3 Songs From the 80s You’ll Definitely Love if You’re a Fan of “Take On Me”

In 1985, A-ha earned themselves a career-defining masterpiece with “Take on Me”, which would go on to become one of the biggest tunes of the decade. When I think of the 80s, I always think of this song. Here are three other songs from the decade that might remind you a little bit of this one if you’re looking for something similar.

Videos by American Songwriter

“Everybody Wants To Rule The World” by Tears For Fears

Lyrically, this song is pretty different from “Take On Me”, but production-wise, they both have great synth hooks and upbeat, fun melodies. When you listen to “Everybody Wants To Rule The World”, it can be a challenge to figure out what the song is about. But as the group’s vocalist, Curt Smith, later pointed out, the song is pretty political.

“Back when we were doing ‘Songs From The Big Chair’ and ‘Everybody Wants To Rule The World,’ we were really discussing the Cold War,” he told Yahoo! in 2017. “But it was the U.S. and Russia then, and now the concern is more the U.S. and Korea. I find that fascinating.”

“Into The Groove” by Madonna

Also released in 1985, Madonna’s “Into The Groove” is a dance floor sensation, just like “Take On Me”. This might be because both songs have such short, memorable choruses. While A-ha asks a lover to “take them on,” Madonna asks hers to step up to the plate and “prove [their] love” to her.

Get into the groove
Boy, you’ve got to prove your love to me, yeah
Get up on your feet, yeah, step to the beat
Boy, what will it be?

“Every Breath You Take” by The Police

One of the most recognizable things about “Take On Me” is that it’s a synth-pop song with a melancholy sort of undertone. The same could be said of this song by The Police.

This one is often misinterpreted as being a stalker song, but Sting eventually assured The Independent that this was just simply not his intention.

“I woke up in the middle of the night with that line in my head, sat down at the piano and had written it in half an hour,” he said of writing this hit. “The tune itself is generic, an aggregate of hundreds of others, but the words are interesting. It sounds like a comforting love song. I didn’t realize at the time how sinister it is.”

Photo by: Ross Marino/Icon and Image/Getty Images