Best Songs of 1986

I turned 8 in October of 1986. That year is one of the first of my life where I can remember music as it happened, as opposed to something that existed before me. Yes, I had tapes before that (Springsteen’s 1984 masterpiece Born in the U.S.A., Wham’s Make It Big from that same year, and so on), but in ’86, the larger world started to open up, rather than a few outliers poking through.

Some of these 100 tracks are ones that I soaked in at that young age. Others are ones that made themselves known as the ’80s made way for the ’90s. A great number I discovered in the past few years. But all of these songs, from “Land of Confusion” to “Don’t Dream It’s Over”, are meaningful to me today, 30 years after they were released.

They reflect, as these lists always try to do, both my influences at the time—thanks Dad, thanks MTV—and the music fan I would later become. They also try to document what that year may have sounded like, if you were able to pay attention to all corners of the industry in the way you (theoretically) can today. There’s country here, new wave too. There’s rap and R&B and pop and adult contemporary and punk and Aussie/Kiwi rock and electropop and college rock. What can I say, I contain multitudes.

I also contain one-hit wonders, legends, lifelong favorites, surprise appearances, and everything in between. From my beloved (at 8 years old) Billy Ocean to my beloved (at 38 years old) Loudon Wainwright III, this list, like all the rest, tell my story. Thank you for reading it, and for listening to it. I am so glad to share it with you.

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, but you get the general idea. Track notes to come eventually or maybe never.

Show Grid

Papa Don’t Preach

Madonna

True Blue

Sire

Notes
Typical Male

Tina Turner

Break Every Rule

Capitol
I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)

Aretha Franklin & George Michael

Aretha

Arista

Notes
Dancing on the Ceiling

Lionel Richie

Dancing on the Ceiling

Motown

Notes
When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going

Billy Ocean

Love Zone

Jive

Notes
Word Up

Cameo

Word Up

PSM

Notes
Kiss

Prince & The Revolution

Parade

Warner Bros

Notes
I Can’t Wait

Nu Shooz

Poolside

Atlantic

Notes
But Not Tonight

Depeche Mode

Black Celebration

Sire

Notes
The Telephone Call

Kraftwerk

Electric Café

Elektra

Notes
West End Girls

Pet Shop Boys

Please

Parlophone

Notes
Bizarre Love Triangle

New Order

Brotherhood

Factory

Notes
Boy

Book of Love

Book of Love

Sire

Notes
Take My Breath Away

Berlin

Count Three & Pray

Columbia

Notes
Sweet Love

Anita Baker

Rapture

Atlantic

Notes
True Colors

Cyndi Lauper

True Colors

Epic

Notes
The Lady in Red

Chris de Burgh

Into the Light

A&M

Notes
Human

Human League

Crash

Virgin

Notes
When I Think of You

Janet Jackson

Control

A&M

Notes
Something About You

Level 42

World Machine

Universal

Notes
Notorious

Duran Duran

Notorious

Capitol

Notes
Venus

Bananarama

True Confessions

London

Notes
Everybody Have Fun Tonight

Wang Chung

Mosaic

Geffen

Notes
Missionary Man

Eurythmics

Revenge

Sony

Notes
(I Just) Died in Your Arms

Cutting Crew

Broadcast

Virgin

Notes
Take Me Home Tonight

Eddie Money

Can’t Hold Back

Columbia

Notes
Your Love

The Outfield

Play Deep

Columbia

Notes
Give It Up

Talk Talk

The Colour of Spring

EMI

Notes
Secret Separation

The Fixx

Walkabout

MCA

Notes
In the Shape of a Heart

Jackson Browne

Lives in the Balance

Asylum

Notes
The Way It Is

Bruce Hornsby and The Range

The Way It Is

RCA

Notes
This Is the Time

Billy Joel

The Bridge

Columbia
Stuck With You

Huey Lewis & The News

Fore!

Chrysalis

Notes
Harlem Shuffle

The Rolling Stones

Dirty Work

Universal

Notes
Home Town

Joe Jackson

Big World

A&M

Notes
Brilliant Mistake

Elvis Costello

King of America

Columbia

Notes
Bigmouth Strikes Again

The Smiths

The Queen Is Dead

Warner Bros

Notes
Happy Hour

The Housemartins

London 0 Hull 4

Go!

Notes
My Biggest Thrill

The Mighty Lemon Drops

Happy Head

Sire

Notes
Rain of Crystal Spies

Felt

Forever Breathes the Lonely Word

Cherry Red

Notes
Velocity Girl

Primal Scream

Crystal Crescent

Creation

Notes
Throw Your Arms Around Me

Hunters & Collectors

Human Frailty

Capitol

Notes
Make Me Cry

Concrete Blonde

Concrete Blonde

I.R.S.

Notes
Slipping (Into Something)

The Feelies

The Good Earth

Coyote

Notes
Always the Sun

The Stranglers

Dreamtime

Epic

Notes
Say You Will

BoDeans

Love & Hope & Sex & Dreams

Warner Bros

Notes
Someday

Steve Earle

Guitar Town

MCA

Notes
Life Is Hard

Timbuk 3

Greetings From Timbuk 3

I.R.S.

Notes
Tuff Enuff

The Fabulous Thunderbirds

Tuff Enuff

CBS

Notes
Like a Rock

Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band

Like a Rock

Capitol

Notes
Wanted Dead or Alive

Bon Jovi

Slippery When Wet

Mercury

Notes
I Still Believe

The Call

Reconciled

Elektra

Notes
Land of Confusion

Genesis

Invisible Touch

Virgin

Notes
Danger Zone

Kenny Loggins

Top Gun

Columbia

Notes
Rise

Public Image Ltd.

Public Image Ltd.

Virgin

Notes
Brave Captain

fIREHOSE

Ragin’, Full-On

SST

Notes
Don’t Want to Know If You Are Lonely

Hüsker Dü

Candy Apple Grey

Warner Bros

Notes
Get the Time

Descendents

Enjoy!

SST

Notes
Real Wild Child

Iggy Pop

Blah Blah Blah

A&M

Notes
Sweet Sixteen

Billy Idol

Whiplash Smile

Chrysalis

Notes
Long Black Veil

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

Kicking Against the Pricks

Homestead

Notes
Cities in Dust

Siouxsie and the Banshees

Tinderbox

Geffen

Notes
Left of Center

Suzanne Vega

Pretty in Pink

A&M

Notes
Don’t Get Me Wrong

Pretenders

Get Close

Sire

Notes
Wild Wild Life

Talking Heads

True Stories

Sire

Notes
Wide Open Road

The Triffids

Born Sandy Devotional

Hot

Notes
Spring Rain

The Go-Betweens

Liberty Bell and the Black Diamond Express

Beggars Banquet

Notes
Mind Your Own Business

Hank Williams Jr. featuring Reba McEntire, Willie Nelson & Tom Petty

Montana Café

Warner Bros

Notes
Shelter

Lone Justice

Shelter

Geffen

Notes
Closing Time

Lyle Lovett

Lyle Lovett

Curb

Notes
At the End of a Long Lonely Day

Loudon Wainwright III featuring John Hiatt

More Love Songs

Demon

Notes
A Town Called Paradise

Van Morrison

No Guru, No Method, No Teacher

Polydor

Notes
Graceland

Paul Simon

Graceland

Warner Bros

Notes
That Voice Again

Peter Gabriel

So

Geffen

Notes
Don’t Dream It’s Over

Crowded House

Crowded House

Capitol

Notes
If You Leave

Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark

Pretty in Pink

A&M

Notes
Tristesse

The Church

Heyday

Second Motion

Notes
Johnny Yen

James

Stutter

Sire

Notes
Worlds Apart

Cactus World News

Urban Beaches

Red Coral

Notes
Digging Your Scene

The Blow Monkeys

Animal Magic

RCA

Notes
Rumors

Timex Social Club

Vicious Rumors

Danya

Notes
The Rain

Oran “Juice” Jones

Juice

Def Jam

Notes
Brass Monkey

Beastie Boys

Licensed to Ill

Def Jam

Notes
Rock the Bells

LL Cool J

Radio

Def Jam

Notes
Walk This Way

Run-DMC featuring Aerosmith

Raising Hell

Arista

Notes
Walk Like an Egyptian

Bangles

Different Light

Columbia

Notes
Don’t Let’s Start

They Might Be Giants

They Might Be Giants

Bar/None

Notes
Hello Cruel World

Mekons

The Edge of the World

Quarterstick

Notes
I Held Her in My Arms

Violent Femmes

The Blind Leading the Naked

Slash

Notes
If You Were a Priest

Robyn Hitchcock & The Egyptians

Element of Light

Relativity

Notes
So Good Today

The Woodentops

Giant

Rough Trade

Notes
Good Guys & Bad Guys

Camper Van Beethoven

Camper Van Beethoven

I.R.S.

Notes
Dear God

XTC

Skylarking

Geffen

Notes
I’m Not Afraid (Doesn’t Matter to Me)

Beat Rodeo

Home in the Heart of the Beat

I.R.S.

Notes
Run

the Windbreakers

Run

dB Recs

Notes
Beatle Boots

Love Tractor

This Ain’t No Outer Space Ship

Big Time

Notes
Talking to Myself

Let’s Active

Big Plans for Everybody

I.R.S.

Notes
Blood and Roses

The Smithereens

Especially for You

Capitol

Notes
Jamboree

Guadalcanal Diary

Jamboree

Elektra

Notes
Cuyahoga

R.E.M.

Lifes Rich Pageant

I.R.S.

Notes