Most 80s ballads are too cheesy to be taken seriously. :P There are a few exceptions, like Boys of Summer and When I See You Smile. The Flame is good too.

Yeah, I agree with those. Most of the new wave ballads hold up pretty well and seem to have some respectability. Like "Hold Me Now", "Drive" and "Time After Time". Maybe even "Eyes Without a Face" by Billy Idol (I heard Gwen Stefani likes that song and I can hear the influences in her music).

Hey, I like some of those songs that you've mentioned.

If Sade's Smooth Operator   is a ballad, then I wanna add it. I like it. And I do take it seriously lol.

Motley Crue "Home Sweet Home", a classic example of a power ballad and still stands the test of time

Take My Breath Away by Berlin.  An absolute classic.

Alot of the 80s ballads were cheesy and over the top, but the got alot of airplay that's for sure. My list for being too sappy

Sailing- Christoper Cross
Keep on Lovin you- REO Speedwagon
Amanda- Boston
Total Eclipse of the Heart- Bonnie Hart
For Your Eyes Only- Sheena Easton
Nobody's Fool - Cinderella
Missing You- John Waite
Wind Beneath My Wings-Bette Midler

Great serious love balland

Greatest Love of All- Whitney Houston    Purple Rain-Prince
Faithfully-Journey                                 
Every Rose has its Thorn- Poison
Private Dancer-Tina Turner
One More Try-George Micheal
Careless Whisper- Wham

I know some tunes I post may not qualify for love ballads. 8-P

Here are a few 80's "Ballads" that I think are quite good.

Silent Lucidity - Queensryche  (Never tire of this song.  Absolutely Great!)

When The Children Cry - White Lion

Human - The Human League

Save A Prayer - Duran Duran

Here Comes The Rain Again - Eurythmics

Kayleigh - Marillion

Hands To Heaven - Breathe (well, I suppose this one is a bit cheesy but I still like it.)

Here are some good 80s ballads:

Don't Dream It's Over - Crowded House
When I'm With You - Sheriff
Home Sweet Home and Without You - Motley Crue

"Careless Whisper" Wham!

"Lost In Your Eyes" DG

I could not take Richard Marx seriously.

I could not take Richard Marx seriously.

Phil, the song Right Here Waiting has special meaning to me because I use to sing it to Timmy when he was a baby,and to this day when I hear it I get teary eyed.

Here are some good 80s ballads:

Don't Dream It's Over - Crowded House
When I'm With You - Sheriff
Home Sweet Home and Without You - Motley Crue


Oh yeah, "Don't Dream it's Over" is a classic, I love that one. I think I read a review once that said Crowded House were sorta Beatles-esque and I agree. That's another one of those quasi new wave slow songs that I think has held up.

I personally like "When I'm With You" but I don't agree on it in relation to this thread. ;D

If Sade's Smooth Operator  is a ballad, then I wanna add it. I like it. And I do take it seriously lol. ................................................................  one of the best songs from the 80's!  ballad or not!!

Only it isn't Michael Bolton.

Only it isn't Michael Bolton.
That is the one with the hair?

"True" - Spandau Ballet

Because I know I know I know this much is true.

The two greatest ballads of the 80s ...

Stay on These Roads - A-ha
Wishful Thinking - China Crisis

The two greatest ballads of the 80s ...

Stay on These Roads - A-ha

Ouch! Bombastic to the point of pain!

Wishful Thinking - China Crisis


That's better!

I'll add Odyssey's 'If You're Looking For A Way Out' simply because it held special memories for me at the time (1980)...

...plus, no-one else remembers it!  ;)

Although it was never released as a single, the one 80s ballad that I can totally take seriously is Gino Vannelli's Put The Weight On My Shoulders. That song gets me everytime.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CSZF8KvnHQ

nothing wrong with 80's ballads, thats what make the 80's unique and the best pop culture era

If you are a 80's fan, and dont some of these songs, there something wrong witchu!!

Motely Crue - Home Sweet Home
Whitesnake - Here I go Again
Don Henley - Boys of Summer
Poison - Every Rose has its Thorn
Billy Idol - Eyes without a Face
Dokken - Alone Again
Journey - Faithfully
Guns N Roses - November Rain & Knockin' on Heavens Door
Steelheart - Never gonna let you go

just a too name a few

nothing wrong with 80's ballads, thats what make the 80's unique and the best pop culture era

If you are a 80's fan, and dont some of these songs, there something wrong witchu!!

Motely Crue - Home Sweet Home
Whitesnake - Here I go Again
Don Henley - Boys of Summer
Poison - Every Rose has its Thorn
Billy Idol - Eyes without a Face
Dokken - Alone Again
Journey - Faithfully
Guns N Roses - November Rain & Knockin' on Heavens Door
Steelheart - Never gonna let you go

just a too name a few
Bearing in mind that November Rain and Knockin' on Heavens Door are both from 1992.

The two greatest ballads of the 80s ...

Stay on These Roads - A-ha
Wishful Thinking - China Crisis



Two thumbs up!  Love 'em both.

Double - The Captain Of Her Heart (One of my favorites)

There were alot of R&B and Freestyle ballads in the 80's.  Many of which crossed over to the main stream.  I do not believe R&B and Freestyle are excluded from the term "ballad."

Ashford & Simpson - Solid As A Rock
Atlantic Starr - Secret Lovers
Billy Ocean - Suddenly
Brenda K. Starr - I Still Believe
Brenda Russell - Piano In The Dark
Champaign - How About Us
Force MD's - Tender Love
James Ingram - Baby, Come To Me & Just Once
Jeffrey Osbourne - On The Wings Of Love
Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam - All Cried Out
Stevie B - Spring Love
Whitney - Didn't We Almost Have It All

nothing wrong with 80's ballads, thats what make the 80's unique and the best pop culture era

If you are a 80's fan, and dont some of these songs, there something wrong witchu!!

Motely Crue - Home Sweet Home
Whitesnake - Here I go Again
Don Henley - Boys of Summer
Poison - Every Rose has its Thorn
Billy Idol - Eyes without a Face
Dokken - Alone Again
Journey - Faithfully
Guns N Roses - November Rain & Knockin' on Heavens Door
Steelheart - Never gonna let you go

just a too name a few



Bearing in mind that November Rain and Knockin' on Heavens Door are both from 1992.


as well, 'I'll Never Let You Go' by Steelheart was from 1991

These "G"s are serious balladeers.

Glenn Medeiros - Nothing's Gonna Change My Love For You
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kybeq2dWBf8

Gazebo - I Like Chopin.  Both the song and the video are serious. LOL.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11pKI-X4hDE

Giuffria - Call To The Heart.  This is serious if you can get beyond the ridiculous hair.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkmPBSueLvk

Love Will Lead You Back - Taylor Dayne

Don't Wanna Lose You Now - Gloria Estefan

Live To Tell - Madonna

We Belong - Pat Benetar

Two thumbs up!  Love 'em both.

Double - The Captain Of Her Heart (One of my favorites)

There were alot of R&B and Freestyle ballads in the 80's.  Many of which crossed over to the main stream.  I do not believe R&B and Freestyle are excluded from the term "ballad."

Ashford & Simpson - Solid As A Rock
Atlantic Starr - Secret Lovers
Billy Ocean - Suddenly
Brenda K. Starr - I Still Believe
Brenda Russell - Piano In The Dark
Champaign - How About Us
Force MD's - Tender Love
James Ingram - Baby, Come To Me & Just Once
Jeffrey Osbourne - On The Wings Of Love
Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam - All Cried Out
Stevie B - Spring Love
Whitney - Didn't We Almost Have It All






You've got some good ones in there.  You mention Jeffrey Osbourne and I think he sang "Just Once" which is a cool tune and was featured in the movie "Last American Virgin".

^ Speaking of Jeffrey Osbourne, he does another song called "You Should Be Mine", have you heard that? It's from about 1986 and was always one of my favorites, just a nice pleasant love song, and it was on alot of mixtapes my parents did back in the day.

I don't recall that one, I'll try to find it on Youtube.  I do like "Stay With Me Tonight", although that's not a ballad.

Don't Wanna Lose You Now - Gloria Estefan




One of my favorite songs from one of my favorite singers!!

^ Speaking of Jeffrey Osbourne, he does another song called "You Should Be Mine", have you heard that? It's from about 1986 and was always one of my favorites, just a nice pleasant love song, and it was on alot of mixtapes my parents did back in the day.


I remember it now.  Can you woo, woo, woo?  I do like this song.

You've got some good ones in there.  You mention Jeffrey Osbourne and I think he sang "Just Once" which is a cool tune and was featured in the movie "Last American Virgin".


Unless it's a different song, 'Just Once' was by Quincy Jones and James Ingram

Unless it's a different song, 'Just Once' was by Quincy Jones and James Ingram

You see, this is why I'm glad you are so detail oriented!  ;)  I can't remember sheesh! 

You see, this is why I'm glad you are so detail oriented!  ;)  I can't remember sheesh! 


You know whats weird though?  I can't even remember what the song sounds like, and I even have the mp3 LOL

You know whats weird though?  I can't even remember what the song sounds like, and I even have the mp3 LOL

Here, I'll sing it for you:
"Just once,
Can we figure out what keep doing wrong?
Why the good times never last for long.
Where are we going wrong?
Just once,
Can't we find a way to finally make it right.
To make the magic last for more than just one night.
I know we could break through it
If we could just get to it,
Just once.

Damn, that sounded AWESOME!

How about one I CAN'T take seriously: Can't Fight This Feeling by REO Speedwagon. Not a song I'd want to be caught listening to. ;D


The Foreigner ballads I take VERY seriously, however, I agree with you on REO Speedwagon.  I can't take that song seriously. LOL.

The Foreigner ballads I take VERY seriously, however, I agree with you on REO Speedwagon.  I can't take that song seriously. LOL.


LOL, I'm guessing even back then it was a little over the top and probably designed to be like a prom/slow dance song. Don't get me wrong, I do like it (actually I even remember it playing on the soundsystem at Chuck E Cheese when I was 3 or 4 lol) but it's definitely cheesy.

I'm not a big Foreigner fan, but I love "I Wanna Know What Love is" and "I Don't Wanna Live Without You" as well as a couple of their upbeat '80s pop hits.

Sheena Easton - For Your Eyes Only

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BOWrm4xzQ0

"I Still Believe" by Brenda K. Starr has always been a guilty pleasure of mine, even when it was played on radio in 1988.

I used to like "Seasons Change", which I think was by the Cover Girls.  (Whistledog?...)

^Expose actually, and I love that song too. ;) Late Eighties and 1990ish ballads especially have that warm, soft and pleasant sound.

^Expose actually, and I love that song too. ;) Late Eighties and 1990ish ballads especially have that warm, soft and pleasant sound.

Thank you!  Marty to the rescue.  I wasn't lying when I said my memory is awful.  Now, my mother's name is Theresa.  I'm bound to forget it one of these days and I'm counting on you (or Whistledog) to remember.  ;D

Thank you!  Marty to the rescue.  I wasn't lying when I said my memory is awful.  Now, my mother's name is Theresa.  I'm bound to forget it one of these days and I'm counting on you (or Whistledog) to remember.  ;D


Hehe, it's cool but thanks. :) I'm sure everyone's mind just works in different ways. Sometimes I can't remember what I had for dinner two days ago, but I can still recall details of stuff I did when I was 4, lol. It's so weird how that works.

I used to like "Seasons Change", which I think was by the Cover Girls.  (Whistledog?...)


Man, I wished I'd gotten here sooner ;D

But just for the heck of it, Marty said Expose.  It's actually Exposé :D

Man, I wished I'd gotten here sooner ;D

But just for the heck of it, Marty said Expose.  It's actually Exposé :D

Thanks.  I've already Karma'd you today, so have a smiley:  http://www.inthe00s.com/smile/13/icon_flower.gif

Thanks.  I've already Karma'd you today, so have a smiley:  http://www.inthe00s.com/smile/13/icon_flower.gif


why thank you :)