Moving closer to that number one spot, we are counting down the top twenty songs of the 80's:

10.  “Flash Dance (What a Feeling)” by Irene Cara- Written by Keith Forsey and Irene Cara, “Flash Dance (What a Feeling)” won several awards including a Golden Globe, a Grammy, and an Academy Award for Best Original Song. From the hit movie by the same title and sung by Irene Cara, who also sung the lead soundtrack title for Fame. Soaring to the top of the charts in 1983 it sold over 700,000 copies in just the first two weeks of its release.

9.  “Every Breath You Take” by The Police- Perhaps one of the most misunderstood songs of the decade, “Every Breath You Take” was written by Police's front man, Sting as a dark song about a stalker, not the romantic love song that many have taken it to be. But in spite of Sting's frustration with the public's misunderstanding of the song it saw great success remaining at the #1 spot for 8 weeks in 1983.

8. “Like a Virgin” by Madonna- The first of a long string of top hits for the megastar, “Like a Virgin” firmly planted Madonna on the scene as an 80's icon. The song hit number one in several countries including the US, the UK, Germany and Spain reaching Diamond status in the US. The song was debuted at the MTV music awards in which Madonna adorned in a wedding gown and secured her own place in music history.

7. “When the Children Cry” by Whitelion- Although this great power ballad only made it to #3 on the US charts, it is perhaps one of the best examples of not only the musical spirit of the decade but of the political sentiment that drove many of us during the 80's. Speaking to the future and the world in which we are created for children all too often caught up in the chaos and violence of society it was a reminder that we all hoped for something better set to a beautiful and stirring guitar sequence featured prominently through out the song. It also featured a time when the belief in and/or mention of God in the mainstream was not only accepted but was at the least seen as the norm even for rockers. The song was picked up as a cover by Seventh Day Slumber just before the beginning of the war in Iraq; however, it did not quite do the song justice.

6.  “Purple Rain” by Prince- Released as a single on a purple LP, with a mix of pop, rock, and gospel this song quickly became the signature piece for Prince and climbed the charts in 1984. Although it only made it to the number 3 spot in the US it quickly became one of those songs that you could not forget, defining the 80's as a time of reflection fueled by the soundtrack of the decade.

Ready for the top five in our countdown? Continue to see which hit of the 80's took the top spot.