The final underrated 80s song is the first one that’s completely new to me. And it’s a great find, the sort of song I love to discover through writing this blog.
‘Under the Milky Way’ is the only U.S.-charting song by Australian alternative band The Church. The band has been recording for nearly 45 years and has released more than two dozen albums, including their latest just last year. This song was the first single from their 1988 album Starfish.
I was surprised to see today’s SOTD on the list of most underrated 80s songs. Not because of its critical acclaim, which is richly deserved, but because I figured it remained pretty well known today.
In fact, it is the fourth-least streamed song on the list, a sad state of affairs for an iconic 80s staple.
The next underrated 80s song is a case of widespread critical acclaim not being paired with commercial success. This song — ‘Just Like Honey’ by The Jesus and Mary Chain — wasn’t played much in 1985, let alone 2025.
The Scottish alt-rockers had a dozen Top 40 hits in the UK, and many more just outside the Top 40, but they had very little penetration in the U.S. I listened to a half dozen of their most popular songs and didn’t recognize one.
The next song on the list of underrated 80s classics is ‘Our Lips are Sealed,’ the first American single by New Wave/pop band The Go-Go’s. This was the first track and lead-off single of Beauty and the Beat, the band’s first and most successful album.
‘Our Lips are Sealed’ reached #20 on the Billboard Hot 100 the same year ‘We Got the Beat’ made it to #2. Today, ‘We Got the Beat’ is the most-streamed Go-Go’s song, with ‘Our Lips are Sealed’ a bit below it. Neither receives much activity at all.
Continuing my look at the most underrated songs of the 80s (as determined by writer Chris Dalla Riva), #6 on the list is David Bowie’s ‘Ashes to Ashes.’
This song was the first single on Bowie’s 1980 album Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) and went to #1 in the UK but fell just short of cracking the Hot 100 in the U.S. The video received a fair amount of airplay — which is good, because at the time it was the most expensive ever made. Watching it, that’s hard to believe.
Meet Me In Montauk 