I'll resist the urge to represent my man Rundgren in this thread with his biggest '80s hit "Bang on the Drum All Day," since everyone's heard it a million times during their drive home from work on Friday afternoon, so instead I'll throw in this cool Rundgren tune, recorded with his band Utopia:
Fix Your Gaze:
[youtube=425,350]ogPqsM8Sk3k[/youtube]
Crowded House are another favorite. They only managed to break one single through in the States ("Don't Dream It's Over"), but they achieved a lot more success everywhere else, and justly so. Niel Finn is one of our best songwriters, one of those guys that other musicians point to when asked to list their influences, and still putting out great stuff today. I think his writing has gotten better with the years, but since this is an '80s thread:
World Where You Live:
[youtube=425,350]chVPi-CZ34E[/youtube]
And another slab of quality '80s pop, courtesy of Prefab Sprout. This song and the album it came from were produced by Thomas Dolby, which automatically doubles the eighties-ness of it.
Appetite:
[youtube=425,350]NS0hpiN_z3g[/youtube]
Speaking of the redoubtable Mr. Dolby:
One of Our Submarines (I always wished this was the song that got released from his debut album instead of "Blinded Me With Science," as it's approximately 6000 times better):
[youtube=425,350]8OsZTJ5vfUs[/youtube]
Finally, an ear-bending piece from the 1980s lineup of King Crimson.
Frame By Frame:
[youtube=425,350]0mPlAr0Y62o[/youtube]