The top 100 songs of 1986 defined an incredible year in music history, featuring a blend of pop, rock, R&B, and emerging genres like hip-hop. Iconic artists like Whitney Houston, Madonna, and Bon Jovi delivered chart-topping hits, while new talents made their mark on the music scene. Below is a comprehensive list of the top 100 songs of 1986, complete with commentary on the tracks that made this year so special.
Top 100 Songs of 1986
- Whitney Houston – “How Will I Know”
- Madonna – “Papa Don’t Preach”
- Bon Jovi – “You Give Love a Bad Name”
- Peter Gabriel – “Sledgehammer”
- Prince – “Kiss”
- Lionel Richie – “Say You, Say Me”
- Cyndi Lauper – “True Colors”
- Genesis – “Invisible Touch”
- The Bangles – “Walk Like an Egyptian”
- Steve Winwood – “Higher Love”
- Robert Palmer – “Addicted to Love”
- Berlin – “Take My Breath Away”
- Mr. Mister – “Kyrie”
- Billy Ocean – “There’ll Be Sad Songs (To Make You Cry)”
- Janet Jackson – “Control”
- Huey Lewis and the News – “Stuck with You”
- Van Halen – “Why Can’t This Be Love”
- Boston – “Amanda”
- Bruce Hornsby and the Range – “The Way It Is”
- Europe – “The Final Countdown”
- Survivor – “Burning Heart”
- Dionne Warwick & Friends – “That’s What Friends Are For”
- Belinda Carlisle – “Mad About You”
- Glass Tiger – “Don’t Forget Me (When I’m Gone)”
- Peter Cetera – “Glory of Love”
- Tina Turner – “Typical Male”
- Simple Minds – “Alive and Kicking”
- Mike + The Mechanics – “All I Need Is a Miracle”
- Run-D.M.C. – “Walk This Way” (feat. Aerosmith)
- Eddie Money – “Take Me Home Tonight”
- Madonna – “Live to Tell”
- Whitney Houston – “Greatest Love of All”
- Heart – “These Dreams”
- Kenny Loggins – “Danger Zone”
- Patti LaBelle & Michael McDonald – “On My Own”
- Tears for Fears – “Everybody Wants to Rule the World”
- Howard Jones – “No One Is to Blame”
- Chicago – “Will You Still Love Me?”
- Paul Simon – “You Can Call Me Al”
- Van Halen – “Dreams”
- The Outfield – “Your Love”
- Level 42 – “Something About You”
- Starship – “Sara”
- Falco – “Rock Me Amadeus”
- Rod Stewart – “Love Touch”
- Human League – “Human”
- New Edition – “Cool It Now”
- Elton John – “Nikita”
- Sly Fox – “Let’s Go All the Way”
- Miami Sound Machine – “Bad Boy”
- Janet Jackson – “Nasty”
- Phil Collins – “Take Me Home”
- Billy Joel – “A Matter of Trust”
- Toto – “I’ll Be Over You”
- INXS – “What You Need”
- Culture Club – “Move Away”
- Modern Talking – “Brother Louie”
- Alison Moyet – “Is This Love?”
- OMD – “If You Leave”
- Wham! – “Edge of Heaven”
- Bananarama – “Venus”
- Queen – “A Kind of Magic”
- Samantha Fox – “Touch Me (I Want Your Body)”
- Pretenders – “Don’t Get Me Wrong”
- Jermaine Stewart – “We Don’t Have to Take Our Clothes Off”
- Eurythmics – “Thorn in My Side”
- Pet Shop Boys – “West End Girls”
- George Michael – “A Different Corner”
- Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark – “Forever Live and Die”
- Mr. Mister – “Broken Wings”
- Daryl Hall – “Dreamtime”
- Thompson Twins – “King for a Day”
- Gloria Loring & Carl Anderson – “Friends and Lovers”
- Paul Young – “Every Time You Go Away”
- Corey Hart – “I Am By Your Side”
- Sheena Easton – “Do It for Love”
- A-ha – “The Sun Always Shines on T.V.”
- The Fixx – “Secret Separation”
- Kool & The Gang – “Victory”
- Debarge – “Who’s Holding Donna Now?”
- Atlantic Starr – “If Your Heart Isn’t in It”
- Glass Tiger – “Someday”
- George Benson – “20/20”
- James Brown – “Living in America”
- Aretha Franklin – “Freeway of Love”
- Tina Turner – “What You Get Is What You See”
- Pat Benatar – “Sex as a Weapon”
- Don Henley – “The Boys of Summer”
- The Pointer Sisters – “Dare Me”
- John Cougar Mellencamp – “Small Town”
- Simply Red – “Holding Back the Years”
- The Hooters – “And We Danced”
- Eric Clapton – “It’s in the Way That You Use It”
- Stevie Nicks – “Talk to Me”
- Lionel Richie – “Dancing on the Ceiling”
- Mötley Crüe – “Home Sweet Home”
- ZZ Top – “Sleeping Bag”
- Sade – “The Sweetest Taboo”
- Belinda Carlisle – “I Feel the Magic”
- Wang Chung – “Everybody Have Fun Tonight”
The Legacy of 1986
The top 100 songs of 1986 reflect a transformative time in music history. From heartfelt ballads to high-energy anthems, these tracks continue to define an era. Whether you’re reliving these classics or discovering them for the first time, 1986 remains a year of timeless music.
