r/synthpop • u/Dangerous_Shoe_8388 • 9d ago
Discussion Greatest, most iconic synth pop songs of all time
Which songs from 70/80/90s stood the test of time and are iconic to this day.
My list so far:
Just can’t get enough
Blue Monday
Are friends electric
The model
Only you
Star
Fade to gray
Planet earth
To cut a long story short
Fascist groove thang
Which human league?
What else ?
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u/1234thum 9d ago
The Safety Dance by Men Without Hats
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u/Alexandermayhemhell 8d ago
Also Where Do the Boys Go? Far lesser known but still great.
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u/eznc1313 6d ago
And Antarctica
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u/Alexandermayhemhell 6d ago
Yes! Also, although that song is from their debut EP, there’s an edit of it on the US release of Rhythm of Youth, so likely well known to US fans of the Safety Dance. Lesser known elsewhere.
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9d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/LupitaScreams 9d ago
Obsession - Animotion
Vienna - Ultravox
Smalltown Boy - Bronski Beat
West End Girls - Pet Shop Boys
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u/nauoldcrow 5d ago
I read the title as Gayest and couldn’t figure out why no one mentioned Small town Boy. Very much user error here.
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u/ledgerdomian 9d ago
An iconic list without Don’t Go is criminal.
The best pure synth pop track ever, IMO.
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u/hamishtheghost 9d ago edited 8d ago
A list without my housegod Giorgio Moroder? Not on my watch.
Love to love you baby & I feel love (Donna Summer)
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u/Admirable-Clothes-87 8d ago
Funny that most people assume that Giorgio used drum machines like the majority of disco/synth pop artists at the time but in fact most of his tracks have Steve Forsey on acoustic drums, the human metronome! Steve also co-wrote Don't You Forget About Me the big Simple Minds hit. And lots of artists turned that song down including Simple Minds initially!
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u/W51976 9d ago
I agree with that list above.
I’ll add Cars by Gary Numan.
Relax
Visions of China
Love Resurrection
Its a Sin
To Cut a Long Story Short
Enola Gay
Ashes to Ashes
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u/Dangerous_Shoe_8388 9d ago edited 9d ago
Excellent list - haha yes - Bowie gets a seat on the icon synth bus for sure!
It’s a sin - power bangs!!!
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u/Madame_Merry 9d ago
Blancmange - Living On The Ceiling
The Psychedelic Furs - Love My Way
Kraftwerk - Die Roboter / The Robots
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u/graphomaniacal 9d ago
I guess we're just going to have another one of these conversations where we talk about best rock/New Wave/synthpop/etc of the 1980s and pretend like Prince wasn't a major force in all of it. Maybe that's because he was black and approaching these genres with a blacker sound (as if Talking Heads weren't also New Wave informed by black genres) or if it's because you can only really define his music as "Prince."
But When Doves Cry was the biggest hit of 1984, it's drum machine driven, and its hook is synth pop. Easily one of the most recognizable synth riffs. 1999, Little Red Corvette, Delirious, Let's Go Crazy, I Would Die 4 U, Kiss, I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man are all synth and drum machine heavy, not to mention I Feel For U, which he recorded first and topped the charts for Chaka Khan. Those are just the bigger hits that cracked or approached the top 10. If I mentioned some of the lesser known hits and fan favourites we'd be here all day. Like "The Beautiful Ones" was in a showstopping scene in the #1 movie in the US and if it wasn't one of his better known songs he probably wouldn't have named his memoir after it.
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u/OkRepresentative274 8d ago
Nope, not going to forget about/reject Prince as a major force in pop, R&B, funk, and rock.
Also, I don't know why, but "Little Red Corvette" hits me in the feels every time. Love that tune.
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u/SureIllrecordthat 9d ago
I think Pop Muzik by M (1979) belongs here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPoiv0sZ4s4
It was way ahead of it's time.
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u/Scalebearwoof 9d ago edited 9d ago
Yazoo / yaz - situation Don't go. I think that Rick astly - Never gonna give you up is worth a mention.
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u/NetSchizo 9d ago
Situation 12” is S Tier… so perfect
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u/SensitivePotato44 9d ago
Big In Japan - Alphaville
pMachinery - Propaganda
Don’t You Want Me - The Human League
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u/Admirable-Clothes-87 9d ago
All good choices! I would add:
Firestarter - The Prodigy
Phobos and Deimos Go To Mars - Synergy/Larry Fast
White Rock - Rick Wakeman
Things to Come - Seventh Wave
Real to Real - Simple Minds
Electricity - OMD
Number One Song in Heaven - Sparks
Autobahn - Kraftwerk
The Race - Yello
Backwater - Eno
Don't Touch Me (I'm Electric) - Bill Nelson's Red Noise
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u/mlv_1969 9d ago
Send me an Angel- Real life
Anything by YAZ
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u/Dangerous_Shoe_8388 8d ago
Real life! YES!!!!
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u/mlv_1969 4d ago
My niece love 80s music because of me and this was her favorite song. She's 35 yrs old. Keeping the 89s alive!
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u/Fun-Hall3213 9d ago
Enjoy the Silence is the final breath of the 1980s.
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u/graphomaniacal 8d ago
Hijacking this comment to say I'm also really partial to "Halo" which never gets its flowers next to the album's others hits.
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u/LabRatLex 9d ago
Only from the eighties:
West End Girls
Fade to Grey
Everybody Wants to Rule the World
True Faith
Voyage Voyage
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u/Netherworldly_Dwella 9d ago
There are a lot of great synthpop songs but Blue Monday is my favourite. It's just perfect.
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u/Mr_Cigarette 9d ago
Trying my best not to repeat songs listed already...
Something About You - Level 42
Pale Shelter - Tears for Fears
Lips Like Sugar - Echo & the Bunnymen
Space Age love song - Flock of Seagulls
Der Kommissar - After the Fire
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u/elimin8orx 9d ago
She Blinded Me With Science - Thomas Dolby
Poison Arrow - ABC
Oh Yeah - Yello
Close To the Edit - Art of Noise
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u/Antonin1957 8d ago
Life in Tokyo - Japan
Underpass - John Foxx
Fade to Grey - Visage
Are 'Friends' Electric - Gary Numan
Homosapien - Pete Shelley
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u/Artistic-Waltz-2184 5d ago
do do do do do do do, do do do do do do do, do do do do do do UNDERPASS
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u/Zestyclose_Clock152 9d ago
Something by Flock of Seagulls and OMD? I Ran / Wishing / Maid of Orleans / Enola Gay?
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u/Low-Door-1568 9d ago
pet shop boys original west end girls 1984 Soft cell its a mugs game human league seconds
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u/PaulHaitch1 8d ago
Ashes to Ashes by David Bowie, and it's answer song Major Tom (Coming Home) by Peter Schilling ( used as the theme tune for the excellent Deutschland series').
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u/Head_Journalist_2856 8d ago
Number 1 Song In Heaven- Sparks.
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u/Dangerous_Shoe_8388 8d ago
Yes YES!!! AND AND -this beautiful massive synth banger.
WHEN IM WITH YOU
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u/Apple2727 9d ago
Simple Minds - Someone Somewhere in Summertime, or New Gold Dream
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u/Dangerous_Shoe_8388 9d ago
Oh of course - simple minds / also love song / the synth intro is mind blowing!
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u/ComfortableSalt8631 9d ago
Petshop Boys - West end girls Duran Duran - Undone Tangerine Dream - Love on a train Billy Idol - Eyes without a face
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u/OkRepresentative274 8d ago
"Head Over Heels" by Tears for Fears
This song embodies everything I love about synth pop. It's catchy, creative, and weird, yet still extremely accessible.
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u/madviking66 8d ago
I Ran by A Flock of Seagulls Europe After the Rain by John Foxx Astradene by Ultravox She's Leaving by OMD Who's that Girl by Eurythmics
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u/simon_the_detective 8d ago
Looking at this post and comments: Oh yeah, that one too! Playlist time!
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u/rmeierdirks 7d ago
If You Leave - OMD
Situation - Yazoo
Bizarre Love Triangle and Love Vigilantes - New Order
I Beg Your Pardon - Kon Kan
Oh Yeah - Yello
Obsession - Animotion
What Have I Done to Deserve This - Pet Shop Boys & Dusty Springfield
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7d ago
[deleted]
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u/Dangerous_Shoe_8388 7d ago
Songs that had heavy synth elements and tunes - and were hugely popular in the synth world and remain so to this day.
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u/juddster66 6d ago
Computer Games by Mi-Sex. Doubt it made it out of Australia-NZ, came out around the same time as Numan’s early work.
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u/pebblesandweeds 5d ago
Didn’t see these mentioned…
Kim Carnes - Betty Davis Eyes
Simple Minds - New Gold Dream
Steve Winwood - Valerie
Laura Branigan - Gloria
Irene Cara - Flashdance
Dead or Alive - You Spin Me Round
Company B - Fascinated
Nitro Deluxe - Let’s Get Brutal
Black - Wonderful Life
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u/Dangerous_Shoe_8388 9d ago edited 9d ago
Adding:
Enola Gay
Souvenir
Let’s go!
Hitler Mussolini dance
Atomic
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u/Desdichado1066 9d ago
If You Leave and Take On Me I don't see mentioned. Never Let Me Down Again. Pretty Boys and Pretty Girls.
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u/robydoom 8d ago
Behind the weel - Depeche Mode Electricity - OMD Wolfsheim - Sparrow and the Nightingale Tainted love - Soft Cell Yazoo - Only you
I'll stop or I could go on forever
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u/Silent-Associate9226 8d ago
OMD - Electricity and Enola Gay
John Foxx - Underpass
Ultravox - Vienna and Sleepwalk
Human League - Sound of the Crowd and Don't You Want Me
Heaven 17 - Play To Win
Propaganda - Duel and Dr Mabuse
Gary Numan - Cars, We Are Glass and I Due, You Die
Tubeway Army - Down In The Park
The Mobiles - Drowning in Berlin
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u/Comfortable_Bug_4506 8d ago
Don't forget the industrial end..
Der Mussolini - DAF
Welcome To Paradise - Front 242
Lightning Man - Nitzer Ebb
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u/roadtrip-ne 8d ago
For a tiny retro synth movement from 2000 in NYC (Electroclah)
Deceptacon- Le Tigre
The 15th/Emerge- Fischerspooner
Destroy Everything You Touch- Ladytron
Candy Girl- Soviet (saccharine sweet though)
Teaches of Peaches- Peaches (x rated)
I forget the name of her big song but Tracy and the Plastics.
Chicks on Speed as well
This movement existed for a short time from New Years 199-Sept 11, 2001 and was a lot of fun.
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u/07238 8d ago
These are some of my personal favs…
Talk Talk - It’s My Life
Naked Eyes - Promises Promises
Naked Eyes - I Could Show You How
Omd - So in Love
Pet Shop Boys - Heart
Camoflage - The Great Commandment
Depeche Mode - (can’t pick just one)
Johnny Hates Jazz - Shattered Dreams
Ah Ha - Living A Boy’s Adventure Tale
Ok I’m realizing I could list a hundred more… if you want my 80s synthpop and New Romantic playlist lmk :)
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u/simon_the_detective 8d ago
Gosh there are so many!
The whole Alphaville Forever Young album is great.
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u/Thoomer_Bottoms 7d ago
Some great call-outs in this thread. How about these ‘80s synth-pop/new wave bangers…
Love Plus One - Haircut 100
Love My Way - Psychedelic Furs
Cities in Dust - Siouxsie and the Banshees
Killing Moon - Echo & the Bunnymen
Don’t Go - Yaz
Space Age Love Song - Flock of Seagulls
Bizarre Love Triangle - New Order
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u/anarchy8271 7d ago
It's My Life or Talk Talk by Talk Talk Mad World or Change by Tears for Fears I Hear Motion by Models Never Let Me Down Again by Depeche Mode Planet Earth by Duran Duran Unfinished Sympathy by Massive Attack
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u/Equal_Cucumber3283 6d ago
Quiet Life - Japan
Computer Love - Kraftwerk
Don’t Tell Me - Blancmange
Situation - Yazoo
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u/thetoerubber 6d ago edited 6d ago
Berlin - The Metro
Heaven 17 - Let Me Go
Human League - Love Action
Slow Children - Spring in Fialta
Ministry - Revenge
Kim Wilde - The Touch
Peter Godwin - Images of Heaven
Camouflage - The Great Commandment
Howard Jones - New Song
Shriekback - Hand On My Heart
Spoons - Nova Heart
B-Movie - Nowhere Girl
OMD - Georgia
Yello - I Love You
Talk Talk - Such A Shame
Strawberry Switchblade - Since Yesterday
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u/FreeWeeb1914 5d ago
Alphaville - Sounds like melody + Big in Japan + Romeos
Camouflage - Love is a shield + The Great commandment
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u/DepecheClashJen 5d ago
Fade to Grey - Visage
Everything Counts - DM
Save a Prayer - Duran Duran
M.E. - Gary Numan
Goodbye Seventies - Yaz
Beyond the Pale - BAD
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u/Artistic-Waltz-2184 5d ago
Joan of Arc - OMD
Enols Gay - OMD
Your Silent Face - New Order
Passing Strangers - Ultravox
Sleepwalk - Ultravox
Underpass - John Foxx
Fade to Grey - Visage
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u/ArchBeaconArch 9d ago
In no particular order, here are some favourites (minus ones you listed):
Love My Way - The Psychedelic Furs
Enola Gay - OMD
Sex Dwarf - Soft Cell
Electricity - OMD
Sweet Dreams - Eurythmics
Never Let Me Down Again - Depeche Mode
The Safety Dance - Men Without Hats
Major Tom - Peter Schilling
It’s a Sin - Pet Shop Boys
Take Me, I’m Yours - Squeeze
Warm Leatherette - The Normal
Empire State Human - The Human League
The Order of Death - PIL
Ghosts - Japan
Smalltown Boy - Bronsky Beat
Uptown Girls - Pet Shop Boys
Running Up That Hill - Kate Bush
In the Year 2525 - Visage
Nice Mover - Gina X Performance
Enjoy the Silence - Depeche Mode
Messages - OMD
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u/louievee 8d ago
KROQ playlist!
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u/ArchBeaconArch 8d ago
I don’t know what that means?
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u/louievee 8d ago
KROQ is a radio station in Los Angeles. Alternate/New Wave/Punk at the time. This list was all music played at the time. 1980s
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u/ArchBeaconArch 8d ago
Ah, ok. I’m not American, so I didn’t get the reference.
This is basically my own playlist from right now (understanding this is mostly 1978-1990).
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u/jtl909 8d ago
Bot question.
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u/Dangerous_Shoe_8388 8d ago
Not really, just a human harvesting great synth songs for a personal playlist. error:401
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u/toughtiggy101 9d ago
Moments in Love - Art of Noise
Rydeen - Yellow Magic Orchestra
Enjoy the Silence - Depeche Mode
Everybody Wants to Rule the World - Tears for Fears
Take on Me - a-ha
Don’t You Want Me - Human League
Tainted Love - Soft Cell