40 sensational songs from the 1980s

Metal

“Ace of Spades” by Motorhead (1980)

I’m not sure there has ever been a better power trio song. All three players are blistering. The sound is overwhelming. Lemmy was a very good songwriter who knew how to write for his own voice. It manages to be both machine-gun-fast and melodious at the same time. I regret that my keyboard has no umlaut.

“Master of Puppets” by Metallica (1986)

The band that made thrash metal a commercially viable genre and, by the way, became one of the best-selling musical artists in the history of popular music. It boasts one of Kirk Hammett’s most famous riffs while also having a lyrical central section and an unrelentingly lurching rhythmic attack that would elevate Metallica above the din of loud and fast bands who only pursued volume and speed. Metallica could do that but could do so much more.

Blues Rock

“When Love Comes to Town” by U2 and B.B. King (1988)

I suppose the collab between the world’s biggest rock band and one of the all-time blues guitar legends could have gone wrong. But it didn’t. Bono and B.B. sing the hell out of it. The songs rocks hard for the first two-and-a-half minutes before Bono steps back and lets B.B. take over, playing a nimble little solo and dominating the final verse and outro.

“Thing Called Love” by Bonnie Raitt (1989)

It may not have been as headline-making as Bono and B.B. King, but having Bonnie Raitt play and sing one of John Hiatt’s most upbeat love songs was guaranteed for glory. Raitt had been a beloved niche artist in the ‘70s, playing slide guitar and singing some exceptional blues rockers. But she had fallen off a bit in the ‘80s.

Nick of Time, which had “Thing Called Love” as its lead single, changed all that and propelled Raitt to her greatest heights. The funky, bluesy groove provided Raitt with a perfect chance to show how she had matured from a young singer with a promise to a fully mature voice who could sing hits.

Folk Rock

“Luka” by Suzanne Vega (1987)

Suzanne Vega said that when she heard Lou Reed’s album Berlin (1973), she realized that there was no limit to the subject matter a pop song could cover. She put that to full effect in “Luka,” from her second album, Solitude Standing. It was the same album that produced a hit with the a cappella single “Tom’s Diner.”

Musically, “Luka” practically sparkles with its bright guitars and sweet melody. It’s when listeners actually paid attention that they realized the song was about a young boy who was the victim of domestic abuse, and the way he came to terms with an impossible situation. It was two sides of the same coin with Aerosmith’s “Jamie’s Got a Gun” a few years later.

“Fast Car,” by Tracy Chapman (1988)

We’ve reached the end, and come to what might be the best song of the decade. If not the best, then certainly the most heartfelt and poignant. Its simple acoustic guitar hook allows ample room for Chapman's incisive, desperate lyrics and her stunning voice.

The rebirth of the song, in the voice of country artist Luke Combs, did a great service to audiences who may not have known the original, and provided for one of the most stirring moments in recent Grammy history, when Chapman performed the song live as Combs stood respectfully to the side allowing her a moment in the spotlight.

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