How We Choose the Songs
Last updated: September 22, 2026 · By Charlie
Every playlist on Music of the 80s starts with genre research, not an algorithm. Songs are selected genre by genre, every video is checked through YouTube's own system to confirm it can be played here, and I spot-check the playlists and fix problems as I find them or as they're reported.
Where the song lists come from
Genre by genre
The site's 2,704 songs are organized into nine genres: pop, rock, new wave and synth-pop, alternative, country, hip-hop, dance, yacht rock and soft rock, and R&B. Each genre list was built by researching the artists and songs that defined that sound in the 1980s — the hits everyone remembers, and the album tracks and scene favourites that fans of that genre would expect to find. The collection keeps growing, with songs added and replaced over time.
The 80s Hits mix and cross-genre playlists
Some playlists cut across genres. The 80s Hits mix is a hand-picked set of 88 of the decade's biggest songs. The 80s Love Songs playlist was built by going through each genre and tagging the ballads, slow dances and love songs, which is why it pulls from rock, pop, country and R&B alike.
What counts as an 80s song
Almost everything here was released in the 1980s. A small number of late-1970s tracks are included where a genre straddles the decade — yacht rock is the clearest example, since that sound began in the late 70s and carried into the early 80s.
How every video is checked
Embeddable, public and playable
The site doesn't host any music. Every song plays through YouTube's official embedded player. Before a song is added, its video is checked through YouTube's Data API to confirm it's public, that the rights holder has allowed it to be embedded on other websites, and that it isn't blocked from playing.
When a video stops working
Videos on YouTube can be removed or changed at any time. If one fails, the player skips to the next song automatically rather than leaving you stuck, and the broken video is replaced when it's found.
Spot-checks and corrections
Regular spot-checks
I spot-check the playlists, looking for wrong recordings, live versions where the original belongs, songs in the wrong genre and videos that no longer play.
Tell me what's wrong
With thousands of songs, mistakes will slip through. If you find a wrong version, a song that doesn't belong, a video that won't play or a song you think is missing, email contact@musicofthe80s.com and I'll look into it.
What this site doesn't do
There are no artist biographies here and no paid placements. No artist or label pays to be included. The site is about the songs themselves and keeping them playable in one place.