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Best dance-pop songs of the 1980s

Cheap drum machines and the first affordable samplers changed who was allowed to make a record. Hip-hop moved from a party you had to be at to a 12-inch you could buy, and MTV made how a song looked part of the argument.

Songs from the dance-pop albums of the 1980s, ordered by their own ratings rather than the record's.

  1. 2Thriller coverHuman Nature (album version)Michael Jackson · Thriller4.44.6 avg · 12 ratings
  2. 3Thriller coverBillie JeanMichael Jackson · Thriller4.44.4 avg · 870 ratings
  3. 4Like a Prayer coverAct of ContritionMadonna · Like a Prayer4.44.8 avg · 3 ratings
  4. 5Whitney coverI Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)Whitney Houston · Whitney4.44.5 avg · 7 ratings
  5. 6Whitney coverWhere Do Broken Hearts GoWhitney Houston · Whitney4.44.7 avg · 3 ratings
  6. 7Bad coverSmooth CriminalMichael Jackson · Bad4.34.3 avg · 30 ratings
  7. 8Whitney coverDidn't We Almost Have It AllWhitney Houston · Whitney4.34.3 avg · 3 ratings
  8. 9Whitney coverSo EmotionalWhitney Houston · Whitney4.34.3 avg · 34 ratings
  9. 10Whitney Houston coverYou Give Good LoveWhitney Houston · Whitney Houston4.24.1 avg · 13 ratings
  10. 11Whitney Houston coverGreatest Love of AllWhitney Houston · Whitney Houston4.24.1 avg · 39 ratings
  11. 12Whitney Houston coverSaving All My Love for YouWhitney Houston · Whitney Houston4.14.1 avg · 41 ratings
  12. 13Thriller coverThrillerMichael Jackson · Thriller4.14.1 avg · 636 ratings
  13. 14You Can Dance coverInto the GrooveMadonna · You Can Dance4.03.4 avg · 4 ratings
  14. 15Whitney coverJust the Lonely Talking AgainWhitney Houston · Whitney4.03.7 avg · 8 ratings
  15. 16Whitney coverI Know Him So WellWhitney Houston · Whitney3.93.4 avg · 7 ratings
  16. 17Thriller coverWanna Be Startin' Somethin'Michael Jackson · Thriller3.93.8 avg · 32 ratings
  17. 18Thriller coverThe Girl Is MineMichael Jackson · Thriller3.93.2 avg · 6 ratings
  18. 19Thriller coverThe Lady in My LifeMichael Jackson · Thriller2 ratings
  19. 20Bad coverDirty DianaMichael Jackson · Bad2 ratings
  20. 21Dirty Mind coverUptownPrince · Dirty Mind2 ratings
  21. 22Like a Virgin coverStayMadonna · Like a Virgin2 ratings
  22. 23Like a Prayer coverLike a PrayerMadonna · Like a Prayer2 ratings
  23. 24Thriller coverBaby Be MineMichael Jackson · Thriller1 rating
  24. 25Thriller coverP.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)Michael Jackson · Thriller1 rating
  25. 26Like a Prayer coverCherishMadonna · Like a Prayer1 rating
  26. 27What a Feelin' coverFlashdance... What a Feeling (radio edit)Irene Cara · What a Feelin'1 rating
  27. 28Bad coverSpeed DemonMichael Jackson · Bad1 rating
  28. 29Like a Prayer coverExpress YourselfMadonna · Like a Prayer1 rating
  29. 30Hold Me coverForever YoungLaura Branigan · Hold Me1 rating
  30. 31Bad coverLeave Me AloneMichael Jackson · Bad1 rating
  31. 32Bad coverI Just Can't Stop Loving YouMichael Jackson · Bad1 rating
  32. 33Bad coverMan in the MirrorMichael Jackson · Bad1 rating
  33. 34Bad coverAnother Part of MeMichael Jackson · Bad1 rating
  34. 35Bad coverJust Good FriendsMichael Jackson · Bad1 rating
  35. 36Bad coverLiberian GirlMichael Jackson · Bad1 rating
  36. 37Bad coverThe Way You Make Me FeelMichael Jackson · Bad1 rating
  37. 38Bad coverBadMichael Jackson · Bad1 rating
  38. 39Dirty Mind coverPartyupPrince · Dirty Mind1 rating
  39. 40Dirty Mind coverSisterPrince · Dirty Mind1 rating
  40. 41Dirty Mind coverHeadPrince · Dirty Mind1 rating
  41. 42Dirty Mind coverGotta Broken Heart AgainPrince · Dirty Mind1 rating
  42. 43Dirty Mind coverDo It All NightPrince · Dirty Mind1 rating
  43. 44Dirty Mind coverWhen You Were MinePrince · Dirty Mind1 rating
  44. 45Dirty Mind coverDirty MindPrince · Dirty Mind1 rating
  45. 46Good to Go Lover cover(They Long to Be) Close to YouGwen Guthrie · Good to Go Lover1 rating
  46. 47Don't Be Cruel coverRoniBobby Brown · Don't Be Cruel1 rating
  47. 48This Last Night in Sodom coverSoul InsideSoft Cell · This Last Night in Sodom1 rating
  48. 49This Last Night in Sodom coverMeet Murder My AngelSoft Cell · This Last Night in Sodom1 rating
  49. 50This Last Night in Sodom coverMr. Self DestructSoft Cell · This Last Night in Sodom1 rating

One great song, one bad album

Tracks carry their own ratings here, so a record you would never play front to back can still have a song worth defending.

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