8 of the Best Love Songs of the 80s

MTV. The Moon Walk. Madonna.

The 80s were nothing less magical (at least when viewing with rose-colored glasses). The music of that decade wasn’t bad either. Thanks to many new technologies, a unique sound has been created, including synthesizer sounds and drum reverb. It was a sound all his own.

So, let’s run through some of the best love songs of the 80s to show the era a little TLC.

1. “Just the Two of Us” by Grover Washington Jr. & Bill Withers (1980)

Grover Washington’s croonings kick off a decade of new love songs: Just the two of us / We can make it if we try. The song also clearly struck a chord, as at the 24th Grammy Awards it won Best R&B Song.

2. “I want to know what love is” from Foreigner (1984)

Aren’t we all?

3. Berlin’s “Take My Breath Away” (1986)

“Take My Breath Away” was written by Giorgio Moroder and Tom Whitlock for the original Superior gun movie soundtrack. It’s a slower track than many on the soundtrack, and it sets the stage for a romantic moment between two of the main characters played by Tom Cruise and Kelly McGillis.

4. “The Power of Love” by Huey Lewis and the News (1985)

Another must-have 80s love song that came to us from the big screen. “The Power of Love” was written for the movie Back to the future. Both the song and the movie were hits; the song was a Billboard The Hot 100 No. 1 song and its cinematic counterpart were the highest-grossing film of 1985. Now it’s the power of love.

5. “Hour After Hour” by Cyndi Lauper (1983)

Cyndi Lauper’s hit was written for her debut studio album, She’s so unusual, and became her first number one hit. And since its release, this track has been chosen, time and time again, as one of the greatest love songs.

6. “Stuck on You” by Lionel Richie (1983)

Lionel Richie officially launched his solo career in 1982 after being the co-vocalist and songwriter of The Commodores. In this new venture, Richie became one of the most successful ballads of the decade, and songs like “Stuck on You” are proof of that.

7. “Heaven” by Bryan Adams (1984)

Adams was an opening act on Journey’s Frontiers Tour, and he was particularly inspired by a song they played called “Faithfully.” This inspiration eventually became his hit, “Heaven.”

And love is all I need
And I found it there in your heart.

8. “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now” by Starship (1987)

Written by Albert Hammond and Diane Warren for Starship, the song was inspired by Hammond’s personal love life. Hammond explained in a 1992 radio interview that the song was inspired by finalizing his divorce after living with his new girlfriend for several years. “What I said to Diane was, ‘It’s almost like they’ve stopped me from marrying this woman for seven years, and they haven’t succeeded. They won’t stop me from doing it.

Lionel Richie (Photo: ASCAP)