Songs of the Year
Songs of the Year: 1984
The greatest year in pop music history?
Nineteen Eighty Four. It’s a book (Orwell), it’s an album (Van Halen), it’s a high point for pop music?
You won’t find many greater years in the history of pop music: Prince, Madonna, Duran Duran, Tina Turner, Michael Jackson (still), Kenny Loggins, Van Halen, Lionel Richie, Culture Club, Cindy Lauper, Kool and the Gang, Sheila E., Huey Lewis and the News, Genesis, Billy Joel and so many other pop luminaries dominated the charts.
You’d have to be completely divorced from the pop universe (and the very idea of pop music) to have anything negative to say about this year.
Don’t like pop? Well, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden and Metallica released perhaps their greatest records.
Don’t like pop or metal? Well, you’re insane, but lo, bands like The Smiths, Replacements and REM are here to save the day with their takes on what is now known as “college rock”.
In short, if you don’t love 1984, you’re probably a bad person.
It’s a simple concept. We pick five of our favorite songs that made the Billboard Top 100 (established in 1958) during any time that year. We also select five “wildcards” that can be any songs released as a single or on an album or EP that year. Finally, we also pick our “worst” song of the year, just for fun.
We started in 1958 and we’re going until we run out of years.
Standings So Far …
Jason’s Talking Heads pick wasn’t a runaway winner, but with 44% of the votes, This Must Be the Place (Naïve Melody) was the clear winner over The Smith’s seminal This Charming Man (from Joe, who was sure it would win, how naïve he was) and Kramzer’s off the beaten-path U2 pick, Like a Song.
Joe: 13
Jason: 11.5
Kramzer: 7.5
Vote
Which Was the Best Song of 1984?
- Let's Go Crazy by Prince (55%, 108 Votes)
- Hold Me Now by The Thompson Twins (32%, 64 Votes)
- Hello Again by the Cars (13%, 26 Votes)
Total Voters: 198
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