U2 - Pride (In the Name of Love), Journey - Faithfully, Tears for Fears - Head over Heels, Berlin - Sex, Spandau Ballet - True. What can I say, I was a power-ballad, angst ridden, confused teenaged girl. That's my story anyway. :-) - Dawn M. Armfield

Hmmm...but then I start thinking about Prefab Sprout, the Talking Heads, ABC, Adam Ant, New Order, The Smiths...aaaagggh! Now I have a million 80s songs in my head, damn you! ;-) - Dawn M. Armfield

5 from the 80s? Jeez, I could run up 100, certainly 10 from each year. Let's see, the quintessential 80s for me: Rio - Duran Duran, Don't You Want Me - Human League, I Ran - Flock of Seagulls, Always Something There To Remind Me - Naked Eyes, Tainted Love - Soft Cell. (Seriously, I could think of 100s more that might rival or replace these.) - AJ Kohn

Clash "Guns of Brixton" (technically, December 14, 1979), U2 "Sunday Bloody Sunday," Laurie Anderson "O Superman," Talking Heads "Once in a Lifetime," Public Enemy "Don't Believe the Hype." - Chris Baskind

i'm with dawn on at least one of her five: True, Spandau Ballet... - edythe

This is hard to pick only 5: B-52s "Rock Lobster," J Geils Band "Love Stinks," REO Speedwagon's "Take it on the Run," Joan Jett (the entire album), The Waitresses "I Know What Boys Like." Oh and I have to add a bonus of Tone Loc's "Funky Cold Medina." - Trish R

Pixies - "Here Comes Your Man"; Michael Penn - "No Myth"; The Smiths - "I Know It's Over"; Sugarcubes - "Coldsweat"; X - "4th Of July". Man that X one is a tough choice...there are so many of their songs tied to great memories for me. - Jeremy Brooks

Billie Jean, Michael Jackson - edythe

I think the Eighties were an amazingly productive musical era. - Chris Baskind

Just Like Heaven (Cure), How Soon Is Now (Smiths), Cities in Dust (Siouxie), Throughout the Dark Months of April and May (Cocteau Twins). Can't decide between the early Pixies (typical of their work, it's interchangably brilliant). I'd settle for Gigantic for sentimental reasons. Mmm... High School. Didn't like it much. :) - Madsimian

The Cure - 10:15 Saturday Night, Ministry - We Believe, U2 - New Year's Day, Pixies - Break My Body, Grateful Dead - Till the Morning Comes. Best thread ever! - Jason Wehmhoener

I have to agree, Chris. There isn't a group listed here (and so many more) that didn't produce at least one song that I enjoyed. - Dawn M. Armfield

Damn, how did I forget about Iggy Pop? - Trish R

Can't argue with Sunday Bloody Sunday, Once in a Lifetime, Funky Cold Media, No Myth, How Soon Is Now, The Cure ... I'd go with something from Boys Don't Cry. I missed a critical one: Anything from the Violent Femmes self titled album. Also, something from Hall & Oates. Something from Squeeze. Bitchin' Camaro from The Dead Milkmen. I do believe the 80s had some amazing music! - AJ Kohn

the smiths: half a person - edythe

Crap, something from REM's Document. Something from Midnight Oil. Something from pre-Kick INXS. - AJ Kohn

The Clash - London Calling; U2 - Pride (In The Name of Love); Frankie Goes to Hollywood - Relax; Peter Gabriel - In Your Eyes; Journey - Don't Stop Believin'. Wow, harder to cut it to 5 picks here than your earlier film list query, fun memories though, thanks! - Casey

Only five? that hurts...okay: The Message by Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five, Only You by YAZ, In My Eyes by Minor Threat, When Doves Cry by Prince, and Just Can't Get Enough by D'Mode. In another two minutes this list could soooo change...darn you with your 5 jive! - Anna Haro

I think Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" was the song of the decade, but it doesn't make my personal list. There's so much to choose from: the fallout of New Wave and Punk; stadium rock; the beginnings of rap (thanks, Sugarhill Records!); some fantastic progressive stuff; the start of modern Country music ("Urban Cowboy" soundtrack and its spawn) ... amazing. - Chris Baskind

i have tow more choices to make - one will be the pixies, duh. I don't know. maybe both will be the pixies. but then i am leaving out talking heads... - edythe

"California Uber Alles" Dead Kennedys, "Mommy's Little Monster" Social Distortion, "When Doves Cry" Prince, "Tainted Love" you tell me who it is, "Always Something there to remind me." Romantics - Nathan Eckenrode

I am very ashamed that I did not mention Prince. I need to hide this thread, it's distracting me and causing all these songs to stick in my brain. - Trish R

yeah, this is like asking "which of your children do you want to live?" that said, these are not THE. FIVE. i would choose to live, but they would probably be on the short list of survivors: "Head Over Heels" -- The Go-Go's ♪ "Harborcoat" - R.E.M. ♪ "Panama" - Van Halen ♪ "June Bug" - B-52s ♪ "The Smartest Person I Know" - The Waitresses - Karim

Did I say this would be easy? No. ;-) - Chris Baskind

1)"Blister in the Sun" - Violent Femmes, 2) "Cities in Dust" - Siouxsie & the Banshees, 3) "No New Tale to Tell" - Love & Rockets, 4) "Loving the Alien" - David Bowie, 5) "Make A Circuit With Me" - The Polecats -- and then I shoot myself because there's hundreds of others I should've chosen. - Lucretia Pruitt

a) AWESOME question 1) Drop Dead Legs - Van Halen, 2) Cars - Gary Numan 3) Falco - Rock Me Amadeus 4) Corey Hart - Sunglasses at Night 5) Eurythmics - Here Comes the Rain - ok limiting to 5 was much harder than expected, this isn't the right list. (Edited - horrified that I let myself type "two likes up in a circle" ) - Marco(aureliusmaximus)

Do-overs are fair game. - Chris Baskind

oh, yes...Yaz, Violent Femmes, Depeche Mode, Prince...argh! I'm drawn back to this like plastic bangle bracelets were drawn to Madonna in the early days... - Dawn M. Armfield

Holy crap, what a great question. I can't outdo what other people have posted (Prince, Violent Femmes, Bowie, Pixies, Soft Cell, Public Enemy). I'd add: Cyndi Lauper, Money Changes Everything (seriously, it's an amazing song); Depeche Mode, Never Let Me Down Again; Grace Jones, Slave to the Rhythm; Doug E. Fresh and the Get Fresh Crew, La-Di-Da-Di; Eddie Grant, Electric Avenue. - Nathan Rein

PS for more : http://del.icio.us/myrobly... - Nathan Rein

Chicago - Hard for me to Say I'm Sorry, Prince - When Doves Cry, Madonna - Material Girl, Soft Cell - Tainted Love and L.L. Cool J. - I need Love - Adrienne Van Houten

love will tear us apart by joy division; south central rain by rem; lost in the supermarket by the clash; synchronicity 2 by the police; gigantic by the pixies - RAPatton

it's funny, I hated that LL Cool J. song ("I Need Love") when it was actually on the radio, but now I can kind of appreciate it. - Nathan Rein

No "one night in Bangkok?" No "anything by Stevie Ray Vaughn? What about Crowded House...or SQUEEZE? or Madness...not to mention Mr. Mister with Kyrie Laison and Broken Wings. Man...the 80's were gold. :D - BISQ

S-S-S-S-A-A-A-A-F-F-F-F-T-T-T-T Safe-Safe-Safety Dance... [update: I seem to have misspelled Safety, it's time for bed] - Nathan Rein

Van Halen-Panama, Def Leppard-Photograph, Motley Crue-Kickstart my heart, Cyndi Lauper-Time after time, and Rush-Freewill - Will Hirsbrunner

This is impossible. I Feel For You by Chaka Khan, The Show by Doug E. Fresh and the Get Fresh Crew, Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' by Michael Jackson, Rhythm Nation by Janet Jackson, Wild Sex (In the Working Class) by Oingo Boingo - Jason Toney

Anybody working on an online playlist (e.g. imeem)? - Mike Doeff

OK, here we go... New Order - Ceremony, Freur - Doot Doot, Visage - Fade To Grey, Sinéad O'Connor - Heroine (Theme from Captive), The Smiths - Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want. http://mdff80s5.muxtape.com - Mike Doeff

Hmmm, 5 songs is gonna be hard but..... Duran Duran, Skin Trade...Madonna Like A Prayer...Depeche Mode, Never Let Me Down Again...The Smiths, How Soon Is Now...Talk Talk, Life's What You Make It... - Emma