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As part of my Decades project, I counted down my own favorite albums of the year then explored other notable releases with which I was less familiar.

The year 1984 has the same top two artists as 1983, which says something about either my taste or the consistent greatness of R.E.M. and Talking Heads in the early 80s. Probably both. This was an incredible year for some of the 80s most iconic acts, including Bruce Springsteen, Prince, and Madonna.

Originally published: 2022 | Song of the Day posts featured: 20

My top five albums of 1984:

#1. Reckoning – R.E.M.

#2. Stop Making Sense – Talking Heads

#3. Purple Rain – Prince

#4. Like a Virgin – Madonna

#5. The Smiths – The Smiths

Other notable albums of 1984…

Reckless – Bryan Adams

All Over the Place – The Bangles

Heartbeat City – The Cars

Building the Perfect Beast – Don Henley

Zen Arcade – Hüsker Dü

How Will the Wolf Survive? – Los Lobos

Learning to Crawl – The Pretenders

Let It Be – The Replacements

Run-D.M.C. – Run-D.M.C.

Diamond Life – Sade

Born in the U.S.A. – Bruce Springsteen

Private Dancer – Tina Turner

The Unforgettable Fire – U2

Make It Big – Wham!

1984 – Van Halen