200. Sinéad O’Connor – “Troy” (1987)
A fiercely independent artist from the start, O’Connor debuted with this 6-minute lushly-orchestrated epic that hinges on her feral vocal range.
199. World’s Famous Supreme Team – “Hey DJ!” (1984)
One of the first radio stations to broadcast hip-hop was this duo who were then recruited by British punks Malcolm McLaren and Stephen Hague to start making music.
198. Mission of Burma – “That’s When I Reach for My Revolver” (1981)
This vital band in America’s post-punk story peaked with this sing-along misanthropic anthem.
197. Nirvana – “About a Girl” (1989)
The nineties truly starts here where Kurt Cobain figures out how to put Beatles-esque melodies atop of heavily-distorted guitars and officially creates grunge.
196. Steely Dan – “Hey Nineteen” (1980)
The jazz-rock band’s final top ten hit is a breezy amalgamation of what makes them beloved to this day, from the unparalleled session musicianship to the borderline-sleazy lyricism.
195. George Michael – “Father Figure” (1987)
Maybe the most successful debut album of all time is Faith, and the best of its four number-one hits is this dreamy blue-eyed gospel romantic plea.
194. The Clash – “Rock the Casbah” (1982)
The drummer Topper Headon doesn’t get enough credit as the true musical savant of the band, as he crafted most of the instrumentation for this top-ten American hit.
193. Strawberry Switchblade – “Trees and Flowers” (1983)
This quietly-revolutionary take on rock is finally being recognized as its bedroom folksy production mixed with agoraphobia-inspired lyricism sounds like much of indie rock today.
192. Womack & Womack – “Teardrops” (1988)
The husband/wife duo were immersed in the R&B world from the ’60s on, and they found international success with this serene mid-tempo dance ballad.
191. Tom Petty – “Free Fallin'” (1989)
Now his signature song, this single revitalized Petty’s career and remains a universally-beloved sing-along anthem.
190. Rammellzee & K-Rob – “Beat Bop” (1983)
Rammellzee was a graffiti artist who brought the avant-garde underground into hip-hop with this classic which also features some incredible verses from K-Rob.
189. Laurie Anderson – “From the Air” (1982)
Backed by an unsettling horn arrangement and hard percussion, Anderson uses a plane crash for a black-comedic, apocalyptic analogy of Reagan’s America.
188. Michael Jackson – “Smooth Criminal” (1987)
The most-lasting of MJ’s hit singles off Bad, this dance floor classic is purely just Quincy Jones showing off and MJ hitting the best falsettos of his career.
187. Depeche Mode – “Personal Jesus” (1989)
No English synth-pop band matched Depeche Mode’s commercial heights, and it’s thanks to this electro-country stomper kicking off the Violator era.
186. Ryuichi Sakamoto – “Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence” (1983)
One of the greatest film composers and electronic acts of our time, Sakamoto is best remembered for this instrumental from the ’83 film starring David Bowie and him.
185. Public Enemy – “Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos” (1988)
Chuck D’s tale of a prison raid is one of the best narrative hip-hop tracks of all time and is a perfect display of Public Enemy’s unmatched political potency.
184. Beastie Boys – “No Sleep Till Brooklyn” (1986)
Rap rock wasn’t invented here, but it was damn near perfected with Slayer guitarist Kerry King ripping through the three yelling out skeezy party chants.
183. Prince & the Revolution – “Raspberry Beret” (1985)
Prince maintained his critical and commercial peak with this saccharine-sweet pop hit featuring some Middle Eastern influence in the arrangement.
182. The Sugarcubes – “Birthday” (1987)
Even just in her early twenties, Björk brought a vocal intensity and strangeness in this breakthrough hit for the Icelandic band that remains unrivaled in indie rock to this day.
181. R.E.M. – “So. Central Rain (I’m Sorry)” (1984)
In their first network tv appearance on David Letterman, R.E.M. sung a demo version of this which would turn into the biggest hit off their great second album Reckoning.
180. Yellowman – “Nobody Move Nobody Get Hurt” (1984)
With legendary producer Henry “Junjo” Lawes, Yellowman riffs and finds as many hooks as possible in his coarse deejay style.
179. Paul McCartney – “Temporary Secretary” (1980)
McCartney’s best solo work finds him at the meeting point of him being the greatest pop songwriter ever and the charming goof that can and will play anything, like this dizzying electro-pop cult classic.
178. Soul II Soul – “Back to Life (However Do You Want Me)” (1989)
R&B’s evolution through the ’80s can be seen in full with the influence of breakbeat, house, jungle, and reggae all folded into this international top five hit.
177. Duran Duran – “The Chauffeur” (1982)
For their Rio closer, the new wave band pushed aside their maximalism for an eerie darkwave synth cut with abstract lyricism from Simon Le Bon.
176. Liquid Liquid – “Optimo” (1983)
Maybe the best act from dance-punk’s first wave was this NY band who truly was all bass and percussion inspired by the dub of Jamaica and the Afrobeat of Nigeria.
175. Janet Jackson – “Escapade” (1989)
Rhythm Nation 1814 broke Billboard records with seven top-five hits, and the biggest of all was this euphoric upbeat anthem for those who just need to get away.
174. Minutemen – “History Lesson Part II” (1984)
In contention for greatest indie rock album of the ’80s is the 45-track Double Nickels on the Dime with this reflective jam being the beating heart at the center.
173. Morrissey – “Suedehead” (1988)
Morrissey’s debut solo single features one of the best guitar riff intros of the decade, played by Vini Reilly of the Durutti Column.
172. Al B. Sure! – “Nite and Day” (1988)
After being selected by Quincy Jones as the first winner of the Sony Innovators Talent Search, Al debuted with this new jack swing classic that was nominated for a Grammy and reached the Billboard top ten.
171. Hüsker Dü – “Pink Turns to Blue” (1984)
This fuzzed-out head-bopper was a shift towards melodic territory for the American hardcore scene and was instrumental in the development of alternative rock.
170. Dexys Midnight Runners – “Come On Eileen” (1982)
The peak of Celtic pop on American radio, this single still will top any ‘greatest one hit wonder’ list and deservingly so.
169. Kate Bush – “The Big Sky” (1985)
The biggest swing on one of the boldest art pop albums of all time, this underrated gem starts wistful and turns into an all-out chant backed by screechy, distorted guitar.
168. Pixies – “Gigantic” (1988)
With the success of the Breeders, it was clear that Kim Deal could have fronted more Pixies songs, but this Surfer Rosa standout is still enough to satiate.
167. Change – “The Glow of Love” (1980)
This Italian-American disco band were heavily influenced by Chic, and this title track to their debut introduced Luther Vandross to the world.
166. Orbital – “Chime” (1989)
As acid house began to dominate the British club scene, this 12-minute surprise hit defined where the electronic scene would be heading.
165. The Egyptian Lover – “I Cry (Night After Night)” (1984)
A perfect late-night synth-pop gem came from this electro DJ with 808s, keyboards and heartbreak.
164. Tracy Chapman – “Fast Car” (1988)
The song’s timeless message and aesthetic was proven by becoming a huge country hit and bringing Chapman back to the Grammy stage.
163. The Human League – “Don’t You Want Me” (1981)
A staple of any synth-pop playlist and karaoke duets, this international smash hit remains one of the best-selling singles in UK history.
162. Mr. Fingers – “Washing Machine” (1986)
The story of American electronic music runs through Larry Heard whose knowledge of jazz, disco and house music created a futuristic path for any successors with a 909 and synths.
161. Michael Jackson – “Beat It” (1982)
A huge part of Michael Jackson conquering the world involved him and Quincy Jones crafting a rock-radio single that could play to all audiences.
160. The La’s – “There She Goes” (1988)
A vital proto-Britpop text, this single is unashamedly simple with the chorus constantly repeating to inevitably remain stuck in your head forever.
159. N.W.A. – “Gangsta Gangsta” (1988)
Over one of Dre’s best beats, Ice Cube gives three classic verses about the realities of living in Compton until Eazy-E shows up and delivers his iconic final verse.
158. Cybotron – “Clear” (1983)
Taking the ice-cold electro of Kraftwerk and adding some Detroit funk to the mix was the defining aesthetic of Detroit techno’s early heyday.
157. Donald Fagen – “I.G.Y.” (1982)
Standing for “International Geophysical Year,” Fagen — fresh out of Steely Dan — references the 1957-1958 conference of scientists envisioning a better world for all.
156. Melle Mel – “White Lines (Don’t Don’t Do It)” (1983)
With a bassline ripped from Liquid Liquid’s “Cavern”, the lead vocalist of Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five sings about the dangers of cocaine while still keeping the party churning.
155. The Alan Parsons Project – “Eye in the Sky” (1982)
Having worked with the Beatles and Pink Floyd as a sound engineer, Alan Parsons was unparalleled in his production credentials, and his partner Eric Woolfson wrote and sang this majestic anthem en route to an international smash hit.
154. The Isley Brothers – “Between the Sheets” (1983)
The Isley Brothers defined R&B, soul and funk across four decades and with this sensual hit, they provided hip-hop with a foundational sample that shaped the ’90s sound.
153. Jungle Brothers – “Straight Out the Jungle” (1988)
This hip-hop act formed the Native Tongues collective and laid down the soulful jazz-rap lane for A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul, but this horn-laden title track speaks for itself.
152. Tina Turner – “What’s Love Got to Do with It” (1984)
After her divorce from Ike, Tina Turner struggled to find success until this ballad where she became the oldest woman to have a number-one single.
151. The Smiths – “Bigmouth Strikes Again” (1986)
With an incredible riff by Johnny Marr, Morrissey offers some of his most jaded lyrics aimed at the music industry and even provides high-pitched backing vocals.
Bitter Melodies 