Our next 1985 song will start a trend – popular sports-themed songs. For some reason, this year released a round of such songs. Most seemed to be based with baseball, but only this one is completely about the game. If you go to minor league games around the area, you will hear this intro played a lot. Our #13 40 year-old song is Centerfield by John Fogerty.
While this next track in the 1985 countdown might be time-capsuled in the 80s, it’s melody and chorus has managed to remain popular and continues to be heard to this day, and it’s considered an iconic 80s R&B dance song. Ironically, this title is the same of another 1995 track but that one failed to make the countdown. But this one did, coming in at #14 is Rhythm of The Night by DeBarge.
It wasn’t supposed to be a track that would define a cable tv station. But one visit by the artist Sting, and into the microphone he belted the famous words “I want my MTV,” and boom, this song would be arguably this band’s biggest hit. However, like one other artist already, this isn’t their only track in this countdown. But for now, let’s celebrate the anthem that helped define a generation – at #15 it’s Money for Nothing by Dire Straits.
Rounding out the first quarter of the 1985 countdown we come to a surprising entry in this list. This artist almost hit his zenith during this year for reasons we’ll get to a little later. But somehow this song manages to find its way into this list, and when you hear it, you’ll understand why. Arguably one of the power ballads that set the template going forward, coming in at #16 is Heaven by Bryan Adams.
My 1984 countdown had so many heavy hitters that this group sadly failed to make it with one of their biggest songs. Fortunately, that will be made up now with this track breaking into the list. It’s amazing how much this song and its anthemic outro has stood the test of time. Anthemic intro, A/B song, followed by anthemic outro – a simple premise and such a great song. At #17 it’s Head Over Heels by Tears For Fears.
Our next 1985 entrant had the privilege of being at the top of a prior countdown, and they found themselves back here again with another song that is considered an 80s R&B classic. Listening to similar songs in their catalog, you can tell they had found their winning formula and still managed to deliver another hit record years later. At #18 it is Cherish by Kool & The Gang.