The 80’s was a decade full of synthetic sounds and synthetic material. But while the women on this list might have rocked some neon mystery fabrics, their voices were the genuine article. These party songs by some of the hottest female of the artists of the 80’s are a perfect for a girl-powered theme party; no nasty boys allowed!
‘Call Me’ by Blondie – This powerful hit left a lot of guys wishing they had Debobrah Harry’s number. Blondie may be best known as a 70’s disco-era staple, but the band definitely held their own in the new musical atmosphere of the 80’s.
‘Sweet Dreams’ by The Eurythmics – This song may be called ‘Sweet Dreams’, but it sounds a little nightmarish. Annie Lennox’s voice is haunting, and this ghost of the 80’s has stuck around to become one of the most well-remembered of the decade.
Straight Up’ by Paula Abdul – Before Paula Abdul was known as the wacky judge on American Idol, she was the sexy star of a wacky 80’s music video featuring this song and a very animated dance partner. She may just judge wannabe idols now, but it’s easy to see why she was one of the biggest idols of the 80’s.
Material Girl‘ by Madonna – Ah, the days when it was easy to be a material girl with just an armful of cheap bangle bracelets and a neon scrunchie. Back when she was just a pop princess, Madonna was churning out catchy, fun and flirty hits like this one. Now she’s the undisputed queen of pop music and a senior citizen with a more serious demeanor, but her high-maintenance, youthful look belies the fact that she’s still a material girl at heart.
‘I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll’ by Joan Jett & the Blackhearts – There is no better party song than this one. You may be blasting it on an iSpeaker now instead of a jukebox, but this song by Joan and her Blackhearts will leave you feeling seventeen at heart.
’99 Luftballoons’ by Nena – I prefer the German version of this song about balloons causing mass hysteria within the military. The lyrics may not say “party”, but Nena’s soft and sweet voice paired with perfect 80’s pop music make it an uplifting tune that’s a lot of fun to listen to.
‘Nasty Boys’ by Janet Jackson – Miss Jackson’s tune about bad boys did nothing but attract more of the “nasty” type when she showed the world that she was no longer the adorable little sister of the Jackson 5 in 1985.
‘Funkytown’ by Lipps, Inc. – This song is often considered the last of the great disco hits, and it perfectly describes the mood of disco lovers of the time. Dancing kings and queens wanted to get back to Funkytown, which was slowly fading away. But at least we’re left with this little slice of funky heaven.
Hit Me with Your Best Shot’ by Pat Benatar – Rihanna needs to do a cover of this fully-charged hit about the resiliency of women by one of the biggest female artists of the 80’s. It’s a song that makes the statement that members of the weaker sex aren’t as innocent and easy to bruise as we seem.
‘Venus’ by Bananarama – What girl doesn’t want to be a goddess? This rehashing of the Shocking Blue hit gave the song a beat perfect for dancing to, and it topped the charts once more, proving that the goddess of love is still hard at work.
‘Girls Just Want to Have Fun’ by Cyndi Lauper – Well, duh. There is no better party song by a woman than this one! We all may be women now, but we’re still girls who just want to have fun at heart.
‘We Got the Beat’ by The Go-Gos – Okay! You win! The beat’s all yours! Now quit bragging about it!
So throw on a pair of leggings, an oversized, chopped up sweatshirt, and jam out to these great 80’s party songs. After all, you are a grown-up girl now, so you can have as much fun as you want.
