Gen X 80s Top 20 Countdown

This week, the Gen X 80s Top 20 Countdown rewinds to September 15, 1984; a moment when pop ruled the roller rinks and your boombox doubled as your best friend. From swaggering arena rock and glam-fueled anthems to synthesizer seductions and soul-drenched slow jams, this chart was the soundtrack to Aqua Net adolescence and after-school longing. You’ll hear from Prince, Tina, Bruce, Cyndi, Huey, and a ghost-busting hit that still spa...

Flowback 20 will officially land Friday, August 1st. From Gen X Productions comes a brand-new hip-hop countdown podcast hosted by Tré, rewinding to a legendary week from the 90s or 00s every other Friday and breaking down the Top 20 rap tracks that ruled the charts, the streets, and the moment. This teaser sets the tone, builds the hype, and gives you a taste of what’s to come.

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This week on Gen X 80s Top 20 Countdown UK, we rewind to April 24, 1987; a chart where passion pulsed under polish, and pop dared to get personal. From Madonna’s sun-drenched dreamscape to U2’s aching intensity, this countdown is a collision of slow burns and big swings. Bon Jovi rides the storm, The Smiths sharpen their wit, Terence Trent D’Arby makes his debut, and Glenn & Chris do… whatever that was.

It’s a lineup of ball...

It’s late April 1987, and the charts are pulsing with neon dreams, brooding vocals, and pop hooks you could hang your acid-wash jeans on. From the pounding urgency of arena legends to sultry tropical fantasies and smooth, shoulder-padded R&B, this countdown is pure late-’80s perfection. You’ll hear iconic duets, unexpected comebacks, and the kind of saxophone solos that practically fog up the tape deck. Whether you were cruisin...

The 90s weren’t just a vibe, they were a full-on cultural reset. And now, there’s a brand-new podcast to prove it. From the creators of the Gen X 80s Top 20 Countdown comes a brand-new weekly show dedicated to the music, memories, and mixtape mayhem of the 1990s.

This special teaser episode drops three iconic tracks from across the decade, Lauryn Hill, Radiohead, and Whitney Houston, and gives you a taste of what’s to come: real...

Madonna, Marillion, Midge Ure, and Mick Jagger? The UK charts of September 27, 1985, were overflowing with bold pairings, power ballads, and synth-powered bangers. This week’s Gen X 80s Top 20 Countdown UK takes you from the pulsing defiance of “Trapped” to the neon melancholy of “Drive,” with side-trips through Italo disco, orchestral soul, and pop theatre. It’s Bowie and Jagger colliding, Bonnie Tyler howling for a hero, and a se...

This week on Gen X 80s Top 20 Countdown, we’re rewinding to September 19, 1981, a chart full of big emotions, slick production, and the transitional sound of a decade stretching its legs. Diana Ross and Lionel Richie rule the top with a duet that still echoes through time, while Stevie Nicks and Tom Petty bring rock chemistry to a slow burn. Juice Newton, Foreigner, and Journey add heartbreak and horsepower, while the Stones swagge...

This week, we’re flashing back to the final stretch of summer 1983, when Billie Jean still owned the dance floor, Little Red Corvettes were running red lights in our imaginations, and every mixtape had at least one British accent and a synth line that sounded like the future. From Dexys’ suspenders to Thomas Dolby’s mad-scientist charm, this countdown is pure Gen X magic: theatrical, emotional, and ready to make you feel things und...

This week, we’re flashing back to the final stretch of summer 1983, when Billie Jean still owned the dance floor, Little Red Corvettes were running red lights in our imaginations, and every mixtape had at least one British accent and a synth line that sounded like the future. From Dexys’ suspenders to Thomas Dolby’s mad-scientist charm, this countdown is pure Gen X magic: theatrical, emotional, and ready to make you feel things und...

The final stretch of our Top 100 80s Gay Pride Songs is here; and it’s everything. From Bronski Beat’s defiant “Smalltown Boy” to Madonna’s bedroom-pop rebellion, these last 20 tracks are a glittering parade of power, heartbreak, ecstasy, and evolution. This is where dance floor freedom met personal revolution. Where “I’m Coming Out” was more than a lyric; it was a mission. Where synths soared, voices roared, and being yourself mea...

This week in 1986, the UK charts were built on contradictions: glossy American imports crashing into grimy warehouse beats, new wave holdouts brushing shoulders with hip-hop pioneers, and heartbreak ballads nestled between synth-funk experiments. It was a chart of street-smart seduction and high-gloss rebellion, where mixtapes mattered and Top of the Pops still shaped fashion. From The Communards to Cameo, Jermaine Stewart to Run D...

The fall of 1986 was a storm of soft leather, sharp eyeliner, and synths that knew how to seduce. Janet Jackson stormed into her first number one, Lionel Richie turned the ceiling into a dance floor, and Berlin’s “Top Gun” slow-burn made every mixtape feel cinematic. This week’s countdown is a time capsule of velvet grooves, new wave power, and unlikely pop crossovers, from Eurythmics howling with purpose to Don Johnson crooning li...

The penultimate chapter in our Pride Month celebration brings the heat, the heart, and the high-energy heroics. This set of 20 tracks includes underground club staples, unapologetic radio hits, and drag runway essentials that helped define queer joy in the 80s. From Divine’s camp swagger to Queen and Bowie’s urgent harmonies, these were the songs that soundtracked liberation, flirtation, and fearless self-expression. As we move clo...

The UK charts on May 11, 1984 were packed with emotional ballads, bold statements, and pure pop adrenaline. Duran Duran flexed their muscle with “The Reflex,” Phil Collins broke our hearts with cinematic flair, and Queen brought gender politics to the mainstream in one of their most iconic videos. From funk to synthpop to a country legend duet, this was a week where genre lines blurred and the dancefloor told every story. The Gen X...

The second week of May 1984 gave us more than just hits, it gave us moments. This countdown moves from the edge of rebellion to the center of the slow dance floor, with tracks that tore us open and stitched us back together. From Cyndi’s quiet promise to Lionel’s unforgettable question, this week’s chart holds heartbreak, celebration, and the sound of youth stretching toward something it couldn’t quite name.

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This week in the Gen X 80s Top 20 Countdown Vault, we’re back with Part 3 of our special Pride Month series: the Top 100 80s Gay Pride Songs.

We’re counting down tracks 60 through 41, and it’s a vibrant mix of bedroom anthems, club classics, and radio smashes that carried a generation through the shadows and into the light. From Cyndi Lauper and Grace Jones to Cher and Elton John, these songs didn’t just make us dance, they made...

This week, we rewind to October 15, 1982, a UK chart soaked in contradictions and bursting with personality. Culture Club was breaking boundaries, The Beatles were back from the vault, and synth-pop stood side by side with soul, ska, and even a dose of Fame. From Ultravox’s urgent anthems to Musical Youth’s ganja-free groove, it’s a countdown full of energy, rebellion, and unforgettable hooks.

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A crisp October breeze, neon daydreams, and one unforgettable week in 1982. This countdown brings together rock legends, synth-pop pioneers, and ballads that still sting decades later. From the rooftop anthems of Fleetwood Mac to the slow-burn soul of Michael McDonald, we relive the songs that soundtracked our youth, and told us to hold on just a little longer. Plus, a cinematic showdown, a seagull invasion, and the small-town love...

In this second installment of our special Pride Month series, we count down songs 80 to 61 from the Top 100 80s Gay Pride Songs. These tracks weren’t just hits, they were lifelines. We’re talking club anthems, bedroom whispers, and mirrorball mantras from artists like Diana Ross, Donna Summer, Madonna, Soft Cell, and Kylie Minogue. From New York’s underground to London’s queer discos, thi...