200 Greatest Pop Songs Of The 80s And 90s

Pop music is a genre excessively popular globally. A genre of popular music, pop emerged as a modern form of music in the 50s. The pop music movement stemmed in the United States and United Kingdom in the50s, and since has gone onto become one of the most popular movements in music. This mainstream genre is characterized by the mellow vocal styles accompanied by a variety of musical instruments. While guitar, bass and drums have been popular in pop music since the 50s, keyboard and synthesizers came into prominence in the 70s. Synth pop became a craze in the 80s

Typically the length of pop songs is 3 to 4 minutes. Songs in this genre have a simple verse and chorus musical structure where emphasis is on melody. The rhythmic element interspersed with catchy hooks and melody give pop music a unique identity.  Over the years pop songs with a catchy chorus have become number 1 hits in many countries. A number of pop songs of the 80s and 90s have had success on different music charts. Chord progressions in pop music musically structured with root melody notes give a slick and polished feel to sound. Lyrical themes of pop bands and pop artists differ, however some of the popular themes in this genre are love, breakup, sentimental thoughts, and past memories.

Pop music has been dominated by US and British acts since the 50s, however, the Europop style that emerged in the 60s became hugely popular in the 80s and 90s. Several Europop bands from Germany, France, Sweden, Netherlands and United Kingdom had considerable chart success the 80s and early 90s. The boy band and girl band trend became epic in the 90s. Many boy bands from the 90s became popular with their brand of pop love songs. Needless to say, more that 70% of fans globally comprised of teenage girls. A number of musicians embarked on solo careers in pop music in the 80s and 90s. While pop music always dominated in US and UK, the genre in the Asia has developed greatly in Japan and Korea.

The rise of music television channels, MTV in particular showcased many pop bands and artists propelling the genre to new heights. Many pop bands from Europe made a huge impact in The US with their synth-laced pop songs. Towards the end of the 90s many pop-dance bands emerged bringing the club flavor in pop music. Since the year 2000 many acoustic pop bands and indie pop acts have emerged adding new character to the genre. The road for pop music in the years ahead is bright… time will tell how the Pop music evolves. 

Top 200 Pop Songs of the 80s and 90s

1. Take on Me- A-ha
2. Beat It- Michael Jackson
3. Faith- George Michael
4. Turn Back The Clock- Johnny Hates Jazz
5. Careless Whisper- Wham!
6. Hello- Lionel Richie
7. Girls Just Want To Have Fun- Cyndi Lauper
8. I Wanna Dance With Somebody- Whitney Houston
9. Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now- Starship
10. Billie Jean- Michael Jackson
11. West End Girls- Pet Shop Boys
12. Never Gonna Give You Up- Rick Astley
13. Stars- Simply Red
14. End of The Road- Boyz 2 Men
15. Wake Me Up Before You Go Go- Wham!
16. Like A Virgin- Madonna
17. Everybody Wants To Rule The World- Tears for Fears
18. Karma Chameleon- Culture Club
19. Total Eclipse of The Heart- Bonnie Taylor
20. When Doves Cry- Prince
21. Say My Name- Destiny’s Child
22. I Will Always Love You- Whitney Houston
23. Walk Like An Egyptian- The Bangles
24. Down Under- Men At Work
25. Time After Time- Cyndi Lauper
26. Don’t Know Much- Aaron Neville and Linda Ronstadt
27. The Way You Make Me Feel- Michael Jackson
28. It’s A Sin- Pet Shop Boys
29. Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)- Eurythmics
30. Call Me- Blondie
31. The Sign- Ace of Base
32. Unbreak My Heart- Toni Braxton
33. Nothing Compares 2 U- Sinead O’ Connor
34. Genie In A Bottle- Christina Aguleria
35. Don’t You Want Me- Human League
36. No Scrubs- TLC
37. You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)- Dead of Alive
38. Like A Prayer- Madonna
39. I Swear- All-4-One
40. Together Forever- Rick Astley
41. Barbie Girl- Aqua
42. How Do I Live- LeAnn Rimes
43. I Want It That Way- Backstreet Boys
44. Eternal Flame- The Bangles
45. Wind Beneath My Wings- Bette Midler
46. Loser- Beck
47. Baby Baby- Amy Grant
48. Black Or White- Michael Jackson
49. Papa Don’t Preach- Madonna
50. Steal My Sunshine- Len
51. Kiss From A Rose- Seal
52. Celebration- Kool & The Gang
53. Relax- Frankie Goes To Hollywood
54. Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)- Backstreet Boys
55. Come On Eileen- Dexys Midnight Runners
56. Believe- Cher
57. Walking On Sunshine- Katrina and the Waves
58. Truly Madly Deeply- Savage Garden
59. Love Shack- B-52’s
60. Endless Love- Lionel Richie & Diana Ross
61. Livin’ la Vida Loca- Ricky Martin
62. I Know- Dionne Farris
63. Cherish- Kool And the Gang
64. Everytime You Go Away- Paul Young
65. My Heart Will Go On- Celine Dion
66. Holding Back The Years- Simply Red
67. Stay (I Missed You)- Lisa Loeb
68. Hungry Like The Wolf (Night Version- Duran Duran
69. Baby One More Time- Britney Spears
70. The Lady In Red- Chris de Burgh
71. I Wanna Sex You Up- Color Me Badd
72. Wannabe- Spice Girls
73. Flashdance… What A Feeling- Irene Cara
74. Groove Is In The Heart- Deee-Lite
75. Rush Rush- Paula Abdul
76. A Groovy Kind of Love- Phil Collins
77. Tonight I Celebrate My Love- Peabo Bryson & Roberts Flack
78. Mickey- Tony Basil
79. Ordinary World- Duran Duran
80. Venus- Bananarama
81. Ice Ice Baby- Vanilla Ice
82. Tarzan Boy- Baltimora
83. Part Time Lover- Stevie Wonder
84. I Want It That Way- Backstreet Boys
85. Red Red Wine- UB 40
86. I Need To Know- Marc Anthony
87. What’s Love Got To Do With It- Tina Turner
88. Sussudio- Phil Collins
89. Blue Monday- New Order
90. Truly- Lionel Richie
91. Islands iN The Stream- Kenny Rogers & Dolly Parton
92. I’ll Make Love To You- Boyz 2 Men
93. Macarena- Los Del Rio
94. When I Think of You- Janet Jackson
95. So Amazing Luther Vandross
96. Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now- Starship
97. Step By Step- New Kids On The Block
98. Unbelievable- EMF
99. Every Morning- Sugar Ray
100. C’est La Vie- Bewitched
101. Say You, Say Me- Lionel Richie
102. Right Here Right Now- Jesus Jones
103. Mambo No. 5- Lou Bega
104. Heaven Is  a Place on Earth- Belinda Carlisle
105. Uptown Girl- Billy Joel
106. Take My Breath Away- Berlin
107. Come Undone- Duran Duran
108. Self Control- Laura Branigan
109. One More Night- Phil Collins
110. If You Don’t Know Me By Now- Simply Red
111. Vogue- Madonna
112. Rock Me Amadeus- Falco
113. The Boy is Mine- Brandy & Monica
114. Boombastic- Shaggy
115. Shattered Dreams- Johnny Hates Jazz
116. She Drives Me Crazy- Fine Young Cannibals
117. Candle In The Wind- Elton John
118. There’ll Be Sad Songs (to Make You Cry)- Billy Ocean
119. Our House- Madhouse
120. Circle in The Sand- Belinda Carlisle
121. I Just Called To Say I Love You- Stevie Wonder
122. The Tide Is High- Blondie
123. Kiss- Prince and The Revolution
124. Vision of Love- Mariah Carey
125. We Are The World- USA For Africa
126. I’ll Be Loving You
     (Forever)- New Kids On The Block
127. Foolish Games- Jewel
128. Glory of Love- Peter Cetera
129. Angel of Mine- Monica
130. So Emotional- Whitney Houston
131. I Ran (So Far Away)- A Flock of Seagulls
132. Breakfast At Tiffany’s- Deep Blue Something
133. Whip It- Devo
134. A View To Kill- Duran Duran
135. Caribbean Queen- Billy Ocean
136. Tell It To My Heart- Taylor Dayne
137. Father Figure- George Michael
138. In Your Eyes- Peter Gabriel
139. Seasons Change- Expose
140. You Gotta Be- Des’ree
141. River of Dreams- Billy Joel
142. Lost In Your Eyes- Debbie Gibson
143. Baby Don’t Forget My Number- Milli Vanilli
144. I Just Can’t Stop Loving You- Michael Jackson and Siedah Garrett
145. Against All Odds (Take A Look At Me Now)- Phil Collins
146. Tearin’ Up My Heart- NSYNC
147. Insensitive- Jann Arden
148. Tell Her About it- Billy Joel
149. The Power of Love- Jennifer Rush
150. Sweet love- Anita Baker
151. Anything For You- Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine
152. Getting’ Jiggy With It- Will Smith
153. How Will I Know- Whitney Houston
154. I Just Died In Your Arms Tonight- Cutting Crew
155. Informer- Snow
156. Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car- Billy Ocean
157. Ghostbusters- Ray Parker, Jr.
158. Whatta Man- Salt N’ Pepa and En Vogue
159. Space Age Love Song- A Flock of Seagulls
160. U Can’t Touch This- MC Hammer
161. Another Day In Paradise- Phil Collins
162. S Club Party- S Club 7
163. Don’t Wanna Lose You- Gloria Estefan
164. I’ll Be- Edwin McCain
165. Are you That Somebody?- Aaliyah
166. Candy- Mandy Moore
167. Have You Ever- Brandy
168. The Hardest Thing- 98 Degrees
169. Good Vibrations- Marky Mark & The Funky Bunch
170. If You Had My Love- Jennifer Lopez
171. Love Changes Everything- Climie Fisher
172. Quit Playing Games With My Heart- Backstreet Boys
173. Saving All My Love For You- Whitney Houston
174. I Touch Myself- The Divinyls
175. Straight Up- Paula Abdul
176. Woman In Love- Barbara Streisand
177. All Night Long (All Night)- Lionel Richie
178. I Do (Cherish You)- 98 Degrees
179. Killing Me Softly With His Song- The Fugees
180. O.P.P- Naughty By Nature
181. True- Spandau Ballet
182. All My Life- K-Ci & JoJo
183. Back at One- Brian McKnight
184. You’re Still The One- Shania Twain
185. Do What You Do- Jermaine Jackson
186. Foolish Beat- Debbie Gibson
187. Time (Clock of the Heart)- Culture Club
188. I Melt With You- Modern English
189. Toy Soldiers- Martika
190. Summer Girls- LFO
191. Chequered Love- Kim Wilde
192. Love Will Lead You Back- Taylor Dayne
193. Tenderness- General Public
194. Can’t Stay Away From You- Gloria Estefan
195. Love Plus One- Haircut 100
196. Could’ve Been- Tiffany
197. Hold Me Know- Thompson Twins
198. The More You Live, the More You Love- A Flock of Seagulls
199. Never Gonna Let You Go- Sergio Mendes
200. Stuck on You- Lionel Richie