61 articles
(I Just) Died in Your Arms
"(I Just) Died in Your Arms" (also "Tonight") is Cutting Crew's 1986 debut single, written by Nick Van Eede. US Hot 100 number one for two weeks from May 2, 1987; UK peak number 4; produced by Terry Brown, John Jansen, and the band.
7 (Prince song)
"7" is a 1992 Prince and the New Power Generation song from the Love Symbol Album, its third single, sampling Lowell Fulson's "Tramp"; it peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 3 on the Eurochart.
867-5309/Jenny
867-5309/Jenny: 1981 power pop song by Tommy Tutone, written by Alex Call and Jim Keller, peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 in May 1982; its chorus phone number caused decades of prank calls.
Addicted to Love (song)
"Addicted to Love" is a 1986 Robert Palmer rock single from Riptide, produced by Bernard Edwards, originally planned as a Chaka Khan duet, reaching US No. 1 and UK No. 5 with an iconic Terence Donovan models video.
All I Wanna Do (Sheryl Crow song)
"All I Wanna Do" is a 1994 Sheryl Crow single from Tuesday Night Music Club, adapted from Wyn Cooper's poem "Fun," peaking at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and winning 1995 Grammys for Record of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.
All Star (song)
"All Star" (also "All-Star") is a 1999 Smash Mouth song written by Greg Camp, lead single of Astro Lounge, later the Shrek opening theme and one of the internet's most remixed meme songs.
Angels (Robbie Williams song)
Angels (Robbie Williams song), a 1997 power ballad from Life Thru a Lens written with Guy Chambers (additional credit Ray Heffernan); UK number 4, over 1.16 million sales, 2005 Brit Awards song of 25 years.
Barcelona (Freddie Mercury and Montserrat Caballé song)
"Barcelona" is a 1987 rock-opera duet by Freddie Mercury and Montserrat Caballé, written with Mike Moran; UK No. 8 in 1987, No. 2 on 1992 re-release, anthem of the Barcelona 1992 Olympics, distinct from songs of the same name by Ed Sheeran or Alan Walker.
Beat It
Beat It is a 1982 Michael Jackson song from Thriller, written by Jackson, produced by Quincy Jones, with an unpaid Eddie Van Halen guitar solo. It hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in April 1983, peaked at number 3 in the UK, and its Bob Giraldi-directed gang-fight video helped break MTV's racial programming barrier.
Black Velvet (song)
Black Velvet (song): 1989 blues-rock ballad by Christopher Ward and David Tyson, recorded by Alannah Myles as an Elvis Presley tribute; No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 in 1990, Grammy winner, UK No. 2.
Candle in the Wind 1997
"Candle in the Wind 1997", also known as "Goodbye England's Rose", is Elton John's charity rewrite of his 1973 song honoring Diana, Princess of Wales, after her death in 1997.
Centerfold (song)
"Centerfold" is a 1981 song by the J. Geils Band, written by Seth Justman for the album Freeze-Frame; it topped the Billboard Hot 100 for six weeks in 1982, the band's only number-one single.
Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover
Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover is Sophie B. Hawkins's 1992 debut single from Tongues and Tails, a Top 5 Billboard Hot 100 hit, UK No. 14, known for homoerotic overtones, a rejected MTV video, and 90210 use.
Dancing in the Dark (Bruce Springsteen song)
Bruce Springsteen's 1984 single "Dancing in the Dark," first release from Born in the U.S.A., his biggest hit: Billboard Hot 100 number 2, UK number 4, 1985 Grammy winner, De Palma video with Courteney Cox.
Darling Nikki
Darling Nikki is a 1984 Prince song, fifth track on Purple Rain, recorded solo at his Minnesota home studio; its explicit lyrics triggered the PMRC Filthy Fifteen list and the Parental Advisory label. Not the Vilhelm Parfumerie perfume, Goree-Bell novel, or pop artist of the same name.
Don't Speak
"Don't Speak" (also "Don't Speak," No Doubt) is a 1996 ballad from Tragic Kingdom, rewritten by Gwen and Eric Stefani after her breakup with Tony Kanal; it topped charts in 13 countries. Distinct from the 2020 horror film of the same name.
Easy Lover
Easy Lover is a 1984 pop-rock duet by Philip Bailey of Earth, Wind & Fire and Phil Collins, co-written with Nathan East and released on Chinese Wall. It hit No. 1 in the UK, Canada, Ireland and the Netherlands, No. 2 on the US Hot 100, and won the 1985 MTV Video Music Award for Best Overall Performance. Not the Miley Cyrus song of the same name.
Eternal Flame (song)
"Eternal Flame" is a 1989 pop ballad by the Bangles, written by Susanna Hoffs with Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly. Rejected by the band then rescued by producer Davitt Sigerson, it hit number one in the US, UK, and seven other countries; Atomic Kitten's 2001 cover also topped the UK chart.
Everywhere (Fleetwood Mac song)
Everywhere is a 1987 Christine McVie song from Fleetwood Mac's album Tango in the Night, produced by Lindsey Buckingham and Richard Dashut; it peaked at UK number 4 and US number 14 and later revived via Chevy, 3, and PayPal ads.
Got My Mind Set on You
Got My Mind Set on You: Rudy Clark song recorded by James Ray in 1962, covered by George Harrison, produced with Jeff Lynne for Cloud Nine (1987); his third and final US Billboard number one, number two in the UK, later parodied by Weird Al.
Gypsy (Fleetwood Mac song)
"Gypsy" is a 1982 Fleetwood Mac song written by Stevie Nicks for the album Mirage, also cut for her solo debut Bella Donna. It peaked at No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100, No. 1 on Radio & Records, and honors her late friend Robin Anderson.
Holding Out for a Hero
"Holding Out for a Hero" (1984) is a Bonnie Tyler song written by Jim Steinman and Dean Pitchford for the Footloose soundtrack; UK No. 2 after 1985 re-release, later famous through Jennifer Saunders' Shrek 2 cover.
I Drove All Night
I Drove All Night: pop-rock song by Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly, written as a Roy Orbison homage. Hit versions by Cyndi Lauper (1989, US No. 6), Orbison (1992), and Celine Dion (2003).
I Touch Myself
"I Touch Myself" (1990) is the Divinyls' signature single, written by Chrissy Amphlett, Mark McEntee, Billy Steinberg, and Tom Kelly; number one in Australia, Billboard Hot 100 Top 5, later a breast cancer awareness anthem.
I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)
I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That), Meat Loaf's 1993 Jim Steinman power ballad from Bat Out of Hell II, number one in 28 countries, Grammy-winning, with Lorraine Crosby's uncredited female vocals.
I'm Still Standing
I'm Still Standing: 1983 Elton John and Bernie Taupin pop-rock single, second release from Too Low for Zero, peaking at #4 UK and #12 US, later a concert staple.
If I Could Turn Back Time
"If I Could Turn Back Time" is a 1989 Cher pop rock single from Heart of Stone, written by Diane Warren, produced with Guy Roche; US Hot 100 No. 3, Australian No. 1, with a controversial USS Missouri music video banned for daytime MTV viewing.
It Must Have Been Love
It Must Have Been Love (Christmas for the Broken Hearted) is a 1987 Roxette ballad by Per Gessle, reworked without Christmas references for Pretty Woman (1990); it topped the US Hot 100 and UK No. 3.
Jessie's Girl
Jessie's Girl: 1981 power pop single by Rick Springfield from Working Class Dog, recorded at Sound City, two weeks at Billboard Hot 100 number one, Grammy winner, inspired by a Pasadena stained glass class.
Kiss Me (Sixpence None the Richer song)
"Kiss Me" is a 1997 song by Sixpence None the Richer, written by Matt Slocum in a Dutch motel room and sung by Leigh Nash; a 1999 She's All That placement drove it to No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and a Grammy nomination.