38 songs · 5 sections · about 2.6 hours
80s nights sell out, 80s songs fill wedding dance floors, and almost every crowd knows the words. Keyboards help a lot here: a lot of these songs live or die on the synth part, so check your patches before you check the setlist.
The list is grouped by feel rather than year, so you can build sets that move. Load it into the free setlist maker and cut it down to your band.
Free, no signup. Each section becomes a set you can reorder, trim and print.
Keyboard-led and danceable. These set the tone for an 80s night.
| # | Song | BPM | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Take On Mea-ha | 169 | 3:47 |
| 2 | Don't You (Forget About Me)Simple Minds | — | 5:15 |
| 3 | Just Can't Get EnoughDepeche Mode | 128 | 3:40 |
| 4 | Tainted LoveSoft Cell | 145 | 3:10 |
| 5 | Come On EileenDexys Midnight Runners | 106 | 3:28 |
| 6 | Everybody Wants to Rule the WorldTears for Fears | — | 4:24 |
| 7 | Don't You Want MeThe Human League | 118 | 3:56 |
| 8 | Under PressureQueen | — | 4:07 |
The guaranteed floor-fillers. Mind the vocal range on the Whitney and Cyndi songs.
| # | Song | BPM | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)Whitney Houston | — | 4:52 |
| 10 | Girls Just Want to Have FunCyndi Lauper | 121 | 3:55 |
| 11 | Billie JeanMichael Jackson | 117 | 4:53 |
| 12 | Wake Me Up Before You Go-GoWham! | 82 | 3:50 |
| 13 | FootlooseKenny Loggins | 174 | 3:46 |
| 14 | Walking on SunshineKatrina and the Waves | 106 | 3:44 |
| 15 | Love ShackThe B-52's | 133 | 5:20 |
| 16 | I'm So ExcitedThe Pointer Sisters | 185 | 3:53 |
| 17 | CelebrationKool & The Gang | — | 4:58 |
| 18 | Material GirlMadonna | 135 | 3:53 |
Big guitars and bigger choruses. The ones people air-guitar to.
| # | Song | BPM | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 19 | Livin' on a PrayerBon Jovi | 122 | 4:09 |
| 20 | Jessie's GirlRick Springfield | 132 | 3:13 |
| 21 | Pour Some Sugar on MeDef Leppard | 170 | 4:25 |
| 22 | Here I Go AgainWhitesnake | — | 4:32 |
| 23 | JumpVan Halen | 130 | 4:01 |
| 24 | Back in BlackAC/DC | 96 | 4:13 |
| 25 | Sweet Child O' MineGuns N' Roses | 125 | 5:55 |
| 26 | The Final CountdownEurope | — | 5:10 |
| 27 | I Love Rock 'N RollJoan Jett & the Blackhearts | — | 2:55 |
| 28 | You Give Love a Bad NameBon Jovi | 123 | 3:42 |
One or two per night. Lighters up, phones out.
| # | Song | BPM | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 29 | Don't Stop Believin'Journey | 121 | 4:09 |
| 30 | Total Eclipse of the HeartBonnie Tyler | — | 5:34 |
| 31 | Every Breath You TakeThe Police | 118 | 4:12 |
| 32 | AloneHeart | 87 | 3:38 |
| 33 | FaithfullyJourney | — | 4:26 |
End the night on a chorus the whole room can shout.
| # | Song | BPM | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 34 | Don't Stop Me NowQueen | — | 3:32 |
| 35 | AfricaToto | 92 | 4:56 |
| 36 | Walk of LifeDire Straits | — | 3:41 |
| 37 | Summer of '69Bryan Adams | — | 3:35 |
| 38 | Should I Stay or Should I GoThe Clash | 113 | 3:06 |
BPM and length come from the original recordings and are approximate (tempo apps sometimes read half or double time). Your band's version will vary.
The ones that work almost everywhere: Livin' on a Prayer, Don't Stop Believin', Take On Me, I Wanna Dance with Somebody, Girls Just Want to Have Fun, Jessie's Girl and Come On Eileen.
For a typical three-set night, about 35 to 45 songs. Theme nights get more requests than usual, so keep a few extra 80s songs ready.
Only if it suits your singer. Dropping a whole step is common and most people won't notice. Keep a note of the key you perform each song in.
Your songs,
on every phone
Bandloop keeps your band's songs with the key you play them in, builds setlists from them, and puts the lyrics on a teleprompter for the stage. Paste a list like this one and it fills in tempo and length for you. Free to start, for the whole band.
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