I was honored when my Oxford classmate Mary asked me to come up with a 100-song playlist for Saturday night’s 30-year reunion. (Because, let’s just be blunt: who could do that better than I could?)
I tried to balance big hits that everyone would want to hear with songs they probably hadn’t heard in a while that would make them say “oh yeah, I remember that one!” Seemed like that was accomplished very well.
For a few tunes I stray as far as 1982 or 1983, but most of them are ’86-’88.
“99 Luftballons,” Nena
“Alone,” Heart
“Always,” Atlantic Starr
“At This Moment,” Billy Vera and the Beaters
“Big Time,” Peter Gabriel
“Billie Jean,” Michael Jackson
“Boys of Summer,” Don Henley
“Brand New Lover,” Dead or Alive
“Breakout,” Swing Out Sister
“Burning Like a Flame,” Dokken
“C’est La Vie,” Robbie Nevil
“Catch Me I’m Falling,” Pretty Poison
“Come Dancing,” The Kinks
“Control,” Janet Jackson
“Crazy Crazy Nights,” Kiss
“Crush On You,” The Jets
“Dancing on the Ceiling,” Lionel Richie
“Danger Zone,” Kenny Loggins
“Destination Unknown,” Missing Persons
“Diamonds,” Herb Alpert
“Don’t Disturb This Groove,” The System
“Don’t Forget Me When I’m Gone,” Glass Tiger
“Don’t Shed a Tear,” Paul Carrack
“Don’t You Forget About Me,” Simple Minds
“Don’t You Want Me,” The Human League
“Dreams,” Van Halen
“Electric Avenue,” Eddy Grant
“Electric Blue,” Icehouse
“Every Rose Has Its Thorn,” Poison
“Every Time You Go Away,” Paul Young
“Everybody Have Fun Tonight,” Wang Chung
“Everybody Wants to Rule the World,” Tears From Fears
“Faith,” George Michael
“Fight for Your Right to Party,” Beastie Boys
“Freak-a-Zoid,” Midnight Star
“Head to Toe,” Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam
“Heart and Soul,” T’Pau
“Heaven Is a Place On Earth,” Belinda Carlisle
“Here I Go Again,” Whitesnake
“Higher Love,” Steve Winwood
“Hold On To the Nights,” Richard Marx
“Holding Back The Years,” Simply Red
“Home Sweet Home,” Motley Crue
“Hungry Eyes,” Eric Carmen
“Hungry Like the Wolf,” Duran Duran
“Hysteria,” Def Leppard
“I Can’t Wait,” Stevie Nicks
“I Just Called To Say I Love You,” Stevie Wonder
“I Knew You Were Waiting for Me,” Aretha Franklin and George Michael
“I Wanna Dance With Somebody,” Whitney Houston
“I’ve Had The Time of My Life,” Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes
“Into the Groove,” Madonna
“Invisible Touch,” Genesis
“It’s the End of the World As We Know it (And I Feel Fine),” REM
“Keep Your Hands To Yourself,” The Georgia Satellites
“Lay Your Hands On Me,” Bon Jovi
“Let’s Dance,” David Bowie
“Let’s Go All The Way,” Sly Fox
“Let’s Go Crazy,” Prince
“Life in a Northern Town,” Dream Academy
“Looking for a New Love,” Jody Watley
“Love Removal Machine,” The Cult
“Love Shack,” The B-52s
“Midnight Blue,” Lou Gramm
“Money for Nothing,” Dire Straits
“Mony Mony,” Billy Idol
“Need You Tonight,” INXS
“Never Gonna Give You Up,” Rick Astley
“Next Time I Fall,” Peter Cetera and Amy Grant
“Nobody’s Fool,” Cinderella
“Nothing’s Gonna Change My Love For You,” Glenn Medeiros
“Oh Sheila,” Ready for the World
“Only In My Dreams,” Debbie Gibson
“Our Lips are Sealed,” The Go-Gos
“Out of Mind Out of Sight,” The Models
“Perfect Way,” Scritti Politti
“Power of Love,” Huey Lewis and the News
“Pretty In Pink,” The Psychedelic Furs
“Push It,” Salt-n-Pepa
“Rhythm of the Night,” DeBarge
“Rock Me Amadeus,” Falco
“Small Town,” John Mellencamp
“Something About You,” Level 42
“Something So Strong,” Crowded House
“Sunglasses At Night,” Corey Hart
“Sweet Child O’Mine,” Guns N Roses
“Take It Easy,” Andy Taylor
“Take On Me,” a-ha
“Tarzan Boy,” Baltimora
“The Honeythief,” Hipsway
“The Promise,” When In Rome
“The Rain,” Oran “Juice” Jones
“The Way It Is,” Bruce Hornsby and the Range
“Thunderstruck,” AC/DC
“True Colors,” Cyndi Lauper
“Two of Hearts,” Stacey Q
“Under the Milky Way,” The Church
“Venus,” Bananarama
“Walk Like an Egyptian,” The Bangles
“Walk This Way,” Run-DMC with Aerosmith
“We Don’t Have To Take Our Clothes Off,” Jermaine Stewart
“Weird Science,” Oingo Boingo
“West End Girls,” Pet Shop Boys
“When Smokey Sings,” ABC
“Wishing Well,” Terence Trent d’Arby
“With or Without You,” U2
“You’re the Inspiration,” Chicago
“Your Love,” The Outfield
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