New Wave-Playlist (1980s)

Synthesizers on: Here comes a playlist with 300 beloved New Wave Songs from the 1980s. From Great Britain to the US, from Japan to the Soviet Union and Mexico. Tracklist below, many tough fifty/fifty decisions (so here is an even longer 80s playlist with other styles and more pop).

Playlist on YouTube.

Playlist on Spotify.

Maybe it helps some people to distract themselves in these times and Corona lockdown. Have fun listening through!

Tracklist:

WHEN IN ROME – The Promise

MODERN ENGLISH – Melt With You

BLANCMANGE – Living On The Ceiling

A FLOCK OF SEAGULLS – Space Age Love Song

ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN – The Killing Moon

THE CURE – Inbetween Days

PAUL HAIG – Something Good

XTC – Making Plans For Nigel

TEARS FOR FEARS – Mad World

KATE BUSH – Running Up That Hill

INXS – To Look At You

OINGO BOINGO – Stay

METRO – Gemini (feat. Peter Godwin)

NEW ORDER – Age Of Consent

THE BEAT – Save It For Later

TALKING HEADS – This Must Be The Place

BRONSKI BEAT – Smalltown Boy

ROBERT PALMER – Johnny And Mary

BOOK OF LOVE – Boy

HARUOMI HOSONO – Sports Men

THE HOUSE OF LOVE – Christine

THE WILD SWANS – Whirlpool Heart

BLONDIE – Rapture

THE RAVE-UPS – Positively Lost Me

GRAUZONE – Eisbär

PETER GODWIN – The Art Of Love (Remix by Johnson Somerset)

DEPECHE MODE – But Not Tonight

ORCHESTRAL MANOEUVRES IN THE DARK – Of All The Things We’ve Made

JONA LEWIE – You’ll Always Find Me In The Kitchen At Parties

SIMPLE MINDS – New Gold Dream

GALXIE 500 – Tugboat

BOYTRONIC – You

THE SMITHS – How Soon Is Now?

STYLE COUNCIL – Walls Came Tumbling Down

THE GODFATHERS – Birth, School, Work, Death

THE JESUS AND MARY CHAIN – Just Like Honey

KINO (Кино) – Last Hero (Последний герой)

THE ESSENCE – The Cat

PUBLIC IMAGE LIMITED – Rise

DEVO – Whip It

MARTHA AND THE MUFFINS – Echo Beach

A-HA – Train Of Thought

THE CURE – A Forest

THE REPLACEMENTS – Here Comes A Regular

TEARS FOR FEARS – Everybody Wants To Rule The World

JOY DIVISION – Love Will Tear Us Apart

BIG COUNTRY – In A Big Country

ICEHOUSE – Electric Blue

FRA LIPPO LIPPI – Mother’s Little Soldier

THE FIXX – Red Skies

THE PSYCHADELIC FURS – Love My Way

KAREL FIALKA – The Eyes Have It

THE CARS – Drive

BLANCMANGE – Blind Vision

MICHAEL BEEN AKA THE CALL – I Still Believe

DURAN DURAN – Girls On Film

TUBEWAY ARMY – That’s Too Bad

THE OCEAN BLUE – Ballerina Out Of Control

COREY HART – Sunglasses At Night

KILLING JOKE – Eighties

Q LAZZARUS – Goodbye Horses

ERASURE – A Little Respect

THE POLICE – Invisible Sun

INXS – Just Keep Walking

FLESH FOR LULU – I Go Crazy

MADNESS – It Must Be Love

THE GO-BETWEENS – Bye Bye Pride

WIRE TRAIN – I’ll Do You

THE HUMAN LEAGUE – Don’t You Want Me

THE STRANGLERS – Golden Brown

NEW ORDER – Blue Monday

TALKING HEADS – Life During Wartime

DEPECHE MODE – Never Let Me Down Again

BIG AUDIO DYNAMITE – E=MC2

ORANGE JUICE – I Can’t Help Myself

TALK TALK – It’s My Life

THE ICICLE WORKS – Birds Fly (Whisper To A Scream)

ROXY MUSIC – More Than This

THE JESUS AND MARY CHAIN – Head On

GARY NUMAN – Films

THE CHAMELEONS – Up The Down Escalator

SOFT CELL – Tainted Love

REMNANTS – The Box

VISAGE – Fade To Grey

GLASS TIGER – Diamond Sun

TUESDAY BLUE – Love Me Simple*

THE BLUE NILE – Stay

THE ALARM – Rain In The Summertime

TACO – Puttin’ On The Ritz

ULTRAVOX – Dancing With Tears In My Eyes

THE PSYCHEDELIC FURS – India

THOMPSON TWINS – Doctor! Doctor!

PSYCHE – Unveiling The Secret

MEN WITHOUT HATS – Safety Dance

THE CURE – Boys Don’t Cry

SIOUXSIE AND THE BANSHEES – Cities In Dust

SHRIEKBACK – My Spine Is A Bass Line

SPOONS – Nova Heart

AFTER THE FIRE – Der Kommissar

INXS – Need You Tonight

BLANCMANGE – Why Don’t They Leave Things Alone

RE-FLEX – The Politics Of Dancing

PETE SHELLEY – Homosapien

THE TRIFFIDS – A Trick Of The Light

POP MECHANIX – Jumping Out Of A Window

OINGO BOINGO – No One Lives Forever

ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN – Lips Like Sugar

THE THE – This Is The Day

THE CHURCH – Under The Milky Way

PHILIP OAKEY & GIORGIO MORODER – Together In Electric Dreams

FRA LIPPO LIPPI – Shouldn’t Have To Be Like That

OUR DAUGHTER’S WEDDING – Lawnchairs

NEW ORDER – Age Of Consent

XTC – Generals And Majors

PUKKA ORCHESTRA – Listen To The Radio

PETER SCHILLING – Major Tom

MEDIUM MEDIUM – Hungry, So Angry

FAD GADGET – Collapsing New People

CHINA CRISIS – Working With Fire And Steel

LOVE AND ROCKETS – So Alive

COCTEAU TWINS – Sea, Swallow Me

PRIVATE BLUE – She’s Love*

AZTEC CAMERA – Oblivious

DEVO – Beautiful World

HAIRCUT 100 – Favourite Shirts

NEW ORDER – Temptation

MINISTRY – Effigy

A FLOCK OF SEAGULLS – I Ran

BLUE ROSE – Don’t You Know

FINE YOUNG CANNIBALS – Johnny Come Home

E.G. Daily – Mind Over Matter*

54-40 – I Go Blind

THE CLASH – Police On My Back

HEAVEN 17 – Let Me Go

JOY DIVISION – Atmosphere

MALCOLM MCLAREN- Madam Butterfly

THE ESSENCE – Endless Lakes

MISSING PERSONS – Destination Unknown

CARE – Flaming Sword

SPLIT ENTZ – I Got You

THE MONROES – What Do All The People Know

THE SAMPLES – Could It Be Another Change

AU PAIRS – It’s Obvious

THE NAILS – 88 Lines About 44 Women

SQUEEZE – If I Didn’t Love You

COMATEENS – The Late Mistake

THE BOLSHOI – Away

CAMOUFLAGE – The Great Commandment

FALCO – Macho Macho

GANG OF FOUR – I Love A Man In A Uniform

WANG CHUNG – Dance Hall Days

THE PSYCHADELIC FURS – The Ghost In You

INDUSTRY – State Of The Nation

ANNE CLARK – Sleeper In Metropolis

KITCHEN OF DISTINCTION – The 3rd Time We Opened The Capsule

THE SILENCERS – I Want You

THE BLUE NILE – The Downtown Lights

THE WILD SWANS – Bringing Home The Ashes

TEARS FOR FEARS – Shout

TUBEWAY ARMY – Are ‚Friends‘ Electric?**

ULTRAVOX – Reap The Wild Wind

MÜNCHENER FREIHEIT – Every Time

NEW ORDER – Your Silent Face

METRO (FEAT. PETER GODWIN) – The Promise

THE B-52’S – Channel Z

THE JESUS AND MARY CHAIN – Sometimes Always

BRONSKI BEAT – Hit That Perfect Beat

THE MOTELS – Remember The Nights

JOE JACKSON – It’s Different For Girls

THE STONE ROSES – Waterfall

THE WATERBOYS – A Girl Called Johnny

SCOTCH – Take Me Up

NEW MODEL ARMY – 51st State

THE PSYCHEDELIC FURS – Heaven

FUN BOY THREE – Our Lips Are Sealed

THE HOUSE OF LOVE – Shine On

GOLDEN EARRING – Twilight Zone

MEN AT WORK – It’s A Mistake

THE DREAM ACADEMY – On The Edge Of Forever

PINK TURNS BLUE – After All (+)

THE FIXX – Secret Seperation

THE TEARDROP EXLPODES – Reward

AZTEC CAMERA – Somewhere In My Heart

THE SMITHS – Stop Me If You Think You’ve Heard This One Before

THE ROMANTICS – What I Like About You

MAGAZINE – Because You Are Frightened

PUBLIC IMAGE LTD. – Seattle

NEW APARTMENT – Catch 22

IT’S IMMATRIAL – Driving Away From Home

NAKED EYES – When The Lights Go Out

DEPECHE MODE – I Sometimes Wish I Was Dead

BOOK OF LOVE – I Touch Roses

DURAN DURAN – Rio

MARK RENNER – Half A Heart

GANG OF FOUR – At Home He’s A Tourist

HAIRCUT 100 – Love Pluse One

SPANDAU BALLET – To Cut A Long Story Short

DOUBLE – The Captain Of Her Heart

THE STRANGLERS – No Mercy

THE PRODUCERS – What’s He Got

SHRIEKBACK – All Lined Up

RED ROCKERS – China

RE-FLEX – Keep In Touch

10,000 MANIACS – Scorpio Rising

MORRISSEY – Everyday Is Like Sunday

MODERN ENGLISH – Ink And Paper

MATHEMATIQUES MODERNES – Disco Rough

INTAFERON – Get Out Of London

HAPPY MONDAYS – W.F.L.

SPARKS – I Wish I Looked A Little Bit Better

THE CURE – Pictures Of You

THE CULT – She Sells Sanctuary

THE RAILWAY CHILDREN – Brighter

SIMPLE MINDS – Don’t You (Forget About Me)

THE VAPORS – Turning Japanes

THE CLASH – Train In Vain

THE SMITHS – This Charming Man

NEW ORDER – Love Vigilantes

BAUHAUS – Lagertija Nick

THE BONGOS – Numbers With Wings

THE JAM – Going Underground

ALPHAVILLE – Big In Japan

ALTERED IMAGES – I Could Be Happy

THE REPLACEMENTS – Androgynous

ULTRAVOX – Hymn

ORIGINAL (Оригинал) – How Do You Know (Сен Қайдан Биласан)*

THE CURE – Just Like Heaven

ICEHOUSE – Uniform

THE PSYCHEDELIC FURS – Heartbeat

CROWDED HOUSE – Into Temptation

THE ASSOCIATES – The Affectionate Punch

THE STYLE COUNCIL – My Ever Changing Moods

PROPAGANDA – Duel

ORCHESTRAL MANOUEVRES IN THE DARK – Messages

THE WAITRESSES – In Know What Boys Like

ABC – Poison Arrow

A FLOCK OF SEAGULLS – Wishing If (I Had A Photograph Of You)

THE SOUND – I Can’t Escape Myself

DURAN DURAN – Do You Believe In Shame?

THE CARS – Since You’re Gone

SIOUXSIE & THE BANSHEES – The Passenger

THE FALL – Hit The North Part 1

JAPAN – Quiet Life

RHEINGOLD – Dreiklangdimensionen

POLYROCK – Romantic Me

DREAM SYNDICATE – Out Of My Head

ORANGE JUICY – Blue Boy

THE MISSION – Butterfly On A Wheel

JOE JACKSON – Steppin‘ Out

THE GOLDEN PALOMINOS – Boy (feat. Michael Stipe)

ROXY MUSIC – Over You

YELLOW MAGIC ORCHESTRA – Cue

THE PSYCHEDELIC FURS – Pretty In Pink

THE JAM – That’s Entertainment

YAZOO – Nobody’s Diary

THE REPLACEMENTS – Swingin‘ Party

ICEHOUSE – Great Southern Land

INXS – Burn For You

ORCHESTRAL MANOEUVRES IN THE DARK –  Enola Gay

THE SMITHS – What Difference Does It Make?

TALKING HEADS – The Lady Don’t Mind

NEW ORDER – Bizarre Love Triangle

SIMPLE MINDS – Alive And Kicking

THE PAYOLAS – Eyes Of A Stranger

DEPECHE MODE – Dreaming Of Me

FURNITURE – Brilliant Mind

TEARS FOR FEARS – Pale Shelter

ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN – A Promise

COCTEAU TWINS – Pearly-Dewdrops‘ Drops

ALICE COOPER – Clones (We’re All)

THE CURE – Close To Me

INXS – Need You Tonight

SECESSION – Touch, Pt 1

TALKING HEADS – And She Was

THE SMITHS – Bigmouth Strikes Again

THE ESSENCE – Only For You

ROXY MUSIC – Same Old Scene

WANG CHUNG – Let’s Go

THE PSYCHEDELIC FURS – Heartbreak Beat

ORCHESTRAL MANOEUVRES IN THE DARK – So In Love

TEARS FOR FEARS – Head Over Heels

SHEILA CHANDRA – Village Girl

SIMPLE MINDS – See The Lights

SPARKS – When I’m With You

ICEHOUSE – Hey, Little Girl

STEPHEN DUFFY – Kiss Me

NEW ORDER – Ceremony

METRO – Alone

YELLOW MAGIC ORCHESTRA – Nice Age

ALPHAVILLE – A Victory Of Love

X – True Love Pt. 2

PETER GODWIN – Images Of Heaven

INXS – Never Tear Us Apart

THE CALL – Everywhere I go

TOM TOM CLUB – Wordy Rappinghood

THE SMITHS – Girlfriend In A Coma

TALKING HEADS – Girlfriend Is Better

TALK TALK – Time It’s Time

 

*Not on Spotify. Replacements:

THE ROMANTICS – Talking In Your Sleep

CAMOUFLAGE – That Smiling Face

GARY NUMAN – Cars

BOB MOULD – See A Little Light

**“Are ‚Friends‘ Electric?“ by Tubeway Army is from 1979, but it feels so strongly like an 80s song that I had to include it.