Favorite Songs of 1980

1980 was full of good music. The Supertramp album Breakfast in America, released the previous year, spun off several popular tracks this year, among them Take the Long Way Home, Goodbye Stranger, and the title song. They also released a single, Dreamer, that I liked. Christoper Cross made his entry into popular music with two great singles: his powerful, exciting Ride Like the Wind and the placid Sailing. Olivia Newton John had two of my favorites: Magic and Xanadu (in collaboration with Electric Light Orchestra). Speaking of ELO, their Last Train to London was another of their likable "disco" tunes. One of my favorites of Bob Seger's, Fire Lake (similar to Night Moves) came out in '80. The Police had two terrific singles with Don't Stand So Close to Me and De Do Do Do De Da Da Da . The Korgis had their one hit, but a great one, in their dreamy Everybody's Got to Learn Sometime. Gary Numan's Cars, Smokey Robinson's Cruisin' ( a carry-over from 1979), and Eddie Rabbit's Drivin' My Live Away gave a "road" theme to the year. Linda Rondstadt's relatively obscure I Can't Let Go should have been a monster hit. One of Jackson Browne's best ever, That Girl Could Sing, dominated the airwaves in the second half of the year. Pink Floyd's double album The Wall produced several hits, one of my favorites being the frantic Run Like Hell. Paul McCartney made a comeback of sorts with his likable, upbeat Coming Up. John Lennon teamed up with his wife Yoko Ono to produce his Double Fantasy album, but his life was tragically cut short on December 8, 1980. He had two posthumous hits with Woman and Watching the Wheels. Stevie Nicks, recording under the banner of Fleetwood Mac, had her beautiful Sara out in '80. The Cars had one of their minor hits this year, but one nevertheless that I really took to (with it's spooky string-sounding background): Touch and Go (my #3 favorite song from 1980). Lipps, Inc. came out with my #2 song with their rousing dance hit Funkytown. And my #1 favorite song of that year was Queen's also-funky Another One Bites the Dust.