3 of the Best Pop Songs To Close Records From the 1980s

When it comes to writing and releasing records, it’s essential to create a work that leaves a lasting impression on your listeners. Whatever it is you want them to feel when they’ve finished hearing your music, that’s what you have to give them.

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Amazingly, though, so many can’t pull it off. It’s as if some songwriters are bumbling around in the night. But that’s precisely why we wanted to celebrate a few who can achieve the feat. Indeed, these are three of the best pop songs to close albums from the 1980s.

“Stay” by Madonna from ‘Like A Virgin’ (1984)

In the 1980s, pop stars were redefined. The decade gave the world some of the most important, glitzy, and glamorous musical celebrities of all time. And at the top of that list was the ever-changing Madonna. In one moment, she might be wearing a sleek black dress and singing like a 1920s jazz performer. In another, she might be belting out pop lyrics, wearing diamonds, and seeming like a movie star set for the remake of Pretty Woman. Madonna parlayed that chameleon nature in her music, too. And her 1984 LP Like A Virgin displayed that, moving between bubblegum hits and the more reflective, heartfelt “Stay”.

“Careless Whisper” by Wham! from ‘Make It Big’ (1984)

This song not only boasts the most famous saxophone riff of all time, but it also marked the start of the solo career for George Michael. While it was released on a Wham! album (the duo with his friend Andrew Ridgeley), it was also the last song on the LP, as if the beginning of a bridge. Soon after, Michael, the pop star of pop stars, would go solo and release tracks like “Faith” and “Freedom! ’90”.

“Smooth Criminal” by Michael Jackson from ‘Bad’ (1987)

The music video for this song was so good that they somehow turned it into a video game that people loved. That was the power of Michael Jackson’s music in the 1980s. But on top of the fashion and the dance moves, Jackson’s song here is indelible, memorable, and iconic. There are days when you likely find yourself singing the phrase, “Annie are you okay?” at random. That’s what can happen when you write a great track and put it in the right place on an LP.

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