The Best Movie Songs of the 1980s

What are the best songs found on movie soundtracks from 1980 until 1989?

When viewing the world of movie music, the 80s would be the decade of soundtracks. No decade has produced as many popular soundtracks as the 80s did. Where would the 80s be without these legendary soundtracks: Flashdance, Footloose, Top Gun, Vision Quest, When Harry Met Sally..., Dirty Dancing, and Batman.

One justification for this would have to be the newest craze of MTV. Suddenly, film makers had a new way to advertise their upcoming film: a music video. But this impact was not simply a one-way street. MTV also had an impact on the movies as well. Many movies from the 80s began using music in the films as sort of a "self-contained music videos." The actors do not sing the songs, but instead are dancing to the music. A couple good examples of this are "Maniac" from Flashdance, "I'm Free" from Footloose, "Old Time Rock And Roll" from Risky Business, and "Take my Breath Away" from Top Gun.

We've selected some of the best songs from these soundtracks and listed them here. For your convenience, we have included links to the sheet music on Sheetmusicplus.com as well as the CD on Amazon.com whenever available. If you are looking to purchase the mp3 or would like to listen to a sample, then click on either the Amazon, Rhapsody, or iTunes links.

Rhapsody provides both music subscriptions as well as individual mp3s for sale in WMA format and iTunes only provides MPEG-4 audio files for sale. However, Amazon does offer mp3s that are compatible with both Windows Media Player and iTunes. For more information about where to purchase music online, we provide it on our Music Downloads page or our Music Subscriptions page.

Below are what we consider among the best songs from movies of the 1980s.

1. "9 to 5" by Dolly Parton from 9 to 5 (1980)
    Find it on:        Rhapsody   Sheetmusicplus
2. "Against All Odds" by Phil Collins from Against All Odds (1984)
    Find it on:        Rhapsody   Sheetmusicplus
3. "Almost Paradise" by Ann Wilson & Mike Reno from Footloose (1984)
    Find it on:        Rhapsody   Sheetmusicplus
4. "Arthur's Theme" by Christopher Cross from Arthur (1981)
    Find it on:        Rhapsody   Sheetmusicplus
5. "Axel F" by Harold Faltermeyer from Beverly Hills Cop (1984)
    Find it on:        Rhapsody   Sheetmusicplus
6. "Chariots of Fire" by Vangelis from Chariots of Fire (1981)
    Find it on:        Rhapsody
7. "Danger Zone" by Kenny Loggins from Top Gun (1986)
    Find it on:     
8. "Crazy For You" by Madonna from Vision Quest 1985
    Find it on:        Rhapsody   Sheetmusicplus
9. "Don't You Forget About Me" by Simple Minds from The Breakfast Club (1985)
    Find it on:        Rhapsody   Sheetmusicplus
10. E.T. Main Theme by John Williams from E.T. (1982)
    Find it on:        Rhapsody   Sheetmusicplus
11. "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor from Rocky III (1982)
     Find it on:        Rhapsody   Sheetmusicplus
12. "Fame (I Want To Live Forever)" by Irene Cara from Fame (1980)
     Find it on:        Rhapsody   Sheetmusicplus
13. "Fight the Power" by Public Enemy from Do the Right Thing (1989)
     Find it on:        Rhapsody
14. "Footloose" by Kenny Loggins from Footloose (1984)
     Find it on:        Rhapsody   Sheetmusicplus
15. "Ghostbusters" by Ray Parker Jr. from Ghostbusters (1984)
     Find it on:        Rhapsody
16. "I'm Free (Heaven Helps The Man)" by Kenny Loggins from Footloose (1984)
     Find it on:        Rhapsody   Sheetmusicplus
17. "In Your Eyes" by Peter Gabriel from Say Anything (1989)
     Find it on:        Rhapsody   Sheetmusicplus
18. "Into the Groove" by Madonna from Desperately Seeking Susan (1985)
     Find it on:        Rhapsody   Sheetmusicplus
19. "It Had To Be You" by Harry Connick, Jr. from When Harry Met Sally... (1989)
     Find it on:  Rhapsody
20. "I've Had the Time of My Life" by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes from Dirty Dancing (1987)
     Find it on:        Rhapsody   Sheetmusicplus
21. "Maniac" by Michael Sembello from Flashdance (1983)
     Find it on:        Rhapsody   Sheetmusicplus
22. "Oh Yeah" by Yello from Ferris Bueller's Day Off and The Secret of My Success
     Find it on:        Rhapsody
23. "Old Time Rock And Roll" by Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band from Risky Business (1983)
     Find it on:      Sheetmusicplus
24. "Separate Lives" by Phil Collins and Marilyn Martin from White Nights (1985)
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25. "She's Like The Wind" by Patrick Swayze from Dirty Dancing (1987)
     Find it on:        Sheetmusicplus
26. "Stand By Me" by Ben E. King from Stand by Me (1986)
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27. "Take My Breath Away" by Berlin from Top Gun (1986)
     Find it on:        Rhapsody   Sheetmusicplus
28. "Tequila" by The Champs from Pee Wee's Big Adventure (1985)
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29. "Twist & Shout" by The Beatles from Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)
     Find it on:        Rhapsody   Sheetmusicplus
30. "Up Where We Belong" by Joe Cocker & Jennifer Warnes from An Officer and a Gentleman (1982)
     Find it on:        Rhapsody   Sheetmusicplus
31. "What A Feeling" by Irene Cara from Flashdance (1983)
     Find it on:        Rhapsody
32. "Wind Beneath My Wings" by Bette Midler from Beaches (1988)
     Find it on:        Rhapsody   Sheetmusicplus

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