1984 Songs
The biggest songs of 1984 were Prince's "When Doves Cry", Billboard's No. 1 single of the year, Tina Turner's "What's Love Got to Do with It", Van Halen's "Jump" and Kenny Loggins' "Footloose". It was the year of Purple Rain, Born in the U.S.A. and Like a Virgin, and the year movie soundtracks ruled the chart.
The year the megastars peaked
If one year holds the whole 80s in miniature, it is 1984. Michael Jackson won a record eight Grammys in February for Thriller. Prince, Bruce Springsteen and Madonna each released the album that made them untouchable. This page covers the year song by song; for the whole decade, start with our best 80s songs guide.
Prince's Purple Rain arrived with a film in July and sat at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 for 24 weeks. Born in the U.S.A. came out in June and produced seven Top 10 singles. By November, Madonna's Like a Virgin had made her the most talked-about star in pop.
A chart run by soundtracks
In April the Footloose soundtrack finally knocked Thriller off the top of the album chart. Its title song and Deniece Williams' "Let's Hear It for the Boy" both went to No. 1. "Against All Odds", "Ghostbusters" and "When Doves Cry" all came from films too.
Hollywood had learned that a hit song sold tickets and a hit film sold records. Studios began building movies around the soundtrack, a habit that carried on right through the decade.
MTV grows up
MTV held its first Video Music Awards at Radio City Music Hall on September 14, 1984, and Madonna rolled across the stage in a wedding dress singing "Like a Virgin". Videos were now expensive, cinematic events. Duran Duran's "The Wild Boys" was one of the most expensive videos anyone had made.
Run-D.M.C. broke through on the same channel. "Rock Box" became the first hip-hop video in regular rotation on MTV, and their debut album became the first rap album certified gold.
Britain's loudest summer
In the UK, Frankie Goes to Hollywood owned the year. "Relax" was banned by BBC Radio 1 in January and sold anyway, then "Two Tribes" entered at No. 1 in June and stayed nine weeks. Wham!, Culture Club and Duran Duran kept the second British invasion going in America.
The year ended with Band Aid's "Do They Know It's Christmas?", recorded in a single day in November. It became the best-selling single in UK history at the time and led straight to Live Aid the next summer. Find it on our 80s Christmas songs list.
The hits you already know, and 20 more
The dozen biggest hits of 1984, from "Jump" and "Hello" to "Time After Time" and "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go", open the player above, and each one is written up elsewhere on the site. The 20 songs below are the rest of the year's story: more No. 1s, the UK records that shaped the sound, and the first moves of hip-hop and college rock.
Songs are filed by release year, so "Karma Chameleon" and "Owner of a Lonely Heart", released in 1983 and No. 1 in early 1984, are on the 1983 songs page. Every pick follows our song selection rules.
The Songs
Let's Go Crazy — Prince
Prince opens Purple Rain like a preacher, with "Dearly beloved" over an organ, then blows the church doors off with a drum machine and a wild guitar solo. It was the second No. 1 from the album, after "When Doves Cry", and it opens the film too.
I Just Called to Say I Love You — Stevie Wonder
Written for the film The Woman in Red, this simple, sweet song spent three weeks at No. 1 in the US and topped the UK chart as well. It won the Academy Award for Best Original Song. Critics called it lightweight, but it became one of the biggest sellers of his career.
Missing You — John Waite
The former singer of The Babys wrote it about being far from home and pretending he didn't care. The steady, ticking beat and his aching vocal took it to No. 1 in September 1984. Tina Turner recorded her own version in 1996.
Let's Hear It for the Boy — Deniece Williams
The second No. 1 from the Footloose soundtrack spent two weeks at the top in May 1984. Deniece Williams' high, bright voice rides a bouncy synth-pop track, and the song was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song alongside the film's title song.
Out of Touch — Daryl Hall & John Oates
Hall & Oates' sixth and final No. 1 hit the top in December 1984. It was the lead single from Big Bam Boom, their most electronic album, with heavy drum machines, synth stabs and remix-style edits. It was the duo's answer to the dance-club sound that was taking over pop radio.
Easy Lover — Phil Collins
This is really a Philip Bailey song, sung with Phil Collins, who also produced it. Bailey, of Earth, Wind & Fire, and Collins wrote it with bassist Nathan East during a jam session. It hit No. 2 in the US and No. 1 in the UK, powered by Collins' drums.
The Wild Boys — Duran Duran
Nile Rodgers produced this pounding new song for the live album Arena, and Russell Mulcahy directed a huge post-apocalyptic video to match. Simon Le Bon was nearly drowned on a windmill during filming. It reached No. 2 in America, one of the band's biggest US hits.
Eyes Without a Face — Billy Idol
Billy Idol slowed down for this haunting ballad, named after the 1960 French horror film Les Yeux sans visage. Perri Lister sings the French backing line. Then Steve Stevens' guitar breaks in halfway through and it turns into a rock song. It reached No. 4 in 1984.
Lucky Star — Madonna
Madonna wrote this sparkly dance track herself, and it became her first Top 5 hit, reaching No. 4 in October 1984. The simple video, just her dancing against a white background in lace and bangles, set the look that thousands of fans copied.
Two Tribes — Frankie Goes to Hollywood
Trevor Horn built this Cold War dance record like an action film, with air-raid sirens and a roaring bass line. It entered the UK chart at No. 1 and stayed nine weeks, while "Relax" climbed back to No. 2 behind it. America was slower to catch on.
Smalltown Boy — Bronski Beat
Jimmy Somerville's soaring falsetto tells the story of a young gay man leaving home after his family rejects him. It was brave for 1984, and the synth-pop track is beautiful. It reached No. 3 in the UK and still fills dance floors today.
Sunglasses at Night — Corey Hart
Montreal's Corey Hart was 22 when his first single reached No. 7 in the US. The creeping synth bass and pulsing beat are pure 1984. He went on to become one of Canada's biggest pop stars of the decade.
Rock Box — Run-D.M.C.
Guitarist Eddie Martinez added heavy rock riffs to Run-D.M.C.'s drum machine, two years before "Walk This Way". Its video became the first hip-hop clip in regular rotation on MTV. The song is proof that rap and rock were already talking to each other in 1984.
Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now — The Smiths
Morrissey took a gloomy title and made it funny, and Johnny Marr's shimmering guitar made it beautiful. It was The Smiths' first UK Top 10 hit, reaching No. 10. For many fans it sums up the band: sad words set to a sunny tune.
So. Central Rain (I'm Sorry) — R.E.M.
R.E.M. played this song on Late Night with David Letterman in October 1983, their first national TV appearance, before it even had a name. It became the lead single from Reckoning. Michael Stipe's pleading chorus helped make the band college radio's favourite.
Mr. Telephone Man — New Edition
Ray Parker Jr., fresh from "Ghostbusters", wrote and produced this song for the Boston teenagers. Ralph Tresvant sings about a phone line that keeps cutting out, over a laid-back groove. It went to No. 1 on the R&B chart and No. 12 on the Hot 100.
To All the Girls I've Loved Before — Julio Iglesias & Willie Nelson
The Spanish crooner and the Texas outlaw made an odd couple, but their duet of Albert Hammond's song went to No. 5 on the Hot 100 and No. 1 on the country chart. It won the Country Music Association's vocal duo award that year.
The Longest Time — Billy Joel
Billy Joel sang every voice on this doo-wop tribute, lead and backing, with finger snaps and hand claps as the rhythm. Only a bass guitar joins him. It reached No. 14 on the Hot 100 and No. 1 on the adult contemporary chart.
Sad Songs (Say So Much) — Elton John
Elton John celebrates the comfort of a sad song with one of the happiest-sounding records of his decade, all bouncing piano and hand claps. It reached No. 5 in the US in 1984, and it proves its own point: nobody feels worse after hearing it.
Jungle Love — The Time
Morris Day and The Time stole scenes from Prince in the Purple Rain film, and this was their showcase. Jerome Benton hands Day a mirror, and the band bursts into a tight Minneapolis funk workout. It made the Top 20 and has been a party favourite ever since.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was the No. 1 song of 1984?
Prince's "When Doves Cry" was Billboard's No. 1 single of 1984. It spent five weeks at the top of the Hot 100 that summer. Tina Turner's "What's Love Got to Do with It" and Kenny Loggins' "Footloose" were also among the year's biggest hits.
What were the most popular songs in 1984?
The best-remembered 1984 hits include "When Doves Cry", "Jump", "Footloose", "Hello", "Ghostbusters", "What's Love Got to Do with It", "Like a Virgin", "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go", "Time After Time" and "Born in the U.S.A.". All of them play in the player at the top of this page.
What albums came out in 1984?
1984 brought Prince's Purple Rain, Bruce Springsteen's Born in the U.S.A., Madonna's Like a Virgin, Van Halen's 1984, Tina Turner's Private Dancer, U2's The Unforgettable Fire, Wham!'s Make It Big and Run-D.M.C.'s debut album.
What movie songs were hits in 1984?
It was a huge year for soundtrack hits. "Footloose", "Let's Hear It for the Boy", "Against All Odds", "Ghostbusters", "When Doves Cry", "Let's Go Crazy" and "I Just Called to Say I Love You" all reached No. 1 on the Hot 100, and all came from films.
Is "Careless Whisper" a 1984 song?
Yes. George Michael's "Careless Whisper" was released in 1984 and went to No. 1 in the UK that summer. In the US it reached No. 1 in February 1985 and became Billboard's top single of 1985. You'll find it on the 80s pop songs page.
Last updated: September 25, 2026