10 '80s Songs You Totally Forgot Were Great

10. Steve Winwood: Higher Love (1986)

Steve Winwood had quite the career before he ever reached solo success in the '80s. Throughout the '60s his group, Traffic, gained a name for themselves playing psychedelic rock, before morphing into a prog group. Winwood played with the likes of Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker, and was even pulled in to play keys, on Jimi Hendrix's Electric Ladyland (1968).

During the '70s Winwood left Traffic to focus on his efforts as a session musician. He played on a number of notable albums and acted as ghostwriter for numerous musicians. But by the '80s, mounting pressure from his record label, led him to pursue a solo career. As far back as the late '60s he'd been a proponent of the synthesiser, so when it became the instrument of the moment, he had no trouble getting on board.

Winwood's notable hits included Valerie - which found new life in 2004, with Eric Prydz's Call on Me (we all remember that video). But his synth pop magnum opus came in the form of Higher Love. It's so irresistibly feel good, it's near impossible not to adopt a shameless degree of confidence as you belt-out the chorus.