What was the best-selling rock song of the 1980s?
I am two generations on from the 1980s, meaning my parents and all of my friends’ parents were in their pomp during the middle of that decade. For reasons I can’t quite fathom, they all vehemently claim that the 1980s is the best decade for music.
Clearly, bias taints their outlook on music, but in fairness to them, it had its moments. Talking Heads, The Stone Roses and Kate Bush all made their mark on the decade and bridged the gap between this brave new future they faced and the fundamental emergence of so many genres in the 1970s. But despite all of that, I can’t truthfully admit that the 1980s were the best years for music. Whereas the ‘70s immediately trigger thoughts of genre diversity and performative brilliance, in the ‘80s, I teeter on the edge of the synthesised abyss.
As such, we never really give the decade credit as a rock titan, which is foolish given the evidence: Van Halen, AC/DC and Metallica all dominated a decade that was largely preoccupied with shoulder pads, perms and CGI-drenched movies. And their brand of rock was less concerned with futuristic tendencies and instead embraced the musicianship of the trusty guitar, leaning into long and raucous licks that gave hope to rock fans disillusioned by a rapidly changing decade.
Of the three, you’d largely expect AC/DC to take the top spot as chart toppers of ‘80s rock. Their seminal record, Back in Black, dropped at the turn of the decade and became the yardstick for how all rock records should sound. It was the first with Brian Johnson’s gravelly vocals at the helm, and audiences quickly realised his fireball voice was the perfect point man for a record that would assault your senses.
But the boots on the ground impact doesn’t always translate to commercial success. Sure, Back in Black swept the globe with its attractive brand of rock, but it was still rough around the edges. Raw enough to be treasured by subcultures but entertaining enough to break through the airwaves. But that’s not the sort of balance that will smash chart records.
Definitely not, as the rock song that tops the record for biggest selling in the 1980s is one of true paradox, being Band Aid’s ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas?’ that became the biggest hitter. It sold over 3.7million copies by the end of the decade and raised £8million for famine relief in Ethiopia. Since its release, that figure has risen to £200m, when royalties and live concerts are taken into account.
It’s up to you whether you want to call it a rock song, but it was a suitable chart-topping hit given how rare it was to see so many megastars sharing the same studio space. But more importantly, in a decade rampant with overzealous capitalism, it was heartening to see philanthropy come out on top. It may not have been the greatest song ever written, but in that decade, it may just have been the most important.
But what about the biggest-selling rock album?
Well, fear not, because this is where the mighty AC/DC earned their redemption. Back in Black was, of course, the biggest-selling rock album of the 1980s, selling 50m copies worldwide. Not far behind was Appetite for Destruction by Guns N’ Roses, who personified a much slicker brand of commercial rock fitting for the decade. Monster riffs and soaring vocals collided indeed, but the Californian band represented something more cinematic and commercial.
In the UK, however, Dire Straits’ Brothers in Arms beat both of those albums to the top spot, sitting at the top for 14 weeks. But the albums’ successes differed from the blueprint of, say, Back in Black. As the 1980s continued to ramp up consumption and the obsession with futurist technology continued to develop, Dire Straits leveraged these newfound trends to help deliver their music to the masses.
Their pioneering CGI video for ‘Money for Nothing’ played every five minutes on the burgeoning MTV, establishing a foundational layout for how bands could transition their otherwise humble rock to the widescreen televisions of a new digital world.
