#58. "Don’t Walk On Past" - Blue Peter (1983)

This is the first of three Canadian songs in a row on this chart (yeah, Canada's music scene kinda boomed in the 80s). 

Let's make a blender shall we... 

Toss in a slice of Duran Duran groove (think "Rio"), mix in the suave sound of ABC, a dash of Roxy Music for inspiration, and a suit from a Spandau Ballet member and you get Toronto's Blue Peter one-hit wonder "Don't Walk Past".

Yeah, it may be borderline cheese but it's iconic at the same time. 

The tune has an immaculate arrangement and I always get a kick out of the blinking timed perfectly with the drums early in the clip. 

"Don't Walk Past" has an equally epic and unquestionably dated video featuring several period conventions: 
- a typewriter
- smoking in the office (albeit after hours)
- martini glasses: I counted 5 empty glasses and I ain't judging 
- fog (yes!)
- henchmen appearing from thin air aka the magic of video, 
- and the highlight: some of the slickest dance moves ever performed in a suit...plus bonus moves at 3:05 from former MuchMusic VJ Rick the Temp in the lower inset. 

It's too bad the tune never got any traction in the US or UK markets. 

#59. "Shout" - Tears For Fears (1985)

The first of four to appear on this list from Tears For Fears, you could always count on them to release strong singles. 

Following the success of a trio of synth-pop songs from their debut album The Hurting, the release of "Shout" showed the band could rock it as well. 

"Shout" embraces the big production of the 80s with a six minute build that progressively adds more instruments, more singers, and more passion. 

The iconic guitar riff and the big fat, final chorus could have lasted another minute or two with no complaints here. 

I remember everyone at least liked this song, or was it that no one hated it.

#60. "White Wedding" - Billy Idol (1982)

Hey little sister...oh how I loved this tune! 

"White Wedding" may not have been a 'punk' song in the purest sense, but it was the high-water mark for what constituted the concept of "cool" to me in 1982 as a 13-year-old growing up in the safe confines of suburbia. 

A rare track we both liked, my brother and I used to emulate Billy Idol's iconic move of unwrapping his head scarf with improvised towels while singing along to the first verse.  

"White Wedding" was an anthem of attitude with all the fixings: epic opening, ladies in leather, fist-shaking, growling, cult-like proceedings, great guitar solo, smashed windows, exploding toasters and screaming bordering on caterwauling. 

Who cares what the lyrics mean, "White Wedding" is all about the delivery.

#61. "Hungry Like the Wolf" - Duran Duran (1982)

I howl and I whine... about why these guys don't get the credit they deserve. 

Duran Duran are kinda like the Stones in a way; they both don't often get a lot of respect in the industry. Mislabeled as a 'boy band' in the mid-80s, some people forget band members actually played their instruments. And wrote their songs. 

Looking back, I think the critics were jealous because they were good looking guys who could play. Oh, snap. 

"Hungry like the Wolf" was the gateway to the band, and to the new wave genre for many of us a little too young to notice the music trends unfolding in the late 70s. 

The video came out in junior high, wooing North American teenage girls and boys alike, with their exotic and adventurous videos and irresistible new wave sound. 

Besides the grandiose chorus, "Hungry Like the Wolf" features the iconic "Do do do do do do do dodo dododo dodo" and an intriguing instrumental bridge. 

How good were these guys in the early 80s? 

Between gallivanting halfway around the world to create the classic trio "Hungry like the Wolf", "Rio", and "Save A Prayer" just before their Mad Max phase ("New Moon on Monday", "Union of the Snake", "Wild Boys"), they were asked by their record label to come up with a single to keep up a presence on the charts. Well, they winged it with what looked like a fifty dollar budget for "Is There Something I Should Know" (inspired by the video game Q*bert?), just because they could.

#62. "Everything She Wants" - Wham! (1985)

Although Wham! is often perceived as a sort of throwback 60s / teeny bopper band, George Michael was bang on when he said that "Everything She Wants" was the group's most "80s sounding" song. I also agree with him that it's Wham!'s finest.

The track has a killer groove thanks to its synth foundation and a very catchy bass line.

But it's much more than another throwaway hit: the lyrics describing disillusionment with his partner's material demands are surprisingly moving. 

Despite later bemoaning much of Wham!'s earlier material, George Michael continued to play "Everything She Wants" live when he became a solo artist.

Watch this performance from 1996's MTV Unplugged (above) and you'll hear and feel a totally different vibe from one of pop's most talented vocalists.

For comparison, check out the six-and-a-half minute original video, a version with two bridges: