Any 80s kid out there has at least heard these three hit rock songs from 1980. There was really no way to avoid them; they were all over the radio for months. They still make constant appearances on classic rock radio today. And I bet you know the words to each of them. Let’s revisit some classics from a particularly cool era for rock, shall we?
“Keep On Loving You” by REO Speedwagon from ‘Hi Infidelity’
REO Speedwagon was one of those AOR soft rock tunes that constantly made it to classic rock compilations in the decades that followed its release in 1980. I can see why. It’s one of the band’s best, and it was their first song to hit the Top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100. There, it topped the chart, among several others. The whole of Hi Fidelity is worth a spin, but this song really is something else.
Videos by American Songwriter
“All Out Of Love” by Air Supply from ‘Lost In Love’
Air Supply had a hefty hit on their hands with the soft rock gem “All Out Of Love”. This standout single from their album Lost In Love hit No. 1 on the Hot 100 and topped the charts in Argentina, Zimbabwe, and the US Record World chart. If you were a young person in the 80s desperately trying to fix a broken relationship, you probably gave this one a few too many spins back in the day.
“Train In Vain” by The Clash from ‘London Calling’
This song first made an appearance on The Clash’s legendary 1979 album London Calling, where it appeared as a hidden track at the very end of the record. However, it wasn’t released as a single until the following year, in 1980. This entry on our list of super-memorable rock songs from 1980 is as catchy as “London Calling” or “Rock The Casbah”, and it was a successful hit, too. “Train In Vain” peaked at No. 23 on the Hot 100 and did similarly well on the Dance Club Songs chart at No. 30. The entirety of London Calling is essential listening for any punk rock fan, but this song is particularly danceable.
Photo by Bob King/Redferns
Most Viewed
-
English guitarist Pete Townshend appears in Eric Clapton's Rainbow Concert at the Rainbow Theatre, London, 13th January 1973. He is playing a Gretsch 6120 Chet Atkins. (Photo by P. Floyd/Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images) -
Close-up of American musician and actor Neil Diamond prior to his one?man show at the Winter Garden, New York, New York, October 1972. (Photo by Jack Mitchell/Getty Images) -
English rock group the Beatles hold a press conference at the Capitol Records Tower in Los Angeles before their live performance at the Dodger Stadium, California, 28th August 1966. From left to right, George Harrison, John Lennon, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. (Photo by Archive Photos/Getty Images) -
Singer Graham Russell with AIR SUPPLY performs in concert, October 8, 1983 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Bob Riha, Jr./Getty Images) -
Jimmy Buffett at the Auditorium Theater In Chicago, Ilinois, July 22, 1977 (Photo by Paul Natkin/Getty Images) -
British rock group Electric Light Orchestra, 5th February 1975. Left to right: cellist Melvyn Gale, cellist Hugh McDowell, singer and drummer Bev Bevan, singer and guitarist Jeff Lynne, keyboard player Richard Tandy, bassist and singer Kelly Groucutt (1945 – 2009) and violinist Mik Kaminski. (Photo by Michael Putland/Getty Images)
