3 of The “Corniest” ‘80s Songs To Reach No. 1 That I’m Not Ashamed to Sing Along To

To some, the ’80s were the best of times, to others, maybe the worst of times. But to all, they were some of the cringiest and corniest times. Between the hair, the legwarmers, the eccentric clothes, and every other cultural facet, the ’80s can never leave a conversation unscathed. Particularly, when talking about some of the music the decade produced.

The ’80s produced some phenomenal music, U2, Van Halen, R.E.M., and numerous other groups that were able to shed the ’80s band title. However, a majority of the bands from this generation never escaped it. For that reason, these three bands have three of the corniest ’80s songs to ever reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

“Total Eclipse of the Heart” by Bonnie Tyler

Released in 1983, Tyler’s hit song took the world by storm and became one of the most popular songs of the decade. Though, in retrospect, people might have a little listener’s remorse. Is it a bad song? No, however, it is debilitatingly ’80s and can not exist outside any other context other than its given era.

Nonetheless, people loved it, as it peaked at No. 1 for four weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1983. Furthermore, Billboard ranked it the sixth-best song of the year. It’s an incredibly successful song and Tyler’s undisputed biggest hit. But for some, it’s just got a little too much of that ’80s flare.

“We Built This City” by Starship

If you know this song, well, you know exactly why it made this list. There is simply no need to explain, as the song does it for itself. Regardless, Starship’s hit was released in 1985 and became an integral part of the ’80s music scene for years to come.

Despite what side you fall on regarding the song’s quality, the world loved it when it came out. Upon its release, the song reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed there for two weeks. In addition, it also received a Grammy nomination in 1986 for Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group.

“Every Rose Has Its Thorn” by Poison

This song has surely not remained as relevant as the previous songs listed. Nonetheless, in the ’80s, it was seemingly in everyone’s ears for years. Particularly, in 1988 when Poison released their biggest hit, “Every Rose Has Its Thorn.” Brett Michaels and Poison is a quintessential heavy rock ‘n’ roll ’80s band that shares similarities with Guns & Roses.

Nevertheless, in 1988 the band secured the biggest hit of their career, as “Every Rose Has Its Thorn” peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song stayed in the top spot for a total of three weeks and to this day, is the band’s only No. 1 hit.

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