Top Alternative Songs of 1986

[Troy]

For 1986, I used a combination of The Hard Report, KROQ, 91X, & Live105 year-end lists.  Here is the results:


RANK SONG

01 REM - Superman
02 New Order - Bizarre Love Triangle
03 Dramarama - Anything, Anything (I'll Give You)
04 INXS - What You Need
05 Smithereens - Blood And Roses
06 Gene Loves Jezebel - Desire (Come And Get It)
07 Wang Chung - Everybody Have Fun Tonight
08 Talking Heads - Wild, Wild Life
09 OMD - If You Leave
10 Peter Gabriel - Sledgehammer
11 Eurythmics - Missionary Man
12 B-52s - Summer Of Love
13 Smiths - Panic
14 Smiths - Ask
15 Peter Gabriel - In Your Eyes
16 New Order - Shellshock
17 Smiths - Bigmouth Strikes Again
18 Oingo Boingo - Pain
19 Depeche Mode - But Not Tonight
20 OMD - Forever Live And Die
21 Erasure - Oh L'Amour
22 Housemartins - Happy Hour
23 Billy Idol - To Be A Lover
24 Bangles - Walk Like An Egyptian
25 Cure - Boys Don't Cry
26 Smithereens - Behind The Wall Of Sleep
27 Siouxsie & Banshees - Cities In Dust
28 Timbuk 3 - Future's So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades
29 Talking Heads - Puzzlin' Evidence
30 Gene Loves Jezebel - Heartache
31 Steve Winwood - Higher Love
32 Depeche Mode - Question Of Time
33 Cure - Close To Me
34 Pretenders - Don't Get Me Wrong
35 Debbie Harry - French Kissing In The USA
36 Big Audio Dynamite - E=MC2
37 Oingo Boingo - Not My Slave
38 Smiths - There Is A Light That Never Goes Out
39 Iggy Pop - Cry For Love
40 Big Country - Look Away
41 Duran Duran - Notorious
42 Oingo Boingo - Stay
43 Bananarama - Venus
44 Real Life - Babies
45 Fixx - Secret Separation
46 Robert Palmer - Addicted To Love
47 Love & Rockets - Kundalini Express
48 INXS - Listen Like Thieves
49 Ric Ocasek - True To You
50 'Til Tuesday - What About Love
51 Robert Palmer - I Didn't Mean To Turn You On
52 REM - Fall On Me
53 INXS - Kiss The Dirt (Falling Down The Mountain)
54 Psychedelic Furs - Pretty In Pink
55 Howard Jones - You Know I Love You, Don't You?
56 General Public - Too Much Or Nothing
57 Genesis - Invisible Touch
58 B-52s - She Brakes For Rainbows
59 Eurythmics - Thorn In My Side
60 Belinda Carlisle - Mad About You
61 B-52s - Wig
62 Peter Gabriel - Red Rain
63 General Public - Faults And All
64 B-52s - Girl From Ipanema
65 Big Audio Dynamite - Medicine Show
66
67 Pet Shop Boys - Suburbia
68 Depeche Mode - Question Of Lust
69 Talking Heads - Love For Sale
70 Big Audio Dynamite - Come On Every Beatbox
71 Cult - She Sells Sanctuary
72 Dead Or Alive - Brand New Lover
73 Modern English - Ink And Paper
74 Woodentops - Good Thing
75 New Order - Paradise
76 Dead Milkmen - Bitchin' Camaro
77 General Public - In Conversation
78 Hunters & Collectors - Throw Your Arms Around Me
79 Thompson Twins - Nothing In Common
80 Smiths - Queen Is Dead
81 Public Image Limited - Rise
82 Human League - Human
84 Call - Everywhere I Go
85 Easterhouse - Whistling In The Dark
86 Fine Young Cannibals - Ever Fallen In Love
87 Bolshoi - Away
88 Communards - Don't Leave Me This Way
89 Ken Heaven - Calling
90 Sparks - Music That You Can Dance To
91 Pet Shop Boys - West End Girls
92 Sigue Sigue Sputnik - Love Missile F1-11
93 Arcadia - Steal My Flame
94 Police - Don't Stand So Close To Me '86
95 Blow Monkeys - Digging Your Scene
96 Echo & The Bunnymen - Bring On The Dancing Horses
97 Genesis - Land Of Confusion
98 UB40 - Watchdogs
99 Call - I Still Believe
100 Fine Young Cannibals - Suspicious Minds

101 King - Alone Without You
102 Depeche Mode - Fly On The Windscreen
103 Cure - In Between Days
104 Bronski Beat - Hit That Perfect Beat
105 Bangles - Manic Monday
106 Billy Idol - Sweet 16
107 Pet Shop Boys - Love Comes Quickly
108 a-ha - I've Been Losing You
109 Cure - Man Inside My Mouth
110 Icehouse - Cross The Border
111 Fine Young Cannibals - Johnny Come Home
112 Simple Minds - All The Things She Said
113 Art Of Noise - Paranoimia
114 Martini Ranch - How Can A Laboring Man Find Time For Self-Culture?
115 Falco - Rock Me Amadeus
116 David Bowie - Absolute Beginners
117 Divinyls - Pleasure & Pain
118 Venetians - So Much For Love
119 Stan Ridgeway - Drive She Said
120 Nails - Things I Left Behind
121 Feargal Sharkey - Good Heart
122 Art Of Noise - Peter Gunn
123 Tears For Fears - Mothers Talk
124 INXS - This Time
125 Pretenders - My Baby
126 INXS - Do What You Do
127 Boys Don't Cry - I Want To Be A Cowboy
128 Bryan Ferry - Is Your Love Strong Enough
129 John Taylor - I Do What I Do...
130 Run DMC - Walk This Wa
131 Icehouse - No Promises
132 Tonio K - Romeo And Jane
133 Art Of Noise - Legs
134 David & David - Welcome To The Boomtown
135 Pete Townshend - Save it For Later
136 Mojo Nixon - Elvis Is Everywhere
137 Pet Shop Boys - Why Don't We Live Together
138 Magazine 60 - Don Quichotte
139 Prince - Kiss
140 Arcadia - Say The Word
141 Boom Boom Room - Here Comes The Man
142 Erasure - Who Needs Love Like That
143 Andy Taylor - Take it Easy
144 Mick Jagger - Ruthless People
145 Elvis Costello - Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood
146 Love And Money - Candybar Express
147 Billy Idol - Soul Standing By
148 Fixx - Built For The Future
149 Robbie Nevil - Time Waits For No One
150 Device - Hanging On A Heart Attack
151 Richard Thompson - Valerie
152 Chameleons - Swamp Thing
153 David & David - Swallowed By The Cracks
154 John Fogerty - Change In The Weather

[Doc Indie Party Rock]

This year was starting to slow down for me as far as the New Wave/Synthpop sound I grew up with. There were still a lot of great songs, but not as upbeat for me to get into. I was Heavy into Hi-Energy. eg:Ken Heaven - The Calling) and Miami Freestyle like Johnny O and Cover Girls who had big hits on Pop charts as well. and my evergrowing intererst in Hair/Glam Metal was stronger than ever. I have never experienced a shortage of great music.

[peacebone]

Sorry for the bump (I've been looking at these threads lately), but...

May 16, 2017 12:35:19 GMT -5 Troy said:

25 Cure - Boys Don't Cry

Just curious, why did this chart in 1986? It was released in 1979.

[Troy]

Jul 20, 2017 16:19:24 GMT -5 peacebone said:

Sorry for the bump (I've been looking at these threads lately), but...

May 16, 2017 12:35:19 GMT -5 Troy said:

25 Cure - Boys Don't Cry

Just curious, why did this chart in 1986? It was released in 1979.

my understanding is that Head On The Door (which was released the previous year) was the biggest selling Cure album to-date & so in order to keep the momentum going, they released a greatest hits album (Staring At The Sea).  For many stations this may have been the 1st time they'd heard Boys Don't Cry.