After much deliberation, I've decided to include entries from what I believe would be Billboard's 80's list had the website stretched it out to match the success of the singles that appeared at the end of their 90's list. Now obviously this means that this section of my list is unofficial to the list compiled by Billboard, however I do want to highlight the big hits of the decade in America that were also big hits here in Australia to continue forming my thoughts about how the decade turned out to be. I'll let you know when we get to the end of this bonus list of mine what they are, but suffice to say that at a cursory glance at what I've compiled on my list on Rateyourmusic (which you can check out here) my evaluation I gave at the end of the official list will remain the same.
This was the song that broke the Police through to an American audience given how it was their first hit on Billboard, it makes sense that they would have American success given how this was their third number one hit in their native UK as well as their second biggest hit there behind "Every breath you take" which would be their biggest hit in America.
And we're not done with the Police just yet as the second single from Zenyatta mondatta was equally as successful as the first single on Billboard given how close together these two appear on this list. This is their final appearance on this list given how their first two albums failed to crossover to America like they did internationally.
This was Dionne Warwick's first hit on Billboard in the 80's as her previous hit was "I'll never love this way again" from 1979 which naturally promised her plenty of success this decade like she had in the 60's and 70's. Alas this was only a hit for her in her homeland due to it being a surprise hit in the UK as well as here in Australia where it nearly topped both charts for her.
This is the final appearance from Bruce Springsteen on this list, you'd think it would've rivalled that of "Dancing in the dark" in his homeland given how airplay was on his side when it saw the light of day in his homeland. Alas it was only a huge hit in the southern hemisphere as it almost topped the Australian charts and actually topped the NZ charts upon its initial release.
I wasn't expecting to feature a song from ABC on this list given how Devo whose lead singer sounded similar to that of Martin Fry didn't have a hit in America throughout the decade, it appears these guys reinvented themselves after their debut album to fit in with the sophistopop genre where they greatly benefitted from American success even though said success dried up in their native UK by this point.
Given how they saw a ton of success throughout the 70's in America, it only makes sense that ELO would have one more hit in the 80's before they fell into obscurity which was the same fate they had everywhere else in the world as their next album would flop in 1983 worldwide. That said, this was far less successful on Billboard than it was here in Australia and NZ.
It looks like Americans were willing to give John Lennon one more hit from beyond the grave as the lead single to his posthumous album Milk and honey managed to be as successful on Billboard as it was here in Australia back in the day. This was right before his son found his breakthrough with his earlier entry on this list.
Given how he scored a number one hit on Billboard twenty years prior with "A quarter to three," it only makes sense that Gary US Bonds would escape the one hit wonder bin in his homeland with this collaboration with Bruce Springsteen given how it was a big hit over in NZ around this time.
Given how they saw massive success in the 70's with "The logical song" on Billboard, it makes sense that Supertramp would score one final hit with their first album of the 80’s over there even if this feels out of place with the MTV era that had launched a year prior to its success. Rather curiously, it was also a hit here in Australia even though they were more of an album band as far as we Aussies were concerned.
This is the only new entry from Fleetwood Mac on this list, although "Big love" would've joined its company had that been a hit anywhere in the world outside of America. Indeed, this makes the cut due to its success in NZ as it was too minor of a hit here in Australia for it to qualify on that side of my site.
We've already had a few songs on this list that failed to crack the top ten on Billboard, this is another entry as well as the closest that John Farnham has to scoring a hit in America as he never clicked with the Americans like he did throughout Europe later in the decade. That said, the rest of Little river band did have quite a few hits throughout the decade on Billboard that curiously flopped here in Australia.
Given how this was a massive UK chart topper for Kajagoogoo as well as it nearly being as such in NZ, it makes sense that this would be a huge success in America even if its success is on par with what it achieved here in Australia for the British band. They had other hits in their homeland, however they’re a one hit wonder as far as the rest of the world is concerned.
This is the only entry from Foreigner on this list, although had "I don't want to live without you" been a hit anywhere outside of their native America, that too would've made it on this list slightly higher than this wound up being. This just goes to show that the band had some fire left in them after achieving massive success three years prior with their biggest worldwide hit "I want to know what love is."
Even though her entry on Billboard’s 80's list was way less popular in America as it was internationally, at least the trade-off was that Cher was able to score a second hit from Heart of stone with this track about her comparing her love to that of the famous western outlaw Jesse James. It was the final hit she had in her homeland until "Believe" became her biggest hit almost a decade later.
Given how songs from popular movies were all the rage on Billboard, you'd think this entry from Streets of fire would've been a shoe in for a Billboard chart topper as it was a massive hit here in Australia for Dan Hartman. Alas it wasn't as thought it was a huge hit in his native America, it appears we Aussies loved this way more given that it had a much higher peak down under.
We finally have a second appearance from the Eurythmics on these 80's lists, it would've been their third had "Here comes the rain again" been a hit anywhere outside of America for the duo. I get the feeling this was a hit on Billboard due to it being a chart topper here in Australia for them, although that doesn't explain why "There must be an angel" flopped over there as it was their sole chart topper in the UK.
Although it had a higher peak in America, this wound up being a bigger hit here in Australia for Mike and the Mechanics due to it lasting longer on our charts than it did on the Billboard charts. That said, it turns out this was their second hit from their debut album as "Silent running" proved to be ever so slightly more popular in America than this was even though it was a flop here in Australia.
Although this was a decent hit in America, it turns out it was way more popular in the UK which explains how it saw international success including here in Australia where it was a sleeper hit for the American duo Sly fox. It's one of several hits we've looked at on this site from and American artist that was far more successful in the year 1986 in the UK than it was in their homeland.
It's fitting that we'd have one more appearance from Sting as a solo artist on this list, he would've had another had "Fortress around your heart" been a hit anywhere outside of America from his solo debut album. Although he would go on to sound success throughout the 90's worldwide, he would only have one more hit with "All this time" which was a song I skipped on my 90's list as well as "All for love" with Bryan Adams and Rod Stewart.
If you were worried that Joan Jett and the Blackhearts were a one hit wonder in their native America, you can rest assure they weren't as their other two entries I've featured on this site managed to be hits on Billboard throughout the decade. This was what they followed up their entry on Billboard’s 80's list with which naturally became a hit in her homeland despite the lyrics suggesting she was confessing her love to a woman.
For what it's worth, "Conga" did have a high placement on Billboard’s 1986-year end list, the problem is that it was more of a sleeper hit in America and thus not in consideration for my expanded list (although don't think Billboard wouldn't have it somewhere on here if they ever did expand their 80's list.) Fortunately, the other two big hits they had in NZ that year are in contention with this being the bigger of the two.
We've now featured all of Guns n roses biggest hits of the 80's even though this third single from their debut album wasn't anywhere near as successful in their homeland as it was in NZ given how it almost topped those charts when it failed to do so on Billboard. Even so, they had far more success in the 80's in America than they did in the 90's given their sole appearance on Billboard’s 90's list.
Evidently this was pushed back as a single in America due to Elton John's presence in Dionne Warwick's charity single from the main list, this would explain why it was so much less popular over there than it was internationally where it remains one of the biggest hits of his career to date.
Although this was a sign of bad things to come from Rick Astley as far as the rest of the world was concerned, in America it continued his fortunes he had from the two entries on Billboard's 80's list as it managed to be a massive success over there for him. Given this was a sleeper hit here in Australia, this allowed for it to appear on this list over many entries from more obvious 80's staples.
This was the other big hit that Miami sound machine had in their homeland in 1986 which was also a huge hit in NZ for them, there's less I can say about this track given how it was sandwiched between their two biggest hits in NZ and only became a success over there due to the momentum they had from "Conga."
Although this is the only appearance that Poison will be making on this list, I will say that "Your mama don't dance" was a modest success for them in America even if I don't feel comfortable in featuring it as a genuine smash hit on the Billboard charts throughout the decade. I don't know how we Aussies came across this track given how it wasn't that big in their homeland, however we did which allowed them massive success here.
It looks like the Americans were able the Xanadu soundtrack to have a second hit after all as this became a modest top ten hit over there just like it was in NZ at the start of the decade. It was the big hit from the soundtrack in the UK where it topped the British charts as well as it nearly topping the Australian charts for both Livie and ELO.
This is the other big hit that Sheena Easton had both on Billboard and internationally throughout the decade, although she has two other candidates for this list with "Telefone" and "Sugar walls" that I didn't include due to both of them flopping internationally for the Scottish pop diva. I should also mention that "The lover in me" was an entry I skipped on the main list as that nearly topped the Billboard charts.
This is another song that failed to appear on a Billboard year end list, although again that's mainly due to the stiff competition this had as admittedly, we are starting to reach the top 500 mark from the 90's list with how well the songs would've done on that list. I guess Cyndi's fellow Americans weren't too interested in her rendition of a (then) unreleased Roy Orbison track given how it struggled to appear on here.
This is the only appearance from the Thompson twins on this list, although had "Lay your hands on me" been a hit internationally, that too would've appeared on here for the trio. Indeed, this only makes the cut due to it being a hit in NZ as it sadly bombed here in Australia just like it did in their native UK which perhaps led to Joe Leeway departing from the group.
If you were wondering if John Mellencamp found any success with his album the Lonesome jubilee in America like he did with his other three albums throughout the 80's, the answer is yes as both big hits he had in the southern hemisphere have found their way onto my list starting with his biggest hit in NZ which was also the second single from the album.
I get the feeling this was only a hit worldwide due to it topping the Australian charts as it didn't appear to be that big in America which is why I thought it crossed over to the southern hemisphere back in the day. I knew it was a flop in their native UK as they only had a hit with "Wishing if I had a photograph of you" after this became a smash hit worldwide for them.
This was equally as popular in NZ as it was in Joan Jett's native America, as such it was a shoe in for this list even if we're starting to scrape the bottom of the barrel when it comes to predicting which songs were as popular as the bottom song on Billboard's 90's list. Sadly, she wouldn't have any further success in the 90's even though some people remember her cover of an AC/DC track from 1990.
I'm not sure how this became a hit worldwide given how this bombed in Naked eyes native UK, what I do know is that due to it nearly topping the NZ charts as well as being a massive hit here in Australia, it was able to find moderate success in America which makes this the definitive version of the Sandie Shaw track as far as we Aussies, kiwis and Americans are concerned.
I think this was a hit here in Australia due to Rocky Burnette's guest appearance on Countdown at the start of the decade, it couldn't have been due to its success in America as this was really struggling to make the cut on my list for the son of the late Johnny Burnette. At least it did make the cut as opposed to several other obvious entries I could've featured on this list.
Upon going over the Billboard charts of the 80's, I realise that this was the first big hit that Phil Collins had in America given how "In the air tonight" was only a top twenty hit for him and thus ineligible for this expansion list of mine. Considering how Genesis didn't have any success over there until "Mama" which came out after this track (as well as a consideration for Billboard's expanded list) this means this was Americas introduction to his music.
So, it's 1982, isn't disco supposed to be dead in America by this point? Granted this was a huge international hit due to it being Kool and the Gang's first big hit in the UK where it cracked their top three, however the fact this cracked the Billboard top ten should put to rest that disco was forbidden from becoming a hit in America even if it had a huge disadvantage over MTV.
This is the final entry on this list as well as John Cougar's second appearance from the Lonesome jubilee, it’s another song that failed to appear on a Billboard year end list again due to stiff competition rather than incompetence. If you are going to check out my list I've provided a link to, I've made the cut off point at #815 on the list, meaning that Vanessa Williams is the final entry on my expanded list for the biggest hits of the 80's on Billboard.
So, we’ve reached the end of this bonus list of mine, does the assessment I gave the decade on my main list hold up now that we’ve looked at all the songs that would’ve made the 90’s list? Not really as I have a few new observations to give here.
First off, although I skipped quite a number of entries on the list I compiled on my rateyourmusic account as candidates for Billboard’s expanded list, I have to say that they just add to the overall trend which is that while there was plenty of diverse names to make it big in America, Americans certainly had their favourite artists as there’s a ton of one hit wonders between all of the big names that are synonymous with the decade on my list. The biggest name that failed to appear on my list was Journey as nobody outside of America gave that band a chance even though frontman Steve Perry had a massive hit with his entry on Billboard’s main list, however there were a few other names that had a string of hits in America and nowhere else in the world throughout the decade. Given that I still can’t get a read on what the definitive genre was meant to be, I’ve decided that there really wasn’t one as every genre had an equal shot at getting to number one during each year, ESPECIALLY disco which had far more representation that what the disco backlash would have you believe. I really can’t stress enough just how diverse the music scene was throughout the decade worldwide as there were plenty of women, non-white people and LGBT bands and artists to score big hits regardless of what members of the disco backlash wanted and what gender studies morons will have you believe nowadays. Again it’s not as diverse as the 90’s or 00’s, but certainly more so than it is today unless you want to explain to me how Taylor Swift or Morgan Wallen suffocating the charts these days is more diverse than having Whitney Houston, George Michael and pre plastic surgery Michael Jackson scoring several consecutive chart toppers from multiple albums whilst competing with VERY stiff competition from tons of other artists on this list. Although I’ve balanced out the first half of the decade with the second half in this expanded ranking of mine, I will stand by that the second half has a wider selection of classic hits that were fighting to get to number one as opposed to the first half where the hits were bigger but at the expense of there being far fewer of them. It absolutely makes sense why Billboard prioritised the second half of the decade over the first half when compiling their list for the decade on their website even if I’m sure many fans of the early MTV era would object to this decision. I’m also pleased to see there being a high ratio of non-American artists towards American artists make it big throughout the 80’s, sure British artists had the edge due to the second British invasion the decade had, however there were also plenty of Australian artists to make it big as well as tons of Canadian and European artists on the Billboard charts.
Most of all, while I can’t say that I enjoy every song on here, with few exceptions, every song on the list I’ve compiled had some form of talent put into it, be it the vocals, the instrumentation, the production or even the lyrics. Yes, you had stupid novelty hits that made it big here and there, however they were mostly big in the UK and crossed over internationally because they were meant for a cheap laugh rather than a lasting legacy. Compare this to the 2010’s and beyond where songs can only be a success if they’re part of a meme or recommended by some smug prick on social media, good music of course exists these days, however it’s buried under an avalanche of garbage that mainstream media wants us to consume. This is why I’ll always love 80’s music as well as heavily appreciate 60’s, 70’s, 90’s and even 00’s music (to an extent for the latter) as there’s a genuine love for the songs that made it big even if that love has faded over the years in certain cases. I bring this up to say more than ever that we need to stop letting influencers determine our music tastes as this is why I feel the music scene is dying in modern times. Stop letting Breadtube tell you how to consume media because at the end of the day, they’re all a bunch of shills for big corporations looking to push rage bait such as Velma or the Acolyte onto all of us (that and they’re all a bunch of drug addicted criminals who are the embodiment of what they claim to fight against.) Don’t let the Daily wire gaslight you into not enjoying something just because it’s “woke” or “made by commies” (they might not be criminals like those in Breadtube, however they’re equally as irritating to deal with.) Most of all, stop feeling shame for what you enjoy because it’s unpopular to do so. I guarantee you those who give you shit for liking something they don’t are miserable and likely on someone’s payroll to promote garbage made by soulless corporations looking to profit off of everyone’s misery.
With that said, I think I’m done looking over big hits of the twentieth century in America (unless Billboard releases a 70’s equivalent of these lists, I’ll be back when that happens.) Hopefully you’ve discovered your next favourite song on the list I’ve featured on this site or that I have linked to my rateyourmusic account, with that said, take care and I’ll see you around.
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