Some songs get played. Others get banned. Fears. Censored.

Originally a Patreon-exclusive, this series is now free for everyone, because these songs matter now more than ever.

In Part 3 of The Top 80 Protest Songs of the 80s, we continue the countdown with tracks that were so powerful, they were seen as a threat.

From Simple Minds and The Human League to The Style Council and The Clash, these anthems didn't just define a decade, they fought for change.

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🔊 Turn it up and hear the music that fought back.

Intro music by Vasileios Ziogas from Pixabay

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This week, we count down the Top 20 songs in the UK—from soul-drenched ballads and synth-laced pop to arena-sized rock and unexpected chart-toppers.

🎶 New Order delivers a synth masterpiece

🎤 Madonna, Michael Jackson, and Heart battle it out in the Top 5

🎙️ Pet Shop Boys take us to church (and back)

💥 Bruce Willis surprises us with a soulful throwback

🎉 And Los Lobos bring it all home at #1 with a classic reimagined

This isn’t just another chart. It’s a late-summer mixtape from a year when the world was in motion, and music was everywhere.

📢 Bonus content now available!

🎙️ Episodes 1 & 2 of the Top 80 Protest Songs of the 1980s are now released to the public feed

🔥 Episode 4 (the final chapter!) is now live for Patreon supporters

Follow the show on Instagram, Facebook, Bluesky, and Mastodon, and support us on Buy Me a Coffee if you love what we’re doing!

Let’s bring back the magic—one song at a time.

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This week on the Gen X 80s Top 20 Countdown, we’re diving into the pop power, cultural crossover, and quiet courage of the week ending August 7, 1987; a chart that didn’t just bring the hits, it brought the heart.

We’ve got:

💃 Whitney, Madonna, and Janet bringing the dancefloor heat

🎸 Richard Marx and Bob Seger turning up the guitars

🎤 Suzanne Vega’s Luka quietly shifting the world

🎬 Three songs from Beverly Hills Cop II that turned the soundtrack into a chart monster

🎧 And U2’s #1 anthem of faith and searching, closing it all out

Plus:

✨ A story about making mixtapes in your bedroom

📸 A forgotten 1987 obsession that wasn’t a gadget

🎙️ And an emotional sendoff as we drop the final episode of our Patreon-exclusive series, Top 80 Protest Songs of the 1980s; with Episodes 1 & 2 now available as bonus drops in the main feed.

This countdown is more than just songs; it’s a reminder of how music carried messages we’re still listening to today.

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