[B] Styx | Dennis DeYoung's rock opera about censorship confused everyone except Japanese audiences. Kilroy's robot disguise and synthesized "domo arigato" created prog rock's strangest mainstream hit.
2/40
Take My Breath Away?
[B] Berlin | Giorgio Moroder's production soundtracked Top Gun's love scene memorably. Terri Nunn's breathy vocals over synths made military aviation unexpectedly romantic for teenagers everywhere.
3/40
Whip It?
[D] Devo | Akron art students' manifesto about self-determination featured energy dome hats. Gerald Casale's bass and those robotic movements made new wave deliberately weird and wonderful.
4/40
Straight Up?
[B] Paula Abdul | Lakers cheerleader turned pop star with Babyface's production magic. That finger-wagging choreography and street-smart attitude proved dancers could sing convincingly enough commercially.
5/40
I Want to Know What Love Is?
[B] Foreigner | Lou Gramm's arena vocals met gospel choir creating power ballad perfection. Mick Jones wrote this longing anthem proving British guys understood American radio completely.
6/40
Just Can't Get Enough?
[D] Depeche Mode | Vince Clarke's last contribution before forming Yazoo then Erasure. Those primitive synths and Martin Gore's leather established electronic music's dark future early.
7/40
Keep On Loving You?
[B] REO Speedwagon | Kevin Cronin's high notes could shatter wine glasses easily. This power ballad blueprint taught every rock band that sensitivity equaled radio success.
8/40
Fight the Power?
[D] Public Enemy | Chuck D's revolutionary rhetoric over Bomb Squad's chaos changed everything. Spike Lee's film showcased this confrontational masterpiece making hip-hop politically essential and dangerous.
9/40
It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)?
[B] R.E.M. | Michael Stipe's stream-of-consciousness lyrics listed cultural references rapidly. College rock's breakthrough hit proved alternative bands could create sing-along anthems accidentally.
10/40
I Love Rock N' Roll?
[C] Joan Jett & The Blackhearts | Arrows' original disappeared until Joan's version conquered everything. That hand-clap beat and sneering attitude made rock's ultimate jukebox selection permanently.
11/40
Super Freak?
[C] Rick James | Buffalo funk master created MC Hammer's eventual sample source. Those Temptations-influenced vocals and P-Funk production made cocaine-fueled party music mainstream somehow.
12/40
One Thing Leads to Another?
[D] The Fixx | Cy Curnin's paranoid lyrics matched Cold War anxiety perfectly. Jamie West-Oram's guitar effects and that jerky rhythm made British invasion's second wave memorable.
13/40
99 Luftballons?
[C] Nena | German anti-war protest about balloons triggering nuclear holocaust accidentally. Both German and English versions charted proving catchy transcends language barriers completely.
14/40
Faith?
[D] George Michael | Solo debut featured church organ and Bo Diddley beat surprisingly. That leather jacket and designer stubble redefined masculinity while maintaining pop accessibility brilliantly.
15/40
Little Red Corvette?
[D] Prince | Purple genius used car metaphor for one-night stand creatively. Lisa Coleman's keyboards and Prince's falsetto made Minneapolis sound internationally influential overnight basically.
16/40
She Blinded Me With Science?
[A] Thomas Dolby | Cambridge dropout's ode to unrequited laboratory love featured Magnus Pyke. Those vintage synths and British eccentricity made nerd culture momentarily cool somehow.
17/40
Candy Girl?
[A] New Edition | Boston teenagers launched careers of Bobby Brown and Bell Biv DeVoe. Maurice Starr's bubblegum R&B formula created blueprint for boy band dominance.
18/40
Call Me?
[D] Blondie | Giorgio Moroder's production met Debbie Harry's ice-cool delivery perfectly. Richard Gere's American Gigolo soundtrack placement made new wave sophisticated and dangerous simultaneously.
19/40
Don't You Want Me?
[B] Human League | Phil Oakey's he-said-she-said duet with Susan Ann Sulley worked brilliantly. Martin Rushent's production created synth-pop's biggest crossover making Sheffield famous worldwide.
20/40
It Takes Two?
[C] Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock | James Brown and Lyn Collins sample powered this party starter. Hip-hop's golden age proved two MCs better than one mathematically speaking.
21/40
Word Up!?
[B] Cameo | Larry Blackmon's codpiece competed with funk groove for attention successfully. That talkbox effect and minimalist production influenced Minneapolis sound significantly before Prince acknowledged.
22/40
Tempted?
[A] Squeeze | Paul Carrack's guest vocal replaced Glenn Tilbrook creating unexpected magic. Elvis Costello produced this pub rock perfection about romantic weakness and alcoholic temptation.
23/40
Kiss?
[A] Prince | Parade album's minimalist funk showcased falsetto and guitar mastery equally. That "kiss" sound effect and sparse arrangement proved Prince could dominate using less.
24/40
All Night Long (All Night)?
[B] Lionel Richie | Commodores frontman went solo mixing Caribbean rhythms with pop perfectly. That nonsense "tam bo li de say" part made worldwide parties speak same language.
25/40
Addicted to Love?
[A] Robert Palmer | Identical models in Nagel-inspired video became MTV iconic immediately. Bernard Edwards' production and Palmer's blue-eyed soul made addiction metaphor irresistibly catchy forever.
26/40
I Want Candy?
[A] Bow Wow Wow | Malcolm McLaren's teenage Mohican sensation covered Strangeloves' bubblegum classic. Annabella Lwin's youth and Burundi beats made punk unexpectedly sweet and primitive.
27/40
Rock Me Amadeus?
[D] Falco | Austrian rapper's Mozart biography became first German-language American number-one. Those classical samples and Teutonic rap proved hip-hop worked in any language surprisingly.
28/40
Ain't Nobody?
[C] Rufus and Chaka Khan | Chaka's volcanic vocals over Hawk Wolinski's synth-funk killed it. This Grammy-winner proved funk bands could embrace electronics without losing soul completely.
29/40
Brass in Pocket?
[B] The Pretenders | Chrissie Hynde's confident sexuality over James Honeyman-Scott's jangle worked perfectly. Ohio native proved American women could lead British bands successfully and brilliantly.
30/40
Wild Thing?
[C] Tone Loc | Loc's gravelly voice sampled Van Halen creating rap-rock accidentally. Matt Dike's production and that Funky Cold Medina follow-up made party rap commercially unstoppable.
31/40
Walking On Sunshine?
[A] Katrina and The Waves | British band's American breakthrough featured unstoppable joy perfectly. Those horns and Katrina Leskanich's exuberance became wedding receptions' mandatory mood lifter permanently.
32/40
You Got It (The Right Stuff)?
[A] New Kids on the Block | Boston boys proved white teenagers could appropriate R&B successfully. Maurice Starr's formula and Jordan Knight's falsetto launched million teenage bedroom posters.
33/40
Cars?
[C] Gary Numan | Former punk discovered Moog synthesizer changing everything about himself completely. That android persona and mechanical rhythm established British electronic music's cold future.
34/40
Start Me Up?
[D] Rolling Stones | Tattoo You's lead single proved Stones still relevant somehow. Keith's open-G tuning and Mick's rooster strut launched Windows 95 eventually bizarrely enough.
35/40
Only in My Dreams?
[D] Debbie Gibson | Teen prodigy wrote and produced her own Atlantic Records debut. That DX7 synthesizer and mall tour strategy created DIY pop star template early.
36/40
Down Under?
[C] Men at Work | Colin Hay's Scottish-Australian vocals celebrated Vegemite sandwiches internationally. Greg Ham's flute borrowed from "Kookaburra" causing expensive copyright lawsuit decades later unfortunately.
37/40
What I Like About You?
[A] The Romantics | Detroit power pop perfection captured teenage crush energy flawlessly. That harmonica solo and handclaps made three-chord rock sound fresh again miraculously somehow.
38/40
My Prerogative?
[A] Bobby Brown | New Edition escapee established bad boy R&B template definitively. Teddy Riley's new jack swing and Bobby's attitude influenced entire decade afterward substantially.
39/40
Everybody Have Fun Tonight?
[C] Wang Chung | British duo's nonsense chorus commanded worldwide party participation immediately. Jack Hues and Nick Feldman proved "wang chung" meant whatever dancers wanted basically.
40/40
Working for the Weekend?
[C] Loverboy | Canadian rockers' red leather pants matched working-class party anthem perfectly. Mike Reno's vocals and Paul Dean's guitar celebrated Friday night freedom universally forever.