Best Songs of 1985

For the third straight year, I have dedicated myself to creating 100-song Best of Lists representing 5-decade increments, starting in 1980, leading up to a list for the current year that is 2015. Much like my lists for 1983 and 1984, returning to 1985 provided me the opportunity to rediscover childhood favorites while also making new discoveries.

In the past three years since I started this process of culling tracks from every year of my existence, I have come across a slew of great albums and artists that I had only heard of (but not heard), or, in a few cases, had never known about at all. It's been a wonderful experience, yet again, to piece together this list.

As before, this list is an honest attempt to assess a year in music, merging the reality of a list made 30 years later with the idea that, had I been able to conceive of such a list at the time (as an adult, not as the six-year-old I was for most of the year), I would have included pop hits, obscure tunes, aging favorites and new artists alike.

For these year-end lists, I like to undertake the seemingly impossibly task of creating an hours-long mix. The order you see below represents that effort, which you can listen to via Spotify. Sadly all 100 tracks aren't available (that doggone Prince makes it impossible), but you get the general idea. Track notes to come eventually or—particularly if last year's un-annotated lists are a sign of future action—maybe never.

Show Grid

Miami Vice Theme

Jan Hammer

Escape From Television

MCA

Notes
We Built This City

Starship

Knee Deep in the Hoopla

Grunt

Notes
Ray’s Rockhouse

Manhattan Transfer

Vocalese

Atlantic

Notes
King of Rock

Run-DMC

King of Rock

Arista

Notes
Ladidadi

Doug E. Fresh & Slick Rick

The Show

Reality

Notes
Needle to the Groove

Mantronix

The Album

Warlock

Notes
Oh Yeah

Yello

Stella

Vertigo

Notes
Computer Love

Zapp

The New Zapp IV U

Warner Bros.

Notes
Steppin’ Right Along

Bill Withers

Watching You Watching Me

Columbia

Notes
The Sweetest Taboo

Sade

Promise

Epic

Notes
Part-Time Lover

Stevie Wonder

In Square Circle

Motown

Notes
Oh Sheila

Ready for the World

Ready for the World

Geffen

Notes
Rhythm of the Night

DeBarge

Rhythm of the Night

Seoul

Notes
Bad Boy

Miami Sound Machine

Primitive

Epic

Notes
Crazy for You

Madonna

Vision Quest

Geffen

Notes
Voices Carry

’Til Tuesday

Voices Carry

Epic

Notes
These Dreams

Heart

Heart

Capitol

Notes
Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)

Kate Bush

Hounds of Love

EMI

Notes
Boy (Go)

The Golden Palominos featuring Michael Stipe

Visions of Excess

Celluloid

Notes
Would I Lie to You?

Eurythmics

Be Yourself Tonight

RCA

Notes
What You Need

INXS

Listen Like Thieves

Atlantic

Notes
Sussudio

Phil Collins

No Jacket Required

Atlantic

Notes
Crush on You

The Jets

The Jets

MCA

Notes
How Will I Know

Whitney Houston

Whitney Houston

Arista

Notes
New Attitude

Patti LaBelle

Beverly Hills Cop

MCA

Notes
I Wonder If I Take You Home

Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam

Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam

Columbia

Notes
Raspberry Beret

Prince & The Revolution

Around the World in a Day

Warner Bros.

Notes
Dancing in the Street

David Bowie & Mick Jagger

Dancing in the Street

EMI

Notes
Some Like It Hot

The Power Station

The Power Station

Parlophone

Notes
You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)

Dead or Alive

Youthquake

Epic

Notes
Weird Science

Oingo Boingo

Dead Man’s Party

Geffen

Notes
She Sells Sanctuary

The Cult

Love

Sire

Notes
Bittersweet

Hoodoo Gurus

Mars Needs Guitars

Elektra

Notes
Haunted When the Minutes Drag

Love and Rockets

Seventh Dream of Teenage Heaven

Beggars Banquet

Notes
Don’t Come Around Here No More

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers

Southern Accents

MCA

Notes
Looking Inwardly

The Chameleons

What Does Anything Mean? Basically

Statik

Notes
Everybody Wants to Rule the World

Tears for Fears

Songs from the Big Chair

Fontana

Notes
Take on Me

A-Ha

Hunting High and Low

Warner Bros.

Notes
Don’t You (Forget About Me)

Simple Minds

Don’t You (Forget About Me)

A&M

Notes
The Heat Is On

Glenn Frey

Beverly Hills Cop

MCA

Notes
The Power of Love

Huey Lewis & The News

Back to the Future

MCA

Notes
The Night Is Still Young

Billy Joel

Greatest Hits Volume I & II

Columbia

Notes
Slave to Love

Bryan Ferry

Boys and Girls

Virgin

Notes
Holding Back the Years

Simply Red

Picture Book

Elektra

Notes
If You Love Somebody Set Them Free

Sting

The Dream of the Blue Turtles

A&M

Notes
When Love Breaks Down

Prefab Sprout

Steve McQueen

Epic

Notes
Suspicious Minds

Fine Young Cannibals

Fine Young Cannibals

London

Notes
Close to Me

The Cure

The Head on the Door

Elektra

Notes
I Didn’t Mean to Turn You On

Robert Palmer

Riptide

Island

Notes
Tonight She Comes

The Cars

Greatest Hits

Elektra

Notes
Secret

Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark

Crush

Caroline

Notes
Things Can Only Get Better

Howard Jones

Dream Into Action

Elektra

Notes
Broken Wings

Mr. Mister

Welcome to the Real World

RCA

Notes
We Don’t Need Another Hero (Thunderdome)

Tina Turner

Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome

Capitol

Notes
Living in America

James Brown

Rocky IV

Volcano

Notes
We Are the World

U.S.A. for Africa

U.S.A. for Africa

Columbia

Notes
Road to Nowhere

Talking Heads

Little Creatures

Sire

Notes
She Don’t Love Nobody

Nick Lowe

The Rose of England

Columbia

Notes
My Wife and My Dead Wife

Robyn Hitchcock & The Egyptians

Fegmania!

Slash

Notes
I’m Sticking With You

The Velvet Underground

V.U.

Universal

Notes
Go

Daniel Johnston

Respect

Gammon

Notes
Froggy Eyes

Beat Happening

Beat Happening

K Records

Notes
Double Trouble

Half Japanese

Sing No Evil

Iridescence

Notes
Tupelo

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

The Firstborn Is Dead

Mute

Notes
Barriers

Screaming Trees

Other Worlds

SST

Notes
Big Lizard

The Dead Milkmen

Big Lizard in My Back Yard

Restless

Notes
Silly Girl

Descendents

I Don’t Want to Grow Up

SST

Notes
Makes No Sense at All

Hüsker Dü

Makes No Sense at All

SST

Notes
Left of the Dial

The Replacements

Tim

Sire

Notes
Repulsion

Dinosaur Jr.

Dinosaur

Homestead

Notes
Up on the Sun

Meat Puppets

Up on the Sun

SST

Notes
The Cheerleaders

Minutemen

Project: Mersh

SST

Notes
Chivalry

Mekons

Fear and Whiskey

Touch & Go

Notes
Burning House of Love

X

Ain’t Love Grand

Elektra

Notes
Araby

The Reivers

Translate Slowly

dB recs

Originally released under the band name Zeitgeist.
(We’re Gonna) Shake Up Their Minds

Marshall Crenshaw

Downtown

Warner Bros.

Notes
Ways to Be Wicked

Lone Justice

Lone Justice

Geffen

Notes
Are You Trying to Be Funny?

Everything But the Girl

Love Not Money

Warner Bros.

Notes
Grey Victory

10,000 Maniacs

The Wishing Chair

Elektra

Notes
Walk of Life

Dire Straits

Brothers in Arms

Warner Bros.

Notes
Blow Up

The Bongos

Beat Hotel

RCA

Notes
This Is the Sea

The Waterboys

This Is the Sea

Chrysalis

Notes
The Three Sunrises

U2

The Unforgettable Fire EP

Island

Notes
Lost Weekend

Lloyd Cole and the Commotions

Easy Pieces

Capitol

Notes
All That Stuff

The Windbreakers

Terminal

dB recs

Notes
Driver 8

R.E.M.

Fables of the Reconstruction

I.R.S.

Notes
Small Town

John Cougar Mellencamp

Scarecrow

Mercury

Notes
Take the Skinheads Bowling

Camper Van Beethoven

Telephone Free Landslide Victory

I.R.S.

Notes
Centerfield

John Fogerty

Centerfield

Warner Bros.

Notes
Medicine Show

Big Audio Dynamite

This Is Big Audio Dynamite

Columbia

Notes
How Soon Is Now?

The Smiths

Meat Is Murder (US)

Warner Bros.

Notes
Bring on the Dancing Horses

Echo & The Bunnymen

Songs to Learn and Sing

Warner Bros.

Notes
Edge of Forever

The Dream Academy

The Dream Academy

Warner Bros.

Notes
Love Vigilantes

New Order

Low-Life

Factory

Notes
Just Like Honey

The Jesus and Mary Chain

Psychocandy

Warner Bros.

Notes
Primitive Painters

Felt

Ignite the Seven Cannons

Cherry Red

Notes
Downtown Train

Tom Waits

Rain Dogs

Island

Notes
Dark Eyes

Bob Dylan

Empire Burlesque

Sony

Notes
Hallelujah

Leonard Cohen

Various Positions

Columbia

Notes
One Man Guy

Loudon Wainwright III

I’m Alright

Columbia

Notes