- 1 day ago
Grab your synthesizer and step into the decade that made electronic music legendary! Join us as we count down our picks for the most iconic and irresistible synth-driven songs of the 1980s — any track that placed the synthesizer at the heart of its sound qualifies. Which synth banger deserves the top spot? Let us know in the comments below!
Category
🎵
MusicTranscript
00:00Let's dance in skies, let's dance for a while. Heaven can wait, we're only watching the skies.
00:07Welcome to WatchMojo. And today, we're counting down our picks for the most iconic and irresistible
00:13synth-driven songs of the 1980s. We're considering any track that placed the synthesizer at the
00:18heart of its sound, regardless of genre. No instrumental tracks allowed. Sorry, XLF.
00:3220. Never Gonna Give You Up, Rick Astley
00:43There's an understandable tendency to view Never Gonna Give You Up entirely through the
00:48prism of its internet afterlife. Yet, Rick Astley's debut single was already an international smash
00:53long before anyone had ever been unexpectedly redirected to its music video.
00:58I just wanna tell you how I'm feeling Gotta make you understand
01:06Astley's rich baritone supplies the song with some much-needed muscle, especially when contrasted
01:11against his youthful appearance. The tune topped charts around the world and became the United
01:15Kingdom's best-selling single of 1987. The internet may have transformed Never Gonna Give You Up
01:22Never Gonna Let You Down
01:28Never Gonna Run Around and desert you
01:32Number 19. The Telephone Call
01:35Craftwork
01:36I give you my affection and I give you my time, trying to get a connection on the telephone
01:43line.
01:43Few groups understood the relationship between humanity and technology, quite like craftwork.
01:49The Telephone Call addresses this subject in surprisingly vulnerable fashion, utilizing ringtones,
01:54repetitive rhythms, and icy synth textures to convey the frustration of waiting for someone
01:59to answer. Carl Bartos handles the lead vocal, making this the only craftwork song from his
02:03tenure to feature him in that role.
02:08His restrained delivery adds a welcome human quality to the group's characteristically precise
02:13production. There's also something oddly prophetic about a song examining how modern communications
02:18technology can still leave people feeling disconnected.
02:24Craftwork essentially made being left unread sound stylish decades before the phrase even
02:29existed. The future rarely sounded this catchy, or this lonely.
02:34Number 18.
02:35Vienna
02:36Ultravox
02:37The fact that Vienna stalled at number two on the UK chart behind Joe Dolce's novelty tune
02:47Shadap You Face remains one of pop history's most infamous pieces of trivia. Then again,
02:53Ultravox's signature song never really needed the top spot to achieve immortality.
02:57The feeling is gone, only you and I, it means nothing to me.
03:04Vienna was slow, lengthy, and built around a viola solo, making it virtually the opposite
03:10of a conventional pop single. Yet this was also the source of its power.
03:23The stark drum machine, atmospheric synths, and classically-inspired instrumentation gradually
03:29build towards midge-jur's enormous vocal climax. Is the whole thing a little pompous?
03:35Absolutely. But Vienna understands that pomp can be transcendent when everyone commits to
03:40it. This means nothing to me.
03:46Oh, Vienna
03:50Number 17.
03:51The Look of Love
03:52ABC
03:53When your world is full of strange arrangements
03:58And gravity won't pull you through
04:01Producer Trevor Horn was no stranger to making pop music sound expensive, and The Look of Love
04:07may be one of his most luxurious creations. ABC throws practically everything into the mix
04:12here. Synthesizers, strings, brass, booming percussion, and enough backing vocals to fill
04:17a ballroom.
04:18All I need now
04:20Is one thing, yes, one thing that shines this
04:23Grey sky to blue
04:25The song never feels cluttered, however, thanks to an arrangement that keeps every moving part
04:30focused upon that gloriously catchy chorus. Martin Fry attacks the vocal with his trademark
04:35theatrical flair, charming and just a little ridiculous. The Look of Love doesn't merely
04:40play through the speakers. It makes an entrance.
04:50ABC gave us The Look of Love, but if you'd rather keep the pop culture nostalgia playing,
04:55scan the QR code on the screen to join WatchMojo's 24-7 pop culture livestream for non-stop music,
05:01movies, TV, and more.
05:03You know you're missing out on something
05:06Well, that something depends on you
05:09Number 16. A Little Respect
05:12Erasure
05:13I try to discover
05:17A little something to make me sweeter
05:21Erasure's A Little Respect pairs Vince Clark's sparkling electronic work with Andy Bell's
05:26soaring voice. And the resulting combination is about as close to synth-pop perfection as
05:31one can get. There's even some acoustic guitar hiding within the arrangement, adding an organic
05:35touch to the song's bright, mechanical pulse.
05:38That you keep me know, that you keep me know, that you keep me know, that you keep me know
05:42soul.
05:44Bell is the true focal point, however, transforming a plea for basic compassion into something grand,
05:50defiant, and euphoric. The song practically demands to be sung by an entire room of people.
05:55What can we say? Sometimes, a little respect, a lot of synthesizer, and one incredible falsetto
06:02are all you really need.
06:10Number 15. Send Me An Angel
06:13Real Life
06:21There's perhaps no phrase more potentially dangerous to an 80s band than
06:25one-hit wonder. Yet, even if casual listeners associate Australia's real life primarily with
06:31Send Me An Angel, what a hit it was. The song's opening synth pulse immediately establishes an
06:36atmosphere of late-night romantic desperation, while David Sterry delivers a vocal performance
06:41that sounds wounded without becoming overwrought. Meanwhile, the keyboards shimmer and surge around
06:54a driving electronic beat, creating something that's equally effective on the dance floor,
06:58or during an evening spent brooding alone. Different versions of Send Me An Angel even reached the
07:03American Top 40 twice, years apart. Apparently, listeners were more than willing to answer real
07:08life's call.
07:09Send Me An Angel
07:12Send Me An Angel
07:15Number 14. Change
07:17Tears for Fears
07:26The career of Tears for Fears would eventually expand toward the sort of widescreen pop heard
07:31on Shout and Everybody Wants to Rule the World. Change, however, belongs to the tighter and more
07:36anxious world of their debut album, The Hurting. The song's percussive keyboard hook possesses an almost
07:41toy-like quality, but there's something chilly lurking beneath that bright surface.
07:49Kurt Smith's controlled vocal works superbly against the restless production, selling a sense
07:54of distance without overwhelming the tune. Roland Orzebal once dismissed the words as little more
08:00than cheap pop lyrics, but he may have been underselling his own work. Change captures early
08:05tears for fears at their best — catchy, uneasy, and considerably darker than it initially appears.
08:13You can't change
08:16Number 13. Don't Go
08:18Yazoo
08:25Vince Clark certainly knew his way around a synthesizer. The future Erasure member had
08:31already helped define Depeche Mode's earliest sound before forming Yazoo with singer Alison Moyet.
08:36Don't Go demonstrates exactly why this partnership worked so well. Clark's
08:41shrill, tightly-controlled synth riff gives the song its instantly recognizable backbone,
08:46while Moyet supplies enough vocal grit to tear the machinery apart.
08:57Don't Go also possesses an undeniable dancefloor energy, proving that Heartbreak didn't need
09:02guitars or grand orchestration to hit hard. The song proves that a killer riff — and a singer who
09:08sounds like she means every word — can handily get the job done.
09:16Number 12. The Safety Dance
09:18Men Without Hats
09:20We can go if we want to
09:21Night is young and so am I
09:24There's more to The Safety Dance than its goofy title and unforgettable medieval-themed music video.
09:29Men Without Hats frontman Ivan Doroshuk reportedly wrote the song after being ejected from a club for
09:35pogo dancing, a practice that bouncers considered too dangerous.
09:43The resulting tune was essentially a declaration of dancefloor independence,
09:47powered by spring-loaded synths and a melody seemingly engineered to live inside your head forever.
09:52We can dance, we can dance, everybody's taking the time.
09:58The production possesses a playful, almost cartoonish bounce, while Doroshuk delivers every
10:03line with complete conviction. The Safety Dance may be silly, but it's never insincere. This Canadian
10:09synth-pop classic simply wants everyone to move however they want, and leave the judgmental friends
10:21behind.
10:21Number 11. Forever Young
10:24Alphaville
10:25Can you imagine when this race is won?
10:28Dad I gonna face this into the sun?
10:32It's admittedly difficult to hear the title Forever Young without immediately thinking of this synth-pop
10:37anthem from Germany's Alphaville. There's a surprising amount of anxiety lurking beneath the
10:42song's romantic reputation, however, with Cold War fears and the fleeting nature of youth occupying
10:48much of its lyrical landscape. The sparse arrangement understands exactly how much room Marion
10:52Gold's vocal requires, surrounding him with synth-pads that feel positively enormous.
11:03Forever Young could've easily collapsed beneath the weight of its own sentimentality. Instead,
11:08it commits fully to the emotion, transforming youthful uncertainty into something sweeping and
11:14timeless. It's the rare synth ballad that can soundtrack both a slow dance and a full-blown
11:19crisis about mortality.
11:27Number 10. Don't You Want Me
11:39It's a popular misconception that the nature of most synth-pop needs to be uplifting or positive.
11:45There's actually a lot of conceptual darkness to be found within this world,
11:50as evidenced by the Human League's hit song, Don't You Want Me.
12:02The tune has become somewhat infamous in recent years thanks to appraisal of its lyrics, which
12:08some have found to reside somewhere within the stalker-slash-gaslighter space.
12:22The lyrics admittedly fall by the wayside with this undeniably catchy tune, a classic slice of early
12:2980s synth that sounds insistently sinister and minimalist, albeit in the best possible way.
12:49It's an admittedly difficult task, inserting a little humanity into the synthesizer's intrinsically
12:56cold and detached drone. This is essentially why Soft Cell's cover of the Gloria Jones R&B
13:03tune Tainted Love remains so great.
13:11These synth-pop titans never forgot the flesh-and-blood aspect of Tainted Love,
13:16with their version retaining an eminently danceable vibe.
13:26There's a certain warmth to the synth tones here that avoid making Soft Cell's Tainted Love
13:32an exercise and clinical bebop industrial. Mark Ullman's powerful vocal also does a great job,
13:39to this end tying together every loose end with a memorable performance.
13:518. You Spin Me Round, Like a Record, Dead or Alive
14:02It speaks values that one of the myriad special releases for April 2025's Record Store Day
14:10was an anniversary remix edition of Youthquake by Dead or Alive.
14:14Watch out here, I'm down. You Spin Me Round, baby,
14:19I'm down like a record, baby, I'm down, round, round, round.
14:23Fans young and old have never forgotten hit singles like the iconic You Spin Me Round,
14:29Like a Record, with its irrepressibly danceable beats.
14:33I, I, I, I, I got to be your friend now, baby.
14:40This Dead or Alive tune helped trailblaze the high-energy scene of the 1980s club circuit,
14:45a throbbing number that pulses and crackles with light.
14:49Meanwhile, Pete Burns served as a visual focal point for Dead or Alive,
14:54existing at the crossroads of both style and substance.
15:057. West End Girls, Pet Shop Boys
15:18What is it about synth-pop that makes the genre ripe for parody?
15:22Saturday Night Live star Andy Samberg and his group The Lonely Island
15:27famously parodied the delivery of England's Pet Shop Boys with their song,
15:31Jizz In My Pants.
15:33She turned to me, that's when she said it,
15:35Look me dead in the face, ask cash of credit, and I jizzed in my pants.
15:39That very recognizable Pet Shop Boys cadence is set on full display here with West End Girls,
15:45one of the group's many, many wonderful songs.
16:00This is a slinky and cool number that sits right alongside other pet shop jams like
16:07It's a Sin or Opportunities. Let's make lots of money.
16:11The tune is simultaneously 80s with a capital E but also sort of timeless.
16:25A club banger that you can dance to or simply rock on the Walkman if you still own one.
16:326. Relax, Frankie Goes to Hollywood
16:43We highly recommend the debut album from Frankie Goes to Hollywood,
16:47Welcome to the Pleasure Dome, particularly for those who've never checked it out.
16:53That's because the LP actually contains tons of great high-energy tunes,
16:58beyond the group's smash international hit, Relax.
17:09That said, you're probably already singing that chorus in your head, just from hearing that sentence.
17:16That's how memorable, catchy, and infectious Frankie Goes to Hollywood was at their very best.
17:22Yet there's also a certain skulking menace to the booming synth and driving percussion.
17:28This is synth-pop that's not scared to get dangerous, to meet you in a back alley,
17:33do some provocative things, and leave you wanting more.
17:425. Just Can't Get Enough – Depeche Mode
17:53The career of Depeche Mode is one that's undergone numerous stylistic changes.
17:59This English group has explored early synth minimalism, orchestrated bombast, and heavy,
18:05hard-hitting sonic sounds over the years.
18:08Just Can't Get Enough was one of Depeche Mode's earliest hits, however.
18:12A single from their debut LP, Speak and Spell.
18:23This was an embryonic era for Depeche Mode, a brighter and danceable LP that
18:29hadn't yet codified the group's more experimental spirit.
18:33Still, Just Can't Get Enough works superbly in this fashion, a surface-level dance floor filler
18:39with sweet-sounding synths and an earworm chorus that you'll never forget.
18:45I'm just can't get enough, just can't get enough, just can't get enough, just can't get enough, just can't get
18:52enough.
18:52I dare ya!
18:53I'm just can't get enough, I know.
18:55Number 4. Rio – Duran Duran
18:59Moving on the floor now, babe, you're a bird of paradise.
19:05This English group was a prime example of a fashion-forward 80s rock band that simultaneously retained their musical integrity.
19:15Duran Duran may have looked good, but they also sounded good on hits like The Wild Boys,
19:21A View to a Kill, and their worldwide smash, Rio.
19:30The bass playing of John Taylor pops particularly well here, while Simon LeBond's vocals sound the charge.
19:37Meanwhile, Nick Rhodes' synth combines with some excellent guest saxophone from Andy Hamilton
19:43to create some musical magic during the solo section.
19:47What can we say? Rio just rocks, from first note to last.
19:59Number 3. Take On Me – A Ha
20:07It's not every day, where a song leaning heavily upon a falsetto vocal strikes a cultural chord.
20:14But then again, not every song is as great as Take On Me by A Ha.
20:25This Norwegian outfit felt ahead of their time when they utilized then-revolutionary rotoscoping
20:32effects for their second video to Take On Me. The clip's compelling narrative assisted the
20:38already catchy AF tune to dig a little deeper with those watching at home.
20:52It's admittedly difficult at this point to separate the success of A Ha from its groundbreaking video.
21:02Then again, when your lead singer also possesses the impeccable good looks and strong singing
21:08power of Morton Harkett, why would you want to?
21:19Number 2. Sweet dreams are made of this…
21:24Eurythmics.
21:30Just as Marilyn Manson's iconic cover of this song became one of the defining hits of the 90s,
21:37so too did the Eurythmics original help forge synth-pop history back in the 1980s.
21:43Some of them want to abuse you. Some of them want to be abused.
21:51If we're being honest, however, both versions of Sweet Dreams are made of this…
21:56feel threatening… and malevolent… just… in different ways.
22:01The OG song and video possess a… martial, almost totalitarian approach
22:06and how it uses stabs of synth to attack the listener. An Orwellian spirit of futility in the
22:12face of misplaced idealism that speaks to human nature in a pessimistic fashion.
22:24The Eurythmics don't necessarily intend to bring down the room with Sweet Dreams,
22:29and this song can be enjoyed on multiple levels, which is why it's still so great.
22:43Before we continue, be sure to check out WatchMojo's 24-hour livestream.
22:48All of your favorite videos in one place, 24-7. Always on, always live.
22:53Are you not entertained?!
22:56Number 1. Blue Monday. New Order.
23:04It was the 1970s post-punk of Joy Division that eventually led to the formation of New Order in 1980.
23:13And what a difference a decade meant to the latter's process-sounding production
23:18that emphasized a new synthesizer revolution.
23:29Sure, Joy Division did utilize the instrument in their own music,
23:34but singles like Blue Monday proved to retain much more commercial appeal.
23:39This came down to the song's danceable groove and robotic song structure. It felt virtually impossible to
23:46resist back in 1983.
23:52A clarion call of gothic grandeur that was polished to a bright shine and ready for mass consumption.
24:07Blue Monday felt like a musical crossroads where New Order's past met with its future.
24:19graybbweltblogger.com
24:20Do you miss the synth-obsessed 80s? Or wish we could have jumped to the 90s?
24:24Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
24:28Transcription by CastingWords
Comments