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Three more forgotten ones that come to mind: *John Parr - Naughty Naughty (1985) - I never hear that one anywhere. Haven't heard it on the radio since the late '80s. *Stan Bush - The Touch (1986) - Most famous to those who remember the one true Transformers movie (not that Michael Bay b.s.) *The Sisters of Mercy - Soooo many songs from their short recording career. Take your pick: Lucretia My Reflection, More, Dominion, Detonation Boulevard, and a bunch more.
My favorite artists in the ‘80s - ‘90s Rock, grunge, and metal bands: Metallica, Nirvana, and Guns N’ Roses Hip Hop: Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg, 2Pac, Eminem, and N.W.A
Exactly. *Mexican Radio* was well-known. Anything by GreatWhiteLionSnake was popular. *But not tonight* was popular because it was Depeche Mode. *Lady in Red* and *Don’t pay the Ferryman* were very, very well known. *No Way Out* for goodness sake was in Rocky… *Ride like the Wind* was the epitome of mainstream, as was *Wild, Wild West* … Basically, your list was a shout saying that you didn’t live in the 80s
Laura Brannigan's "Self Control" went to #5 in the UK; #4 in America; #3 in Australia; #2 in Ireland; and #1 in Australia Top 40, Canada, Finland, France, and Germany. Safe to say people heard this song.
You obviously didn't pay attention to the video. Laura Branigan's version is a cover. The one you supposedly haven't heard of is the original version by Raf released that same year.
Talk Talk deserve a mention on this list. They are a hugely brilliant and very underrated band. They started off with a synthpop sound, before moving into alternative rock in the mid 80s, and eventually branching out into experimental jazz rock towards the end of their existence. They had a few hits, e.g. It's My Life, and Life's What You Make it, but one of their best songs is Living In Another World'.
Ohhh, I get it. This list was compiled by people born in the 90's and 00's. I've heard most of these until I'm blue in the face, but I was plopped in front of the Mtv any time I was allowed to watch. Dancing With Tears In My Eyes is an amazing song. Sad, but great.
For those of us who were college-age adults, MTV was IT!!! The early years, programs like 'IRS's The Cutting Edge' and 'Night Flight'(USA Network) kept me up at night and made my college studies a little harder to concentrate. I didn't care, I got them done... We grew up with three channels and paid out the wazoo for cable with a smile.
Tracey Ullman's "They Don't Know" is missing in this countdown, at least as an honorary mention. It's a great song and I'm sure A LOT of people never heard of it... They don't know (Pun intended)
i forget what year kirsty's hit the airwaves but it was even better. though the video for tracey's is unforgettable (and also very well done, just not quite up to kirsty's ridiculously high bar)
Tracey had several great covers, I really enjoyed her version of 'Life is a Rock" (Originally from 1974, recorded by some studio musicians that called themselves 'Reunion'.)
Marillion's "Misplaced Childhood" will forever be one of my favorite albums from beginning to end. "Kayleigh" goes into "Lavender," and you really have to listen to them together. ❤
Marillion has been called "England's best-kept secret" and "the best band you've never heard of." _Misplaced Childhood_ and its followup _Clutching at Straws_ are brilliant albums, and their later work when Steve "h" Hogarth replaced Fish continues that brilliance.
'Kayleigh' was a big hit in the UK, and is still the bane of every woman called that, just like 'Smooth Criminal' is the bane of everyone called any variation of Annie. I've heard 'The Sun Always Shines On TV' about 500 times, i love that song, if people really haven't heard it then it does deserve to be #1.
In the States they rarely play anything by a-ha that isn't Take on Me, despite their immense catalog of music and so many good ones on Hunting High and Low, including Hunting High and Low, Train of Thought, and The Sun Always Shines on TV. It's a shame.
@@jenw5056 It's the same here, A-Ha treated like a one hit wonder, I agree it is a shame. I just heard TSASOT so much because I choose to have it on, I never tire of it, Morten has a great singing voice. 🙂
I hate to admit how many of these songs are on my playlist. I must have liked the things everyone else was unaware of, at least according to this list.
Don’t sweat it. It’s a bad list. Some of these were even big hits. “Self Control” by Laura Brannigan??? That was a huge hit. Whoever put this list together should be fired. LOL
Same here. At least half of these songs are on my Spotify, namely Don't Pay The Ferryman, No Easy Way Out, and Dead Man's Party. Three of my all time favorite songs.
Good list!! 85% of these songs I already knew and loved (due to being a child of the 80's with two sisters in their late teens - bringing home LOTS of music & influences!! They were 13/14 years older, so really formed my earliest tastes in music!) The Sun Always Shines on TV has been one of my top 80's songs since it came out in '85! And thanks for the jogging of my memory on The Racoons theme song!! I had forgotten about that one! I think I'll add it to my Retro playlist! Cheers!
Laura Branigan's "Self Control" is one of my favorite songs of the 80's. It's so catchy and has such a great beat. On a different note, "No Easy Way Out," which was featured in Rocky 4, was very recently covered by a phenomenal musician from Sweden named Tommy Johansson. I can't recommend it highly enough if you haven't seen it. Go check it out.
@@darkehorse71 Damn dude, that was freaking awesome. Thanks for suggesting it. I just finished listening to it and their sound is amazing. I honestly wasn't super impressed with the lead singer, but their harmonies were great. But the band sounded absolutely awesome. Have a good one.
The album with that song on it was amazing! Ironically I heard it in a casino last weekend lol! Takes me back to college, since it was a standard tape I studied to.
So happy to see Killing Joke get some love. I first heard them on the 80s surf movie North Shore. That movie had a great soundtrack featuring Pseudo Echo, Killing Joke, and more!
It has been in the Top 2000 since the beginning. Highest position 38 and lowest 221. Anything but forgotten in The Netherlands. "Cambodia", "Dancing With Tears in My Eyes" and "It's A Sin" are other songs in this list that have been in the Top 2000 since the beginning
Dead Man's Party, Ride Like the Wind, Wild Wild West and that song from Rocky IV were EVERYWHERE in the 80's. Crazy they are on this list. I would have chosen Afterimage by Rush.
The sun always shine on tv is my favorite song from a-ha, the music is so theatrical... The second one, on my list, is crying in the rain (who was a cover), just beautiful...
Geez guys! Thanks for all the great additions, but I can’t possibly scroll and screenshot the entire comment thread, lol. Grateful for all the deep-cuts provided. It was 0°F in Minnesota when I awoke to walk my dog. Now, I’ve got a whole cold afternoon’s worth of flashback tracks from my teens! Yay. 🙏🏽✌🏽💙 from Minnesota, USA
There were 7 songs I knew on that list. I may have not known the name or what group it was but I liked only those seven. I was in high-school during the 80'S so I'm sure that helps. The song Ride like the wind was used in a commercial back in 84-85 for the Huffy ten speed bike that I was so excited about getting it.
But Not Tonight was not on the Black Celebration. It was a b-side that was included on extended versions of the album later on. To talk about it like it was part of the original album shows how little research Mojo actually do.
OK…60 years old…and have heard them all. Actually, own the CD for most of them. “Run With Us” was on a cartoon show, so I couldn’t find the CD, but heard it. But to clarify, I lived in Germany during the early 80’s, so I might have a leg up over others. Was in love with Laura Brannigan, Kim Wyde and Chrissy Hyde. The Chris Deburgh tune that I think of is “High on Emotion”…but “Don’t Pay the Ferryman” was awesome also. “Age of Consent” and “Wild, Wild, West”..Both good dance tunes. “It’s a Sin” is NOT a Deep Cut! Made out with my first girlfriend to Christopher Cross…but mostly to “Sailing”. You notice most of these dudes dressed the same. I still have my ankle-length tweed jacket…doesn’t fit, but I still have it.
Self Control is the "Fluffy Farts" song. So, my best friend and I are camping in a tent in his back yard. In the tent with us is his Old English Sheepdog, Fluffy, who had horrible gas that night. Jimmy starts singing, "Through the night, through the dawn, Fluffy farts, all night long!" And thus Self Control will always be the Fluffy Farts song.
The picture in 16:30 shows the same singer as the one who sings the cover, Grace Slick. The person pretending to choke her is actually Janis Joplin. One of the most iconic and successful female rock performers of her era.
@@dawnieangel76 I mean I'm 53, but this was a #4 hit in the US. That's not the kind of song that you call obscure. Anyway, I could swear I hear it in stores and stuff.
Laura Branigan - Self Control; Oingo Boingo - Dead Mans Party; Pet Shop Boys - It's A Sin; Christopher Cross - Ride Like The Wind; Marillion - Kayleigh; and A-ha - The Sun Always Shines On T.V. are hits in Brasil.
This was fun to check out and brought back some great memories. Of course to suggest "you've never heard of" is subjective; in fact, quite a few of these songs were popular enough or the artists were known well enough that many people had heard of them. There are definitely some top songs from that era though, no question. This inspired me to come up with (a lot more than) 20 of my own songs that I personally think are excellent and didn't get enough attention at the time, so maybe did slip by a lot of listeners. Listed in no particular order: 1. The Tubes: Piece by Piece 2. Meat Loaf: Standing on the Outside 3. Billy Squier: Rock Out, Punch Somebody 4. The Cars: Double Trouble 5. Real Life: Open Hearted 6. Stone Fury: Break Down the Walls 7. Franke & the Knockouts: Outrageous 8. Survivor: Oceans 9. The Cure: Let's Go to Bed 10. Benny Mardones: She's So French 11. KISS: Naked City 12. Helix: Deep Cuts the Knife 13. Icon: Danger Calling 14. White Wolf: She 15. Cheap Trick: Space 16. Black Sabbath: Danger Zone 17. Shy: When the Love is Over 18. The Romantics: Rhythm Romance 19. ZZ Top: Planet of Women 20. Vain: Secrets
Dancing with tears in my eyes was about getting back to your loved ones before the nuclear bomb went off. Truly terrifying as a 10 year old in the 80's here in the UK
I love Self-control, be it Brannigan's or RAF's version. I love everything by Stan Ridgway!! Wings of the storm is quite cool. Don't pay the ferryman is way better than Lady in Red! New Order is always great. Kim Wilde was always so dancey! and the pet Shop Boys are wonderful, always!! Aha has a lot of great tunes, and so has Marillion! Chrissie Hynde is great, etc etc. I did not remember Dead man's party: nice discovery!! .
I had OMD's "Forever Live and Die" melody in my head for over 40 years without knowing it was an actual song until I heard it on one of those 80's songs complications found on YT.
I knew all but 4 of these. I'm surprised some of the ones that made this list... It's a Sin, No Easy Way Out, Wild Wild West, Self Control, Dead Mans Party... those were played at the skating rink every weekend.
Gen X is out here. Most of us have heard these songs. "Don't Pay The Ferryman" was considered cool by us. I have heard of all of these songs. New Order, White Snake, Kim Wilde. I bought Kim Wilde's music on Cassette. Chequered Love was one of her great songs , too. Ultra Vox, loved their music. I play their CDs all the time, especially on car road trips. Kayleigh was a hot song. I knew years ago it would be a popular baby name. It was an underused celtic Scots name. Its still used mow. Doelled many ways. Dead Man's Party was our going out to the bar-club song. The Sun Always Shines On TV is my favorite Ah ha song! Love it, it hooks me to the time and place iny life when the song came out.
Self Control - Laura Branigan was number 1 on the Billboard charts for 6 weeks, I still hear it on 80's radio stations and streaming playlists...I find it hard to believe anyone would put it in the "never heard of" list.
I remember seeing a post once when someone found an Oingo-Boingo song and said "wow, it's like Jack Skellington in a rock band" and people were like "Boy, do I have good news for you!"
Self Control by Laura Brenigan is literally me and my mom's theme song together with Bohemian Rhapsody. It's been playing on our country's radio for many years, so definitely not a unknown song (not from the USA though).
I feel I should mention another hidden gem, albeit, not a big hit in America. "Voyage, Voyage" by Desireless has a very 80s sound, but is sung in French. Sure, I listen to it. Don't know what she's saying, but I still listen, cause it sounds good.
I've heard all these, many times. Some like "Wild Wild West" and "Dead Man's Party" were on heavy rotation on MTV during their time, so they aren't exactly obscure.
There's 4 songs that stand out here, because they were heard by many, big radio hits that we're played heavily. 1. Self control , 2. Don't pay the ferryman, 3. Ride like the win , 4. Wild wild west. Why are they on this list?
My daughter was born in 2000 and we named her Kaylee. I'd never heard of the song "Kayleigh" until people kept asking me if she was named after that song.
I guess it depends on whether you are a fan of the artist or band. Christopher Cross Ride the Wind and Aha's Sun always on TV are still on my 80's song playlist.
Really, maybe YOU've never heard of these but many of these still continously play on the radio here and are much listened since the 80's. Some legendary hits like It's a sin and Self control for example. 🤦♀️
20. Heard it 19. Heard it. 18. Never heard of it. 17. Never heard of it. 16. Never heard of it. 15. Never heard of it. 14. Never heard of it. 13. Never heard of it. 12. Maybe. 11. Never heard of it. 10. Maybe. 9. I've heard of it. 8. Never heard of it. 7. Never heard of it. 6. Never heard of it. 5. Never heard of it. 4. Heard of it. 3. Heard of it. 2. Never heard of it. 1. Never heard of it.
Self Control was written by Raf, Giancarlo Bigazzi and Steve Piccolo . Raf didn’t have a International Music Contract that’s why they let Laura Sing this Song who was already popular in the US with her Song Gloria.
I am from Italy and Self Control was a total hit back in the 80s, especially in the Raf version (the original one, that I find better than the Laura Branigan cover)
I was just thinking this week how The Sun Always Shines On TV is the best song from the 80's that no one seems to have heard of. The video is amazing as well. But you're missing an entire band - Cock Robin. Amazingly talented, American band but they weren't really marketed here, but in Europe, where they were very popular. Do yourself a favor and listen to some of their songs, you can find their videos here, and the female singer was a smoke show.
Probably the best 80's pop song of all time- my personal favorite- would be Peter Schilling's "Coming Home." Really really excellent and powerful melodic synth pop. It's a shame this song isn't more remembered.
A few of the ones you mentioned such as A-ha/Chris De Burgh were very familiar to me and I thought were semi-classics. But what about Phil Oakey - Goodbye Bad Times, with Giorgio Moroder, a great classic sounding song that only barely Top Fiftied,, Bryan Ferry - Don't Stop The Dance, The Clash - This Is England, my favorite of theirs, Godley/Creme - Under My Thumb (not to be confused with The Stones' sixties classic), Rolling Stones - She's So Cold, one of the few later ones of theirs that I liked as it was one of their more distinctive later ones, Don Henley - Boys Of Summer, Roger Daltrey - Under The Raging Moon, The Who - Athena, and a few Freddy Mercury solos, all ones you don't hear today. I am glad I came across your video. It has encouraged me to listen to some of these shortly.
"Mutual Surrender" by Bourgeois Tagg is one of my favorite obscure songs from the 80s. Also, "Feel The Way That I Do" by Shoes! I am of fan several of the songs on your list ;-)
New Order has so many good songs. Interesting that they made different versions. So like songs like Temptation and Ceremony, there are different versions, so you can have your favorite. Also, a good Kim Wilde song is “You Came”, an upbeat later 80s tune.
Not gonna lie …I used to sing self control in the mirror with a Hairbrush as my microphone lol. I loved that song it’s a sin ..totally forgot about it . And I remember watching the video for Don’t pay the ferryman on MTV . The 80’s were awesome 😎 😎😎
Chrisie Hinds was so cool, I just loved her, great female role model. Somehow I always think of her song "Don't Get Me Wrong" because the video had scenes from the original brit show "The Avengers" and as a kid I thought Diana Rigg was just awesome like Chrisie.
There was only one song that I didn't know on this list and that was A Mission In Life by Stan Ridgway. Hell, half of these songs are on my regular music rotation!
