| Snippet | Seasonal/current events | The Last Laugh |
WTBU Top 25
Summer 2023 • Wednesdays, 4–6pm
Because countdowns are fun
Episode List
Click to jump to an episode.
- S1E10: Best Songs of Every Year, Part 3 (Aug. 9, 2023)
- S1E9: Best Songs of Every Year, Part 2 (Aug. 2, 2023)
- S1E8: Best Songs of Every Year, Part 1 (Jul. 26, 2023)
- S1E7: The ’70s (Jul. 19, 2023)
- S1E6: Recent Pop Hits (Jul. 12, 2023)
- S1E5: Country (Jul. 5, 2023)
- S1E4: Short-Answer Section (Jun. 28, 2023)
- S1E3: The ’60s (Jun. 21, 2023)
- S1E2: EDM (Jun. 7, 2023)
- S1E1: The ’80s (May 31, 2023)
S1E10: Best Songs of Every Year, Part 3 (Aug. 9, 2023)
Theme: Continued from last week’s playlist — my favorite songs of every year from 2005 to 2022. Plus: snippets from my second-favorite songs of every year, and a few songs from this year that could be added to the playlist next.
| Year | Song Title | Artist | Album | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Since U Been Gone | Kelly Clarkson | Breakaway | |
| 2006 | For the Girl | The Fratellis | Costello Music | |
| 2007 | Girlfriend | Avril Lavigne | The Best Damn Thing | |
| 2008 | Paper Planes | M.I.A. | Kala | |
| 2009 | Down | Jay Sean ft. Lil Wayne | All or Nothing | |
| 2010 | Wavin’ Flag [Celebration Mix] | K’naan | Troubadour [Champion Edition] | |
| 2011 | We Found Love | Rihanna ft. Calvin Harris | Talk That Talk | |
| 2012 | Call Me Maybe | Carly Rae Jepsen | Kiss | |
| 2013 | It’s a Beautiful Day | Michael Bublé | To Be Loved | There are a couple false starts here because I switched to playing the songs off my phone at this point. (I needed my computer to finish editing the montage that would play later in the show. |
| 2014 | All of Me [Tiësto’s Birthday Treatment Mix] | John Legend ft. Tiësto | All of Me [Promo Single] | |
| 2015 | My House | Flo Rida | My House [EP] | |
| 2016 | Bang Bang | Green Day | Revolution Radio | |
| 2017 | House on Fire | Rise Against | Wolves | Back to the computer from here on out. One more problem though: I forgot to make a clean edit of this song! Thankfully there was only one swear I had to live-censor. |
| 2018 | She’s Kerosene | The Interrupters | Fight the Good Fight | |
| 2019 | The End of the Game | Weezer | Van Weezer | |
| 2020 | Forget Me Too | Machine Gun Kelly ft. Halsey | Tickets to My Downfall | |
| 2021 | Happier Than Ever | Billie Eilish | Happier Than Ever | |
| 2022 | Talk | Beabadoobee | Beatopia | |
| — | Montage: Second-Best Songs of Every Year | Various artists | N/A | A 10½-minute montage of the my second favorite song from every year. Due to rushed editing (see above), I left “Born to Run” (1975) and “California Sun” out of the broadcast version. (I reinserted them on my copy of the show audio; the final runtime is 10:45.) Due to time constraints, I did not identify any of the songs on the air, but I’ve included a song list below — keep scrolling! |
| — (2023) | Vampire | Olivia Rodrigo | Guts [Upcoming] | |
| — (2023) | Under You | Foo Fighters | But Here We Are | |
| — (2023) | Not Strong Enough | Boygenius | The Record |
Second-Best Song List
S1E9: Best Songs of Every Year, Part 2 (Aug. 2, 2023)
Theme: Continued from last week’s playlist — my favorite songs of every year from 1980 to 2004.
| Year | Song Title | Artist | Album | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Bad Reputation | Joan Jett | Bad Reputation | |
| 1981 | Don’t Stop Believin’ | Journey | Escape | |
| 1982 | Centerfold | The J. Geils Band | Freeze Frame | |
| 1983 | Come On Eileen | Dexys Midnight Runners | Too-Rye-Ay | |
| 1984 | You Might Think | The Cars | Heartbeat City | |
| 1985 | Take On Me | A-ha | Hunting High and Low | |
| 1986 | You Give Love a Bad Name | Bon Jovi | Slippery When Wet | |
| 1987 | Just Like Heaven | The Cure | Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me | |
| 1988 | Handle With Care | Traveling Wilburys | Traveling Wilburys, Vol. 1 | |
| 1989 | Here Comes Your Man | Pixies | Doolittle | |
| 1990 | Going to Pasalacqua | Green Day | 39/Smooth | |
| 1991 | Smells Like Teen Spirit | Nirvana | Nevermind | |
| 1992 | Friday I’m in Love | The Cure | Wish | |
| 1993 | If I Can’t Change Your Mind | Sugar | Copper Blue | |
| 1994 | Basket Case | Green Day | Dookie | |
| 1995 | When I Come Around | Green Day | Dookie | |
| 1996 | Why Bother? | Weezer | Pinkerton | |
| 1997 | Mo Money Mo Problems | The Notorious B.I.G. ft. Puff Daddy, Mase & Kelly Price | Life After Death | |
| 1998 | Torn | Natalie Imbruglia | Left of the Middle | |
| 1999 | What’s My Age Again? | Blink-182 | Enema of the State | |
| 2000 | All the Small Things | Blink-182 | Enema of the State | |
| 2001 | Everywhere | Michelle Branch | The Spirit Room | |
| 2002 | Last Nite | The Strokes | Is This It | |
| 2003 | Hurt | Johnny Cash | American IV: The Man Comes Around | |
| 2004 | American Idiot | Green Day | American Idiot |
S1E8: Best Songs of Every Year, Part 1 (Jul. 26, 2023)
Theme: An entirely subjective playlist of my personal favorite song from every year, starting with 1955 and going all the way to last year. Not based on Billboard charts, Grammy Awards, or any “objective” metric. Years are based on when the song peaked on the charts, and not when the album or single was released — unless the song didn’t chart at all, in which case I use the single release date, or album release date if it wasn’t a single. This week’s playlist covers the years 1955–1979.
| Year | Song Title | Artist | Album | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | (We’re Gonna) Rock Around the Clock | Bill Haley & His Comets | Rock Around the Clock | |
| 1956 | Hound Dog | Elvis Presley | Elvis’ Golden Records | |
| 1957 | Bye Bye Love | The Everly Brothers | The Everly Brothers | |
| 1958 | Johnny B. Goode | Chuck Berry | Berry Is on Top | |
| 1959 | La Bamba | Ritchie Valens | Ritchie Valens | |
| 1960 | Stay | Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs | Stay | |
| 1961 | Stand by Me | Ben E. King | Don’t Play That Song! | |
| 1962 | Telstar | The Tornados | The Tornados Play Telstar and Other Great Hits | |
| 1963 | Be My Baby | The Ronettes | Presenting the Fabulous Ronettes Featuring Veronica | |
| 1964 | I Want to Hold Your Hand | The Beatles | Past Masters | |
| 1965 | Unchained Melody | The Righteous Brothers | Just Once in My Life | |
| 1966 | Good Lovin’ | The Young Rascals | The Young Rascals | |
| 1967 | Brown Eyed Girl | Van Morrison | Blowin’ Your Mind! | |
| 1968 | Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da | The Beatles | The Beatles (White Album) | |
| 1969 | Build Me Up Buttercup | The Foundations | Build Me Up Buttercup | |
| 1970 | I Want You Back | The Jackson 5 | Diana Ross Presents The Jackson 5 | |
| 1971 | Have You Ever Seen the Rain? | Creedence Clearwater Revival | Pendulum | |
| 1972 | Dancing in the Moonlight | King Harvest | Dancing in the Moonlight | |
| 1973 | Crocodile Rock | Elton John | Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only the Piano Player | |
| 1974 | Doctor Doctor | UFO | Phenomenon | |
| 1975 | No Woman No Cry [Live] | Bob Marley & The Wailers | Live! | |
| 1976 | More Than a Feeling | Boston | Boston | |
| 1977 | American Girl | Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers | Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers | |
| 1978 | Another Girl, Another Planet | The Only Ones | The Only Ones | |
| 1979 | Cruel to Be Kind | Nick Lowe | Labour of Lust | |
| — | War | Sinéad O’Connor | Saturday Night Live S18E2 | RIP; Bob Marley & The Wailers cover; yes, it’s THAT performance |
S1E7: The ’70s (Jul. 19, 2023)
Theme: My 25 favorite songs of the 1970s. Limit 1 song per artist.
| No. | Song Title | Artist | Album | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | Love Train | The O’Jays | Back Stabbers | |
| 24 | Hooked on a Feeling | Blue Swede | Hooked on a Feeling | |
| 23 | Sunday Girl | Blondie | Parallel Lines | |
| 22 | Y.M.C.A. [Single Version] | Village People | Cruisin’ | |
| 21 | Doctor Doctor | UFO | Phenomenon | |
| 20 | Feels So Good [Single Version] | Chuck Mangione | Feels So Good | |
| 19 | Have You Ever Seen the Rain? | Creedence Clearwater Revival | Pendulum | |
| 18 | Sir Duke | Stevie Wonder | Songs in the Key of Life | |
| 17 | (What’s So Funny ’Bout) Peace, Love & Understanding | Elvis Costello | Armed Forces [Bonus Track] | Brinsley Schwarz cover |
| 16 | The Entertainer | Billy Joel | Streetlife Serenade | |
| 15 | I Will Survive | Gloria Gaynor | Love Tracks | |
| 14 | American Pie | Don McLean | American Pie | |
| 13 | Starman | David Bowie | The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars | |
| 12 | Don’t Go Breaking My Heart | Elton John & Kiki Dee | Greatest Hits Volume II | |
| 11 | Three Little Birds | Bob Marley & The Wailers | Exodus | |
| 10 | Dancing in the Moonlight | King Harvest | Dancing in the Moonlight | Boffalongo cover |
| 9 | American Girl | Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers | Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers | |
| 8 | Anarchy in the U.K. | Sex Pistols | Anarchy in the U.K. [Single] | |
| 7 | More than a Feeling | Boston | Boston | |
| 6 | Rock ’n’ Roll High School | Ramones | Road to Ruin | |
| 5 | I Want You Back | The Jackson 5 | Diana Ross Presents the Jackson 5 | |
| 4 | Just What I Needed | The Cars | The Cars | |
| 3 | Another Girl, Another Planet | The Only Ones | The Only Ones | |
| 2 | I Fought the Law | The Clash | The Cost of Living [EP] | The Crickets cover |
| 1 | Cruel to Be Kind | Nick Lowe | Labour of Lust |
S1E6: Recent Pop Hits (Jul. 12, 2023)
Theme: My top 25 favorite pop radio hits from the last 5 years. Songs must have reached the top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 and charted on Billboard Radio Songs. No covers.
| No. | Song Title | Artist | Album | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | Bad Habit | Steve Lacy | Gemini Rights | |
| 24 | Bad Guy | Billie Eilish | When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? | |
| 23 | Old Town Road [Remix] | Lil Nas X ft. Billy Ray Cyrus | 7 [EP] | |
| 22 | Don’t Start Now | Dua Lipa | Future Nostalgia | |
| 21 | Blinding Lights | The Weeknd | After Hours | Daniel Craig intro |
| 20 | Chemical | Post Malone | Austin [Upcoming] | |
| 19 | Take My Breath [Single Version] | The Weeknd | Dawn FM | |
| 18 | Circles | Post Malone | Hollywood’s Bleeding | |
| 17 | Come & Go | Juice Wrld & Marshmello | Legends Never Die | |
| 16 | Heat Waves | Glass Animals | Dreamland | |
| 15 | Deja Vu | Olivia Rodrigo | Sour | |
| 14 | Cruel Summer | Taylor Swift | Lover | |
| 13 | Sweet but Psycho | Ava Max | Heaven & Hell | |
| 12 | Vampire | Olivia Rodrigo | Guts [Upcoming] | |
| 11 | Anti-Hero | Taylor Swift | Midnights | |
| 10 | Save Your Tears | The Weeknd | After Hours | |
| 9 | Sunflower | Post Malone & Swae Lee | Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (Soundtrack) | |
| 8 | All Too Well (10 Minute Version) | Taylor Swift | Red (Taylor's Version) | The original version is a decade old but the full version from the vault reached #1 in 2021 |
| 7 | Drivers License | Olivia Rodrigo | Sour | |
| 6 | Levitating [Album Version] | Dua Lipa | Future Nostalgia | |
| 5 | Dynamite | BTS | Be | |
| 4 | Mood | 24kGoldn ft. Iann Dior | El Dorado | |
| 3 | Truth Hurts | Lizzo | Cuz I Love You [Deluxe] | |
| 2 | Good 4 U | Olivia Rodrigo | Sour | |
| — | Rich Minion | Yeat | Rich Minion [Single] | |
| 1 | Happier Than Ever | Billie Eilish | Happier Than Ever | Finally found a clean version of the less-clipped Dolby Atmos mix |
S1E5: Country (Jul. 5, 2023)
No, really. (Limit 4 songs per artist.)
| No. | Song Title | Artist | Album | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | Before He Cheats | Carrie Underwood | Some Hearts | |
| 24 | If I Fall You’re Going Down With Me | The Chicks | Fly | Credited as Dixie Chicks |
| 23 | Start a Band | Brad Paisley & Keith Urban | Play: The Guitar Album | The order of #23–21 is kinda arbitrary TBH |
| 22 | El Paso | Marty Robbins | Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs | |
| 21 | Love Me Like You Mean It | Kelsea Ballerini | The First Time | |
| 20 | That Song in My Head | Julianne Hough | Julianne Hough | |
| 19 | The Devil Went to Georgia | The Charlie Daniels Band | Million Mile Reflections | |
| 18 | Fast Car | Luke Combs | Gettin’ Old | |
| 17 | As If | Sara Evans | Greatest Hits | |
| 16 | Take Me Home, Country Roads | John Denver | Poems, Prayers & Promises | |
| 15 | Life Is a Highway | Rascal Flatts | Cars (Soundtrack) | |
| 14 | Forever & Always | Taylor Swift | Fearless | |
| 13 | I Walk the Line | Johnny Cash | With His Hot and Blue Guitar! | |
| 12 | The Gambler | Kenny Rogers | The Gambler | |
| 11 | Ring of Fire | Johnny Cash | Ring of Fire: The Best of Johnny Cash | |
| 10 | Wagon Wheel | Darius Rucker | True Believers | |
| 9 | Should’ve Said No | Taylor Swift | Taylor Swift | |
| 8 | She Walks in So Many Ways | The Jayhawks | Mockingbird Time | |
| 7 | Cruise [Remix] | Florida Georgia Line | Here’s to the Good Times... This Is How We Roll | Custom no-rap edit because Nelly is banned |
| 6 | Folsom Prison Blues | Johnny Cash | At Folsom Prison | |
| 5 | You Belong with Me | Taylor Swift | Fearless | |
| 4 | On the Road Again | Willie Nelson | Honeysuckle Rose (Soundtrack) | |
| 3 | That Don’t Impress Me Much | Shania Twain | Come On Over | The country version, not the pop remix that ruins the song |
| 2 | Love Story | Taylor Swift | Fearless | |
| 1 | Hurt | Johnny Cash | American IV: The Man Comes Around |
S1E4: Short-Answer Section (Jun. 28, 2023)
Theme: Three mini-countdowns of my favorite songs from three genres: metal, post-grunge, and Latin pop. (Limit 1 song per artist.)
| No. | Song Title | Artist | Album | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Metal | ||||
| 7 | Ace of Spades | Motörhead | Ace of Spades | |
| 6 | Heading Out to the Highway | Judas Priest | Point of Entry | |
| 5 | Rainbow in the Dark | Dio | Holy Diver | |
| 4 | Afterlife | Avenged Sevenfold | Avenged Sevenfold | |
| 3 | Fury of the Storm | DragonForce | Sonic Firestorm | |
| 2 | Crazy Train | Ozzy Osbourne | Blizzard of Ozz | RIP Randy Rhoads |
| 1 | Aces High | Iron Maiden | Powerslave | |
| Post-Grunge | ||||
| 8 | Glycerine | Bush | Sixteen Stone | |
| 7 | Paralyzer | Finger Eleven | Them Vs. You Vs. Me | |
| 6 | All Over You | Live | Throwing Copper | |
| 5 | How You Remind Me | Nickelback | Silver Side Up | |
| 4 | It’s Not My Time | 3 Doors Down | 3 Doors Down | |
| 3 | Hanging by a Moment | Lifehouse | No Name Face | |
| 2 | Torn [1995 Version] | Ednaswap | Ednaswap | |
| 1 | Everlong | Foo Fighters | The Colour and the Shape | |
| Latin Pop | ||||
| 8 | La Gozadera | Gente de Zona ft. Marc Anthony | Visualízate | |
| 7 | Mamiii | Becky G & Karol G | Esquemas | |
| 6 | Limbo | Daddy Yankee | Prestige | |
| 5 | Despacito | Luis Fonsi ft. Daddy Yankee | Vida | |
| 4 | Bailando | Enrique Iglesias ft. Gente de Zona & Descemer Bueno | Greatest Hits (2019) | |
| 3 | Que Viva la Vida | Wisin | El Regreso del Sobreviviente | “Luny Tunes” is an excellent production duo name |
| 2 | A un Paso de la Luna [Remix] | Reik, Rocco Hunt & Ana Mena | A un Paso de la Luna [Remix] [Single] | |
| 1 | Danza Kuduro | Don Omar ft. Lucenzo | Meet the Orphans | |
S1E3: The ’60s (Jun. 21, 2023)
Theme: My top 35 favorite songs from the 1960s. 35 songs instead of 25 because songs were shorter back then. Limit 2 songs per artist, except for the Beatles, who get 3 because they’re the Beatles.
| No. | Song Title | Artist | Album | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 35 | I Got You (I Feel Good) | James Brown & The Famous Flames | I Got You (I Feel Good) | |
| 34 | Hit the Road Jack | Ray Charles | True Genius | |
| 33 | You Really Got Me | The Kinks | Kinks | |
| 32 | Misirlou | Dick Dale | Surfers’ Choice [Deluxe] | |
| 31 | Get Off of My Cloud | The Rolling Stones | December’s Children (And Everybody’s) | |
| 30 | Magic Carpet Ride [Single Version] | Steppenwolf | The Second | |
| 29 | Runaway | Del Shannon | Little Town Flirt | |
| 28 | Jump in the Line | Harry Belafonte | Jump Up Calypso | |
| 27 | Folsom Prison Blues | Johnny Cash | At Folsom Prison [Live] | |
| 26 | Crimson and Clover [Single Version] | Tommy James & The Shondells | Crimson & Clover | |
| 25 | Stay | Maurice Williams & The Zodiacs | Stay | |
| 24 | The Sound of Silence | Simon & Garfunkel | Sounds of Silence | |
| 23 | The Lion Sleeps Tonight (Wimoweh) | The Tokens | The Lion Sleeps Tonight | Cover of Solomon Linda’s “Mbube”, by way of The Weavers |
| 22 | Summer in the City | The Lovin’ Spoonful | Hums of the Lovin’ Spoonful | |
| 21 | Wouldn’t It Be Nice | The Beach Boys | Pet Sounds | |
| 20 | Telstar | The Tornados | The Tornados Play Telstar and Other Great Hits | |
| 19 | Cherry, Cherry | Neil Diamond | The Feel of Neil Diamond | |
| 18 | Blue Moon | The Marcels | Blue Moon | |
| 17 | Bad Moon Rising | Creedence Clearwater Revival | Green River | |
| 16 | Da Doo Ron Ron | The Crystals | The Crystals Sing the Greatest Hits, Volume 1 | |
| 15 | Stand by Me | Ben E. King | Don’t Play That Song! | |
| 14 | Red Rubber Ball | The Cyrkle | Red Rubber Ball | |
| 13 | Down on the Corner | Creedence Clearwater Revival | Willy and the Poor Boys | |
| 12 | You Can’t Hurry Love | The Supremes | The Supremes A’ Go-Go | |
| 11 | Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da | The Beatles | The Beatles (White Album) | |
| 10 | Sweet Caroline | Neil Diamond | Brother Love’s Travelling Salvation Show | |
| 9 | I Think We’re Alone Now | Tommy James & The Shondells | I Think We’re Alone Now | |
| 8 | Good Lovin’ | The Young Rascals | The Young Rascals | |
| 7 | She Loves You | The Beatles | Past Masters | |
| 6 | Like a Rolling Stone | Bob Dylan | Highway 61 Revisited | |
| 5 | Build Me Up Buttercup | The Foundations | Build Me Up Buttercup | |
| 4 | Brown Eyed Girl | Van Morrison | Blowin’ Your Mind! | |
| 3 | I Want to Hold Your Hand | The Beatles | Past Masters | |
| 2 | Be My Baby | The Ronettes | Presenting the Fabulous Ronettes Featuring Veronica | |
| 1 | Unchained Melody | The Righteous Brothers | Just Once in My Life... | Todd Duncan cover, via Roy Hamilton |
S1E2: EDM (Jun. 7, 2023)
Theme: My 25 favorite electronic dance music songs from the early 2010s, along with some 2000s songs that I think are precursors to the EDM sound.
DJs and vocalists are listed separately here; the name in bold is the credited lead artist.
| No. | Song Title | DJ | Vocals | Album | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | Heroes (We Could Be) | Alesso | Tove Lo | Forever | |
| 24 | Summertime Sadness [Cedric Gervais Remix] | Cedric Gervais | Lana Del Rey | Summertime Sadness (Lana Del Rey vs. Cedric Gervais) [Single] | |
| 23 | Wake Me Up! | Avicii | Aloe Blacc | True | |
| 22 | This Is What It Feels Like | Armin van Buuren | Tove Lo | Intense | |
| 21 | Red Lights | Tiësto | Michel Zitron | A Town Called Paradise | |
| 20 | Calabria 2007 | Enur | Natasja Saad | Raggatronic | |
| 19 | Faded | Alan Walker | Iselin Solheim | Different World | |
| 18 | Roses | The Chainsmokers | Rozes | Bouquet [EP] | |
| 17 | Sexy Chick | David Guetta | Akon | One World | |
| 16 | Titanium | David Guetta | Sia | Nothing but the Beat | |
| 15 | Party Rock Anthem | LMFAO, GoonRock | LMFAO, Lauren Bennett | Sorry for Party Rocking | |
| 14 | Heaven | DJ Sammy, Yanou (of Cascada) | Do | Heaven | |
| 13 | I Want You to Know | Zedd | Selena Gomez | True Colors | |
| 12 | Starships | RedOne | Nicki Minaj | Pink Friday...Roman Reloaded | |
| 11 | Everytime We Touch | Cascada | Everytime We Touch | ||
| 10 | Hello | Martin Solveig | Martina Sorbara (of Dragonette) | Smash | |
| 9 | Good Feeling | Dr. Puke, Cirkut, Emily Wright; Avicii (interpolated) | Flo Rida; Etta James (sampled) | Wild Ones | |
| 8 | Without You | David Guetta | Usher | Nothing but the Beat | |
| 7 | I Need Your Love | Calvin Harris | Ellie Goulding | 18 Months | |
| 6 | Levels | Avicii | Etta James (sampled) | Levels [Single] | |
| 5 | Stereo Love | Edward Maya | Vika Jigulina | The Stereo Love Show | |
| 4 | We Like to Party! (The Vengabus) | Vengaboys | The Party Album | ||
| 3 | We Found Love | Calvin Harris | Rihanna | Talk That Talk | |
| 2 | All of Me [Tiësto’s Birthday Treatment Mix] | Tiësto | John Legend | All of Me [Promo Single] | |
| 1 | Pursuit of Happiness [Steve Aoki Remix] | Steve Aoki, MGMT, Ratatat | Kid Cudi | Pursuit of Happiness [Steve Aoki Remix] [Single] | |
S1E1: The ’80s (May 31, 2023)
Theme: My top 25 favorite songs from the 1980s. Additional rules: songs must have peaked in the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100; no songs with an obvious throwback sound; limit 1 song per artist.
| No. | Song Title | Artist | Album | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Header | The Final Countdown | Europe | The Final Countdown | I mean, what else was I going to pick as the header song? I might rerecord the voiceover though. |
| 25 | Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go | Wham! | Make It Big | |
| 24 | Celebration [Single Version] | Kool & The Gang | Celebrate! | |
| 23 | Material Girl | Madonna | Like a Virgin | |
| 22 | Burnin’ for You | Blue Öyster Cult | Fire of Unknown Origin | |
| 21 | She Drives Me Crazy | Fine Young Cannibals | The Raw & the Cooked | |
| 20 | Vacation | The Go-Go’s | Vacation | |
| 19 | Easy Lover | Philip Bailey & Phil Collins | Chinese Wall | |
| 18 | It’s My Life | Talk Talk | It’s My Life | |
| 17 | Purple Rain | Prince | Purple Rain (Soundtrack) | |
| 16 | It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me | Billy Joel | Glass Houses | |
| 15 | With or Without You | U2 | The Joshua Tree | |
| 14 | Africa [Single Version] | Toto | Toto IV | |
| 13 | You Might Think | The Cars | Heartbeat City | |
| 12 | Heat of the Moment | Asia | Asia | |
| 11 | Total Eclipse of the Heart | Bonnie Tyler | Faster Than the Speed of Night | |
| 10 | Down Under | Men at Work | Business as Usual | |
| 9 | Hit Me With Your Best Shot | Pat Benatar | Crimes of Passion | |
| 8 | Mickey [Single Version] | Toni Basil | Word of Mouth | The original hit recording (not either of the streaming versions, which are rerecorded) |
| 7 | Livin’ on a Prayer | Bon Jovi | Slippery When Wet | |
| 6 | Centerfold | The J. Geils Band | Freeze Frame | |
| 5 | Jessie’s Girl | Rick Springfield | Working Class Dog | |
| 4 | Just Like Heaven | The Cure | Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me | |
| 3 | Come On Eileen [Single Version] | Dexys Midnight Runners | Too-Rye-Ay | |
| 2 | Take On Me | A-ha | Hunting High and Low | |
| 1 | Don’t Stop Believin’ | Journey | Escape |