• Many different styles of music found success in the 1980's.guitar guitarist music musical instrument image by david hughes from Fotolia.com
  
  Music in the 1980's was diverse, as multiple genres found their way into both the top seller charts and lists made by critics. While rock music remained prominent and began to change, dance music and songs with synthesizers also starting reaching the charts. Music artists such as Madonna, Michael Jackson and Guns N' Roses saw their careers take off due to songs they released in the 1980's.
  
  

1980-1983

• The number one song on Billboard's track list for 1980 was "Call Me" by the rock band Blondie. Kim Carnes topped the charts in 1981 with "Bette Davis Eyes," a dance rendition of a song written in the 1970's. Olivia Newton-John, a singer who became famous after staring the movie Grease, had the number-one charted song of 1982 with "Physical." The Police, a rock band fronted by the bass-guitar player Sting, led the 1983 charts with "Every Breath You Take." The song also placed at number 46 on the 100 Greatest Songs of the 80's List compiled by the music network VH1. Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" was the number two song on the Billboard charts from 1983 and hit number four on VH1's list.
  
  

1984-1986

• Prince got a number one hit in 1984 with his song "When Doves Cry" from the album "Purple Rain." VH1 placed the song at number five on their compilation list. "Say, Say, Say" reached number three on the overall 1984 charts and featured vocals from both Michael Jackson and Beatles member Paul McCartney. The boy band Wham! had the top hit of 1985 with "Careless Whisper." Dionne and Friends topped the 1986 Billboard charts with "That's What Friends Are For." Madonna made a name for herself with "Like a Virgin," a 1985 song that is number eight on VH1's Greatest Songs of the 80's list.
  
  

1987-1989

• Both of the top two songs from VH1's Top 100 list were released during the last three years of the 1980's. The number one song is Bon Jovi's "Livin' On A Prayer," a rocker that appeared on the "Slippery When Wet" Album. The number two track is Def Leppard's "Pour Some Sugar on Me." The Bangles went to number one on the 1987 Billboard charts with 'Walk Like An Egyptian," while the 1988 charts were topped by George Michael's "Faith." Michael was also a member of the group Wham! The rock band Chicago reached the top spot in 1989 with "Look Away," while Bobby Brown's dance track "My Prerogative" took the number two slot.