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100 Best Songs Of The 1980s

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100 Best Songs Of The 1980s | NME.COM.

Earlier in the month, the UK’s NME busted out its Best Tracks Of The ’70s list, and now they’re back in rankonia mode to appraise the best tracks of the following decade. The Smiths, New Order, Pixies, and Stone Roses tie for most selections, with three apiece. Scan the entire list below, but I have included the videos for the top ten.  Get ready for some flashbacks.

10 Rakim ‘Paid In Full’

Released: July 1987

Featuring a fistful of samples, this pivotal rap tune would be the foundation of a number of soul numbers including tracks from Soul II Soul and Enigma. But it was Rakim’s brilliantly humble rap that elevated this track into the realms of the truly legendary.

9 New Order ‘Bizarre Love Triangle’

Released: September 1986

A shiny bauble of pure pop goodness from the fab four. Like the yang to ‘Blue Monday’’s ying, this track was a tripped out love song to a strange relationship. Hooky’s bass was delicate and pounding and Bernard Sumner’s vocal line was deceptively boyish.

8 The Cure ‘In Between Days’

Released: July 1985

A goth love song? What next? Robert Smith’s beautiful slice of pounding acoustic-pop was a surging, multi-tracked work of wonder that continued the band’s run of brilliant singles, following ‘The Love Cats’ and preceding ‘Close To Me’.

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7 Neneh Cherry ‘Buffalo Stance‘

Released: December 1988

‘Buffalo Stance’ came along at a time when dance, hip-hop and pop were creating thrilling hybrids (see also ‘Salt N Pepa’s ‘Push It’ and Tone Loc’s ‘Funky Cold Medina’). Punk survivor Cherry sounded effortlessly in control as she rapped about her crew (based on the very real Buffalo crew), making the listener feel totally part of her world. And what a chorus.

6 Prince ‘When Doves Cry’

Released: May 1984

Released as the lead single from his seminal Purple Rain album and film, the bass-free ‘When Doves Cry’ was a thing of graceful beauty. A slice of Freudian autography, the deceptively simple music was played by the man himself. A generation uniting number that would alter Prince’s career, confirming his place as a titan of 80s pop.

5 The Specials ‘Ghost Town’

Released: June 1981

Unemployment, social unrest and racial tension powered ‘Ghost Town’, which caught the multi-cultural Specials at a politically febrile moment in time. The people of Britain were “getting angry”, and this was mirrored in the song’s haunting production and sense of dislocation. More than a pop song, this was a brilliant piece of art-as-social-comment.

4 Talking Heads ‘Once In A Lifetime’

Released: October 1980

Talking Heads and Brian Eno created this most postmodern of tracks. David Byrne’s genius lyric about melting away in suburbia (and the existential crisis that ensues) was one thing. But combining it with a gigantic gospel-tinged chorus the world could sing along to? That was the real master-stroke.

3 The Smiths ‘How Soon Is Now’

Released: August 1984

US label boss Seymour Stein said it was “the ‘Stairway To Heaven’ of the 80s,” and he wasn’t far off. Sounding like nothing else in the Smiths cannon, it paired Morrissey’s most painfully personal lyric with Marr’s most musically inventive soundscape (he later cited obscure disco songs as influences). The result was indie gold.

2 Joy Division ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’

Released: April 1980

Released one month before Ian Curtis’ death, NME’s original review called the song a “tombstone”. It eerily prefigured the future. Curtis’ lyrics read like a suicide note (“There’s a taste in my mouth as desperation takes hold,”) but there’s something weirdly uplifting about the way the song hurtles towards that final chorus.

1 New Order ‘Blue Monday’

Released: March 1983

The biggest selling 12” of all time was a pivotal moment in dance music. Mixing cold wave sentiment with the disco influence of Sylvester and Donna Summer, the result was a stunning explosion of drum machines, wibbly synths and Bernard Sumner’s no-nonsense vocal style. Nearly 30 years later, it still sounds amazingly modern.

Full List:
100. Paul Simon – “Graceland”
99. The Clash – “Straight To Hell”
98. Dead Or Alive – “You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)”
97. Pixies – “Where Is My Mind?”
96. OMD – “Enola Gay”
95. Elvis Costello – “Shipbuilding”
94. Starship – “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now”
93. The Clash – “Should I Stay Or Should I Go”
92. Fleetwood Mac – “Everywhere”
91. INXS – “Need You Tonight”
90. Primal Scream – “Velocity Girl
89. Lil Louis – “French Kiss”
88. Bruce Springsteen – “Atlantic City”
87. Blondie – “Atomic”
86. Madness – “House Of Fun”
85. Womack & Womack – “Teardrops”
84. Soft Cell – “Tainted Love”
83. James – “Sit Down”
82. The Stone Roses – “She Bangs The Drums”
81. Van Halen – “Jump”
80. S’Express – “Theme From S’Express”
79. Cyndi Lauper – “Time After Time”
78. Faith No More – “We Care A Lot”
77. De La Soul – “The Magic Number”
76. Simple Minds – “Don’t You (Forget About Me)”
75. Dead Kennedys – “Too Drunk To Fuck”
74. Orange Juice – “Rip It Up”
73. The Fall – “Hit The North”
72. The Clash – “Rock The Casbah”
71. Queen & David Bowie – “Under Pressure”
70. Talking Heads – “Road To Nowhere”
69. Metallica – “Master Of Puppets”
68. Sonic Youth – “Teen Age Riot”
67. Duran Duran – “Rio”
66. U2 – “With Or Without You”
65. Melle Mel – “White Lines (Don’t Don’t Do It)”
64. Nirvana – “About A Girl”
63. Depeche Mode – “Never Let Me Down Again”
62. Sundays – “Can’t Be Sure”
61. The Waterboys – “Whole Of The Moon”
60. Guns N’ Roses – “Sweet Child O’ Mine”
59. Iron Maiden – “Run To The Hills”
58. Bomb The Bass – “Beat Dis”
57. Psychedelic Furs – “Pretty In Pink”
56. Soul II Soul – “Back To Life”
55. 808 State – “Pacific State”
54. Frankie Goes To Hollywood – “Two Tribes”
53. The Cure – “Just Like Heaven”
52. Bruce Springsteen – “The River”
51. The Jam – “Going Underground”
50. MARRS – “Pump Up The Volume”
49. My Bloody Valentine – “You Made Me Realise”
48. Prince – “Sign ‘O’ The Times”
47. Grace Jones – “Pull Up To The Bumper”
46. Pixies – “Monkey Gone To Heaven”
45. Don Henley – “The Boys Of Summer”
44. Morrissey – “Everyday Is Like Sunday”
43. Kate Bush – “Hounds Of Love”
42. Cameo – “Word Up”
41. Dexys Midnight Runners – “Come On Eileen”
40. Happy Mondays – “Hallejulah”
39. Echo And The Bunnymen – “The Killing Moon”
38. Run DMC – “Walk This Way”
37. AC/DC – “Back In Black”
36. R.E.M. – “The One I Love”
35. NWA – “Straight Outta Compton”
34. The Smiths – “There Is A Light That Never Goes Out”
33. Madonna – “Like A Prayer”
32. The Stone Roses – “Made Of Stone”
31. New Order – “Temptation”
30. Pet Shop Boys – “What Have I Done To Deserve This?”
29. The Jam – “That’s Entertainment”
28. Sugarcubes – “Birthday”
27. The Pogues – “Fairytale Of New York”
26. David Bowie – “Ashes To Ashes”
25. Public Enemy – “Don’t Believe The Hype”
24. The Jesus And Mary Chain – “Just Like Honey”
23. Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds – “The Mercy Seat”
22. Dinosaur Jr – “Freak Scene”
21. This Mortal Coil – “Song To The Siren”
20. Salt N’ Pepa – “Push It”
19. Joy Division – “Atmosphere”
18. Michael Jackson – “Billie Jean”
17. Bon Jovi – “Livin’ On A Prayer”
16. Pixies – “Debaser”
15. Pet Shop Boys – “It’s A Sin”
14. The Smiths – “This Charming Man”
13. The Jesus And Mary Chain – “April Skies”
12. The Stone Roses – “Fools Gold”
11. Human League – “Love Action (I Believe In Love)”
10. Eric B. & Rakim – “Paid In Full”
09. New Order – “Bizarre Love Triangle”
08. The Cure – “In Between Days”
07. Neneh Cherry – “Buffalo Stance”
06. Prince – “When Doves Cry”
05. The Specials – “Ghost Town”
04. Talking Heads – “Once In A Lifetime”
03. The Smiths – “How Soon Is Now”
02. Joy Division – “Love Will Tear Us Apart”
01. New Order – “Blue Monday”

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100 Best Songs of the 1970s 10 – 01

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100 Best Songs of the 1970s | NME.COM.

10 Wings – ‘Band On The Run’

Released: June 1974

Widely thought of as the highlight of McCartney‘s post-Beatles career, ‘Band On The Run’s title track shows up Macca’s skill for elaborate but still-catchy songcraft. Written and recorded in Lagos, Nigeria, it’s the whimsical tale of a beat combo escaping incarceration, building from a dreamy beginning into a funked-up strut layered with horns and sunny melodies.

9 Michael Jackson – ‘Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough’

Released: July 1979

The real Jacko was born here, plotting the future course of soul, pop, R&B, you name it, with visionary producer Quincy Jones. Quite what all the stuff about “the force” is about is anyone’s guess – well, Star Wars, probably – but the ecstatic swirling strings and Jackson’s trademark hiccups and “wooo”s are too exciting to give a fig about anything else.

8 Bruce Springsteen – ‘Born To Run’

Released: August 1975

The Boss was going for the “greatest rock’n'roll record ever” and who’s to say he didn’t pull it off? A blend of innuendo – “strap your hands across my engines” – runaway sax from Clarence Clemons and full Wall Of Sound cacophony from the E Street Band, ‘Born To Run’ is a chest-bursting tour de force that even survived a Frankie Goes To Hollywood cover.

7 Blondie – ‘Heart Of Glass’

Released: September 1978

‘Heart Of Glass’ had been kicking around since it was a demo called ‘Once I Had A Love’ in 1975 but Blondie found the courage to release their disco record once they were established on the chart scene. For a new wave band playing with dance, it’s a first-time winner. The pulse is spot-on, although apparently a nightmare to record, and Debbie Harry is a natural disco siren.

6 Donna Summer – ‘I Feel Love‘

Released: May 1977

Donna Summer’s second collaboration with Giorgio Moroder – after the interminable disco lustfest ‘Love To Love You Baby‘ in 1975 – is a record with the sort of insignificance that cannot be understated. So let’s not understate it. ‘I Feel Love’ is one of the earliest purely synthetic recordings, the very first house record and the future in an orgasmic space-age nutshell.

5 The Ramones – ‘Blitzkrieg Bop‘

Released: April 1976

On one side of New York you had Television recording 10-minute new wave opuses, on the other The Ramones getting their pop thrash over in a couple of minutes. ‘Blitzkrieg Bop’ is a strip of bubblegum in punk clothing, its churning guitars rolling around Joey Ramone‘s slurring vocals as the band set a template for punk’s rock’n'roll revival.

4 David Bowie – ‘Heroes’

Released: September 1977

Written by Bowie with Brian Eno, ‘”Heroes”‘ is a gorgeous, howling tribute to love in all its proud defiance – and specifically to the snog between producer Tony Visconti and his new, secret girlfriend. Bowie reportedly stood at the back of the room to get that distant shout just right in the song’s final third as he battles for space with Robert Fripp’s wonderful distorted guitar.

3 The Clash – ‘London Calling’

Released: December 1979

The Clash always had a message to impart and what better than a bug-eyed apocalyptic warning? The “nuclear error” at Three Mile Island in the States could happen here too and Joe Strummer wanted us to know, driving the point home with those choppy guitars and vulpine howls. Finishing with a radio signal, this is the World Service in a time of terror.

2 Fleetwood Mac – ‘Go Your Own Way’

Released: December 1976

Written by Lindsey Buckingham about his disintegrating relationship with bandmate and girlfriend Stevie Nicks, ‘Go Your Own Way’ channels desperation and heartbreak into one of rock’s most memorable choruses. The group’s first Top 10 in the US, it propelled their album ‘Rumours’ into the charts, and has since been covered by everyone from Boy George to NOFX.

1 Sex Pistols – ‘God Save The Queen’

Released: May 1977

Glen Matlock’s last appearance on a Sex Pistols record is, funnily enough, a bit overshadowed by all the other hoo-ha circling about. This searing, sneering shot of snot-nosed rebellion would’ve made a perfect No.1 for the Queen’s silver jubilee, but was conveniently pipped by Rod Stewart’s ‘I Don’t Want To Talk About It’. Or was it? Over to the conspiracy theorists.

100 Best Songs of the 1970s 30 – 21

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30 Al Green – ‘Let’s Stay Together’

Released: December 1971

Produced and written with legendary Memphis soul man Willie Mitchell, Al Green’s persuasive soul smoothie slinked to No.1 in the States – his only single to do so – and a dozen years later provided Tina Turner with her big return to the limelight. As with all Green’s tunes from a classic period, lazy horns offer the perfect bed for his keening falsetto, soaking the song with heat and lust.

29 The B52′s – ‘Rock Lobster‘

Released: April 1978

The song that apparently pushed John Lennon back into the studio after half a decade’s househusbandry, ‘Rock Lobster’ is a ludicrous platter of fish-related silliness, surf guitar and horror movie ticks – like a wacky pop Cramps. Fred Schneider is the man talk-singing over the top, but it’s the inspired mix of spooky 50s rock and new wave that makes this more than a curiosity.

28 Kraftwerk – ‘The Model’

Released: May 1978

For such an unusually catchy tune ‘The Model’ took years to make an impact, starting life as a snappy pop interlude on 1978′s ‘The Man Machine‘ before becoming a single that was largely overlooked until the end of 1981 when it suddenly pelted up the UK charts right to No.1. Creating an actual song, Kraftwerk beat the pop stars at their own game.

27 ABBA – ‘Dancing Queen’

Released: August 1976

Separate it from the weddings, hen parties, endless party showings of Mamma Mia and screeching karaoke versions and – well – here you have one of the greatest pop songs ever. It’s difficult to shake the baggage, sure, but soon you’re swept up by the trilling piano, easy beats and elegant meld of Agnetha and Frida’s voices on the single that gave ABBA their only US No.1.

26 Lou Reed – ‘Walk On The Wild Side’

Released: November 1972

Lou Reed’s one real solo hit was written for the freaks and uniques who visited Andy Warhol’s Factory studio, a hymn to hedonism and shunning the flock. Produced by David Bowie and Mick Ronson it’s also got a woozy sax solo from Bowie’s old teacher Ronnie Ross and that bassline from Herbie Flowers, later to give A Tribe Called Quest their one real hit.

25 David Bowie – ‘Life On Mars?‘

Released: December 1971

It was a couple of years before this was released as a single in the wake of Ziggymania, but it still had the resonance to make the Top 3 in the UK. Its weird origins bear repeating – Bowie first wrote it to the tune of Claude François’s ‘Comme D’Habitude’ which eventually became the hoary old Sinatra standard ‘My Way’. Prog rock wizard Rick Wakeman plays stately piano.

24 AC/DC – ‘Highway To Hell’

Released: July 1979

AC/DC’s cut-glass rocking terrahawk caused some consternation on release, what with that title and butter-wouldn’t-melt schoolboy Angus Young‘s devil horns and tail on the album cover, but really it was a coded moan about touring. Still, the riff is Keefy dynamite and singer Bon Scott – who would die just a few months later – has just the right Satanic squeal.

23 Tubeway Army – ‘Are ‘Friends’ Electric?’

Released: April 1979

Pale-faced synth pioneer (from Slough) Gary Numan fashioned a high concept around his debut hit, a world where an isolated public communicates with cyber ‘friends’ – oh God, it’s happened. The powerful marching riff took it the top of the hit parade, and did the same for the Sugababes a couple of decades later when Richard X cunningly reworked his mash-up of Adina Howard’s ‘Freak Like Me’.

22 Sugarhill Gang – ‘Rapper’s Delight’

Released: November 1979

Hip hop’s first proper hit was mired in controversy. Sugar Hill label boss Sylvia Robinson had co-opted a trio of obscure rappers to make that pop crossover but they were accused of stealing their rhymes. Still, the track’s bed of Chic’s ‘Good Times’ was a fresh move – and repeated countless times over the years – and whatever their provenance, couplets about Holiday Inn are ludicrous and immortal.

21 Marvin Gaye – ‘Let’s Get It On’

Released: June 1973

After getting all that political conscience stuff out of the way on ‘What’s Going On’, Marvin Gaye went straight for the groin with ‘Let’s Get It On’, soundtracking a million and more trysts with tumbling funk and a begging vocal that would teeter on the edge of “Let it go, Marv” embarrassment if it wasn’t so downright persuasive. Bet it worked too.

100 Best Songs of the 1970s 50 – 41

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50 The Cramps – ‘Human Fly’

Released: July 1978

Produced by Big Star’s Alex Chilton, this was a grotty slice of swamp rock, featuring Poison Ivy’s vine-creeping guitar and Lux Interior’s guzzling vocals uniting to create a two-minute goth-rock diamond.

49 The Clash – ‘Train In Vain’

Released: December 1979

‘London Calling”s catchy, wheezing closer was hardly meant to be there. In fact, it was destined for an NME flexidisc but never arrived – instead it was tacked onto The Clash’s meisterwerk after the sleeve had gone to the printer, making it an unintentional hidden track. Your CD cover lists it now, as do the credits for Garbage’s 1996 hit ‘Stupid Girl’.

48 Bob Dylan – ‘Tangled Up In Blue’

Released: January 1975

The chiming first track on Dylan’s marriage-dissecting ‘Blood On The Tracks’ is a surreal, jump-cutting tale of a relationship from soup to nuts. Crammed with detail – “Working for a while on a fishing boat/Right outside of Delacroix” – none of it directly referencing the failure of his marriage to Sara Lowndes, it nevertheless has a personal quality. And his Bobness sings pretty nicely too.

47 Fleetwood Mac – ‘Dreams’

Released: February 1977

Simple, pretty and aimed like a laser at Lindsey Buckingham‘s guilty conscience, ‘Dreams’ was written by Stevie Nicks as everyone’s marriages and relationships fell to rack and ruin around the recording of AOR phenomenon ‘Rumours’. It doesn’t do a great deal but is mesmeric as it needles away, persuading its target to have a damn good think about “what you lost”.

46 Gang Of Four – ‘Damaged Goods’

Released: December 1978

The lead track from Gang Of Four’s debut EP boasts a riff that could slice through a particularly strong girder, the coldest funk this side of Prince & The Refrigeration and a seedy little lyric about ending an affair that’s become a bit wearing on the physical side. Jon King and Andy Gill trade vocals with all the soul of George Osborne. Brilliant.

45 Blondie – ‘Hanging On The Telephone’

Released: September 1978

One hell of an album opener. Blondie’s 1978 classic ‘Parallel Lines’ blams into life with ‘Hanging On The Telephone’, a pummeling war horse of a track written in 1973 by Jack Lee but first surfacing on his band The Nerves’ debut EP in 1976. Blondie’s version is strung-out, pleading and strident, and it’s impossible to ignore Debbie Harry’ siren call.

44 Deep Purple – ‘Smoke On The Water’

Released: March 1972

A story as legendary as the song’s four-note riff, ‘Smoke On The Water’ was inspired by the, er, smoke floating over Lake Geneva while Deep Purple were recording in their mobile studio. It came from a Frank Zappa gig at the Montreux Casino that caught fire when some chump fired a flare gun, the blaze now forever commemorated by inept guitarists trying to ape Ritchie Blackmore‘s axework.

43 Dolly Parton – ‘Jolene’

Released: October 1973

Dolly Parton’s signature smash actually limped to a mere No.60 in the States but it endures as an oddly jaunty plea to the titular stunner to leave Dolly’s man alone, even though she could take him any time she likes. There’s no artifice here – which is Parton’s main strength. However brassy and unreal she can be, she’s never less than pure-hearted. Later covered by the White Stripes.

42 T. Rex – ‘Get It On’

Released: July 1971

There’s a rice paper’s difference between each T. Rex riff, isn’t there? But who gives a hoot when Marc Bolan can clip them as funky as his work on ‘Get It On’, a chart-chomping monster of an effort that helped form the foundations of T. Rex’s annexation of Britain’s No.1 spot. Covered to lumpen effect by Robert Palmer/Duran Duran/Chic supergroup Power Station in 1985.

41 The Rolling Stones – ‘Tumbling Dice’

Released: April 1972

All ‘Exile On Main Street”s grubby cool is scrunched up into this UK Top 5 hit as Keith Richards plays a riff so loose its trousers are around its ankles and Mick Jagger drawls nonsense about “gambling love”. In actual fact, ‘Tumbling Dice’ had been kicking around for years before its ‘Exile’ completion, only worked into shape once Mick Taylor had been booted off lead.

100 Best Songs of the 1970s 60 – 51

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60 Elvis Costello – ‘Oliver’s Army’

Released: February 1979

Lyrically it couldn’t have been more timely. With political unrest in Ireland, Palestine and further field, Costello’s track about working class army proles exploited by the government seemed right on the money. Steve Nieve’s ABBA inspired keyboard work was the cherry on the top.

59 Curtis Mayfield – ‘Move On Up’

Released: September 1970

Free from The Impressions, Mayfield’s solo debut ‘Curtis’ featured many shining moments – but ‘Move On Up’ was perhaps the finest. The uplifting horns and vocals were the heart of a track that empowered for a generation going hopefully and nervously into a brand new decade.

58 The Modern Lovers – ‘Roadrunner’

Released: June 1972

Written after multiple exposures to The Velvet Underground’s splatter-rock epic ‘Sister Ray’, Jonathan Richman’s laconic drawl perfectly reflected the arid, suburban boredom reflected in the track’s lyrics and repetitive riff. A precursor to the slacker rock phenomenon almost 20 years later.

57 Squeeze – ‘Up The Junction’

Released: May 1979

Inspired by a TV play by Ken Loach, Chris Difford’s lyrics were brilliant street poetry, a kitchen sink drama that zipped along with soap opera like speed via bawdy colloquialisms. The grand keyboard line was just as important as the words in making this a new wave classic.

56 The Velvet Underground – ‘Rock & Roll’

Released: April 1970

Lou Reed could have been singing about himself when he said Ginny’s life was “saved by rock’n'roll.” The guitars and bass sound jangling and groovy, whilst the usually dour Reed sounds positively born again as he intones lines about radio hits making everything “alright” again. From ‘Heroin’ to this in four years? Wow.

55 Junior Murvin – ‘Police & Thieves’

Released: April 1977

Junior’s falsetto vocal and the gentle swish of the instrumental track (produced by Lee “Scratch” Perry) belied the lyrics which spoke of civil unrest and societal tension. Little wonder it was covered by The Clash on their debut album.

54 Elton John – ‘Tiny Dancer‘

Released: February 1972

A beautiful lyric from Bernie Taupin about navigating love on the road with future wife Maxine Feibelman was met by an instrumental that caught John at his singer/songwriter peak, creating a soft rock gem that would resonate with generations to come.

53 Thin Lizzy – ‘The Boys Are Back In Town’

Released: May 1976

With lyrics tense with a Springsteen-ish drama and multiple hooks – the legendary riff, the fist-punching chorus, the twin guitar solo from Brian Robertson and Scott Gorham to the chorus – this track is rife with the smell of summer lawns and the memories of beach parties. No wonder the track was co-opted by Irish rugby teams, jeans companies and Bon Jovi.

52 Queen – ‘Bohemian Rhapsody‘

Released: October 1975

In a career of classic rock moments, ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ still stands out as Queen’s campest and most outlandish. A piano chanson (complete with Brian May’s jaw dropping guitar solo) leaps gleefully into a full blown operatic parody, and the results are legendary.

51 Iggy Pop – ‘Lust For Life’

Released: September 1977

‘Lust For Life’ hums with skid row defiance, wrapped up with a seductive jangle pop bow. Little wonder it was later co-opted by Trainspotting – Bowie and Iggy reference heroin stalwart William Burroughs and dead dealers – but altogether, the song is as life-affirming as a gospel track.

100 Best Songs of the 1970s 70 – 61

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70 Wire – ‘I Am The Fly’

Released: August 1978

A prime slice of arch, amphetamine-driven art rock from Wire. Their ever-evolving sound meshed with a Floydian level of the surreal in the lyrics to create this one-note stomper where Colin Newman twisted his voice into unlikeable shapes to create a sonic earworm that you’d never forget.

69 Sparks – ‘This Town Ain’t Big Enough For The Both Of Us‘

Released: May 1974

The Mael brothers’ most majestic, rabbit-out-a-hat single suggested magic realism via The Wild West. Imbued with a cartoonish drama, Russell and Ron’s compulsive stomp demands your attention like the musical equivalent of a quickly unraveling disaster film.

68 The Clash – ‘(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais’

Released: June 1979

A brilliant piece of songwriting that managed to address social unrest and racial tension via the prism of the state of punk rock in 1979. The drifting Ska of the track showed the stylistic range of band unafraid of crossing genre lines which made them an more authentic representation of young Britain than some of their contemporaries.

67 Carly Simon – ‘You’re So Vain’

Released: December 1972

Perhaps we’ll never know who it was about, but the reflected narcissism Simon showed in the lyrics had an uncharacteristic bite to it. The sting was matched by the sloping tease of the music, highlighted by a sleazy guitar solo, hazy cowbell and Jagger’s (surely ironic) backing vocals.

66 Prince – ‘I Wanna Be Your Lover‘

Released: August 1979

Prince’s first real hit, ‘I Wanna Be Your Lover’ also showed the first flourishes of his musical trademarks that would define his megastardom in the decade which followed. The falsetto vocals and lascivious lyrics were laid over a disco guitar figure which nodded to both the Bee Gees and Chic. A joyful taste of what was to come.

65 George Harrison – ‘My Sweet Lord’

Released: November 1970

Post Beatles, Harrison’s hymn to the Hare Krishna religion was filled with a sunny spirituality which reflected not just a hope for a post Fab Four world, but also for the new decade, despite the hippy dream being over.

64 Big Star – ‘September Gurls’

Released: April 1974

Alex Chilton’s track goes straight for the heart with its chiming power chords, poignant lyrics and the feeling of a chance romance now all but a memory. It was later covered by the Bangles in a Paisley Underground style, which prompted Chilton to get the biggest royalty cheque of his career.

63 Nick Drake – ‘Pink Moon‘

Released: February 1972

It’s easy to project posthumous meaning onto a track, but ‘Pink Moon’ sounds like a warning about what’s to come. Stripped of all his past production crutches, here Drake is stripped to the elemental basics, purring about the ominous moon that’s “on its way”. The result is unforgettably sad.

62 Gary Numan – ‘Cars’

Released: August 1979

‘Cars’ was significant in that it married Numan’s Tubeway Army experiments with a more conventional, rock song structure. With a knowing nod to JG Ballard, Numan retained his high art credentials to create an trailblazing pop single which sounded like the future.

61 Patti Smith – ‘Because The Night’

Released: April 1978

Penned for ‘Darkness On The Edge Of Town’ by Springsteen, the Patti Smith Group re-tooled it to give it a more poetic nuance. The marriage of The Boss’ broad rock sensibilities and Smith’s yearning delivery yielded a rarity – a love song with a real, visceral heart.

100 Best Songs of the 1970s 80 – 71

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80 Blondie – ‘One Way Or Another’

Released: September 1978

One of Blondie’s finest, down to its nursery rhyme simplicity, skipping along on with giddy new wave swagger. Like most of ‘Parallel Lines’, its pure pop rush is addictive, so much so that it quite disguises the fact that Debbie Harry is actually behaving like a nightmare stalker. And one that it would be foolish to try and resist.

79 The Jam – ‘The Eton Rifles‘

Released: November 1979

In which Paul Weller declares holy class war through the medium of awesome Moddish new wave. As the 70s juddered to a close, the divisions in society were becoming more prominent, and The Jam’s fiery broadside tells a bitter tale of coming off worst after a brawl with some poshos, because indeed, “all that rugby puts hair on your chest.” David Cameron, missing the point, professed to love it.

78 New York Dolls – ‘Personality Crisis’

Released: July 1973

One of the seeds from which all of punk rock would grow thereafter. The opening shot from the Dolls’ awesome debut, here was all the nihilism and noise that would make the genre great distilled into three and a half minutes, and delivered with ultimate sex appeal.

77 John Lennon – ‘Instant Karma! (We All Shine On)’

Released: February 1970

Lennon’s third solo single saw his overarching message and peace and goodness shine through more profoundly than anywhere else. And this giddy, bouncing anthem is uplifting enough for you not to bother questioning what karma hitting you on the head actually feel like? Up there with the best songs Lennon ever wrote.

76 The Only Ones – ‘Another Girl, Another Planet’

Released: April 1978

The best pure pop song to emerge from the punk movement, period. And very possibly the most uplifting song about heroin addiction ever, if you’re into that kind of thing (which clearly is not a good idea). After the euphoric highs of this song, Peter Perrett did the cold turkey so you didn’t have to.

75 Neil Young – ‘Heart Of Gold’

Released: February 1972

Criticised by Dylan for sounding too much like him and later by Young himself for putting him slap-bang in the middle of the road, ‘Heart Of Gold’ nontheless glimmers like a diamond. A towering anthem for the singer/songwriter genre (James Taylor and Linda Ronstadt did the backing vocals), this was country-rock loveliness incarnate, Young’s quivering vocals atop lilting pedal steel guitar.

74 Brian Eno – ‘Needles In The Camel’s Eye‘

Released: January 1974

He’d soon depart this singer/songwriter terrain for more ambient territory, but the opener from ‘Here Come The Warm Jets’ was an exuberant slice of post-Roxy Music solo power. A clanging, multi-layered, Velvet Underground-aping thumper which would influence his Berlin experiments with Bowie and a decade of synth/sonic exploration.

73 XTC – ‘Making Plans For Nigel’

Released: August 1979

Of course there was no “Nigel”. Instead, bassist Colin Moulding wrote of his dad attempting to make his son get his “hair cut and stay on at school”. This theme of parental domination fits perfectly with the urgency of the music – part new wave muscle, part very British ska-ish funk workout.

72 The Who – ‘Who Are You’

Released: August 1978

To a generation of young pups it’s known as the ‘the song from CSI’ but to those blissfully unaware of the cop franchise, this track found Pete Townshend contemplating life as a ’60s counterculture legend in the face of punk. Referencing a meeting with the Sex Pistols, Townshend had a key moment of self reflection all the while his band busted out a madcap mix of funk and honest-to-god rock’n'roll.

71 Suicide – ‘Ghost Rider’

Released: December 1977

A floating slice of No Wave from Alan Vega and Martin Rev. The mix of ecstatic, ebbing industrial noise and noose-like keyboard sounds that vibrated forth from the legendary New York scuzz rock duo would go on to influence a generation of dark and brooding gunslingers including The Horrors and MIA (who would sample the track on her ‘Born Free’ single).

100 Best Songs of the 1970s 90 – 81

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100 Best Songs of the 1970s | NME.COM.

90 Madness – ‘One Step Beyond’

Released: October 1979

Originally a B-side from Jamaican artist Prince Buster, ‘One Step Beyond’ was turned into a hit by Madness, who as pioneers of the British ska scene, remade it as a giddy runaround jam. It remains an effervescent festival favourite to this day.

89 The Specials – ‘A Message To You Rudy’

Released: October 1979

It wasn’t all unemployed grimness in ghost towns round The Specials’ way. Their seminal cover of Dandy Livingstone’s 1967 rocksteady track showed they could skank along gaily with the most light-hearted of them, and as one of the key tracks on their 1979 debut album, this was a turning point for the blooming 2Tone label.

88 The Kinks – ‘Lola’

Released: June 1970

Spending the night flirting with and romancing a lady who turned out to be a man in a dress might be something that most men would try to sweep under the carpet. No such luck for The Kinks manager Robert Wace, who had his unfortunate encounter immortalised in what would become one of the band’s most iconic songs.

87 Roxy Music – ‘Virginia Plain’

Released: August 1972

The ’70s can get tarred with being the decade of glam rock by people who think glam rock must always be naff. But this opening salvo from Bryan Ferry’s crew showed how it should be done; swaggering and stylish, suave and incredibly sexy.

86 Leonard Cohen – ‘Chelsea Hotel No. 2′

Released: August 1974

In which the folkster recounts a sexual encounter at one of the most famous Bohemian hostelries. Rather ungallantly, Cohen revealed that the lady in question had been Janis Joplin, which he lived to regret, saying later, “an indiscretion for which I’m very sorry, and if there is some way of apologising to the ghost, I want to apologise now, for having committed that indiscretion.”

85 Buzzcocks – ‘Ever Fallen in Love (With Someone You Shouldn’t've)’

Released: September 1978

The sound of caffeine itself, as Manchester’s princes of punk wind themselves up so tightly with panic and sexual frustration that when they finally let it all out, it explodes into one of the most thrilling and anarchic singles in all of punk rock. Just awesome.

84 Joni Mitchell – ‘Big Yellow Taxi‘

Released: July 1970

The decade’s ultimate hippie song, as Joni looks out across the landscapes of Hawaii and just sees just concrete, and her heart sinks. Yet for all the bleakness and doom of the song’s subject matter, the song sounds warm and optimistic. Which was probably misplaced really. Goodness knows how Joni must be feeling now.

83 Althea & Donna – ‘Uptown Top Ranking’

Released: 1978

Being a one-hit wonder isn’t all that bad when your hit is at classy as this. Jamaican teenagers Althea and Donna, thanks to the championship of John Peel, caused a chart surprise by scoring a number one with this sweet and catchy reggae jam. After which time, their work here was done.

82 Giorgio Moroder – ‘Chase’

Released: October 1978

The pioneer of the synthesiser was wildly ahead of his time when he composed this sleek and pulsating throbber. As the classically-influenced theme from Alan Parker’s Midnight Express, the soundtrack would go on to win an Oscar.

81 Chic – ‘Le Freak‘

Released: October 1978

The signature tune of disco’s premiere outfit – so, therefore, the ultimate signature tune of disco itself. It is not physically possible to be in the presence of ‘Le Freak’ without dancing on command, which is ironic considering the song is actually about not being able to get into Studio 54 – so having your own party on the street anyway.