4 Standout Songs That You Might Have Forgotten Hit the Top 10 in 1985

The pop music world was absolutely ablaze with excitement around quite a few songs in 1985. Getting to the Top 10 on the US charts, no small feat on any occasion, was a particularly tough assignment in that calendar year.

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With so many massive hits from that era, even songs that made the Top 10 could get a bit lost in the mix. See if you remember that these four songs made it that high in the heady days of ’85.

“The Old Man Down The Road” by John Fogerty

John Fogerty returned to pop prominence after a long fallow period with the 1985 album Centerfield. The title track is the one that many people remember, as it’s become a baseball anthem like no other. If you remember “The Old Man Down The Road”, it might be because of the stir it caused. Fogerty was sued for essentially plagiarizing himself. Since he didn’t own the rights to his CCR songs, the resemblance between this track and “Run Through The Jungle” led to a lawsuit. (He wound up winning the case.) Before all that craziness ensued, “The Old Man Down The Road”, which peaked at No. 10, proved that Fogerty hadn’t lost the ability to evoke a certain mood with just a few guitar notes.

“Get It On” by The Power Station

The Power Station was initially intended to feature rotating lead singers. Duran Duran members John Taylor and Andy Taylor joined forces with drummer Tony Thompson, formerly of Chic, to form the instrumental foundation. When Robert Palmer sang on a cover of the T. Rex classic “Get It On”, the other three men decided he needed to have the gig by himself. The band held off on releasing “Get It On” as the first single. Instead, they went with “Some Like It Hot”, also a Top 10 hit. “Get It On”, featuring the Duran boys proving they could rock out, Thompson beating the devil out of his drums, and Palmer grunting and groaning to glory, made it to No. 9.

“I’m Goin’ Down” by Bruce Springsteen

They just kept coming. We’re talking about the singles from Bruce Springsteen’s Born In The U.S.A. album. Which was ironic, because Springsteen had struggled to establish himself on the pop charts for much of his career before that album. “I’m Goin’ Down”, the sixth single out of seven Top 10 hits that the album would spawn, made it to No. 9. Don’t forget that Springsteen was still touring the record to great acclaim through 1985, which helped give the songs legs. This one in particular carries a much lighter lyrical load than many of Springsteen’s songs. That’s sort of why we love it so much. It effortlessly displays the fun side of The Boss.

“Fortress Around Your Heart” by Sting

As far as the world knew, Sting was still a member of The Police in 1985. He was just taking time to branch out a little bit and try a solo album. (Only in 1986, following failed sessions for a potential album, would the band officially fold.) “If You Love Somebody Set Them Free” surprised a lot of folks as the first single from that album. Expecting Sting to be austere and foreboding, as he often was with Police songs, fans heard him in a jazzy, whimsical mode. But lo and behold, when he came back with the follow-up single, he found that compelling chilliness. “Fortress Around Your Heart” truly turns love into a battlefield, one with “trenches and barbed wire.” And it gave Sting a No. 8 hit in America.

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