“Dance Fight!” Anyone with kids knows what I mean that by quote.  The epitome of an 80s dance track, this song has managed to carry on through the decades and remains one of this artist’s biggest songs.  This second entry by this artist cements itself at the base of the top 5 songs turning 40 years old this year.  At #5 it’s Into The Groove by Madonna.

We now approach the top 5, and the first 1995 entry does something amazing – make a blues-based song become a huge hit.  Any one-hit-wonder concerns for this artist went out the window when this song came out, and it’s still a popular staple of contemporary radio today.  At #5 of the top 20 songs turning 30 years old this year, it’s Give Me One Reason by Tracy Chapman.

This next 1995 song is this arguably this band’s biggest hit, and also carries a weight of controversy.  The band quoted the title of a song by an artist they idolized in the song, and that artist’s management demanded money from them when it became a hit.  That weirdness shouldn’t alter how big and popular this song continues to be.  At #6 it’s Only Wanna Be With You by Hootie And The Blowfish.

Yes there is a hit of the 80s sound in this song, but it’s hard to justify that this track has not managed to remain in the public consciousness for years if not decades.  Used in a variety of TV programs and often requested on radio stations, this second entry by this group is arguably one of it not their biggest song of all time.  Wrapping up the 3rd quarter of this 1985 countdown at #6 is Everybody Wants To Rule The World by Tears For Fears.

Just like the previous entry to this countdown, here’s another song that can’t be capsuled into the 80s sound.  Already with a couple huge hits under his belt, this artist produced this track of what everybody knows about in this country to some extent, and the problems and joys that come with it.  Coming in at #7 is Small Town by John Mellencamp.

For as huge as hip-hop was in the 90s, surprisingly we come to the first such entry in this 1995 countdown, and it’s a scorcher.  Highlighted during the infamous East/West Coast rap wars of this period, this song might be among the top 10 most iconic rap songs of all time, and it also helped bring the vocoder into the mainstream (again for better or worse).  At #7 it’s California Love by Dr. Dre & Tupac.