The second most underrated song of the 1980s, according to Chris Dalla Riva’s analysis, is ‘Once in a Lifetime’ by Talking Heads. This was the first single from the band’s celebrated 1980 album Remain in Light.
This song has the same jam-heavy Afrobeat aesthetic as the rest of the album, but its soaring chorus and disarming spoken-word verses made it stand out as something close to a hummable hit. It reached the top 20 in the UK upon its release despite not breaking into the Hot 100 in the United States. A live recording from the Stop Making Sense concert film did crack that list several years later.
Seeing Talking Heads high on this list is no surprise. The band is one of the most critically-acclaimed of the era, and they have a tiny footprint today. That’s changed a bit in recent months with a remastered rerelease (and accompanying video) of ‘Psycho Killer.’ That is the band’s most-streamed song, followed (after a big drop-off) by ‘This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody).’
I’m happy to see ‘This Must Be the Place’ up there, as it’s one of my all-time favorite songs, but I’m sad to see it has fewer lifetime streams than a Morgan Wallen deep cut.
You may find yourself
Living in a shotgun shack
And you may find yourself
In another part of the world
And you may find yourself
Behind the wheel of a large automobile
And you may find yourself in a beautiful house
With a beautiful wife
And you may ask yourself
“Well … how did I get here?”
[Chorus 1]
Letting the days go by
Let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by
Water flowing underground
Into the blue again
After the money’s gone
Once in a lifetime
Water flowing underground
[Verse 2]
And you may ask yourself
“How do I work this?”
And you may ask yourself
“Where is that large automobile?”
And you may tell yourself
“This is not my beautiful house!”
And you may tell yourself
“This is not my beautiful wife!”
[Chorus 1]
Letting the days go by
Let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by
Water flowing underground
Into the blue again
After the money’s gone
Once in a lifetime
Water flowing underground
[Bridge]
Same as it ever was
Same as it ever was
Same as it ever was
Same as it ever was
Same as it ever was
Same as it ever was
Same as it ever was
Same as it ever was
[Verse 3]
Water dissolving, and water removing
There is water at the bottom of the ocean
Under the water, carry the water
Remove the water at the bottom of the ocean
Water dissolving, and water removing
[Chorus 2]
Letting the days go by
Let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by
Water flowing underground
Into the blue again
Into the silent water
Under the rocks and stones
There is water underground
Letting the days go by
Let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by
Water flowing underground
Into the blue again
After the money’s gone
Once in a lifetime
Water flowing underground
[Verse 4]
You may ask yourself
“What is that beautiful house?”
You may ask yourself
“Where does that highway go to?”
And you may ask yourself
“Am I right? Am I wrong?”
And you may say to yourself
“My God! What have I done?!”
[Chorus 2]
Letting the days go by
Let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by
Water flowing underground
Into the blue again
Into the silent water
Under the rocks and stones
There is water underground
Letting the days go by
Let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by
Water flowing underground
Into the blue again
After the money’s gone
Once in a lifetime
Water flowing underground
[Outro]
Same as it ever was
Same as it ever was
Same as it, ever was
And look where my hand was
Time isn’t holding up
Time isn’t after us
Same as it ever was
Same as it ever was
Same as it ever was
Same as it ever was
Same as it ever was
Same as it ever was
Letting the days go by
Same as it ever was
And here, a twister comes, here comes the twister
Same as it ever was (Letting the days go by)
Same as it ever was
Same as it ever was (Letting the days go by)
Same as it ever was
Once in a lifetime
Let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by
Water flowing underground
Into the blue again
Meet Me In Montauk 
While this is a fun exercise, I question the accuracy of this analysis when it is based on present day streaming. The average age of the majority of streamers is probably younger than 40 while those most likely to be listening to the Talking Heads are probably in their 50s and 60s, and they are likely listening to their old records or CDs.
Certainly, there are 80s songs that have sparked more interest (and streams) by being included in a movie soundtrack or covered by a younger artist (such as Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car”). Indeed, I suspect streams of “Burning Down the House” surged after this video of David Byrne joining Olivio Rodrigo onstage went viral:
I suspect streaming is more prevalent among older age groups than you think. And some of the physical media still being sold (vinyl, or deluxe CD editions) is going to younger listeners.