The 100 Greatest “New Wave” songs 1. Everybody Wants to Rule the World-Tears for Fears (2 Viewers)

[Zegras11]

Yeah, it's why I backtracked my edit when it came to Bowie. I'm not sure the non-inclusion of Prince is an oversight. Prince was indeed played on rock radio like The Cars, who I never saw as new wave, either. I've tried to avoid inclusion/non-inclusion debates in this thread as others seem to be more well-versed than I.

Just speculating. When I hear "Prince" I don't think anything as reductive as "new wave" or "power pop" or anything. It's just a feeling is all. 

I'm like this also.

Prince, Bowie, and a few others had their own sound.  Hard for me to label. To me, they were so good, they have their own label.  And yet, I was really didn't like either one of those two.

I have The Cars, Pretenders and some others like them in New Wave as I heard them first with all the other New Wave.  Enjoy all the write ups in here. I just enjoyed the music at the time, really never got into that deep.  Which is why I don't understand why so many of you argue over this stuff.  

Thanks for doing this Tim...

 

[Uruk-Hai]

These are good questions. I have no good answers. 

My comments may seem directed at you, but they really aren't. Apologies if they come off that way. You're picking a bunch of songs you like that you have bundled together. There's no "wrong" in that. 

I'm casting a wider net and using your list as a jumping-off point. But I tend towards pedantry (plus I load the dice) and usually ruin the chance for any meaningful conversation. Also, most people are chicken #### and don't want to examine inclusions/exclusions too closely.

 

[HellToupee]

Oh, I'm sure it's not. Which makes the Bowie inclusion all the more mystifying. 

You can make a case for Scary Monsters although I’m not on board . You can’t for Modern Love. . I take everything on this list with a grain of salt

 

[HellToupee]

These are good questions. I have no good answers. 

Well imo you have questionable taste in music but that’s ok , it’s what you like. I love being annoyed by your selections , it’s a fun thread

 

[otb_lifer]

never been a big fan of Talking Heads at all ... dates back to my intro to punk, and despising that these RISDY preps were chucked into the hopper with acts like the Ramones and the Heartbreakers ... hell, Suicide was tons more punk than Byrne and co could ever hope to be. 

ok?

yeah, i was hardcore, man!

i grew to dig some of their catalog, though ... really love two tunes that i doubt make it here, but so be it. 

that being said, "And She Was" is not one i would expect on a top 100/200 list for this era ... it's fluff, imo - but still much better than that god ####### awful "Baby" #### they foisted.  straight up trash. 

Prince

took awhile to warm to this cat, but glad i did ... catch me on certain days and i'll swear "Purple Rain" is the greatest song of the rock era. WOW. 

guy obliterates any genre tag, but i can see UH's point, especially in the wake of the ill-thought Bowie inclusion.

two peas in a pod, that lot ... very grateful to have been around for their respective genius works and innovative forays into uncharted paths. 

 

[Osaurus]

Waiting for Matthew Wilder to crack the top 20

 

[rockaction]

Waiting for Matthew Wilder to crack the top 20

Is that the reason why you're running so fast?

 

[otb_lifer]

Waiting for Matthew Wilder to crack the top 20

L.A. Guns  down?

 

[Osaurus]

Is that the reason why you're running so fast?

Nobody gonna slow me down, oh no.

 

[otb_lifer]

Waiting for Matthew Wilder to crack the top 20

Nobody gonna slow me down, oh no.

vaguely recall seeing this fleshed out by the oft imitated/never duplicated Solid Gold Dancers back at it's peak - don't think Wilder was there, just the hoofers ... it was ghastly.   

 

[timschochet]

37. “Blue Monday” New Order (1982, from Brotherhood) 

https://youtu.be/FYH8DsU2WCk

Throughout the 1980s as a young man in mr 20s, I attended dance clubs. It wasn’t really my thing but I went with friends to meet girls, or with girls we already knew because they already wanted to go, or with my girlfriend, etc. I am mentioning this because all during that decade I always noticed that when “Blue Monday” was put on, the dance floor always became immediately filled. Always. And the song only seemed to increase in popularity as the 80s went on. The other thing I clearly remember was that nobody ever knew the name of the song or the artist. Every time it came on, I always heard the same conversation “Oh I LOVE this song- what’s the name of it again?” Invariably I heard it called the “How does it feel” song. 

I want to add one more thing here: this will be the only New Order song on this list; I like a few of their other hits but couldn’t find room for them. My favorite song by them is a deep cut off of Low-Life called “Love Vigilantes”. No idea if this is a well known song by them; personally, I never heard it on the radio. But it’s a brilliant poignant tune about a man at war who longs to return to his family and finally does, only to discover that he’s dead. 

 

[otb_lifer]

"Love Vigilantes" is my favorite New Order track, hands down. 

think a few more of their repertoire absolutely merit inclusion on any list of this ilk ... gotta go at least 4 deep in a top 100.  

meh.  

 

[Osaurus]

37. “Blue Monday” New Order (1982, from Brotherhood) 

https://youtu.be/FYH8DsU2WCk

Throughout the 1980s as a young man in mr 20s, I attended dance clubs. It wasn’t really my thing but I went with friends to meet girls, or with girls we already knew because they already wanted to go, or with my girlfriend, etc. I am mentioning this because all during that decade I always noticed that when “Blue Monday” was put on, the dance floor always became immediately filled. Always. And the song only seemed to increase in popularity as the 80s went on. The other thing I clearly remember was that nobody ever knew the name of the song or the artist. Every time it came on, I always heard the same conversation “Oh I LOVE this song- what’s the name of it again?” Invariably I heard it called the “How does it feel” song. 

I want to add one more thing here: this will be the only New Order song on this list; I like a few of their other hits but couldn’t find room for them. My favorite song by them is a deep cut off of Low-Life called “Love Vigilantes”. No idea if this is a well known song by them; personally, I never heard it on the radio. But it’s a brilliant poignant tune about a man at war who longs to return to his family and finally does, only to discover that he’s dead. 

Love Vigilantes would not be considered a deep cut by most (they play it live all the time). See Touched by the Hand of God for something slightly deeper. This is my favorite band besides their former selves as Joy Division. Like many fans, I’m a big Power, Corruption & Lies fan and one of my favorites is Your Silent Face. Can’t wait to see them again in September with the Pet Shop Boys in Philly. 

 

[timschochet]

Between around 1978 and 1985, New Wave was used to describe a wide number of disparate artists. Some were singer songwriters, some were punk rockers who had softened their tone a bit, some were guitar based power pop bands, others relied on electronic instruments. Many were British. Certain radio stations were devoted to playing these songs as opposed to AOR or classic rock (In Los Angeles it was KROQ). 

I have selected what I believe are the best 100 songs of the era. Almost all of these songs were “radio hits” in that they received extensive radio play even if the didn’t chart; I have tried to avoid deep cuts even though there are some on certain albums that are quite good. 

Regarding the current discussion about what should be on this list: I went back to what I wrote in the OP and in retrospect I actually think I declared my intentions pretty well. New Wave was a “catch all” term that was used to describe many songs of the era, I am ranking those radio hits of the era that were described as “New Wave”. “Modern Love”,  “Wake Me Up Before You Go Go”, and “Do They Know It’s Christmas”’ were all described as New Wave, played on New Wave stations and venues, and thus they became eligible to be on this list and I found them deserving to be ranked. Prince was not regarded as New Wave, probably because he was black, which is a really stupid reason but since he wasn’t regarded as New Wave I didn’t consider him. So there you go. 

 

[timschochet]

Love Vigilantes would not be considered a deep cut by most (they play it live all the time). See Touched by the Hand of God for something slightly deeper. This is my favorite band besides their former selves as Joy Division. Like many fans, I’m a big Power, Corruption & Lies fan and one of my favorites is Your Silent Face. Can’t wait to see them again in September with the Pet Shop Boys in Philly. 

Thanks for letting me know about “Love Viligantes”. I’m not surprised it’s a popular tune of theirs among fans. But I had no idea. 

 

[Andy Dufresne]

Age of Consent is my preferred New Order song.

 

[Osaurus]

Age of Consent is my preferred New Order song.

Nice. Another great one. Played it 2nd when I saw them in Miami in January. 

 

[otb_lifer]

Regarding the current discussion about what should be on this list: I went back to what I wrote in the OP and in retrospect I actually think I declared my intentions pretty well. New Wave was a “catch all” term that was used to describe many songs of the era, I am ranking those radio hits of the era that were described as “New Wave”. “Modern Love”,  “Wake Me Up Before You Go Go”, and “Do They Know It’s Christmas”’ were all described as New Wave, played on New Wave stations and venues, and thus they became eligible to be on this list and I found them deserving to be ranked. Prince was not regarded as New Wave, probably because he was black, which is a really stupid reason but since he wasn’t regarded as New Wave I didn’t consider him. So there you go. 

so you're more Casey Kasum here, rather than,sayyy, a John Peel.

cool.

 

[timschochet]

so you're more Casey Kasum here, rather than,sayyy, a John Peel.

cool.

Actually I liked Casey but this is definitely not a top 40 list. 

 

[Mr. Mojo]

Been out of town for a week - happy to catch up on the list!

 

[otb_lifer]

Actually I liked Casey but this is definitely not a top 40 list. 

 I am ranking those radio hits of the era that were described as “New Wave”. 

 

[timschochet]

I used the term “radio hit” deliberately- most of these songs were not top 40- but they all received regular play on a “New Wave” radio station. 

 

[That one guy]

Interesting, I would not at all consider myself a historian on new wave and I’d say New Order has at least 5 songs in addition to Blue Monday that are guaranteed entrants to any “name the top new wave hits” exercise.  Nothing wrong with their limited exposure here, just thought New Order was closer to a top tier new wave band than not 

 

[Uruk-Hai]

Regarding the current discussion about what should be on this list: I went back to what I wrote in the OP and in retrospect I actually think I declared my intentions pretty well. New Wave was a “catch all” term that was used to describe many songs of the era, I am ranking those radio hits of the era that were described as “New Wave”. “Modern Love”,  “Wake Me Up Before You Go Go”, and “Do They Know It’s Christmas”’ were all described as New Wave, played on New Wave stations and venues, and thus they became eligible to be on this list and I found them deserving to be ranked. Prince was not regarded as New Wave, probably because he was black, which is a really stupid reason but since he wasn’t regarded as New Wave I didn’t consider him. So there you go. 

That's fine. Your list, your rules. 

But you're still talking out of both sides of your mouth. As @Osaurus posted a bit ago, some of your arguments seem to be retconning from a 2020 perspective and others are "in the moment".  I can tell you with 100% certainty that Prince's songs off of 1999 and Purple Rain were played on the alt/new wave station in Washington, DC.

In any case, fun thread. Thanks for the effort.

I've slowly been building my "Top 2,020 Songs Of The 1970s" list for a thread here. At least I won't have to defend whether I'm breaking some basic rule, since inclusion is based on fact (the song was released in the '70s). I'll get hammered on my exclusions, but that won't surprise me based on this board's demographic.

 

[otb_lifer]

I used the term “radio hit” deliberately- most of these songs were not top 40- but they all received regular play on a “New Wave” radio station. 

not saying you've procured a top 100 of "ALL HITS, ALL THE TIME!!!" here ... but the list is definitely skewed more to commercial success rather than true emblematic vangurads of the genre ... look no further than only one New Order selection (but the inclusion of Wham! and Band Aid, among others) ... that says it all. 

have at it, though ... it's your baby. 

 

[Ghost Rider]

New Order is one of those bands I still intend on digging into more eventually. I only know a few of their hits. 

Prince I would not call new wave.  He was very much R&B more than anything else. Even when he rocked, the sound and production still very much had a R&B/funk flavor to it, almost all of the time. 

 

[otb_lifer]

Prince I would not call new wave.  He was very much R&B more than anything else. Even when he rocked, the sound and production still very much had a R&B/funk flavor to it, almost all of the time. 

i'd be less shocked at Prince than i was at WHAM!

jus' sayin'

 

[Uruk-Hai]

New Order is one of those bands I still intend on digging into more eventually. I only know a few of their hits. 

Prince I would not call new wave.  He was very much R&B more than anything else. Even when he rocked, the sound and production still very much had a R&B/funk flavor to it, almost all of the time. 

So did Talking Heads, as clunky and awkward as it was.

 

[otb_lifer]

So did Talking Heads, as clunky and awkward as it was.

plus Talking Heads never rocked anywhere remotely near Prince ... not. even.  close. 

as far as your '70s list, bring that #### on!  always loved and participated heavily in your AT40 threads, and i am looking forward to your taking down of some the very meh and cheezy and twee 70s icons ... tons i would omit from the more standard 70s fare, as well. 

 

[Uruk-Hai]

plus Talking Heads never rocked anywhere remotely near Prince ... not. even.  close. 

as far as your '70s list, bring that #### on!  always loved and participated heavily in your AT40 threads, and i am looking forward to your taking down of some the very meh and cheezy and twee 70s icons ... tons i would omit from the more standard 70s fare, as well. 

I've got a few months to go before I can unleash that dragon. If it bleeds over into 2021 before I get it done, I'll add a second Yes record 

 

[otb_lifer]

I've got a few months to go before I can unleash that dragon. If it bleeds over into 2021 before I get it done, I'll add a second Yes record 

this is what i'm talkin' about here!  

rip 'em down!

 

[bigbottom]

37. “Blue Monday” New Order (1982, from Brotherhood) 

https://youtu.be/FYH8DsU2WCk

Throughout the 1980s as a young man in mr 20s, I attended dance clubs. It wasn’t really my thing but I went with friends to meet girls, or with girls we already knew because they already wanted to go, or with my girlfriend, etc. I am mentioning this because all during that decade I always noticed that when “Blue Monday” was put on, the dance floor always became immediately filled. Always. And the song only seemed to increase in popularity as the 80s went on. The other thing I clearly remember was that nobody ever knew the name of the song or the artist. Every time it came on, I always heard the same conversation “Oh I LOVE this song- what’s the name of it again?” Invariably I heard it called the “How does it feel” song. 

I want to add one more thing here: this will be the only New Order song on this list; I like a few of their other hits but couldn’t find room for them. My favorite song by them is a deep cut off of Low-Life called “Love Vigilantes”. No idea if this is a well known song by them; personally, I never heard it on the radio. But it’s a brilliant poignant tune about a man at war who longs to return to his family and finally does, only to discover that he’s dead. 

Agree with comments about this tune and 80s dance clubs, but will say that everyone I hung out with at the time knew the title. I’m not sure if this is a list or a ranking, but Blue Monday would easily make my top ten. 

 

[wikkidpissah]

37. “Blue Monday” New Order (1982, from Brotherhood) 

https://youtu.be/FYH8DsU2WCk

Throughout the 1980s as a young man in mr 20s, I attended dance clubs. It wasn’t really my thing but I went with friends to meet girls, or with girls we already knew because they already wanted to go, or with my girlfriend, etc. I am mentioning this because all during that decade I always noticed that when “Blue Monday” was put on, the dance floor always became immediately filled. Always. And the song only seemed to increase in popularity as the 80s went on. The other thing I clearly remember was that nobody ever knew the name of the song or the artist. Every time it came on, I always heard the same conversation “Oh I LOVE this song- what’s the name of it again?” Invariably I heard it called the “How does it feel” song. 

I want to add one more thing here: this will be the only New Order song on this list; I like a few of their other hits but couldn’t find room for them. My favorite song by them is a deep cut off of Low-Life called “Love Vigilantes”. No idea if this is a well known song by them; personally, I never heard it on the radio. But it’s a brilliant poignant tune about a man at war who longs to return to his family and finally does, only to discover that he’s dead. 

I remember this from the dance floor all too well as well. My German-Irish wife, whose manner & appearance largely evinced Hitler's dominatrix, responded Pavlovially to anything martial that came from the DJ booth, so i always knew instantly that i'd be sergeanted to the dance floor for this'n

ETA: i didn't know the title, but i was in my 30s and didnt take dancetronica personally by then

 

[timschochet]

 My German-Irish wife, whose manner & appearance largely evinced Hitler's dominatrix, 

So classic. Nobody here commands prose like you GB. 

 

[Osaurus]

Just saw this  

 

[wikkidpissah]

So classic. Nobody here commands prose like you GB. 

Thank you, sir. My Mary brought it out in me & even sealed the deal with her. Our first overnite date was to see Husker Du at the Fillmore and she spent 3 hours in our room at the Kabuki tossing & spraying & painting herself into attention shape and, when she emerged, she did the ta-da and i responded by telling her she looked like the Maitresse d' at the Gates of Hell. For years after, Mary said she knew from that moment i could keep up

 

[joey]

Add me to the list of folks shocked that New Order only has 1 entry in this list. They should have an equal number to the other huge bands of the era like Duran. Imo. And not a single Cure song yet. Head scratchers. 
 

as for Prince: Minneapolis funk, baby. That’s what he is through and through. Him, The Time, and others from that area can groove, and funk, and ROCK (with swing) like nobody's business. But I still think 1999 could’ve made the top 100. 
 

Im also in the "what is this song called?" camp when it comes to New Order. I think I’ve played their compilation album, Substance, over 100 times in my life and I still can’t name half of those songs without looking at the title. 

 

[RedmondLonghorn]

I've got a few months to go before I can unleash that dragon. If it bleeds over into 2021 before I get it done, I'll add a second Yes record 

Progressive Rock

 

[wikkidpissah]

I've got a few months to go before I can unleash that dragon. If it bleeds over into 2021 before I get it done, I'll add a second Yes record 

that'll be a PFire-spitting contest i'll buy a front-row seat for

 

[The_Man]

Age of Consent is my preferred New Order song.

This, plus Love Vigilantes and Bizarre Love Triangle - so it’s not eligible for the list but is still one of the great New Order songs 

 

[AcerFC]

I hear ya and agree. But.....

"Controversy", "Little Red Corvette", "1999", "When Doves Cry". I want someone to define "New Wave" and tell me why those records/videos/styles don't fit. Yet a brain-dead outfit like Human League does? 

Were they played on LIU?

 

[AcerFC]

Cant delete anymore?

 

[Zegras11]

New Order - just don't understand the appeal.  Very meh...

 

[Andy Dufresne]

Cant delete anymore?

You can hide. Drop down "Options".

 

[Bonzai]

Seeing Peter Hook in Manchester in May. Cannot wait.

 

[Bonzai]

That's the only New Order song so far? Wow.

 

[Osaurus]

Seeing Peter Hook in Manchester in May. Cannot wait.

He’s doing Closer and Unknown Pleasures, right? You’re lucky. I saw him do Substance and Substance a couple of years ago.

 

[Anarchy99]

I guess we will have to see what gets considered as new wave. Huey Lewis? Cyndi Lauper? Robert Palmer? Bryan Adams? The Outfield? Journey? The Alarm? Billy Joel? Early John Cougar? The Go-Go’s? The Knack? Scandal? Tom Petty? No The Fixx songs yet?

 

[Bonzai]

He’s doing Closer and Unknown Pleasures, right? You’re lucky. I saw him do Substance and Substance a couple of years ago.

I can't remember if it's both or one or the other. I imagine he'll play some New Order stuff as well. How was he when you saw him?

 

[Osaurus]

I guess we will have to see what gets considered as new wave. Huey Lewis? Cyndi Lauper? Robert Palmer? Bryan Adams? The Outfield? Journey? The Alarm? Billy Joel? Early John Cougar? The Go-Go’s? The Knack? No The Fixx songs yet?

That’s at least 12 spots. No room.