We knew going into the 34th election that we could see some fireworks.
The latest ballot was the smallest in Hall of Songs history: 18 songs, all of which released between 1984 and ’88. With records by the likes of Prince, Cyndi Lauper, Madonna, N.W.A., Metallica and more on the list, we were pretty excited heading into this show.
Listen to find out if any songs … or how many songs … got enough voter support to be inducted into the Hall of Songs.
It’s time for another bonus episode of Hall of Songs!
The Hot 100 has been the leading arbiter of song popularity within America since its conception in 1958. To better understand its nooks and crannies, and to better contextualize what makes a song so popular nationwide, we brought in the chart expert himself, Chris Molanphy (@cmolanphy), to break it all down. Molanphy is the author of the Slate series “Why Is This Song No. 1?” and the host of the Slate podcast Hit Parade.
In this conversation, Tim, Chris, and Chris discuss popular songs, changes in the charts, and specific Hall of Songs topics such as freestyle, Billy Joel, and the fall and rise of country music as a crossover-capable genre.
Hall of Songs listeners: This was an historic election. Tim and Chris break down your votes judging the greatness of songs released between 1981 and ’87. Along the way, we play a little One Away.
We have been dreaming of this moment since starting Hall of Songs. It’s time to enter 1985, when the biggest names in pop music converge for charity spectacles like “We Are the World” and Live Aid, and when some of the most enduring songs of a generation hit pretty darn hard.
Come along for the ride as we select our top-12 songs from 1985. After listening, head to hallofsongs.com to vote for the songs you think deserve to be in our hall of fame for songs called the Hall of Songs.
After listening to Tim and Chris, VOTE for the greatest songs of all time! Songs from 1985, plus tunes from 1984, ’83, ’82 and ’81 are up for a shot to make the Hall of Songs! Vote now at hallofsongs.com and come back on July 29, 2022, to find out which song or songs get in!
Our 1985 nominees:
“King of Rock” as performed by Run DMC
Written by Darryl McDaniels, Jason Mizel, Joseph Simmons, Larry Smith and Russell Simmons; recorded mid-1984; released January 1985
“How Will I Know” as performed by Whitney Houston
Written by Geroge Merrill, Shannon Rubicam and Narada Michael Walden; recorded fall 1984; released February 1985
“Everybody Wants to Rule the World” as performed by Tears For Fears
Written by Roland Orzabal, Ian Stanley and Chris Hughes; recorded November 1984; released February 1985
“Voices Carry” as performed by ‘Til Tuesday
Written by Robert Holmes, Aimee Mann, Michael Hausman and Joey Pesce; recorded January 1985; released March 1985
“Raspberry Beret” as performed by Prince and the Revolution
Written by Prince; recorded September 1984; released April 1985
“Money For Nothing” as performed by Dire Straits
Written by Mark Knopfler and Sting; recorded December 1984; released May 1985
“Running Up That Hill” as performed by Kate Bush
Written by Kate Bush; recorded early 1985; released August 1985
“Conga” as performed by Miami Sound Machine
Written by Enrique E. Garcia; recorded early 1985; released August 1985
“Take on Me” as performed by A-Ha
Written by Magne Furuholmen, Morten Harket and Pal Waaktaar; recorded late 1984; released September 1985
“Bastards of Young” as performed by The Replacements
Written by Paul Westerberg; recorded June 1985; released September 1985
“I Can’t Live Without My Radio” as performed by LL Cool J
Written by James Todd Smith and Rick Rubin; recorded early 1985; released October 1985
“Crush on You” as performed by The Jets
Written by Jerry Knight and Aaron Zigman; recorded summer 1985; released October 1985
Listen to the full episode for more, and then vote for the songs that you think are the greatest of all-time. Scroll down to vote. Then, come back on July 29, 2022 to find out the voting results, and July 31, 2022 for our discussion on 1986.
Let’s not waste time: Chris is back and joins Tim to induct the 65th song into our prestigious Hall of Songs. Which record will join the latest two, Prince’s “Little Red Corvette” and Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean”? Take the time to find out.
Also, we discuss songs that are now eliminated from our Hall of Songs ballot … and the thing that all the remaining songs have in common.
This is a long one, but it’s only because we simply love this music. Our picks for the top-12 songs of 1983 include legendary new wave tracks, massive pop ballads, the early stages of Heartland Rock and two records that will come to define 1980s dance.
After listening to Tim and Chris, VOTE for the greatest songs of all time! Songs from 1983, plus tunes from 1982, ’81, ’79, ’78 and ’76 are up for a shot to make the Hall of Songs! Vote now at hallofsongs.com and come back on June 24, 2022, to find out which song or songs get in!
Our 1983 nominees (spoilers below; highlight to reveal):
“Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” as performed by Eurythmics
Written by Annie Lennox and David Stewart; recorded summer 1982; released January 1983
“Sunday Bloody Sunday” as performed by U2
Written by U2; recorded fall 1982; released February 1983
“True” as performed by Spandau Ballet
Written by Gary Kemp; recorded fall 1982; released March 1983
“Blue Monday” as performed by New Order
Written by Gillian Gilbert, Peter Hook, Stephen Morris and Bernard Sumner; recorded late 1982; released March 1983
“Between the Sheets” as performed by The Isley Brothers
Written by Rudolph Isley, O’Kelly Isley Jr., Ronald Isley, Ernest Isley, Marvin Isley and Chris Jasper; recorded February 1983; released March 1983
“Blister in the Sun” as performed by Violent Femmes
Written by Gordon Gano; recorded July 1982; released April 1983
“Every Breath You Take” as performed by The Police
Written by Sting; recorded early 1983; released May 1983
“Naive Melody (This Must Be the Place)” as performed by Talking Heads
Written by David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Jerry Harrison and Tina Weymouth; recorded late 1982; released June 1983
“Let the Music Play” as performed by Shannon
Written by Chris Barbosa and Ed Chisolm; recorded summer 1983; released September 1983
“Time After Time” as performed by Cyndi Lauper
Written by Cyndi Lauper and Rob Hyman; recorded June 1983; released October 1983
“Pink Houses” as performed by John Cougar Mellencamp
Written by John Mellencamp; recorded July 1983; released October 1983
“Jump” as performed by Van Halen
Written by Eddie Van Halen, Alex Van Halen and David Lee Roth; recorded summer 1983; released December 1983
Listen to the full episode for more, and then vote for the songs that you think are the greatest of all-time. Scroll down to vote. Then, come back on May 20, 2022 to find out the voting results, and May 22, 2022 for our discussion on 1983.
