First, there is a website called The List Universe which publishes lists on all sorts of topics and there are lots of fun lists to read there. If you like lists, that is a great site to check out. I saw one list there titled "Top 20 Most Beautiful Songs of the 80s" and it is a fairly decent list, but it is missing one very important song. You can click on the link to see the list which also includes some commentary as well as videos for most of the songs, but here is the list they published:
20. "Just Like Heaven" by The Cure
19. "Head Over Heels" by Tears for Fears
18. "Here's Where the Story Ends" by The Sundays
17. "Life in a Northern Town" by Dream Academy
16. "Pearly Dew Drops" by Cocteau Twins
15. "I Melt With You" by Modern English
14. "Inside Out" by Mighty Lemon Drops
13. "Hold Me Now" by The Thompson Twins
12. "There is Always Something There to Remind Me" by Naked Eyes
11. "In Your Eyes" by Peter Gabriel - Should be ranked much higher in my opinion
10. "It Must Be Love" by Madness
9. "Voices Carry" by ‘Til Tuesday
8. "Smalltown Boy" by Bronski Beat
7. "Cath" by The Bluebells
6. "Don't Dream It's Over" by Crowded House - One of my very favorites
5. "Our Lips Are Sealed" by The Go-Gos - Should not be on a list like this
4. "Ghost In You" by The Psychedelic Furs
3. "Lay Me Down" by Connells - Not familiar with this song at all
2. "True" by Spandau Ballet - One of my very favorites
1. "Time After Time" by Cyndi Lauper

I love "Time After Time" and cannot argue that it should be in one of the top spots along with "True." Those top two would probably at the top of my own list, too. If you have read some of my previous issues, you know that I would rank "In Your Eyes" at least in the top 5 knowing that it ranked #1 on my Top 50 Songs from 80s Movies list. There are probably several other songs which deserve to be included on this list, but that being said, there are two major songs obviously (and unfortunately) missing from this list all together.

The first is "Every Breath You Take" by The Police which I will discuss in an upcoming issue very soon, so I won't focus on that one here. The other is "With or Without You" by U2 which, in my opinion, is one of the most beautiful (and best) songs of all time, not just the 80s. I cannot believe it would not be included on this list. Here is a link to watch the video for "With or Without You" which is a live performance from their movie Rattle and Hum.

That leads me to another list that I thought I would take issue with. It is a list found on About.com authored by Steve Peake titled "Top 10 U2 Songs of the ‘80s." Again, you can click on that link to see the actual list and his commentary on each selection, but here is a summary of his top 10:
10. "One Tree Hill" (1987) from The Joshua Tree
9. "Trip Through Your Wires" (1987) from The Joshua Tree
8. "Red Hill Mining Town" (1987) from The Joshua Tree
7. "With or Without You" (1987) from The Joshua Tree
6. "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" (1987) from The Joshua Tree
5. "Where the Streets Have No Name" (1987) from The Joshua Tree
4. "Bad" (1984) from The Unforgettable Fire
3. "Pride (In the Name of Love)" (1984) from The Unforgettable Fire
2. "Sunday Bloody Sunday" (1983) from War
1. "I Will Follow" (1980) from Boy

Keep in mind this list is only from the 80s and U2 has had many, many outstanding songs since then which are not eligible for this list.  Now, I have to give him a little credit for trying not to choose all of the obvious greatest hits, but there are some issues I have to take with this list anyways. First, The Joshua Tree is one of the greatest albums of all time, but to have half the songs and 5 in a row all from the same album is a little odd.

Second, there is no representation from U2's final album released in the 80s which is the soundtrack to Rattle and Hum (1988). This album had three songs that should have been considered and at least one of them should have been included. Those songs would be "Angel of Harlem," "All I Want Is You" and "Desire." I would probably have included all 3 of them on my list, but it is odd that none of them made the About.com list.

There is a U2 song which is one of my personal favorites which I would include on my list even though it really gained popularity during its re-release on the 1998 compilation album titled The Best of 1980-1990. The song is called "Sweetest Thing" and it was originally released in 1987 as the b-side to "Where the Streets Have No Name," so it would qualify for this list. Here is a link to the video for "Sweetest Thing" in case you are not familiar with it.

Last, there is just no way that "With or Without You" can rank as low #7 on the list of U2's best songs from the 80s, let alone their all time best songs. It at least needs to appear in the top 3 and I would personally rank it #1. I know it is probably the obvious choice, but to me you have to give credit where it is due and this song is simply a masterpiece.

There you have it. Two different lists, both primarily criticized for where "With or Without You" was ranked (or not ranked). Whether you love this song as much as I do or not, you have to admit that it deserved to be highly ranked on both of these lists. Let me know if you have any comments on either of these lists or on my criticisms of them.

That'll wrap up another issue of Kickin' it Old School. Thanks for reading and if you liked it, please tell a friend. If you want to find some of my actual Top 10 lists, please click here (and you can criticize those if you like). If you want to find more of my 80s related issues, please click here. Peace and much love.

Check this out: Thought I would share another sign that I found humorous. This one threatens a fine, but if the first part is true then who will pay the fine?

Quote of the day: "People are the same everywhere. They're different only when they love somebody. That's the only thing that makes ‘em different." -William Soroyan from "Hello Out There"

Download this: The obvious recommendation is "With or Without You" by U2