There are three songs that I think are absolutely fantastic, in no particular order:

The Sun Always Shines On TV - A-ha

The Final Countdown - Europe

Rock Me Amadeus - Falco

Then the very good ones:

West End Girls - Pet Shop Boys

Take My Breath Away - Berlin

The Lady In Red - Chris de Burgh

Papa Don't Preach - Madonna

And the ok ones to complete top ten:

Caravan Of Love - The Housemartins

When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough Get Going - Billy Ocean

Chain Reaction - Diana Ross

Thanks for doing this.

I entirely agree with your top 2 and the order, indeed they were well ahead of all the other songs. West End Girls is a fabulous song, moody synth magnificence, I love the ‘ticking clock’ like rhythm too, Neil’s talk/rap was great. What a calling card it was, and a US number one too!

However the PSBs would have even better songs to come, so….. I also choose The Sun Always Shines On TV as my number one. I’ve always thought it is comfortably the best Aha song, though I do love Take on Me. That fantastic intro sets the scene with that anticipatory build to the explosion of sound. Talk about throwing everything but the kitchen sink at a song. Coming full circle, in many ways the intro to the PSBs It’s A Sin mimicked it.

A gorgeous song with brilliant passionate vocals from Morton. You’re right, dramatic is certainly the word to use, a powerful wonderful song, a deserved number one!

Edited Saturday at 21:082 days by Jaz13music

Thank you Rollo for a fab countdown and your excellent commentary. I really enjoyed reading and contributing. Here’s my ranking of the 20:-

1. The Sun Always Shines on T.V. – Aha

2. West End Girls – Pet Shop Boys

3. Papa Don't Preach – Madonna

4. Take My Breath Away – Berlin

5. Reet Petite – Jackie Wilson

6. Caravan of Love – The Housemartins

7. Chain Reaction – Diana Ross

8. A Different Corner – George Michael

9. The Final Countdown – Europe

10. Spirit in the Sky – Doctor and the Medics

11. True Blue – Madonna

12. Don't Leave Me This Way - The Communards with Sarah Jane Morris

13. Rock Me Amadeus – Falco

14. When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going – Billy Ocean

15. The Edge of Heaven – Wham!

16. I Want to Wake Up With You – Boris Gardiner

17. The Chicken Song – Spitting Image

18. The Lady in Red – Chris de Burgh

19. Every Loser Wins – Nick Berry

20. Living Doll – Cliff Richard & The Young Ones ft. Hank Marvin

Excellent choice of #1! I fully approve... will post my order later once I've had chance to listen to everything again

Same top 2 but the other way round. Both essential 80's classics imo. Thanks for running this Rollo.

My overall rank.

20 Boris Gardiner - I Want To Wake Up With You

19 Nick Berry - Every Loser Wins

18 Spitting Image - The Chicken Spng

17 Chris De Burgh - The Lady In Red

16 Cliff Richard and Young Ones - Living Doll

15 Madonna - True Blue

14 Wham! - The Edge Of Heaven

13 Diana Ross - Chain Reaction

12 Housemartins - Caravan Of Love

11 Billy Ocean - When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough Gets Going

10 Jackie Wilson - Reet Petite

09 Doctor and The Medics - Spirit In The Sky

08 The Commundards Ft Sarah Jane Morris - Don't Leave Me This Way

07 George Michael - A Different Corner

06 Madonna - Papa Don't Preach

05 Berlin - Take My Breath Away

04 Falco - Rock Me Amadeus

03 Europe - The Final Countdown

02 A-ha - The Sun Always Shine On TV

01 Pet Shop Boys - West End Girls

Good top 3 and yes that a-ha song is epic (but has a bit of sadness to it too) and better than Take On Me.

Berlin's is a great track, a classic from a film Ive never seen. Oops! I always thought it would be between PSB or a-ha for the top spot here, quite rightly, and I would also put them in that order too, and also think it's a-ha's finest moment ahead of Take On Me. West End Girls is unique and brilliant too, though. Pop music at its most perfect for a January start to any year. That said, my top 3 would include A Different Corner for a trio of deliciousness I have never stopped loving.

Other great 1986 tunes that didnt get to the top:

Human - Human League (US number 1)

New Beginning (Mamba Seyra) - Bucks Fizz mark 2

Open Your Heart - Madonna (US number 1)

E=MC2 - Big Audio Dynamite

Opportunites - Pet Shop Boys

Calling America - ELO

Sometimes - Erasure

Hounds Of Love - Kate Bush

Suburbia - Pet Shop Boys

I'll Never Be Maria Magdalena - Sandra

'(I'll Never Be) Maria Magdalena' is fab.

'Hounds of Love' I prefer to 'Running Up That Hill".

Both good songs in the top 2, although I'd have 'West End Girls' higher. Those spoken verses with Stephen Hague's backdrop evoking the noise of the city made for such a unique sound - I've just listened to the original Bobby Orlando production and it doesn't have nearly the same impact.

I think my top 3 would be (1) 'Caravan Of Love', (2) 'Don't Leave Me This Way', (3) 'West End Girls', then it's difficult for me to separate the next few but 'The Sun Always Shines On TV' would be one of them, its big tall production and lyrics maybe give it the edge over 'Take On Me' I think too. Thanks Rollo for the countdown!

Great thread Rollo!

Same top 3 in the same order I would have so well pleased with your top tier selection.

Nice rundown @King Rollo - your ranking fits in most parts very good with mine.

My ranking:

1. The Sun Always Shines On TV - A-ha

2. Take My Breath Away - Berlin

3. West End Girls - Pet Shop Boys

4. Rock Me Amadeus - Falco

5. The Final Countdown - Europe

6. Chain Reaction - Diana Ross

7. A Different Corner - George Michael

8. Reet Petite (The Sweetest Girl In Town) - Jackie Wilson

9. Papa Don't Preach - Madonna

10. Caravan Of Love - The Housemartins

11. The Edge Of Heaven - Wham!

12. When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough Get Going - Billy Ocean

13. The Lady In Red - Chris de Burgh

14. True Blue - Madonna

15. I Wanna Wake Up With You - Boris Gardiner

16. The Chicken Song - Spitting Image

17. Don't Leave Me This Way - The Communards with Sarah Jane Morris

18. Spirit In The Sky - Doctor and the Medics

19. Living Doll - Cliff Richard and The Young Ones featuring Hank Marvin

20. Every Loser Wins - Nick Berry

5 hours ago, Popchartfreak said:

Berlin's is a great track, a classic from a film Ive never seen. Oops! I always thought it would be between PSB or a-ha for the top spot here, quite rightly, and I would also put them in that order too, and also think it's a-ha's finest moment ahead of Take On Me. West End Girls is unique and brilliant too, though. Pop music at its most perfect for a January start to any year. That said, my top 3 would include A Different Corner for a trio of deliciousness I have never stopped loving.

Other great 1986 tunes that didnt get to the top:

Human - Human League (US number 1)

New Beginning (Mamba Seyra) - Bucks Fizz mark 2

Open Your Heart - Madonna (US number 1)

E=MC2 - Big Audio Dynamite

Opportunites - Pet Shop Boys

Calling America - ELO

Sometimes - Erasure

Hounds Of Love - Kate Bush

Suburbia - Pet Shop Boys

I'll Never Be Maria Magdalena - Sandra

Generally your list is great… but Human is awful! The bit where he says “whilst you were away I was human too” is one of the cringiest lyrics I’ve heard! 😂

We have the same top 4 so great stuff!

I thought your top 2 would be the other way round, but both are fantastic so either's a great outcome. The Sun Always Shines on TV has one of my favourite intros of any 80s song and gives a suitably dramatic intro to forecast what's to come. The lyrics are quite over the top, but there's such a great vocal performance and wall of sound is barely matters. I love Take on Me, but this is a suitable number 1 for them too. Not much else I can add to West End Girls, though I would personally rank it as my favourite PSBs song and is still as standout, lyrically relevant and beautifully atmospheric every time I listen.

Take My Breath Away and The Final Countdown were some of my earliest 80s discoveries so have a soft spot for them and do still think they are really great songs, so cheesy and over the top but that's what the 80s were best for and the production is wonderful and they really sing those cheesy lyrics like they mean them which adds to it. Only one in the top 5 I don't really strong opinions on is Chain Reaction, it's fine I guess x

Thanks for doing another one of these, Rollo, this would be my top 10 ranking:

1. Pet Shop Boys - West End Girls

2. A-ha - The Sun Always Shines on TV

3. Europe - The Final Countdown

4. Berlin - Take My Breath Away

5. Falco - Rock Me Amadeus

6. Jackie Wilson - Reet Petite

7. The Housemartins - Caravan of Love

8. Madonna - Papa Don't Preach

9. The Communards - Don't Leave Me This Way

10. Billy Ocean - When The Going Gets Tough (The Tough Get Going)

    11. Spitting Image - The Chicken Song

16 hours ago, dandy* said:

Generally your list is great… but Human is awful! The bit where he says “whilst you were away I was human too” is one of the cringiest lyrics I’ve heard! 😂

Yes I remember how much you enjoy hearing that one! 😄Very much splits Human League fans I think. I just treat it like a missing Janet Jackson single, and the protagonists being a right pair, both shagging about, so deserving of each other...🤩

Your Top 2 are probably my numbers 3 and 4. Whilst on a par with each other the A-ha song only has "Take On Me" to rival as the best of their songs but wins because it's not as overplayed. "West End Girls" on the other hand is far from my favourite Pet Shop Boys song but that's due to the high standards they set with other songs.