10 Biggest Rock Songs From Every Year Of The 1980s

By 1984, the decade was in full fun-loving swing. Neon was everywhere, people’s hair was getting dangerously large, and music was pretty much wall-to-wall synths at this point. Casio must have been raking it in.

Van Halen, who had very much been a guitar band up to this point, decided to hop on the trend with their song Jump, the lead single from their album… 1984. Wow, real original name there, guys. This savvy choice paid off, because Jump was a total smash.

Its infectious synth line wormed its way into the hearts of millions of music lovers across the globe, regardless of whether they were already fans of the band. Whilst some people might have seen this as selling out, most folks didn’t care. Jump was great, and they were going to buy it. 

It topped the charts in the US and featured in top tens in the UK, Argentina, Ireland, France, and more. It would also find a home in sports stadiums across the world, either as walk-on music for teams or celebration music for goals, touchdowns, and home runs. 

Sometimes, it pays to follow what’s popular.