The eighties – hate them or love them, but they’re surely hard to ignore. Eighties fashion, typical 80’s bands and 80’s hairstyles – even those who are too young to remember get drawn into this crazy decade as 80’s music is still popular all over the world.
In 1986, the 80’s music style further ascertained itself and bands like Bananarama, the Human League, Mr. Mister and the Pet Shop Boys gained ground. To make the Top 30 hit list of 1986 below, bands could be from anywhere in the world but the songs had to fulfill all of the following criteria:
- Be pop or dance songs – not rock, R&B or any other genre;
- exemplify the 80’s music style: be fresh, bold and full of spunk (not purely instrumental songs);
- artists were chosen only among 80’s bands, with the eighties being the decade of their biggest hits;
- only one hit song per 80’s solo artist or band was included per year for variety sake.
Eighties Movies, 80’s TV Shows and Other Events of 1986
To really get the feel for a decade, let alone a year, it makes sense to take a look at related areas like movies, TV shows and world events. On TV, 1986 introduced the Oprah Winfrey Show, Matlock and the hit series ALF.
Apart from successes like Stand By Me, Crocodile Dundee, Highlander, Platoon, Police Academy III, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home and Aliens, 1986 also gave rise to 80’s cult classics like Nine ½ Weeks, Pretty in Pink, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and Top Gun.
Other important events of 1986:
- The space shuttle Challenger disintegrated just 73 seconds after its launch.
- In Chernobyl, Ukraine, a nuclear reactor exploded, releasing significant amounts of radioactive material, therefore creating the world’s worst nuclear disaster.
- The first computer virus was spread.
- Argentina became World Football Champions after defeating West Germany 3:2 in Mexico.
- Prince Andrew married Sarah Ferguson.
Top 30 Eighties Songs of 1986
1986, a little beyond the peak of the decade, was no doubt the year of 80’s trademark anthems. Any song of the 1986 Top 30 could be picked randomly as the song of the decade. Who could forget “Take My Breath Away” from the hit movie Top Gun, the Bangles’ cheeky, calisthenics-inspiring “Walk like an Egyptian,” Europe’s “Final Countdown” or the Communards’ plea “Don’t Leave Me This Way” – baby! Here’s the Top 30:
- “All I Need is a Miracle” – Mike + the Mechanics
- “Dancing on the Ceiling” – Lionel Richie
- “Don’t Leave Me This Way” – Communards
- “The Final Countdown” - Europe
- “Glory of Love” – Peter Cetera
- “Hip to Be Square” – Huey Lewis & the News
- “How Will I Know’ – Whitney Houston
- “Human” – The Human League
- “Invisible Touch” – Genesis
- “Kiss” – Prince and the Revolution
- “Kyrie” – Mr. Mister
- “The Next Time I Fall” – Peter Cetera with Amy Grant
- “Nikita” – Elton John
- “Papa Don’t Preach” – Madonna
- “Rock Me Amadeus” – Falco
- “Sledgehammer’ – Peter Gabriel
- “Sometimes” – Erasure
- “Stand By Me” – Ben E. King
- “The Sun Always Shines on TV” – a-ha
- “Sweet Sixteen” – Billy Idol
- “Take My Breath Away” – Berlin
- “Through the Barricades” – Spandau Ballet
- “True Colors” – Cyndi Lauper
- “Venus” – Bananarama
- “Walk like an Egyptian” – the Bangles
- “Warriors of the Wasteland” – Frankie Goes to Hollywood
- “The Way It Is” – Bruce Hornsby & the Range
- “We Don’t Have to Take Our Clothes Off” – Jermaine Stewart
- “West End Girls” – the Pet Shop Boys
- “You’re the Voice” – John Farnham
While 1985 was still dominated by love songs, the upbeat songs typical of 80’s music took over again in 1986, no doubt inspired by and inspiring the many action movies of the year.
For more ultimate 80’s hits like “Material Girl” or “Thriller,” check the previous years 1985 and 1984, respectively. Or find out about the following year, 1987!
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