- News & Reviews FeedFinal Results! Greatest Songs of the 80s
Over the course of several weeks, thousands of SoulTrackers nominated and then voted on the Greatest Soul Songs of the 1980s. The results were a great selection of essential albums for Soul Music lovers. We hope you like it!
AND CLICK HERE TO SEE THE RESULTS OF OUR OTHER POLLS
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| Marvin Gaye | Anita Baker | Luther Vandross | Prince |
| 1 | Sexual Healing - Marvin Gaye | 61% |
| 2 | Sweet Love - Anita Baker | 57% |
| 3 | A House Is Not a Home - Luther Vandross | 53% |
| 4 | Purple Rain - Prince | 49% |
| 5 | Billie Jean - Michael Jackson | 49% |
| 6 | Smooth Operator - Sade | 49% |
| 7 | Love T.K.O. - Teddy Pendergrass | 49% |
| 8 | Never too Much - Luther Vandross | 48% |
| 9 | When Doves Cry - Prince | 48% |
| 10 | Thriller - Michael Jackson | 47% |
| 11 | Giving You the Best I've Got - Anita Baker | 46% |
| 12 | The Sweetest Taboo - Sade | 45% |
| 13 | Joy and Pain - Maze Feat. Frankie Beverly | 45% |
| 14 | I Feel For You - Chaka Khan | 43% |
| 15 | After the Love Has Gone - Earth Wind & Fire | 42% |
| 16 | Fire and Desire - Rick James and Teena Marie | 42% |
| 17 | Treat Her Like a Lady - Temptations | 41% |
| 18 | Ain't Nobody - Rufus feat. Chaka Khan | 41% |
| 19 | You Give Good Love - Whitney Houston | 40% |
| 20 | Between the Sheets - Isley Brothers | 40% |
| 21 | If You Think You're Lonely Now - Bobby Womack | 40% |
| 22 | Just the Two of Us - Grover Washington with Bill Withers | 39% |
| 23 | Wanna Be Startin' Something - Michael Jackson | 39% |
| 24 | Forget Me Nots - Patrice Rushen | 39% |
| 25 | PYT - Michael Jackson | 38% |
| 26 | Take Your Time (Do It Right) - S.O.S. Band | 38% |
| 27 | Rock Me Tonight - Freddie Jackson | 38% |
| 28 | Saturday Love - Alexander O'Neal and Cherelle | 37% |
| 29 | Let's Groove - Earth, Wind and Fire | 37% |
| 30 | Give Me the Night - George Benson | 37% |
| 31 | Love Come Down - Evelyn Champagne King | 37% |
| 32 | Man in the Mirror - Michael Jackson | 37% |
| 33 | This is for the Lover in You - Shalamar | 37% |
| 34 | Through the Fire - Chaka Khan | 37% |
| 35 | You Are My Lady - Freddie Jackson | 37% |
| 36 | Whip Appeal - Babyface | 37% |
| 37 | Juicy Fruit - Mtume | 37% |
| 38 | Secret Garden - Quincy Jones | 37% |
| 39 | 1999 - Prince | 36% |
| 40 | One in a Million - Larry Graham | 36% |
| 41 | Human Nature - Michael Jackson | 36% |
| 42 | Give Me the Reason - Luther Vandross | 35% |
| 43 | Never Knew Love Like This Before - Stephanie Mills | 35% |
| 44 | On My Own - Patti Labelle and Michael McDonald | 35% |
| 45 | Word Up! - Cameo | 35% |
| 46 | Super Freak - Rick James | 35% |
| 47 | And the Beat Goes On - Whispers | 35% |
| 48 | On the Wings of Love - Jeffrey Osborne | 35% |
| 49 | Outstanding - The Gap Band | 34% |
| 50 | Beat It - Michael Jackson | 34% |
| 51 | I Can't Go for That - Hall and Oates | 34% |
| 52 | Make it Last Forever - Keith Sweat | 34% |
| 53 | You Dropped A Bomb On Me - The Gap Band | 33% |
| 54 | Superwoman - Karyn White | 33% |
| 55 | Smooth Criminal - Michael Jackson | 33% |
| 56 | Fantastic Voyage - Lakeside | 33% |
| 57 | Let It Whip - Dazz Band | 33% |
| 58 | Rock Steady - Whispers | 33% |
| 59 | And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going - Jennifer Holliday | 33% |
| 60 | Square Biz - Teena Marie | 33% |
| 61 | When I Think of You - Janet Jackson | 32% |
| 62 | Solid - Ashford and Simpson | 32% |
| 63 | Can't Get Over You - Maze feat. Frankie Beverly | 32% |
| 64 | My Prerogative - Bobby Brown | 32% |
| 65 | She's A Bad Mama Jama - Carl Carlton | 32% |
| 66 | Upside Down - Diana Ross | 32% |
| 67 | Back II Life - Soul II Soul | 31% |
| 68 | I Keep Forgettin' - Michael McDonald | 31% |
| 69 | Master Blaster (Jammin') - Stevie Wonder | 31% |
| 70 | Tender Love - Force MDs | 31% |
| 71 | Just Got Paid - Johnny Kemp | 31% |
| 72 | Overjoyed - Stevie Wonder | 30% |
| 73 | Somebody Else's Guy - Jocelyn Brown | 30% |
| 74 | Yearning For Your Love - The Gap Band | 30% |
| 75 | Baby Come to Me - Patti Austin and James Ingram | 30% |
| 76 | Just Once - Quincy Jones / James Ingram | 30% |
| 77 | Send for Me - Atlantic Starr | 30% |
| 78 | Yah Mo Be There - James Ingram and Michael McDonald | 30% |
| 79 | A Night to Remember - Shalamar | 30% |
| 80 | Can You Stand the Rain - New Edition | 30% |
| 81 | Give It To Me Baby - Rick James | 30% |
| 82 | Celebration - Kool and The Gang | 30% |
| 83 | I'm Coming Out - Diana Ross | 30% |
| 84 | Lady - Whispers | 30% |
| 85 | Computer Love - Zapp | 29% |
| 86 | Living All Alone - Phyllis Hyman | 29% |
| 87 | Always - Atlantic Starr | 29% |
| 88 | Don't Disturb This Groove - The System | 29% |
| 89 | The Message - Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five | 29% |
| 90 | I Like It - Debarge | 29% |
| 91 | The Glamorous Life - Sheila E. | 29% |
| 92 | Endless Love - Diana Ross & Lionel Richie | 29% |
| 93 | Careless Whisper - Wham | 29% |
| 94 | Shining Star - Manhattans | 29% |
| 95 | Sign Your Name - Terence Trent D'Arby | 29% |
| 96 | It's Gonna Take a Miracle - Deniece Williams | 29% |
| 97 | Joy - Teddy Pendergrass | 28% |
| 98 | Stomp - Brothers Johnson | 28% |
| 99 | Two Occasions - The Deele | 28% |
| 100T | If You Were Here Tonight - Alexander O'Neal | 28% |
| 100T | Jesus Is Love - The Commodores | 28% |
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Posted April 5th, 2010 by administratorComments
My Opinion These Omissions
GAVIN VON MEYER - March 22nd, 2010
My Opinion These Omissions below Outclass most of the songs listed (They have all the ingredients of the Best Soul Songs: Great Singing, Great Lyrics, Great Intruments & Orchestra, i.e. They Cause Nostalgia - Soul):
BLUE MAGIC:
THE OSCAR
LAND OF MAKE BELIEVE
SINCE YOU’VE BEEN GONE
MANHATTANS -
READY TO LOVE U AGAIN
CHRISTOPHER CROSS:
ARTHUR THEME SONG
BEAU WILLIAMS :
ALVINA
RAY GOODMAN & BROWN:
Special Lady,
Celebrate Our Love,
TEMPTATIONS
SOUL TO SOUL
LADY SOUL
I WONDER WHO SHE’S SEEING NOW
JONATHAN BUTLER
TAKE GOOD CARE OF ME
KOOL & THE GANG
JOANNA
George Benson
Kisses In The Moonlight
Phil Collins was also missed by us all - Two Hearts, Just One Night, etc.
(Songs like Beat It & Thriller Is Rock Music Sang By A Black Man! Its Not Soul Music)
But Generally Speaking - Great List Chris - Much Better Than Voting for Politicians - Any Time!
Gee Caver There were so many
GeeCaver - March 23rd, 2010
Gee Caver
There were so many good songs to choose from the 80s. "Treat Her Like A Lady" with Ali Woodson on lead for the Temptations
Anything by Anita Baker, Frankie Berverly or Lionel Ritchie, or Teddy - wow
Jazzy Funky Cool -
GAVIN VON MEYER - March 23rd, 2010
Jazzy Funky Cool - Christopher Cross's Arthur is certainly a Soulful Song & give it to the guy he sings great. Phil Collins also sang Soulfuly, love ballads. Whats closer to the soul, Beat It or these songs???
Infact, there is a new R&B Cover by a black R&B singer, of one of Christopher Cross's songs, Sailing (Away).
Ps, Another Great omission, George Bensons' Nothings Gonna Change My Love For You.
A pitty Most of Our South African Artists never made it overseas, we had great Soul Music in The Eighties - Ricardo & Friends, 'Daddy' & A Lady Called Judie Boucher - You can catch them on Youtube. Also check recent Sensation JAMALI. Peace
@ Gavin Von Meyer : it is a
JazzyFunkyCool - March 23rd, 2010
@ Gavin Von Meyer : it is a thing to sing soulfully (what Christopher Cross and Phil Collins may certainly do) but it doesn't mean they sing soul music. Make no mistake, I love Christopher Cross but it's not because Avant covered Sailing and P. Diddy sampled it that it is automatically a soul song.
I agree Beat Is is not a R&B song (after all, Michael Jackson was not limited to black music, they don't called him King of Pop for no reason), but neither is George Benson's Nothing's Gonna Change My Love For You, which is plain adult contemporary
Btw, I was quite shocked that some pop singers such as Irene Cara made the list
Jazzy Funky Cool, you are
GAVIN VON MEYER - March 25th, 2010
Jazzy Funky Cool, you are just making my point even more solid. There are Songs on the list, that are not 'Soul Music' at the expense of Real Soul Music, like the Blue Magic list - 'The Oscar' & 'Land of Make Believe'. Honestly, 'Ready to Love You Again' of the Manhhattans - how can that not make the cut??? Why do you think it was on one of the "Soul Balad" CD'S. Thanks, I did not even know Avant 's name & that P Diddy had anything to do with Sailing Production. Peace. Gavin
Ah, I see the definition of
katty51 - March 28th, 2010
Ah, I see the definition of soul music and whether a song is truely a soul song is being discussed. We didn't see much argument during the 60's and 70's vote. Wait til the voting for the 90's and first decade of 2000. I believe that 'true' soul music had its supremecy in the 60's and 70's. Starting with the 80's, its depth and breadth is starting to sink. That is especially true for us that grew up and spent our early adulthood during that period. We will never have that gift and vault of music again. So sad, no more Marvin Gaye, Temps, Spinners, Blue Magic, Al Green, Manhattans, Chi-Lites, Temprees, Stevie Wonder, Luther Vandross, Barry White, Aretha Franklin etc. Shall I go on?
Daaaamn five star made it
ricardito - April 2nd, 2010
Daaaamn five star made it onto the charts, now aint that something. Surprised that Gwen Gutherie's 'Nothin goin on but the rent' is not on there, I thought every woman in the 80s loved that song and had it as their anthem
@ Gavin Von Meyer, I can
onejazzyman - April 9th, 2010
@ Gavin Von Meyer, I can understand your admiration for both Phil Collins and Christopher Cross and they are both POP singers, not soul artists. You will never find any of their albums/cds or whatever form of music you want to call it in any soul music bin or shelf under the Soul/R&B section or on a music purchasing site listed under "Soul/R&B Music". There are many Anglo-saxon singers who are "soul artists", such as Teena Marie and Robin Thicke, that have a HUGE soul music fan base...unlike Collins and Cross, who have more of a pop music following. I would not consider any of their songs as the "best soul songs of all time." Yes, Avant has covered Cross' song, but many white artist have covered black artists songs going back to the 20's and I wouldn't considered Elvis Presley's "Hound Dog" a more soulful song than Big Mama Thornton's version. I personally wouldn't consider Collins or Cross songs among the GREATEST SOUL SONGS OF THE '80s, Pop songs ... maybe. I don't see where Irene Cara is listed on this list.
Great choice of songs...so
MattiS - April 9th, 2010
Great choice of songs...so many of which I have in my great soul albums collection. Thumbs up, to Soul Tracks, for giving us this opportunity to choose the best of the best. Chris and others...you rock!
Peace, Matti Kniva Spencer, Brave Warrior...Boston, MA and # 1 soul fan!
Martha Lakatos-Johnson Once
PowerlessMartha - April 10th, 2010
Martha Lakatos-Johnson
Once again, my main man, Marvin wins!!! But who else could have won...
I often wonder if he had gotten his demons in check how much more of a legacy he could have left us with.
RIP Marvin!
Quite the contrary Mr.Von
Nece B. - April 12th, 2010
Quite the contrary Mr.Von Meyer: Having soul is a state of heart & mind. If I can feel what David Bowie might be singing & it touches my heart, same as Micheal Jackson or the Doobie Brothers then it's got soul. We tend to want to always to know the color of the singer to determine what catergory a song should be in everyone has soul; it's how you bring it to the table & share it with others.
