Ultimate Post-1989 Songs At the close of the 1980s, the musical style that had most defined the decade's best known songs had changed. The heavy synthesizer use common in "New Wave" music, so prevalent in the early and mid-1980s, had all but disappeared from the scene. Bands like U2 and REM - previously frequently labeled as "alternative" artists - had become mainstream. Rap and dance music with deeply reverberating bass lines were gaining in popularity. In response to the popular "hair metal bands" of the late 80s, the grunge movement was born, and the '80s were officially over.

Despite the radical differences in musical genres, there were still a few songs that came out in the early 1990s that had a definitive '80s feel. Among them, in my opinion, were the following songs. By early 1995, the longing for more songs like these brought about the idea for this website.

You may find the list helpful in reunion planning, trivia games, or simply for browsing.

Just click on the song title for lyrics and for a list of compilation albums on which the song appears.

You can also get a list of all Ultimate '80s Songs sorted by artist or by song title.

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Roxette/It Must Have Been Love
Billy Joel/I Go to Extremes
Lou Gramm/Just Between You and Me
Tom Petty/Free Fallin'
Basia/Cruising for Bruising
Smithereens/A Girl Like You
Lenny Kravitz/It Ain't Over Till It's Over
Escape Club/I'll Be There
Spin Doctors/Little Miss Can't Be Wrong
The Cure/Friday I'm in Love