Rock Bands From The 80s
On The Acoustic

Beggar On A Beach Of Gold is a track from the 1995 album of the same name by Mike And The Mechanics.

The song peaked at #33 in the UK and charted in Germany also. Paul Carrick and Paul Young were both in this group at the time.

Better Be Home Soon was the bands 2nd single from the 1988 album Temple Of Low Men.

The song reached #2 in both Australia and New Zealand and hit #7 in Canada and #42 in the US.

Barenaked Ladies recorded the song "Brian Wilson" in 1992. The song is part of their debut album, "Gordon," which was released in the same year. "Brian Wilson" didn't chart as a single in the United States, but it became a fan favorite and received significant airplay on Canadian radio stations.

The song pays tribute to the Beach Boys' co-founder Brian Wilson and explores themes of mental health and creative genius. Notably, Brian Wilson himself has praised the song and even performed it with Barenaked Ladies on various occasions.

"Brian Wilson" is considered one of Barenaked Ladies' signature songs and remains a beloved track in their catalog, reflecting their quirky and clever songwriting style.

Come On Eileen hit #1 in both the UK and the US when it was released back in the summer of 1982.

The song hails from the bands album "Too-Rye-Ay".

Cruel Summer hit the airwaves back in 1983. The song was a single with no album attachment.

The band put the track on their 2nd album in 1994 called "Bananarama". The song hit #8 in the UK and #9 in the US.

Distant Sun was the 1st single from the Crowded House 1993 album entitled Together Along. the original release never charted in the US but eventually did the following year after a remix.

In the UK the song reached #19 as well as peaking at #4 in Canada, #5 in New Zealand and #23 in Australia.

Don't Dream It's Over hit the airwaves back in 1986 and was the 4th single from the Crowded House album Crowded House.

The song was a huge international hit reaching #1 in new Zealand, number #2 in the US and a top 10 in several other countries. Paul Carrick joined Paul Young who covered the song in 1991.

Don't You (Forget About Me) is a single by the group Simple Minds and has appeared in two films. The Breakfast Club in 1985 and the film Easy A in 2010.

Artists Billy Idol and Bryan Ferry both turned down an offer to record the song. The song was written by two fans of Simple Minds and the band was skeptical about recording a song they themselves had not written.

But they had not broken into the US market as yet. The song hit #1 in both Canada and the US in 1985.

Don't You Want Me is a track by The Human League and hails from their 1981 album Dare.

It reached #1 in the UK that year and #1 in the US the following year.

Drivers Seat is technically not an 80s song but came out as a single in 1978.

The song reached #15 in the US in the fall of 1979 and reached #4 in the Netherlands in 1980. The band is considered a one hit wonder band as this was their only big hit.

Everybody Wants To Rule The World is a Tears For Fears 1985 single from the bands album Songs From The Big Chair.

The song did very well internationally reaching #1 in the US, Canada and New Zealand and #2 in Ireland, the UK and Australia. If the title sound familiar

it's a line in the song Charlie Don't Surf by The Clash from a 1980 album of theirs.

Eye Of The Tiger is a song by the American rock band Survivor, released in 1982. The song was written specifically for the movie "Rocky III," in which it was prominently featured.

The song was composed by Survivor members Jim Peterik and Frankie Sullivan, and features heavy use of power chords, catchy hooks, and driving rhythms. The lyrics are motivational in nature, urging the listener to fight through adversity and stay strong in the face of challenges.

"Eye of the Tiger" was an immediate commercial success, reaching number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and staying there for six consecutive weeks. It also topped charts in other countries, including Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom.

Fallen On Hard Times was single by Jethro Tull back in 1982 from the album The Broadsword And The Beast.

The single reached #20 on the US Main chart.

Fire Woman is off of the 1989 album by The Cult entitled Sonic Temple.

The song reached #1 in new Zealand, 32 in the US and #15 in the UK.

Follow You Down is a song by the American rock band Gin Blossoms, released in 1996 as the lead single from their album "Congratulations I'm Sorry." The song was written by lead guitarist Jesse Valenzuela and features a catchy guitar riff, upbeat rhythms, and bittersweet lyrics about longing for a past love.

"Follow You Down" became a major hit for the Gin Blossoms, reaching the top 10 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and topping the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. The song's success helped propel the album "Congratulations I'm Sorry" to platinum status in the United States.

For Your Babies is from the 1991 album by Simply Red called Stars.

The track peaked at #9 in the UK and was a top 20 in several other countries.

Found Out About You is a song by the American rock band Gin Blossoms, released in 1993 as the second single from their debut album "New Miserable Experience." The song, which was written by guitarist Doug Hopkins, features a memorable guitar riff, catchy melodies, and introspective lyrics about the end of a relationship.

"Found Out About You" was a breakthrough hit for the Gin Blossoms, reaching the top 40 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and topping the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. The song's success helped propel the album "New Miserable Experience" to multi-platinum status in the United States.

Here Comes The Rain Again is a 1983 songs from the duo The Eurythmics and can be found on their album Touch.

The song was a #4 hit in the US and a #8 in the UK.

Hey Jealousy was released by Gin Blossoms in 1992 as the lead single from their breakthrough album, "New Miserable Experience." The song was written by guitarist Doug Hopkins, and features a catchy melody, jangly guitars, and introspective lyrics about unrequited love and jealousy.

The song was a commercial success for the Gin Blossoms, reaching the top 25 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and helping to propel "New Miserable Experience" to platinum status in the United States. The album would go on to achieve multi-platinum status and become one of the defining albums of the 1990s alternative rock scene.

I Just Died In Your Arms was the debut single for the group Cutting Crew back in 1986 and hails from their album "Broadcast".

The song was a monster hit reaching #1 in Canada, US, Norway and Finland and hitting the top 10 in several other countries.

The King And Queen Of America is a single from the 1989 album by The Eurythmics called We Too Are One.

The once reached #23 in Ireland and #29 in the UK but failed to chart in the US.

Laurel Canyon is a track off of a 2014 album from The Church called Further/Deeper. 

This track was never released as a single.

Love Plus One is a track from the British band Haircut 100 off of their Pelican West album from 1981.

This single was released in 1982 and reached #3 in the UK and #37 in the US, making it their only hit in the United States.

Personal Jesus was the lead single from this bands 7th album called "Violator" when it was released back in 1990.

The song peaked at #13 in the UK and reached #28 in the US.

Red Red Wine is actually a Neil Diamond song which he first released back in 1967. UB40 decided to cover this number and included it as a track on their 1983 album Labour Of Love.

The song topped the charts in the UK and made it to #34 in the US. Neil Diamond liked the Reggae so much that he now performs that version in his concerts instead of the acoustic ballad version he originally recorded.

Save It For Later was released as a single back in 1982. The band was known as "The Beat" in the UK and "The English Beat" in Canada and the US.

The was the bands last album called "Special Beat Service". The song reached #47 in the UK and #58 in the US.

Say A Prayer was first released in the UK as a single in 1982 from their album "Rio". It hit #2 on the charts.

Three years later in 1985 they released the song in the US where it peaked at #16.

Should I Stay Or Should I Go was first released in 1981 and did OK on the charts but did not reach the top 40 in the US. The track is from the album Combat Rock.

Years later in 1991 when the song was used in a TV commercial about blue jeans, the song was re-released and hit #1 in the UK and was a top 10 in a few other countries.

Skating Away (On The Thin Ice Of A New Day) is from the 1975 album War Child from Jethro Tull.

The song failed to chart.

Sweet Dreams was a 1983 single from The Eurythmics off of their album of the same name.

There were five singles from this album but this song was their biggest hit, hitting #1 in Canada and the US and making it into the top 10 in several other countries.

Take On Me was first recorded in 1984 for the bands debut album "Hunting High And Low". The song was then remixed with some additional music added.

The first release failed to chart in the UK but with that second release, the song went to #2. In the US, with the help of MTV, the song reached #1.

The Promise was the debut single from the group When In Rome and was released in 1987 in the UK and 1988 in the US.

It was the bands only big commercial hit, peaking at #11 in the US.

Under The Milky Way was released back in 1988 as a single from their album Starfish.

The band managed a top 30 in the US, Australia and New Zealand with this song. It did reach #2 in the US on their Mainstream Rock Chart.

What Do All The People Know is a song by the Norwegian new wave band The Monroes, released as a single in 1982. The song became a hit in Norway and other European countries, as well as in the United States where it reached the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

The Monroes were formed in the early 1980s and consisted of members Lage Fosheim on vocals and guitar, Eivind Rølles on bass, Lasse Hafreager on keyboards, and Per Vestaby on drums. "What Do All the People Know" was their biggest hit and is considered a classic of the Norwegian new wave scene.

This song was never featured on any regular album but has appeared on various compilation albums and greatest hits collections of the band, such as "The Best of The Monroes" and "Absolute Monroes".

What's My Scene is a track from the 1987 by Hoodoo Gurus called Blow Your Cool.

The song only charted in Australia but reached #3 on the charts there.