As the "Baby Boomers" have gotten older, the Adult Contemporary chart has replaced the "Hot 100" chart as the most important and most meaningful gauge of musical tastes. This change occurred sometime around the mid-80's. That is not to discount what Billboard calls the "Hot 100", for those songs still have influence and certainly popularity--it just means that now, you have to take songs that are successful on the AC chart more seriously than you do the "Hot 100" chart. I build the relative strengths of each format into my formula for selecting The Top 5000 Songs of the Rock Era, which I published in 2000.
Here are the top AC songs of the 1980's:
1. "Cherish" by Kool & the Gang
2. "Hello" by Lionel Richie
3. "Don't Know Much" by Linda Ronstadt & Aaron Neville
4. "Lost in Love" by Air Supply
5. "If You Don't Know Me by Now" by Simply Red
6. "Right Here Waiting by Richard Marx
7. "Stuck On You" by Lionel Richie
8. "You Are" by Lionel Richie
9. "Greatest Love of All" by Whitney Houston
10. "Careless Whisper" by Wham
11. "Woman in Love" by Barbra Streisand
12. "Lady" by Kenny Rogers
13. "Never Gonna' Let You Go" by Sergio Mendes
14. "Penny Lover" by Lionel Richie
15. "Another Day in Paradise" by Phil Collins
16. "Say You, Say Me" by Lionel Richie
17. "Two Hearts" by Phil Collins
18. "Magic" by Olivia Newton-John
19. "The Rose" by Bette Midler
20. "Glory of Love" by Peter Cetera
21. "(I've had) The Time of My Life" by Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes
22. "Truly" by Lionel Richie
23. "I Don't Need You" by Kenny Rogers
24. "Yesterday's Songs" by Neil Diamond
25. "Ebony and Ivory" by Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder
26. "If Ever You're in My Arms Again" by Peabo Bryson
27. "Chariots of Fire" by Vangelis
28. "Islands in the Stream" by Kenny Rogers & Dolly Parton
29. "All Night Long" by Lionel Richie
30. "After All" by Cher & Peter Cetera
31. "The Search Is Over" by Survivor
32. "The Living Years" by Mike & the Mechanics
33. "Read 'Em and Weep" by Barry Manilow
34. "Any Day Now" by Ronnie Milsap
35. "One Good Woman" by Peter Cetera
36. "Arthur's Theme" by Christopher Cross
37. "Hard to Say I'm Sorry" by Chicago
38. "Let Me Love You Tonight" by Pure Prairie League
39. "Don't Fall in Love with a Dreamer" by Kenny Rogers & Kim Carnes
40. "Think of Laura" by Christopher Cross
41. "That's What Friends Are For" by Dionne Warwick & Friends
42. "We've Got Tonight" by Kenny Rogers & Sheena Easton
43. "This is the Time" by Billy Joel
44. "Separate Lives" by Phil Collins & Marilyn Martin
45. "Saving All My Love for You" by Whitney Houston
46. "I Wanna' Dance With Somebody" by Whitney Houston
47. "Finer Things" by Steve Winwood
48. "Suddenly" by Billy Ocean
49. "What Kind of Fool" by Barbra Streisand & Barry Gibb
50. "I Just Called To Say I Love You" by Stevie Wonder
51. "Endless Love" by Diana Ross & Lionel Richie
52. "More Than I Can Say" by Leo Sayer
53. "My Love" by Lionel Richie
54. "Heartlight" by Neil Diamond
55. "Angel of the Morning" by Juice Newton
56. "Anything for You" by Gloria Estefan & Miami Sound Machine
57. "Drive" by the Cars
58. "Got a Hold on Me" by Christine McVie
59. "No Night So Long" by Dionne Warwick
60. "Never Gonna' Give You Up" by Rick Astley
61. "Baby, Come to Me" by James Ingram & Patti Austin
62. "I Love a Rainy Night" by Eddie Rabbitt
63. "Sara" by Starship
64. "Even the Nights Are Better" by Air Supply
65. "Everywhere" by Fleetwood Mac
66. "Make Me Lose Control" by Eric Carmen
67. "Words Get in the Way" by Miami Sound Machine
68. "Comin' In and Out of My Life" by Barbra Streisand
69. "Got My Mind Set on You" by George Harrison
70. "How Am I Supposed To Live Without You" by Laura Branigan
71. "All Time High" by Rita Coolidge
72. "Always On My Mind" by Willie Nelson
73. "In Too Deep" by Genesis
74. "Uptown Girl" by Billy Joel
75. "You're the Inspiration" by Chicago
76. "Groovy Kind of Love" by Phil Collins
77. "Smooth Operator" by Sade
78. "Shame on the Moon" by Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band
79. "Little Jeannie" by Elton John
80. "These Dreams" by Heart
81. "Time After Time" by Cyndi Lauper
82. "Cherish" by Madonna
83. "One More Night" by Phil Collins
84. "Didn't We Almost Have It All" by Whitney Houston
85. "Don't Wanna' Lose You Now" by Gloria Estefan
86. "Nothing's Gonna' Stop Us Now" by Starship
87. "Always" by Atlantic Starr
88. "Love Is Forever" by Billy Ocean
89. "It Might Be You" by Stephen Bishop
90. "The Longest Time" by Billy Joel
91. "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" by Whitney Houston
92. "Here I Am" by Air Supply
93. "The Old Songs" by Barry Manilow
94. "The Next Time I Fall" by Peter Cetera and Amy Grant
95. "America" by Neil Diamond
96. "The One You Love" by Glenn Frey
97. "The Way It Is" by Bruce Hornsby & the Range
98. "Blue Eyes" by Elton John
99. "The One That You Love" by Air Supply
100. "Key Largo" by Bertie Higgins
Here are the top AC songs of the 1980's:
2. "Hello" by Lionel Richie
3. "Don't Know Much" by Linda Ronstadt & Aaron Neville
4. "Lost in Love" by Air Supply
5. "If You Don't Know Me by Now" by Simply Red
6. "Right Here Waiting by Richard Marx
7. "Stuck On You" by Lionel Richie
8. "You Are" by Lionel Richie
9. "Greatest Love of All" by Whitney Houston
10. "Careless Whisper" by Wham
11. "Woman in Love" by Barbra Streisand
12. "Lady" by Kenny Rogers
13. "Never Gonna' Let You Go" by Sergio Mendes
14. "Penny Lover" by Lionel Richie
15. "Another Day in Paradise" by Phil Collins
16. "Say You, Say Me" by Lionel Richie
17. "Two Hearts" by Phil Collins
18. "Magic" by Olivia Newton-John
19. "The Rose" by Bette Midler
20. "Glory of Love" by Peter Cetera
21. "(I've had) The Time of My Life" by Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes
22. "Truly" by Lionel Richie
23. "I Don't Need You" by Kenny Rogers
24. "Yesterday's Songs" by Neil Diamond
25. "Ebony and Ivory" by Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder
26. "If Ever You're in My Arms Again" by Peabo Bryson
27. "Chariots of Fire" by Vangelis
28. "Islands in the Stream" by Kenny Rogers & Dolly Parton
29. "All Night Long" by Lionel Richie
30. "After All" by Cher & Peter Cetera
31. "The Search Is Over" by Survivor
32. "The Living Years" by Mike & the Mechanics
33. "Read 'Em and Weep" by Barry Manilow
34. "Any Day Now" by Ronnie Milsap
35. "One Good Woman" by Peter Cetera
36. "Arthur's Theme" by Christopher Cross
37. "Hard to Say I'm Sorry" by Chicago
38. "Let Me Love You Tonight" by Pure Prairie League
39. "Don't Fall in Love with a Dreamer" by Kenny Rogers & Kim Carnes
40. "Think of Laura" by Christopher Cross
41. "That's What Friends Are For" by Dionne Warwick & Friends
42. "We've Got Tonight" by Kenny Rogers & Sheena Easton
43. "This is the Time" by Billy Joel
44. "Separate Lives" by Phil Collins & Marilyn Martin
45. "Saving All My Love for You" by Whitney Houston
46. "I Wanna' Dance With Somebody" by Whitney Houston
47. "Finer Things" by Steve Winwood
48. "Suddenly" by Billy Ocean
49. "What Kind of Fool" by Barbra Streisand & Barry Gibb
50. "I Just Called To Say I Love You" by Stevie Wonder
51. "Endless Love" by Diana Ross & Lionel Richie
52. "More Than I Can Say" by Leo Sayer
53. "My Love" by Lionel Richie
54. "Heartlight" by Neil Diamond
55. "Angel of the Morning" by Juice Newton
56. "Anything for You" by Gloria Estefan & Miami Sound Machine
57. "Drive" by the Cars
58. "Got a Hold on Me" by Christine McVie
59. "No Night So Long" by Dionne Warwick
60. "Never Gonna' Give You Up" by Rick Astley
61. "Baby, Come to Me" by James Ingram & Patti Austin
62. "I Love a Rainy Night" by Eddie Rabbitt
63. "Sara" by Starship
64. "Even the Nights Are Better" by Air Supply
65. "Everywhere" by Fleetwood Mac
66. "Make Me Lose Control" by Eric Carmen
67. "Words Get in the Way" by Miami Sound Machine
68. "Comin' In and Out of My Life" by Barbra Streisand
69. "Got My Mind Set on You" by George Harrison
70. "How Am I Supposed To Live Without You" by Laura Branigan
71. "All Time High" by Rita Coolidge
72. "Always On My Mind" by Willie Nelson
73. "In Too Deep" by Genesis
74. "Uptown Girl" by Billy Joel
75. "You're the Inspiration" by Chicago
76. "Groovy Kind of Love" by Phil Collins
77. "Smooth Operator" by Sade
78. "Shame on the Moon" by Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band
79. "Little Jeannie" by Elton John
80. "These Dreams" by Heart
81. "Time After Time" by Cyndi Lauper
82. "Cherish" by Madonna
83. "One More Night" by Phil Collins
84. "Didn't We Almost Have It All" by Whitney Houston
85. "Don't Wanna' Lose You Now" by Gloria Estefan
86. "Nothing's Gonna' Stop Us Now" by Starship
87. "Always" by Atlantic Starr
88. "Love Is Forever" by Billy Ocean
89. "It Might Be You" by Stephen Bishop
90. "The Longest Time" by Billy Joel
91. "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" by Whitney Houston
92. "Here I Am" by Air Supply
93. "The Old Songs" by Barry Manilow
94. "The Next Time I Fall" by Peter Cetera and Amy Grant
95. "America" by Neil Diamond
96. "The One You Love" by Glenn Frey
97. "The Way It Is" by Bruce Hornsby & the Range
98. "Blue Eyes" by Elton John
99. "The One That You Love" by Air Supply
100. "Key Largo" by Bertie Higgins
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