Best 80s Songs with One-Word Titles

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Some songs only need one word to tell you what it's all about. There are not a lot of songs with only one-word titles, but there are more than you might think. Some of my favorites include "Yesterday" by The Beatles, "Crazy" by Seal and "Home" by Michael Bublé among many others.

I thought it would be interesting to rank my favorites, but of course focusing just on the 80's decade for now. I had a hard time narrowing it down, so I am going to give you my top 70 songs from the 80's (yep, 70!). A couple songs were technically released in December of 1979, but spent the majority of their time on the charts during 1980, so I decided to include them here. I was going to give you links to videos on all of the songs, but decided to only do the top 25 songs, though I am sure you can find the videos for any of the other 45 songs if you are so inclined.

So, for your reading and listening enjoyment, here is OLD SCHOOL'S TOP 10 SONGS WITH ONE-WORD TITLES FROM THE 80's (+ Bonus 60):

70. "Magic" (1980) by Olivia Newton-John - She also had a smash hit with "Physical" in 1981, but I really do not like that song at all. In fact, it is ranked on my list of Worst #1 Songs of the 80s

69. "Cars" (1979) by Gary Numan - One of those songs released at the end of 1979, but gaining popularity more in 1980
68. "Venus" (1986) by Bananarama
67. "Ghostbusters" (1984) by Ray Parker, Jr. - Ranks on my Best Songs from 80s Movies list
66. "Mickey" (1982) by Toni Basil - Ranks on my Worst #1 Songs of the 80s list
65. "Urgent" (1981) by Foreigner
64. "Strip" (1983) by Adam Ant
63. "Strut" (1984) by Sheena Easton
62. "Woman" (1981) by John Lennon - Actually released after his death
61. "Dreamtime" (1986) by Daryl Hall - Hall, not as known for his solo work, will also appear later on this list with his normal partner John Oates

60. "Luka" (1987) by Suzanne Vega
59. "Funkytown" (1980) by Lipps, Inc. - One of the last remnants of the disco era
58. "Hysteria" (1987) by Def Leppard - Could have also included songs like "Foolin'" or "Photograph" from the 1983 album Pyromania

57. "Casanova" (1987) by Levert
56. "Satisfied" (1989) by Richard Marx - This is one of seven top 5 (and one of three #1) songs on the Billboard Hot 100 during the 80's for Marx

55. "Mediate" (1987) by INXS - This song was a short segue from "Need You Tonight" and the video ranks on my Best 80s Music Videos list

54. "Sara" (1985) by Starship
53. "Angel" (1987) by Aerosmith
52. "Stand" (1989) by R.E.M.
51. "Centerfold" (1981) by J. Geils Band
50. "Thriller" (1984) by Michael Jackson - Ranks #1 on my Best 80s Music Videos list, but the song is not as outstanding as the video. Could have also included "Bad" from his 1987 album of the same name

49. "Words" (1982) by Missing Persons
48. "Shakedown" (1987) by Bob Seger
47. "Abracadabra" (1982) by Steve Miller Band - Holds record for biggest drop out of the Billboard Top 10 when it fell 38 spots (from #10 all the way to #48) in just one week

46. "Sailing" (1980) by Christopher Cross - VH1 named this the greatest soft rock song of all time, but I do not agree with that

45. "Legs" (1983) by ZZ Top
44. "Automatic" (1984) by The Pointer Sisters
43. "Fame" (1980) by Irene Cara - Though it was released with the movie in 1980 and won the Oscar for Best Original Song, I always connect the song more for its use in the television series which aired from 1982-87

42. "Sussudio" (1985) by Phil Collins - Ranks on VH1's list of 40 Most Awesomely Bad Songs Ever
41. "Amanda" (1986) by Boston
40. "Rumors" (1986) by Timex Social Club
39. "Loverboy" (1984) by Billy Ocean
38. "Maniac" (1983) by Michael Sembello - Ranks on my Best Songs from 80s Movies list
37. "Relax" (1984) by Frankie Goes to Hollywood
36. "Vacation" (1982) by The Go-Go's - This was the first all-woman band to both write their own songs and play their own instruments to top the Billboard album charts

35. "Obsession" (1985) by Animotion - I remember this song being used as the theme song for the WWF Saturday Night's Main Event show

34. "Nasty" (1986) by Janet Jackson - "My first name ain't baby, it's Janet, Miss Jackson if you're nasty." Could have also included "Control" from that album of the same name.

33. "Footloose" (1984) by Kenny Loggins - Ranks on my Best Songs from 80s Movies list
32. "Shout" (1984) by Tears for Fears
31. "Lady" (1980) by Kenny Rogers - This song was actually written and produced by the great Lionel Richie
30. "Gloria" (1982) by Laura Branigan
29. "Tempted" (1981) by Squeeze
28. "Valerie" (1982) by Steve Winwood - A remix was included on his 1987 compilation album Chronicles and released as a single it went to #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart (when the original only made it to #70)

27. "Kyrie" (1985) by Mr. Mister - Kyrie eleison means "Lord, have mercy" in case you were ever wondering
26. "Human" (1986) by The Human League - Written and produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis
25. "Patience" (1989) by Guns n' Roses [link to video] - The music and lyrics for this song were written by rhythm guitarist and founding member Izzy Stradlin

24. "Desire" (1988) by U2 [link to video] - From the album Rattle and Hum
23. "Sweetheart" (1981) by Franke & the Knockouts [link to video]
22. "Someday" (1986) by Glass Tiger [link to video]
21. "Heaven" (1985) by Bryan Adams [link to video] - Could also include the song "Somebody" both from the Reckless album

20. "Alone" (1987) by Heart [link to video] - Could also include their 1985 song "Never"
19. "Tenderness" (1984) by General Public [link to video]
18. "Maneater" (1982) by Daryl Hall & John Oates [link to video]
17. "Nightshift" (1985) by The Commodores [link to video] - This song is a tribute to R&B legends Jackie Wilson and Marvin Gaye who had both died in 1984

16. "Centerfield" (1985) by John Fogerty [link to video]
15. "Faithfully" (1983) by Journey [link to video]
14. "Breakout" (1986) by Swing Out Sister [link to video]
13. "Africa" (1982) by Toto [link to video] - Could also have included 1982's "Rosanna" or 1987's "Pamela"
12. "Rio" (1982) by Duran Duran [link to video] - Could have also included 1986's "Notorious" which is good enough to deserve a [link to video] on that one too

11. "Celebration" (1980) by Kool & the Gang [link to video]

If you want to read the Top 10 and the complete issue at Kickin' it Old School, please click here to take you there...