It is often said that people connect most with the music they heard during high school. At least, this is often said for me, because I went to high school from 1980-1984, and what a great music era that was. New Wave, Punk, Synth Pop, Goth: It was just a great time to be alive. MTV was brand new, and suddenly everyone had a visual interpretation of their newest song.

Recently, the loveliest of lovelies, Chelle B. re-discovered some of these wonderful 80’s videos on YouTube in an attempt to explain the 80’s to a couple of european “youngsters”. A mad nostalgia session ensued, in which I picked through my iPod, and my still very existent vinyl collection, coming up with the songs that shaped my teen years.

Of course, you could hunt through YouTube for these gems yourself, but I’ve collected my favorites here, in alphabetical order by band name. The links will open in a new window, so you can view each one and return to this page easily, or continue to wander through the vast archives of YouTube on your own.

This list is by no means all-inclusive. I will be updating it often, so bookmark the post and check back. Enjoy!

A

A-Ha
Take On Me
Hunting High and Low

ABC
The Look of Love
Poison Arrow

Adam & The Ants/Adam Ant
Goody Two Shoes
Stand And Deliver
Dog Eat Dog

Alphaville
Forever Young
Big in Japan

B

B-52’s
Rock Lobster
Planet Claire

Afrika Bambaataa & John Lydon
World Destruction

Toni Basil
Hey Mickey!

Bauhaus
Bela Lugosi’s Dead

Pat Benetar
Love Is A Battlefield

Berlin
The Metro

Big Country
In A Big Country

Blancmange
Living on the Ceiling

Bow Wow Wow
I Want Candy
Do You Wanna Hold Me?
Louis Quatorze

The Buggles
Video Killed the Radio Star

C

The Clash
Rock the Casbah
London Calling

Josie Cotton
Johnny Are You Queer? - no video for this one, sorry.

The Cult
Love Removal Machine

The Cure
A Forest
Just Like Heaven

D

Dead Kennedys
Holiday In Cambodia
California Ueber Alles

Dead Milkmen
The Thing That Only Eats Hipppies

Dead Or Alive
You Spin Me Round

Depeche Mode These are mostly TV appearances
Everything Counts
Somebody
Just Can’t Get Enough

Devo
Whip It

Thomas Dolby
She Blinded Me With Science
Airwaves
Europa And The Pirate Twins

Duran Duran
Planet Earth
Save A Prayer
Wild Boys
Rio

E

Echo and the Bunnymen
Lips Like Sugar

Eurythmics
Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)
Here Comes the Rain Again

F

The Fixx
One Thing Leads to Another
Saved by Zero
Sign of Fire

Flock of Seagulls
I Ran

Frankie Goes to Hollywood (FGTH)
Relax (a naughty version, but not THAT naughty)
Two Tribes
Welcome to the Pleasure Dome

G

Peter Gabriel
Shock The Monkey

The Go-Go’s
Head over Heels
Our Lips Are Sealed
Turn to You

Eddy Grant
Electric Avenue

H

Nina Hagen
New York, New York

Corey Hart
Sunglasses At Night

Murray Head
One Night In Bangkok

Heaven 17
Let Me Go
Penthouse & Pavement

Human League
(Keep Feeling) Fascination
Don’t You Want Me Baby?

I

Iam Siam
She Went Pop

Icicle Works
Whisper To A Scream

Billy Idol
Rebel Yell
White Wedding
Flesh For Fantasy
Dancing With Myself

INXS
What You Need

J

Japan
Gentlemen Take Polaroids

Howard Jones
No One Is To Blame
What Is Love?

K

Kajagoogoo
Too Shy

L

Cyndi Lauper
Girls Just Wanna Have Fun
Time After Time

M

M
Pop Muzik

Madness
Our House
It Must be Love

Malcolm McLaren
Buffalo Gals
Double Dutch

Men At Work
Down Under
Who Can it be Now?

Men Without Hats
Safety Dance
Pop Goes the World

Missing Persons
Destination Unknown
Words

Modern English
I Melt With You

Musical Youth
Pass The Dutchie

N

Nena
99 Luftballons

New Order
Blue Monday
True Faith

Gary Numan (Tubeway Army)
Cars
Are Friends Electric

O

Oingo Boingo
Nothing Bad Ever Happens To Me

Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD)
If You Leave
So In Love

P

Robert Palmer
Addicted To Love

Pet Shop Boys
West End Girls

Propaganda
P-Machinery

Psychedelic Furs
Love My Way

Re-Flex
The Politics Of Dancing

Real Life
Send Me An Angel

Rockwell
Somebody’s Watching Me

Romeo Void
Never Say Never

S

Peter Schilling
Major Tom - English version

Simple Minds
All The Things She Said
Alive And Kicking

Sisters of Mercy
Walk Away

Soft Cell
Tainted Love
Sex Dwarf

Spandau Ballet
True

Split Enz
I Got You

Rock This Town
Rock This Town

T

Talk Talk
It’s My Life

Tears for Fears
Mad World
Shout

Thompson Twins
Hold Me Now
You Take Me Up
Lies, Lies, Lies

Til Tuesday
Voices Carry

Timbuk 3
The Future’s So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades

Bonnie Tyler
Total Eclipse Of The Heart

U

Ultravox
Dancing With Tears In My Eyes
Vienna
All Stood Still

V

The Vapors
Turning Japanese

W

The Waitresses
I Know What Boys Like

Wall of Voodoo
Mexican Radio

When In Rome
The Promise

Y

Yaz (Yazoo for you brits)
Only You
Don’t Go

Yello
I Love You
Vicious Games

Well I brought my things, I am staying here at this post forever now!!!

This is just so bitchin and rad and like totally awesome and heh, ya know.

And it will grow and grow! Much like Claire’s willy!

You really need to add these to fmtune.com

Great list a lot of classics. though I dont see any housemartins, happy mondays or The Farm

I think I remember hearing some of these from the womb?

I will have to listen and find out

great list! i well remember the 80s. i bought the LP of Alphaville before too many copies were in the US and then eventually bought the CD. was listening to it just the other day, too. what memories we made in the 80s, eh?

SC: Damn, I’ve missed you!

I remember Alphaville from Germany. What a great group they were.. and cute

I think we’re going to do a rock post next, so get ready for some hair metal!

Whoo - the asymmetrical haircuts, the shoulder pads, the skinny pants. Loved it then, love it now.
BTW, Have you found the video for Godley & Cream’s “Cry?” I first saw it on MTV in ‘87 and it’s still one of my favorites.

Great list!! I have done a similar thing on my 80s web site, www.liketotally80s.com - it also has tons of good 80s fashion info and pictures that you might like! Thanks for doing this compilation - I am going to link to it from my site. - Alli w/ LT80s

Great list! You left off my favorite Adam Ant song.

Do you remember Strip?

Strip

This is wonderful. I love the 80’s and most of all the music. This is hours and hours of fun that you have organized.
Check out my blog if you get the chance. It is not all 80’s topics, but very often takes an 80’s spin. It is at http://OldSchool.tblog.com
Thanks again and I will be visiting your site often.

my favorite has to be Whip It by Devo. You have to be really cool to pull of the spandex outfits and crazy red hats. Great list.