Every Friday, I’m publishing my top ten songs from a single year and this week it’s the turn of 1985.
For previous top ten tunes, please click on the year: 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
Eastenders in 1985
So in 1985, the Sinclair C5 is launched, TV soap opera Eastenders debuts, a fire breaks out at Bradford football stadium during a match killing 56 people, the Football Association bans all English football clubs from playing in Europe due to football riots and hooliganism, the Greenpeace ship the Rainbow Warrior is sunk after French agents plant a bomb, Live Aid concerts in both London and Philadelphia raise over £50,000,000 for famine relief in Ethiopia, the wreck of RMS Titanic is located by an expedition team, rioting as a result of racial tension take place in both Birmingham and Brixton, 55 people are killed in the Manchester Airport disaster when a plane bursts into flames, the first British mobile phone call is made and the films The Breakfast Club, The Goonies and Back to the Future are released. I turned 9 years old.
There’s quite a few repeat appearances here. There’s only two acts here that you haven’t seen before in previous weeks, but it does not make this week’s playlist any weaker. Also, please note how the hair has definitely got a lot BIGGER in 1985.
1.How Soon is Now? by The Smiths
2. Shout by Tears for Fears
3. You Spin Me Round (Like a Record) by Dead or Alive
I kind of feel sorry for the bloke on the right who is lacking in the hair department. Do you think he felt left out?
4. Take on Me by A-Ha
5. I’m Your Man by Wham!
6. Inbetween Days by the Cure
7. Raspberry Beret by Prince
8. Running up That Hill by Kate Bush
9. Crazy for You by Madonna
10. Road to Nowhere by Talking Heads
Whilst Dead or Alive are a close second, it’s Kate that wins again for me this week. One of the best songs ever written and those lyrics are phenomenal “And if I only could, I’d make a deal with God, And I’d get him to swap our places”. So, which one is your favourite?
See you next week for 1986!
Just Another Blog From a Woman 
I’ve got to go with Tears for Fears, but this is a great list. So many really good ones!
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1985 was a super strong year for great music. Tears for Fears is an excellent choice.
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The Smiths – now that brought back memories of parties in old houses during the Auckland years 🙂
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They sound like ace house parties!
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They were, what I remember of them 🙂
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Haha!
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I am an 80s baby, but a really love 80s songs. Can’t wait for your post on 1986. This is my year.
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Ah yes that’ll be another great year!
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Can’t fault any track on this list! What a year!
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Exactly. Every single song here is just brilliant. 1985 was an ace year.
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Kate Bush for sure, then The Cure. Great list..the glory years!
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High five for Kate 🖐🏻 ‘85 is such a good year.
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It’s hard to choose from this list. They’re all so good. I have a special affection for Take on Me. I remember when that video came out and it was like nothing anyone had ever seen. I love that song. And you can never go wrong with Talking Heads.
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I loved that video SO much. It was something special when it first came out. And then I used to stare at photos of male celebrities that I fancy in magazines, in the hope they’d pull me into the picture. Never happened. I still do it to be fair.
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Ooh, that’s so hard! For danceability, Dead or Alive. For sheer beauty, Kate, of course. And for angst, the Smiths, every time. Normally, The Cure would be at the top of the list, but this was a tough field!
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Bloody loved the Smiths & the Cure. Kate & Dead or Alive are SUCH good tunes though.
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Hi! The Smiths for me too – I’m a huge Smiths fan and How Soon is Now was the first song of theirs I found and owned as a young teen years later. So How Soon is Now was my gateway drug, haha! You’re right, lovely hair this year too. I’m guessing hair spray sales peaked in 85? 😂💜
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How Soon is Now, is SUCH a good tune still. Commendable choice my friend x
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1985 was the year I moved to London and I’d been over pop for more than a decade. I think the Kate Bush song is the only one I recognise. Sadly, I can remember the first episode of Eastenders. It started as it meant to go on with the discovery of a dead body. Even more sadly, I had big hair and big shoulders. The big hair was more or less natural, though.
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I can remember the first episode too! The whole family sat down to watch it. Unfortunately, the first episode was hardly family viewing with the dead body, was it? Oh and April, I would LOVE to see a photo of you with big hair & big shoulders!
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So many amazing songs on this list, which I didn’t really become aware of until I was a bit older! As for Eastenders, I remember Ethel’s willy 😂
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Haha aaah Ethel’s little willy!
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Good grief, Dirty Den looks like a teenager. Has to be AHA for me. For the song and the video.
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Ha he really does. A-ha, amazing song, amazing video.
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My favs this week are ‘Crazy for You’ and A-Ha with ‘Take on Me,’ What a video that was, so cleverly done, and Morten Haket, how gorgeous was he?!
I remember Eastenders when it started and I was addicted to it for about 10 years never missing an episode!
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Oh yes Morten Harket was very yummy plus the keyboardist was quite nice too. That video was epic. Same here with Eastenders! Never missed an episode for the first 10 Years!
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Ha! We have more in common than I thought, Hayley!!! 😁😁
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AHA! Can’t live without that song. I have no idea what it means. I make up the lyrics in my head because I can’t quite understand what they’re saying. Doesn’t matter–still stands for everything that was ever right with the 80s for me.
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This is so true- I have no idea what it means either! It is so very 80s though.
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1985 is this weeks Pick of the Pops on Radio 2! Fab!
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Oh I missed it! But how funny!
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Dead or alive for me.Love it but great tunes and bands this year.
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Fantastic choice 👍🏻
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Awesome list! Kate Bush is the stand out track for me, but all those are very good.
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It’s got to be Kate, hasn’t it? Cheers Matthew.
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