I started a few years ago with a goal:  To amass a collection of every US/UK/DE Top 40 charted song from the 1980's.  I'm nearly finished with that, now (Germany is tough).  More recently, I began filling in with songs that may not have charted, but were popular Indie, College Radio, Dance, Club, and remix versions, with preference given to New Wave, Gothic, and Synthpop.  I have found about 8,000 tracks (~1/2 of which are strictly late 70's-early 90's).

Eventually, I will catalogue everything in my collection and publish it on-line as a searchable database.  I will include high chart placement, year, album, and so on.  I feel a database like that would be of great historic value.  A monumental task, but I enjoy doing it.

So... My problem?  Aside from non-singles/album tracks, I've finally reached the point where I can't think of any more songs, and I know there must be some great ones I haven't got/have forgotten.  I'm now trawling on-line playlists, music databases, and text files of songs for ideas.  There's plenty out there, sure, but a great deal of what I find has little 1980's content or consists wholly of mainstays I already have.

This is where you come in.  If you have an 80's music-related site, a playlist that's on-line, a spreadsheet or database, or even a bare-bones text file that you work with, please let me know about it!  I don't want your MP3's; I don't want to buy your old tapes; I'm only looking for 80's song names and artists.  

While I appreciate _any_ assistance, please understand that I've already collected thousands of songs from the 1980's, thus, reviews of 80's compilations and top XX chart transcripts are no longer of much value to me.  :)

Thanks!

Ana
thetvdiva@yahoo.com

Hi Ana. There is a very good site at http://www.martinsmusic.freeserve.co.uk which lists every British top 40 and Number 1 hit since the beginning of the British chart.

I'm currently compiling a list on Microsoft Word with dates, titles, artists, and hyperlinks. I don't know what you'll want me to do with it. Pass me your email address and I'll send it through there.

It's in my Imported Favorites already anyway.

Sorry, I'm working on something at the moment and it may not be done for a few days yet. I apologise, meanwhile for my absence regarding this thread.

Hi, all!

Thanks for replying!  Such nice people here.  :)

Martin's UK Charts and Lyrics World's US Charts counterpart (http://ntl.matrix.com.br/pfilho/html/main_index/index.html) are fabulous!  I wish there were a similar site for the German charts, but I've never seen such a thing (has anyone?  the best I've gotten for Germany were the related posts at 80's Exchange).  Anyway, I believe I am finished researching US and UK 1980's Pop/Top40 charts.

Germany is a pain.  :P

I won't be doing US R&B or Country charts.  I am correct that Alternative (modern rock, whatever) charts didn't exist yet, right (with exceptions; see below)?  Did Hard Rock have its own?

Lately, I've been resigned to searching google.com for strings like "winamp generated playlist" and "shoutcast playlist".  It pans out sometimes, but it's mostly lists of current stuff, of course.  I've gone through and found all the old KROQ and KITS ("modern rock" radio stations in California--others?) Top ### countdowns they did annually.  I've also surfed completely around a handful of mp3 trading webrings, and have pillaged all the bigger 1980's sites, as well as about.com's and suite101's.  I've looked at half a dozen One Hit Wonder collections.  I haven't searched google's usenet archive yet, but will do that soon.  I haven't even looked at Yahoo!'s groups/clubs/whatever-they-call-them-now.

Any other ideas?  There must be places I'm not looking, or search strings I haven't tried.  I'm pretty well to the point that any info about any 7" or 12" single released from the late 1970's to the early 1990's is a lead.  If you have links to 80's sites that no longer exist (no, I'm not crazy; archive.org helps here), send those, as well.  And, again, if you have your own collection catalogued, or know someone who has, let me know!

Thanks for all your help.  I did _not_ expect any replies to my wacky quest, at all!  Bobo, the offer to email me your Word doc was so sweet!  :)  And, fair is fair, if anyone would like to see a copy of the list from which I'm working, email me.

Ana
thetvdiva@yahoo.com

I'm not going to have it finished for a while, though... I'm sorry, if someone else gets it quicker, go ahead.

Okay, I'm nearly finished 1980, it's seeming a harder job than I first thought, but I'm now looking at some of the best albums, and some of my favourites, to see which are the standout tracks that I haven't mentioned. These are sometimes better than the ones that chart as singles.

Hey, it's me again. I have had a bit of a problem, for it seems that most of my work has disappeared. However, it does seem that there is a British book of the pop charts, published by Guinness, that would help some way with your quest.