1980s Imaginary Jukebox Poll

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I've got the bug and as I did with the 70s version I'm updating these lists for the 60s, 80s, and 90s as well. As I wrote on that thread: I made an imaginary jukebox for a few decades that contain 50 "singles" of one artist, or two similar songs or artists; so 100 songs in total. They reflect a mix of my own taste and (American) biases, plus what an average cross-section of people might want to listen to if this was a real jukebox in a bar or something (only popular stuff I can't stand at all was ruled out). Here is the 80s edition.

Poll Results

OptionVotes
GRACE JONES – Pull Up to the Bumper /TAANA GARDNER – Heartbeat 3
DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES – I Can’t Go For That (No Can Do)/PHIL COLLINS – In the Air Tonight 3
EURYTHMICS – Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)/TEARS FOR FEARS – Everybody Wants to Rule the World 3
ERIC B & RAKIM – Paid in Full (7 Minutes of Madness Remix)/ERIC B & RAKIM – Follow the Leader 3
PUBLIC ENEMY – Bring the Noise/PUBLIC ENEMY – Fight the Power 3
NENEH CHERRY – Buffalo Stance/SOUL II SOUL – Back to Life 3
THE LA’S – There She Goes/THE STONE ROSES – I Wanna Be Adored 2
GEORGE CLINTON – Atomic Dog/TOM TOM CLUB – Genius of Love 2
ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN – The Killing Moon/THE CHURCH – Under the Milky Way 2
THE SPECIALS – Ghost Town/ROBERT WYATT – Shipbuilding 2
YOUNG MC – Bust a Move/BIZ MARKIE – Just a Friend 2
NEW ORDER – Blue Monday/NEW ORDER – Temptation 1
SHANNON – Let the Music Play/NU SHOOZ – I Can’t Wait 1
KATE BUSH – Running Up That Hill/THIS MORTAL COIL – Song to the Siren 1
TALKING HEADS – Once in a Lifetime/TALKING HEADS – This Must Be the Place (Naïve Melody) 1
THE HUMAN LEAGUE – Don’t You Want Me/SOFT CELL – Tainted Love/Where Did Our Love Go 1
SISTER NANCY – Bam Bam /TENOR SAW – Ring the Alarm 1
PIXIES – Gigantic /PIXIES – Debaser 1
GRANDMASTER FLASH & THE FURIOUS FIVE – The Message/RUN-DMC – Sucker MC’s 1
BAD BRAINS – Pay to Cum/BLACK FLAG – Rise Above 1
DAVID BOWIE – Ashes to Ashes/QUEEN & DAVID BOWIE – Under Pressure 1
THE CURE – Just Like Heaven/THE CURE – Close to Me 1
BEASTIE BOYS – Shake Your Rump/DE LA SOUL – Me, Myself & I 1
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN – Atlantic City/BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN – I’m on Fire 0
PRINCE & THE REVOLUTION – When Doves Cry/PRINCE – Little Red Corvette 0
U2 – New Year’s Day/U2 – With or Without You 0
R.E.M. – Radio Free Europe/R.E.M. – So. Central Rain (I’m Sorry) 0
THE REPLACEMENTS – I Will Dare/THE REPLACEMENTS – Bastards of Young 0
DIANA ROSS – I’m Coming Out/RUFUS & CHAKA KHAN – Ain’t Nobody 0
ROXY MUSIC – More Than This/YAZOO – Only You 0
ROB BASE & DJ EZ ROCK – It Takes Two/SALT ‘N’ PEPA – Push It 0
BLONDIE – Call Me/PRETENDERS – Brass in Pocket 0
GUNS N’ ROSES – Welcome to the Jungle/GUNS N’ ROSES – Sweet Child O’ Mine 0
THE SMITHS – This Charming Man/THE SMITHS – There is a Light That Never Goes Out 0
THE CLASH – Rock the Casbah/THE BEAT – Save It for Later 0
PET SHOP BOYS – West End Girls/PET SHOP BOYS – Always on My Mind 0
MARVIN GAYE – Sexual Healing/SADE – The Sweetest Taboo 0
FUGAZI – Waiting Room/SONIC YOUTH – Schizophrenia 0
HUSKER DU – Eight Miles High/THE MINUTEMEN – This Ain’t No Picnic 0
MICHAEL JACKSON – Billie Jean/MICHAEL JACKSON – Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’ 0
THE JESUS & MARY CHAIN – Just Like Honey/MY BLOODY VALENTINE – You Made Me Realise 0
A-HA - Take on Me/SIMPLE MINDS – Don’t You (Forget About Me) 0
JOY DIVISION – Love Will Tear Us Apart/JOY DIVISION – Atmosphere 0
CYNDI LAUPER - Girls Just Want To Have Fun/CYNDI LAUPER – Time After Time 0
MADONNA – Into the Groove/MADONNA – Like a Prayer 0
METALLICA – Battery/SLAYER – Raining Blood 0
MOTORHEAD – Ace of Spades/AC/DC – Back in Black 0
CROWDED HOUSE – Don’t Dream It’s Over/TRACY CHAPMAN – Fast Car 0
NWA – Straight Outta Compton/SLICK RICK – Children’s Story 0
THE GO-GO’S – Our Lips Are Sealed/MODERN ENGLISH – I Melt with You 0


Chris L, Monday, 4 September 2023 18:51 (two years ago)

I had many alternates and personal picks:

EVELYN “CHAMPAGNE” KING – Love Come Down
PATRICE RUSHEN – Forget Me Nots

VIOLENT FEMMES – Blister in the Sun
THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS – Ana Ng

INXS – Need You Tonight
DEPECHE MODE – Never Let Me Down Again

KRAFTWERK – Numbers/Computer World 2
CYBOTRON – Clear

FRANKIE KNUCKLES/JAMIE PRINCIPLE – Your Love
RHYTHM IS RHYTHM – Strings of Life

THE GO-BETWEENS – Cattle and Cane
CHRIS KNOX – Not Given Lightly

THE POLICE – Every Breath You Take
DON HENLEY – The Boys of Summer

GEORGE JONES – He Stopped Loving Her Today
WILLIE NELSON – On the Road Again

BOB MARLEY & THE WAILERS – Could You Be Loved
WAYNE SMITH – Under Mi Sleng Teng

DEF LEPPARD – Photograph
VAN HALEN – Panama

THE JAM – Going Underground
GANG OF FOUR – To Hell with Poverty

IRON MAIDEN – Run to the Hills
JUDAS PRIEST – Breaking the Law

A NUMBER OF NAMES – Sharevari
INNER CITY – Good Life

CHRIS ISAAK – Wicked Game
JULEE CRUISE – Falling

THE B-52’s – Love Shack
DEPECHE MODE – Personal Jesus

MUDHONEY – Touch Me, I’m Sick
NIRVANA – About a Girl

LOOSE JOINTS – Is It All Over My Face?
ESG – Moody

TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS – Refugee
STEVIE NICKS – Edge of Seventeen

KIM CARNES – Bette Davis Eyes
PAT BENATAR – Love is a Battlefield

WHITNEY HOUSTON – I Wanna Dance with Somebody
GEORGE MICHAEL – Faith

MISSION OF BURMA – Academy Fight Song
DINOSAUR JR – Freak Scene

THE CHILLS – Pink Frost
THE CLEAN – Point That Thing Somewhere Else

BRONSKI BEAT – Smalltown Boy
OMD – Enola Gay

COCTEAU TWINS – Lorelai
THE SUGARCUBES - Birthday

ELVIS COSTELLO – Beyond Belief
XTC – Senses Working Overtime

FLIPPER – Sex Bomb
BIG BLACK – Kerosene

Chris L, Monday, 4 September 2023 18:58 (two years ago)

Ruled out any acts that were double dips, and it's one of these five:

BLONDIE – Call Me/PRETENDERS – Brass in Pocket
EURYTHMICS – Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)/TEARS FOR FEARS – Everybody Wants to Rule the World
DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES – I Can’t Go For That (No Can Do)/PHIL COLLINS – In the Air Tonight
GRACE JONES – Pull Up to the Bumper /TAANA GARDNER – Heartbeat
SHANNON – Let the Music Play/NU SHOOZ – I Can’t Wait

fair but so uncool beliefs here (Eric H.), Monday, 4 September 2023 19:33 (two years ago)

But woulda voted for this tbh:

FRANKIE KNUCKLES/JAMIE PRINCIPLE – Your Love/RHYTHM IS RHYTHM – Strings of Life

fair but so uncool beliefs here (Eric H.), Monday, 4 September 2023 19:34 (two years ago)

voted Grace & Taana

or something, Tuesday, 5 September 2023 18:53 (two years ago)

Public Enemy takes this, Bad Brains/Black Flag in 2nd place, maybe Joy Division in 3rd.

atonar, Tuesday, 5 September 2023 19:28 (two years ago)

Tough poll, I may skip it out of indecision.

birdistheword, Wednesday, 6 September 2023 00:20 (two years ago)

You have an almost psychic knack for pairing a song I love with one I don't care about: "It Takes Two," "Save It for Later," "Fast Car," "Eight Miles High," "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'," "Into the Groove," "Radio Free Europe," "I Will Dare."

The Pet Shop Boys or Neneh Cherry/Soul II Soul would win a harmonic mean calculation.

clemenza, Wednesday, 6 September 2023 23:53 (two years ago)

would have voted for Flipper - Sex Bomb/Big Black - Kerosene

I love Rock the Casbah, Save It For Later, The Killing Moon, Paid In Full, Eight Miles High, Love Will Tear Us Apart, Gigantic, Debaser, Radio Free Europe, I Will Dare, I’m Coming Out, Let the Music Play, Once In a lifetime, Fast Car

ended up voting for Blue Monday/Temptation

Dan S, Thursday, 7 September 2023 00:21 (two years ago)

Agreed, I might’ve voted for “Wanna Be Startin Somethin” had it not been paired with “Billie Jean”

fair but so uncool beliefs here (Eric H.), Thursday, 7 September 2023 01:47 (two years ago)

NENEH CHERRY – Buffalo Stance/SOUL II SOUL – Back to Life

Untoppable. Others that were hard not to vote for:

ROB BASE & DJ EZ ROCK – It Takes Two/SALT ‘N’ PEPA – Push It
ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN – The Killing Moon/THE CHURCH – Under the Milky Way
GRACE JONES – Pull Up to the Bumper /TAANA GARDNER – Heartbeat
ROXY MUSIC – More Than This/YAZOO – Only You

a man often referred to in the news media as the Duke of Saxony (tipsy mothra), Thursday, 7 September 2023 01:55 (two years ago)

one of these:

GRANDMASTER FLASH & THE FURIOUS FIVE – The Message/RUN-DMC – Sucker MC’s
MOTORHEAD – Ace of Spades/AC/DC – Back in Black
SHANNON – Let the Music Play/NU SHOOZ – I Can’t Wait

c u (crüt), Thursday, 7 September 2023 02:00 (two years ago)

I don't use Spotify anymore but nate wools helpfully posted a playlist for this poll to the related 70s thread, if you want to sample for yourself the downtrodden 1-2 punch of Ghost Town and Shipbuilding.

Chris L, Friday, 8 September 2023 14:01 (two years ago)

They're not the two best songs on here, but the La's and the Stone Roses are an interesting mix.

Halfway there but for you, Friday, 8 September 2023 20:53 (two years ago)

wish I'd gone for Shannon and Nu Shooz now

or something, Friday, 8 September 2023 22:36 (two years ago)

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

System, Sunday, 10 September 2023 00:01 (two years ago)

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

System, Monday, 11 September 2023 00:01 (two years ago)

None of these deserved zeros, but it was too competitive of a poll.

birdistheword, Monday, 11 September 2023 03:07 (two years ago)

Not sure I've ever seen a 6-way tie before

fair but so uncool beliefs here (Eric H.), Monday, 11 September 2023 14:15 (two years ago)

three months pass...

Thought of this pairing:

NEIL YOUNG - Rockin’ in the Free World
LOU REED - Dirty Blvd

Chris L, Saturday, 16 December 2023 13:59 (one year ago)


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