Ambrand.com

The patent pending Ambrand.com 80s mix tape… aide de memoire… these songs should be preserved for the goodness of mankind,they are like precious works of art.

1980s
My love of the decade comes from soundtracks, mostly of Eddie Murphy movies. Some of these songs are so well known its hard to believe someone wrote them! They are so well known, and so referenced in popular culture - such as Family Guy - it’s as if they have always existed.

I;ve excluded Michael Jackson and Huey Lewis, because they would fill the page.

• Human League - Don’t You Want Me (1981)
• Toto - Africa (1982)
  This song calls forth images of a Toyota Landcruiser driving through the Australian Outback in the oil rich 80s
• Toto - Rosanna (1982)
• David Bowie - Let’s Dance (1983)
  Included primarily because the video was filmed in Australia
• Pointer Sisters - Automatic (1984)
  The synths are so 80s! The video even has a Robot dance
• Nik Kershaw - Wouldn’t it be good (1984)
• Harold Faltermeyer - Axel F (1984)
  This has been sampled so many times!
• Rockwell - Somebody’s Watching Me (1984)
• Midnight Oil - Beds Are Burning (1984)
  Where do I start? I (re)discovered this one thanks to The Chasers War on Everyhing. This has everything; The White Landcruiser, the Commonwealth connection, The distinctive voice of Peter Garett
• Jermaine Jackson - Dynamite (1984)
• Aha - Take on me (1985)
  We all remember the video
• Michael Cretu - Samurai (1985)
• Boy Meets Girl - Waiting for a star to fall (1985)
• Dead or Alive - You Spin Me Round (1985)
• Europe - Final Countdown (1985)
• Harold Faltermeyer - Fletch Theme (1985)
  I think Axel Foley is better, but this song has more mood changes, Faltermeyer paints a picture with notes
• Huey Lewis & the News - The Power of Love (1985)
  Huey Lewis is one of my favourite 80s bands
• Don’t You Forget About Me - Simple Minds (1985)
• Go West We Close Our Eyes (1985)
• Billy Ocean - When The Going Gets Tough The Tough Get Going (1985)
  Has the added bonus of being endorsed by a soundtrack!
• Paul Hardcastle - 19 (1985)
• Peter Gabriel - Big Time (1986)
• Sledgehammer - Peter Gabriel (1987)
• Berlin - Take My Breath Away (1987)
  
• Rick Astley - Never Gonna Give You Up - (1987)
• Living In A Box - Living In A Box (1987)
• Sue Ann - I can’t stand it (1987)
  Beverly Hills Cop 2 Soundtrack
• Bob Seger - Shakedown (1987)
  Beverly Hills Cop 2 Soundtrack
• Jermaine Jackson - All Revved up (1987)
  Beverly Hills Cop 2 Soundtrack
• Rick Astley - Whenever You Need Somebody - (1988)
  Not as well known as his first hit, but I love how the tune ‘resets’ numerous times
• Toto - Pamela (1988)

Addendum: Stevie Wonder, Huey Lewis, Michael Jackson have so many hits they could have their own pages, so I’ve tried to select the cream of the crop.
1990s
If a song is sampled many times its a rubber stamp of the popularity of its beat.

• Haddaway - What Is Love (1993)