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A Decade Of 1980s Billboard Hit Singles
By Marc "Devil Dog Of The Web" Iseli / Updated Dec. 2025
The Billboard Hot 100: the musical equivalent of a Navy promotion board, except with more hairspray and fewer pushups. Every week in the 80s, Billboard magazine would tally up who sold the most records and who got the most airplay, then slap a shiny badge on the winner. George Michael managed to snag two year-end #1s in the decade, which is about as rare as finding a clean head on the USS Midway after a port call. He did it with 'Faith' and 'Careless Whisper,' proving you could moonwalk your way to the top if you had the right mullet. Only The Beatles ever pulled off that trick before, so George is in good company, assuming you consider four British lads and a guy in acid-washed jeans good company. Forget all that 'music is the soundtrack of our lives' stuff; for most of us, these songs were the background noise to questionable fashion choices and even more questionable decisions. From 8-tracks to iPods, the tech changed, but the hits kept coming, sometimes whether we liked it or not. So grab your Walkman, crank up the nostalgia, and let's take a look at the annual #1 Billboard hits from 1980 to 1989. Just try not to get a perm while you're at it.

#1 Billboard Hit Singles 1980

KC and the Sunshine Band, "Please Don't Go"
Rupert Holmes, "Escape (The Piña Colada Song)"
Michael Jackson, "Rock with You"
Captain & Tennille, "Do That to Me One More Time"
Queen, "Crazy Little Thing Called Love"
Pink Floyd, "Another Brick in the Wall, Part II"
Blondie, "Call Me"
Lipps Inc, "Funkytown"
Paul McCartney, "Coming Up"
Billy Joel, "It's Still Rock and Roll to Me"
Olivia Newton-John, "Magic"
Christopher Cross, "Sailing"
Barbra Streisand, "Woman in Love"
Kenny Rogers, "Lady"
John Lennon, "(Just Like) Starting Over"

#1 Billboard Hit Singles 1981

John Lennon, "(Just Like) Starting Over"
Blondie, " The Tide Is High"
Kool & The Gang, "Celebration"
Dolly Parton, " 9 To 5"
Eddie Rabbitt, "I Love A Rainy Night"
REO Speedwagon, "Keep On Loving You"
Blondie, "Rapture"
Daryl Hall John Oates, "Kiss On My List"
Sheena Easton, "Morning Train"
Kim Carnes, "Bette Davis Eyes"
Stars On 45, " Medley"
Air Supply, "The One That You Love"
Rick Springfield, "Jessie's Girl"
Diana Ross & Lionel Richie, "Endless Love"
Christopher Cross, "Arthur's Theme "
Daryl Hall John Oates, "Private Eyes"
Olivia Newton-John, "Physical"

#1 Billboard Hit Singles 1982

Olivia Newton-John, "Physical"
Hall & Oates, " I Can’t Go for That "
J. Geils Band, "Centerfold"
Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, " I Love Rock n’ Roll"
Vangelis, "Chariots of Fire"
Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder, "Ebony and Ivory"
The Human League, "Don’t You Want Me"
Survivor, "Eye of the Tiger"
The Steve Miller Band, "Abracadabra"
Chicago, "Hard to Say I’m Sorry"
John Mellencamp, "Jack & Diane"
Men at Work, "Who Can It Be Now?"
Joe Cocker & Jennifer Warnes, "Up Where We Belong"
Lionel Richie, "Truly"
Toni Basil, "Mickey "
Daryl Hall John Oates, "Maneater"

#1 Billboard Hit Singles 1983

#1 Billboard Hit Singles 1984

#1 Billboard Hit Singles 1985

#1 Billboard Hit Singles 1986

#1 Billboard Hit Singles 1987

#1 Billboard Hit Singles 1988

#1 Billboard Hit Singles 1989

Alright, you glorious Rat Phixers and Phlyers, if we ever survived a TAD, a Det, or a BOHICA, who haven't, and you didn’t think I was the biggest gaff off in the squadron. Got a sea story, or some grainy photos your ex didn’t set on fire, and they’re only slightly illegal? Send ‘em by email, snail mail, or safety wire it to a carrier pigeon. I collect ‘em all, just nothing that would incriminate me.
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