Saturday, October 26, 2013

List #1: Top 100 New Wave Songs

Sometimes it's hard defining what a true "New Wave" song is. Many lists I've seen just include any song that was a hit between 1979 and 1986. This is not true. One list I saw even had Dire Straits on the list. Dire Straits are no where near the category of New Wave. Some of the groups on my list are arguably New Wave, but those are further down the list. The true New Wave song rank higher. For me, it's whether the song has held up over the years, and chart position is irrelevant.

Criteria:
1. Usually between 1979 and 1986.
2. Higher ranked if it has that "New Wavey" sound.


7.       Vienna – Ultravox
11.   Safety Dance – Men Without Hats
12.   Tainted Love – Soft Cell
13.   Come On Eileen – Dexy’s Midnight Runners
14.   This Charming Man – The Smiths
15.   Video Killed The Radio Star – Buggles
16.   Hungry Like The Wolf – Duran Duran
17.   I Ran – Flock Of Seagulls
18.   If You Leave – OMD
19.   Echo Beach – Martha And The Muffins
20.   Gold – Spandau Ballet
21.   Head Over Heels – Tears For Fears
22.   Cruel To Be Kind – Nick Lowe
23.   Puttin’ On The Ritz – Taco
24.   Sweet Dreams – Eurythmics
25.   True – Spandau Ballet
26.   Turning Japanese – Vapors
27.   West End Girls – Pet Shop Boys
28.   What I Like About You – The Romantics
29.   Antmusic – Adam And The Ants
30.   Beautiful World – Devo
31.   Close To Me – The Cure
32.   Cool For Cats – Squeeze
33.   Poison Arrow – ABC
34.   And She Was – Talking Heads
35.   Do You Really Want To Hurt Me? – Culture Club
36.   Eyes Without A Face – Billy Idol
37.   Kids In America – Kim Wilde
38.   Life In A Northern Town – The Dream Academy
39.   Mad World – Tears For Fears
40.   Girls On Film – Duran Duran
41.   Goody Two Shoes – Adam Ant
42.   Love Of The Common People – Paul Young
43.   Mexican Radio – Wall Of Voodoo
44.   The Look Of Love – ABC
45.   One Night In Bangkok – Murray Head
46.   Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want – The Smiths
47.   Psycho Killer – Talking Heads
48.   Relax – Frankie Goes To Hollywood
49.   Shell Shock – New Order
50.   Skin Deep – The Stranglers
51.   Send Me An Angle – Real Life
52.   Senses Working Overtime – XTC
53.   Steppin’ Out – Joe Jackson
54.   Take On Me – A-Ha
55.   Together In Electric Dreams – Phil Oakey et al
56.   Talking In Your Sleep – The Romantics
57.   Always Something There To Remind Me – Naked Eyes
58.   Cars – Gary Numan
59.   Down Under – Men At Work
60.   Fade To Grey – Visage
61.   Golden Brown – The Stranglers
62.   Goodbye Bad Times – Phil Oakley et al
63.   Karma Chameleon – Culture Club
64.   Looking For Clues – Robert Palmer
65.   Love Cats – The Cure
66.   Here Comes The Rain Again – Eurythmics
67.   No One Is To Blame – Howard Jones
68.   Only When You Leave – Spandau Ballet
69.   Hold Me Now – Thompson Twins
70.   I Don’t Like Mondays – Boomtown Rats
71.   Quasimodo’s Dream – The Reels
72.   She Bop – Cyndi Lauper
73.   Shout – Tears For Fears
74.   Road To Nowhere – Talking Heads
75.   Shake It Up – The Cars
76.   White Wedding – Billy Idol
77.   Town Called Malice – The Jam
78.   Wild Wild  Life – Talking Heads
79.   Wouldn’t It Be Good – Nik Kershaw
80.   What You Need – INXS
81.   8675309 Jenny – Tommy TUtone
82.   Cruel Summer – Bananarama
83.   Dance Hall Days – Wang Chung
84.   Drive – The Cars
85.   99 Luft Ballons – Nena
86.   Enola Gay – OMD
87.   Everybody Wants To Rule The World – Tears For Fears
88.   Girl’s Just Wanna Have Fun – Cyndi Lauper
89.   Girl’s Talk – Dave Edmunds
90.   Great Southern Land – Icehouse
91.   Is She Really Going Out With Him? – Joe Jackson
92.   Jeopardy – Greg Kihn Band
93.   Happy Talk – Captain Sensible
94.   Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick – Ian Dury
95.   Johnny And Mary – Robert Palmer
96.   Louise We Get It Right – Jona Lewie
97.   Left Of Centre – Suzanne Vega
98.   Like To Get To Know You Well – Howard Jones
99.   Luka – Suzanne Vega
100.            Obsession – Animotion


Special mentions go to:

My Sharona – The Knack
Oliver’s Army – Elvis Costello
Our House – Madness
Pretty In Pink – Psychedelic Furs
Rock Me Amadeus – Falco
Sex – Berlin
The Unguarded Moment – The Church
Walk Like An Egyptian – The Bangles
What Is Love? – Howard Jones
Wherever I Lay My Hat – Paul Young
Whip It! – Devo
Who Can It Be Now? – Men At Work
You Spin Me Round Like A Record – Dead Or Alive
Always The Sun – The Stranglers
Ashes To Ashes – David Bowie
Blister In The Sun – Violent Femmes
Blue Monday – New Order
Catch Me I’m Falling – Real Life
Everything Must Change – Paul Young
Girls Like Me – Bonnie Hayes
Heroes – David Bowie
I Won’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me – Nik Kershaw
Manic Monday – The Bangles
Marlene On The Wall – Suzanne Vega
No More Words – Berlin
Only You – Yazoo
If I was – Midge Ure
Pop Muzic – M
Rock Lobster – B-52’s
Running Up That Hill – Kate Bush
Six Months In A Leaky Boat – Split Enz
Avalon – Roxy Music
Babooshka – Kate Bush
Be Good Johnny – Men At Work
Brass In Pocket – Pretenders
Burning Down The House – Talking Heads
Der Kommissar – After The Fire
Driver’s Seat – Sniff ‘n’ The Tears
Every Breath You Take – The Police
Hey St Peter – Flash And The Pan
I Got You – Split Enz
Pocket Pool - Killer Pussy
Love Resurrection – Alison Moyet
Rio – Duran Duran
Roxanne – The Police
Say It Isn’t So – Hall and Oates
She Blinded Me With Science – Thomas Dolby
Sounds Of Then – Gangajang
Sparks – Eaten By The Monster Of Love
Sweet And Sour – The Takeaways
The Power Of Love – Frankie Goes To Hollywood
Too Shy – Kajagoogoo
Waiting For A Train – Flash And The Pan
Boys In Town – Divinyls
Ca Plane Pour Moi – Plastic Bertrand
Election Day – Arcadia
I Want Candy – Bow Wow Wow
If You Leave Me Can I Come Too – Mental As Anything
It’s A Mistake – Men At Work
Lucky Star – Madonna
Money (That’s What I Want) – Flying Lizards
Private Eyes – Hall and Oates
Tom’s Diner – Suzanne Vega

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