4 Forgotten Pop Hits From 1985 That Still Sound Fresh Today

Pop music had a good year in 1985, and quite a few memorable hits from that very year still make it to classic pop and rock radio. Some songs, however, have slipped through the cracks over the years, and I just don’t think that’s fair. Let’s revisit a few somewhat forgotten pop hits from 1985 that still sound oh so fresh today!

“Be Near Me” by ABC from ‘How To Be A … Zillionaire!’

Remember this soulful synth-pop tune from 1985? The English pop outfit ABC soared up the charts with the song “Be Near Me” that year. It was a bigger hit on our side of the pond, surprisingly. “Be Near Me” peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and topped the Hot Dance Club Play chart as well. If you were an MTV kid, you definitely remember that very colorful music video.

“Lay Your Hands On Me” by Thompson Twins from ‘Here’s To Future Days’

Thompson Twins smashed through the charts with their new wave hit, “Lay Your Hands On Me”, in 1985. It peaked at No. 6 on the Hot 100 and remains such a good example of what pop music sounded like that year.

Of the song, singer Tom Bailey noted, “We were interested in the idea of group rituals of that sort, and particularly how it relates to artist, performer, and audience. […] [The song is] nonspecifically religious. It looks at religious ritual in that way, and then draws a kind of metaphor – I’ve always been very fond of the kind of layered metaphor where the song can be about one thing but also about another.”

“Sentimental Street” by Night Ranger from ‘7 Wishes’

Hard rock hit the pop charts with this iconic AOR tune by Night Ranger. “Sentimental Street” was the most successful single off 7 Wishes, peaking at No. 8 on the pop chart in the US. The whole of this album is fantastic, but listeners really resonated with “Sentimental Street”, specifically.

“Dress You Up” by Madonna from ‘Like A Virgin’

This title track of this iconic album usually steals all the attention, even after all these years. However, one of Madonna’s other singles from that album, “Dress You Up”, was quite a hit back in the day. This entry on our list of forgotten pop hits from 1985 often gets pushed aside in favor of that iconic title track, but “Dress You Up” is also a solid, very danceable tune. This single peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

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