'80s songs: which ones work best in your set?

[EdO.]

Let's Dance - Bowie

 

[Mtheory]

We do careless whisper sans sax, it sounds a lot different than the original, but people like it.
We also do your love dropped down so our BL can sing it, bar-goers usually like it.

 

[Ostie]

What I Like About You
867-5309 Jenny
Should I stay or Should I Go?
The Break Up Song
Message in a Bottle
Breakdown
Back on the Chain Gang
One Way or Another
Don’t Dream it’s Over
Wanted Dead or Alive
Sweet Child of Mine
American Girl
White Wedding
I Wanna be Sedated
Money for Nothing

Edit: reread the OP, I don’t actually play in an 80s band. I did back in the 80s though....

 

[tonybassman]

(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (to Party!)
Jenny 867-5309
Jessie's Girl
Talk Dirty to Me
Hurt So Good
Talking in Your Sleep
Best Friend's Girl
Just What I Needed
Blitzkreig Bop
I Wanna Be Sedated
Hysteria
On The Dark Side
Just Like Heaven
The Breakup Song
Money for Nothing
Rebel Yell
Running Down a Dream
...more...

Man I did not realize so many songs in our set were from the 80's!!

 

[Artman]

Just a few from a set this past weekend that had people dancing.
Hurts So Good
Sharp Dressed Man
Tube Snake Boogie
Pride and Joy
Jenny-8675309

 

[Resonance129]

We don't play a ton of stuff from the 80's, but:

* Bon Jovi -Livin on a Prayer (BANGER for any age group)
* Journey - Don't Stop Believin (Hit or miss. Depends on crowd)
* Cyndi Lauper - Girls Just Want to Have Fun (Ladies tend to love this one, regardless of age)
* Whitney Houston - I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Tends to get people out on the floor if they're not already there)
* ANYTHING by Michael Jackson... (Banger, by default)
* Lionel Ritchie - All Night Long (Tends to kill the dance floor, but gain listeners' attention)
* Carl Carlton - Bad Mama Jama (Hit or miss)

Some of those are pieces within a medley, but some we play as full tunes.

 

[two fingers]

Every. Single. Time. I've been singing it for over twenty years. Sometimes I have to do it twice to get out the door.

 

[m-j]

Traveling Wilburys-Handle with Care
Tom Petty-Yer So Bad

 

[overit]

Rock the Casbah, Brass in Pocket, Livin on a Prayer

 

[juancaminos]

Let's Dance - Bowie

I just saw a band nail this on Fremont street in Vegas. It was fantastic!

 

[2BitHack]

We do careless whisper sans sax, it sounds a lot different than the original, but people like it.
.....

bust out a fretless and take a run at that solo. its fun to play and with the right technique and some eq fiddling you can cop a convincing horn tone.

 

[Wisebass]

No metal cover gig without this one:



up the irons!

Wise(b)ass

 

[Avigdor]

Kids in America
Crazy Little Thing
Don’t Stop Me Now
Tush
Sharp Dressed Man
Footloose
Rock This Town
Venus
Walk like an Egyptian
The Final Countdown

and many others, but these are the ones currently on our setlist.

 

[Cardsfan_69]

some great tunes suggested so far. I'll add
2 tickets to paradise
Twilight zone
White Wedding
Fat Bottom Girls
Bad Case of Lovin' you
I think I'm in Love

 

[SteveHeissner]

We play all 80's hairband songs. But anything from Poison, Def Leppard, or Motley Crue seems to resonate well with the women in the audience.

 

[MattZilla]

Bloodstains
Police Truck
Gimme Gimme Gimme
I thought I Heard Some Thunder
Reign In Blood
Last Caress
Nothing Compares 2 U

You guys must play some weird crowds.

 

[Atshen]

Drivin' My Life Away
Guitars, Cadillacs
Handle With Care
Summer of 69
Hurts So Good
You May Be Right
Another Brick In The Wall
Bad Case Of Loving You

 

[Gustopher]

Our biggest responses on songs from that era are always;
Every Rose Has Its Thorn
Summer of 69
Hold on Loosely (our guitar players love this one)

 

[40Hz]

I don’t do a lot of covers, but the 80s songs I have done that packed the dance floor were: Van Halen - Beautiful Girls, The Pretenders - Brass in Pocket, Boy George -Do You Want Really Want to Hurt Me, Men at Work - Land Downunder, and Dire Straits- Money for Nothing.

 

[fourstringburn]

From the peanut gallery -
I would think "What I Like About You" would still pack the floor...

Yeah with that song you can morph into Neil Diamond's Cherry Cherry then R-O-C-K in the USA because it's all the same song.