed us the fun and dangers of carpool karaoke this song also featured prominently in 2022 Thor love and thunder thanks to its inclusion in the film we had proof that the Guardians don't have an MCU Monopoly on Rock Throwbacks with lyrics of rose-colored

childhood memories it's no wonder Sweet Child Of Mind continues to [Music] resonate number 14 shout tears for fear originally written as a protest song encouraging listeners to use their voices shout was repurposed for shout for England for the 2010 FIFA World [Music] Cup dizzy Rascal and a pre-late show James Cordon combined their talents for some team spirit while England sadly underperformed the pair's efforts did not the remade shout debuted at number one on the UK singles chart introducing the song to a new generation with a new meaning these are the things I could do without

meanwhile the original has been used for dramatic and comedic effect alike from Netflix is dark to Everybody Hates Chris did you really expect it to go out with a [Music] whimper number 13 Eye of the Tiger Survivor since its introduction in the 1980s as the rocky 3 theme song survivor's Eye of the Tiger has got got in the crowd hyped at many a sporting event boxing or [Music] otherwise this song's competitive Spirit has appeared in live-action movies and animated Fair alike however not every use has been welcomed by the band political figures like Mitt Romney

and N Gingrich infamously faced legal action for using the song during their campaign fortunately incidents like that didn't stop eye of the tiger from getting in movies and [Applause] shows case in point Peter Griffin gives a surprisingly strong rendition of the song as he encourages Lois in the ring number 12 Living on a Prayer bonji everyone loves some 80s cheese and Living on a Prayer is a giant wheel of it we got to hold on to what we've got it doesn't make a difference make it Bon Jo's 1986 signature Anthem about a struggling workingclass couple

continues to be referenced in pop culture today with even their own songs calling back to it the arena rockers mentioned Tommy and Gina in their 2000 hit It's My Life dedicating the song to them for never backing down it's [Applause] my now in 2013 Living on a Prayer made a comeback to the charts after a 2009 video of a Boston Celtics fan dancing his heart out in the bleachers went viral the song also appears in season 3 of Supergirl when villainous rain breaks into prison I've only come to cleanse the sin of this world didn't

feel like starting with yourself then I'm not of this world number 11 sweet dreams are made of this your rhythmics who are we to disagree despite its title sweet dreams sounds more like a nightmare sweet dreams are made of the ear who am I to dis the 1983 hits ominous Vibe has made it a favorite for modern movie trailers from a wrinkle in time to House of Gucci it's also been covered numerous times most notably by Marilyn Manson in 1995 his industrial Rock rendition ramped the creepy Factor up to 11 with billboard calling its music

video One of the scariest of all time ress Emily Browning also covered Sweet Dreams for the 2011 film Sucker Punch and Britney Spears sampled it in everybody from her 2007 album blackout sweet dreams was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2020 solidifying its status as a Timeless 80s [Music] gem number 10 The Safety Dance Men Without Hats how did a quirky new wave song about Pogo dancing becomes so popular well after the death of disco in the early 80s pogoing was the new style of [Music] dance consisting of jumping up and down in

place Men Without Hats lead singer Ivan doruk was kicked out of a club for trying the trend and wrote The Safety Dance in [Music] protest the song later appeared on South Park in 2015 and Alaska Airlines filmed a parody video in 2020 to promote their covid-19 safety precautions but if your friends don't mask and why don't they mask well they won't fly this airline with lyrics about handwashing and maske wearing the company chose the perfect song to get the message across number nine Tainted Love Soft Cell with a beat this infectious it's easy to see

why Tainted Love continues to bewitch well into the 21st [Music] century I've it's opening synth instantly transports The Listener to a cidy Underground club from the future making its inclusion in Doctor Who a no-brainer in the second episode of the 2005 Revival series Christopher eon's Ninth Doctor can be seen dancing to it at lady Cassandra's end of the world party Refreshments will now be served Earth death in 30 minutes A year later Ranna sampled the song in her hit SOS referencing other 80s Throwbacks by aha Michael Jackson and Tears for Fears in her lyrics contrary

to popular belief Tainted Love precedes the 2000s and the80s before Soft Cell covered it it was actually a 60s soul song by Gloria [Music] Jones number eight Everybody Wants to Rule the World Tears for Fears nothing ever lasts forever except this song's Legacy to there's no possibly one of the deepest chart Toppers ever recorded Everybody Wants to Rule the world's existentialist lyrics grow more relevant with every passing year having Lord cover it can't hurt either while Tears for Fears original version contrasts its heavy lyrics with upbeat production Lord's 2013 cover for The Hunger Games Catching

Fire soundtrack goes full dystopian in true Capital fashion there's a room where the light won't find you holding hands while the walls come with its profound lines about greed corruption and human nature in the Cold War era Everybody Wants to Rule the World continues to resonate with listeners around the world no matter the decade number seven Don't Stop Believing Journey Journeys don't stop beli just seems to get bigger with each passing year just a small girl living in a lonely world it became particularly synonymous with 80s nostalgia in the late 2000s back then it was

used prominently in not one but two huge and wildly different TV series it first closed out the Bittersweet series finale of The Sopranos in 2007 it then got a wholesome rendition from New Directions in the pilot episode of [Music] Glee Seasons later it stands as one of the show's most belov D covers resonating with listeners from all walks of life whether they assign it to endings or Beginnings millions are still holding on to that [Music] feeling number six Take On Me aha synth pop is one of the 1980s most beloved genres and take on me

is arguably its crowning achievement a Sonic Sugar Rush from beginning to end it gave Norwegian Trio aha their first and only number one hit on the Billboard Hot 100 as well as one of the most iconic music videos of the MTV era take flash forward to 2013 when it was sampled by the most unlikely artist possible Pitbull his duet with Christina Aguilera feel this moment transformed the iconic keyboard Melody into a party song [Applause] when the rapper singer Duo performed at the 2013 Billboard Music Awards they invited original aha singer Morton haret on stage to

celebrate the song's renewed success number five Careless Whisper George Michael whether or not you lived through the80s you're almost certainly familiar with the steamy saxophone riff George Michael's Careless Whisper hits perfectly when you're seeking out a serious Soulful breakup Jam but its flare for the dramatic is undeniably funny out of [Music] context the song was used in memes Galore throughout the 2010s and even received a major movie moment thanks to its inclusion in Deadpool in the film's final minute Wade pulls out his phone to play Careless with during his big kiss scene with Vanessa leading

into the end credits where an animated Deadpool plays the saxophone till next time this is your friendly neighborhood pool guy singing I'm going to dance again I dance number four Africa Toto the arrival of stranger things in 2016 introduced Generation Z to dozens of 80s Classics but none has received a boost quite like Toto's soft rock masterpiece [Music] in the show's series premiere Africa blasts over Nancy and Steve's makeout session the song proved extremely popular among young fans of the show and Weezer took note of its renewed popularity the band's 2018 rendition became their first

number one hit on Billboard's alternative chart in a [Music] decade away from you and they weren't the only ones to jump on the Africa bandwagon later that year Pitbull sampled it in Ocean to Ocean which played in the DC film Aquaman to unintentionally hilarious effect against living number three Total Eclipse of the Heart Bonnie Tyler the 1980s were full of bombastic power ballads but none are as beloved and ridiculed as Total Eclipse of the Heart now and then I get a little [Music] TI thanks to its massive chorus and melodramatic lyrics a 2013 survey saw

it voted the most popular song to sing in the shower over more recent hits by Justin Bieber and One Direction much like Mariah Cary around the holidays it also gets a bump whenever there's a real life solar or lunar [Music] eclipse during the solar eclipse of August 2017 Bonnie Tyler performed the song on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship with Joe Jonas's band dnce backing her once upon a time there was light in my life now there's only love in the despite its story of falling apart new listeners are still falling in love with Total Eclipse

of the Heart number two running up that hill a deal with God Kate Bush forget roads Hills and buildings this 80s Anthem ran up the charts a whopping three times it doesn't hurt to feel it Kate Bush's running up that hill a deal with God made a minor comeback when a remix of the song was included in the 2012 Summer Olympics closing ceremony but it wouldn't make waves across the pond until a decade later when it arrived in season 4 of stranger things heavily tied into Max's storyline throughout the season Bush gave the show's producers

her personal blessing to use the passionate track it certainly paid off the track became a worldwide hit that introduced her catalog to gen Z listeners via Netflix Tik Tok and elsewhere these days we're betting she wouldn't swap places with [Music] anyone no problem before we continue be sure to subscribe to our Channel and ring the bell to get notified about our latest videos you have the option to be notified for occasional videos or all of them if you're on your phone make sure you go into your settings and switch on notifications number one Never Going

To Give You Up Rick asley just as its lyrics promised this 80s Smash Hit is never going to say goodbye just to [Music] tell three decades after its release Never Going To Give You Up resurfaced in 2007 when 4chan users posted disguised links to the music video at unexpected moments the now common practice known as Rick Rolling revived singer Rick Ashley's career and became one of the biggest memes in Internet history [Music] you Ashley who originally called the meme weird eventually embraced the song's second life and gave a surprise performance at the 2008 Macy's Thanksgiving

Day Parade going to SA [Music] I like rck rolling as of 2024 the Never Going To Give You Up music video has over 1.6 billion views and the song has cemented its place in past and present pop culture what are the 80 songs that will never lose their replay value for you share them with us in the comments [Applause] below did you enjoy this video check out these other clips from watch Mojo and be sure to subscribe and ring the bell to be notified about our latest videos