The 80s was a time of many changes for rock music, especially in the United States. There were several prominent bands in American rock music during this period that became highly popular and then faded away after their popularity began to diminish.
Aside from the rock scene, the disco scene was also flourishing at this time. Female popstars, in particular, ruled the airwaves during this decade. A few of them became very big and stayed highly popular for a long period of time, while others experienced a rapid decline in popularity.
The following are some of the most popular female songs released in the 80s:
“Girls Just Want To Have Fun” by Cyndi Lauper
This song is one of the most popular songs in American history and it was released as a single in 1983. This song was not only very successful at radio, but it also had a significant impact on dance clubs and the dance music industry as well. The huge success of this song made Lauper one of the most famous female musicians in America during the 1980s.
“Call Me” by Blondie
This song was released in 1980, and continued to be extremely popular during the 1980s. Although Blondie had many other hits during this decade, this song is their most famous hits in American music history. It peaked at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for six consecutive weeks, and sold over a million copies worldwide.
“What’s Love Got to Do with It” by Tina Turner
This song was released as a single in 1984 and it became one of the most popular songs during that decade. It peaked at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, becoming her only song to do so, and sold over 1.5 million copies worldwide.
“Bette Davis Eyes” by Kim Carnes
This song was released in 1981 and became one of the most popular songs during that decade. It peaked at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for five weeks straight. It also won two Grammy awards that year for Song of the Year and Record of the Year.
In the original incarnation, the track was originally composed as a swing arrangement. It featured an uptempo piano part, pedal steel guitar and horns. Later on, in 1981, Kim Carnes recorded a cover of the song, using a radically different synthesizer-based arrangement. This resulted in the song that we now know became a commercial success.
“Gloria” by Laura Branigan
This is a 1979 love song that Umberto Tozzi and Giancarlo Bigazzi wrote. However, after being translated into English, it was re-released as a 1982 cover version by American singer Laura Branigan. This new version reached number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and has been certified platinum by the RIAA.
“Love Is A Battlefield” by Pat Benatar
This was the first single released from Benatar’s live album, “Live from Earth” (1983). It reached #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the same year. The song also gave Pat Benatar a win for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance at the Grammy Awards, making it her fourth consecutive win.
