Top 10 Pop/Punk/New Wave Bands of the 80s

These 10 Pop/Punk/New Wave bands get my vote for best of the 1980's. Let me know who you'd put on this list. I can't number them because I loved them all! The main criteria were that I had to have loved these bands for most of the 80's, not just a year or two!

Duran Duran- I loved this band so much that I made scrap books about each of the band members while I was in the 8th grade. The biggest scrap book was definitely for bass guitarist John Taylor. He will be 50 in 2010 and he is still gorgeous.

The Go Go's- One of the most awesome bands of the 80's without a doubt. Some of their lesser known songs were actually their best.

Adam Ant- Did you have Adam Ant posters on your wall? I did. I adored Adam Ant, he was a big part of 80's pop/punk music. Check this website for a recent picture of Adam aka Stuart Goddard...Adam was never a "Goody Two Shoes".

Billy Idol- "Rebel Yell" was one of the best 80's songs and it still causes me to crank up the radio and sing/scream along. Billy Idol was a bad boy with his spiked blonde hair, but lots of girls wanted to have a "White Wedding" with him.

The Police- One of the best live bands I ever saw, and this was their Synchronicity Tour. Were there any songs on that album that didn't top the charts? My 2 favorite songs were not on that album though; "Roxanne" and "Don't Stand So Close To Me" get my vote for 2 of the best songs ever.

Depeche Mode- They reminded us all that "People Are People" and that England really did produce some great bands. Their 1987 song, "Never Let Me Down Again" was one of my favorites. This band has sold over 100 million records.

U2- The group probably gets my vote for all-time greatest band, ever. They were unbelievable in the 80's and the 90's and still today. "Sunday Bloody Sunday" introduced us to this remarkable band from Ireland. How was I to know that "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" would continue to be played regularly on radio 20 years later?

The Cars- I was sad when they broke up in 1988, my senior year of high school. However, The Cars left us with some satisfying music in the 80's. "Shake It Up", "You Might Think, and "Hello Again" were just a few of their 80's hits.

Tears for Fears- They made us "Shout" and let it all out in the 80's. Tears for Fears reminded us what we already knew, "Everybody Wants to Rule The World" or maybe it just felt like that back then.

The Pet Shop Boys- This duo popped up in the mid 80's and started cranking out the hits. "West End Girls", "Its A Sin", and the remake of "Always On My Mind" took us through the mid to late 80's and helped this band sell (as of now) over 100 million records.

A special thank you to each of these musical groups for making my teenage years all the better for having their songs there to inspire me.

Source: Author's memory