# Top 50 New Wave Songs from NPR

[Markdown](https://www.cell-game.com/uploads/npr_new_wave1.md)

NPR made a questionable list of New Wave[^1] songs. Rather than having you search for each of them and playing them on youtube (what a pain it is to do that), you can play this playlist I made. Bonus, I linked to all the wikipedia pages for the songs (and where there are no song pages, I note and link to the page that talks about the song.

[^1] Don't know what New Wave is? It's a musical genre including rock, punk, and pop in the 80s. It included 80s bands like Duran Duran, Devo, INXS, and Pet Shop Boys.

Why do I consider this list questionable? I'm a pretty good judge of 80s music and this list is missing a lot. Having actually lived through this decade and having listened to the music through my life, I feel like the decisions on this list are made to give a greater variety and emphasis of innovation in New Wave. If you listen to [Trent Von's Save the Wave](https://www.c895.org/show/save-the-wave/) on a regular basis, you'll see that New Wave is a powerful genre with 50 better songs than the below list. But there's no harm in creating this list and then creating a better list.

[Top 50 New Wave Songs Of All Time (NPR)](https://www.npr.org/sections/monitormix/2009/12/top_50_new_wave_songs_of_all_t.html)

[New Wave Youtube Music Playlist](https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLqbt2YtcdLpPKXMqvuiNMoZwhap8bER2D)  
[New Wave Youtube Playlist](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLqbt2YtcdLpPKXMqvuiNMoZwhap8bER2D)


1. [Joy Division - Love Will tear Us Apart](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuuObGsB0No)  
    [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love_Will_Tear_Us_Apart)
2. [Siouxsie & The Banshees - Christine](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rtt_0OKzRek)  
    [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christine_(Siouxsie_and_the_Banshees_song))
3. [The Smiths - There Is A Light That Never Goes Out](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siO6dkqidc4)  
    [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/There_Is_a_Light_That_Never_Goes_Out)
4. [Ultravox - Vienna](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJeWySiuq1I)  
    [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vienna_(Ultravox_song))
5. [Romeo Void - Never Say Never](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4x0fPZrPV3M)  
    [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Never_Say_Never_(Romeo_Void_song))
6. [The Smiths - Bigmouth Strikes Again](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtzhvJh9NRY)  
    [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bigmouth_Strikes_Again)
7. [Echo And The Bunnymen - The Killing Moon](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWz0JC7afNQ)  
    [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Killing_Moon)
8. [Gary Numan - Cars](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Im3JzxlatUs)  
    [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cars_(song))
9. [New Order - Blue Monday](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1GxjzHm5us)  
    [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Monday_(New_Order_song))
10. [The B-52's - Rock Lobster](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vz65vonktMA)  
    [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_Lobster)
11. [Talking Heads - Psycho Killer](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eauZzwt8Ci8)  
    [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psycho_Killer)
12. [Peter Godwin - Images Of Heaven](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wog57sBn0b4)  
    [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Images_of_Heaven_(EP)) (no song page)
13. [New Order - Temptation](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxDv_RTdLQo)  
    [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temptation_(New_Order_song))
14. [Icicle Works - Birds Fly (Whisper To A Scream)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImJpqutxOmg)  
    [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birds_Fly_(Whisper_to_a_Scream))
15. [Gang Of Four - To Hell With Poverty](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsPDZmiNi_U)  
    [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gang_of_Four_(band)) (no song page)
16. [The Stranglers - Skin Deep](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aw9mEFn38to)  
    [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skin_Deep_(The_Stranglers_song))
17. [John Foxx - Underpass](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5Mbf9PV-hg)  
    [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Underpass_(song))
18. [Martha And The Muffins - Echo Beach](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfksKIVyTAY)  
    [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echo_Beach)
19. [The Only Ones - Another Girl, Another Planet](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilDD5SeHxXE)  
    [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Another_Girl,_Another_Planet)
20. [Yaz - Don't Go](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sQGwDeambg)  
    [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don%27t_Go_(Yazoo_song))
21. [The Specials - Ghost Town](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZ2oXzrnti4)  
    [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost_Town_(Specials_song))
22. [The Psychedelic Furs - Heaven](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4G_CAYf-itw)  
    [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heaven_(The_Psychedelic_Furs_song))
23. [Split Enz - I Got You](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiqBlKnb91A)  
    [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Got_You_(Split_Enz_song))
24. [The Chameleons U.K. - Swamp Thing](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vL48fXCTNx4)  
    [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strange_Times_(The_Chameleons_album)) (no song page)
25. [Tom Tom Club - Wordy Rappinghood](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHL8Vi8Edt4)  
    [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wordy_Rappinghood)
26. [Depeche Mode - Shake The Disease](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_0sL_SQYvw)  
    [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shake_the_Disease)
27. [Visage - Fade To Grey](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDetfpEmGNM)  
    [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fade_to_Grey_(Visage_song))
28. [Berlin - The Metro](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJZ8NH0HT_o)  
    [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Metro_(song))
29. [Alphaville - Forever Young](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNjQXmoxiQ8)  
    [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forever_Young_(Alphaville_song))
30. [Blondie - Heart Of Glass](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGU_4-5RaxU)  
    [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heart_of_Glass_(song))
31. [The English Beat - Mirror In The Bathroom](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3PwyGIZxX8)  
    [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirror_in_the_Bathroom)
32. [Duran Duran - Rio](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtEkUrIGsA8)  
    [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rio_(song))
33. [The Flying Lizards - Money](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-P2qL3qkzk)  
    [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Money_(That%27s_What_I_Want)) (no song page)
34. [XTC - Dear God](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p554R-Jq43A)  
    [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dear_God_(XTC_song))
35. [ABC - The Look Of Love (Part 1)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNEdxZURTaI)  
    [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Look_of_Love_(ABC_song))
36. [Q Feel - Dancing In Heaven (Orbital Bebop)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buANILN6asw)  
    [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Q-Feel) (no song page)
37. [Altered Images - I Could Be Happy](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfqPJp7Q7qE)  
    [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Could_Be_Happy)
38. [The Boomtown Rats - Rat Trap](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkParWYKjPc)  
    [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rat_Trap)
39. [B-Movie - Nowhere Girl](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8eA4pXV2Jsw)  
    [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nowhere_Girl_(song))
40. [Squeeze - Cool For Cats](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJ2cEc_TCH8)  
    [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cool_for_Cats_(song))
41. [The Cure - In Between Days](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDMDb8unsIA)  
    [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_Between_Days)
42. [Depeche Mode - Just Can't Get Enough](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6FBfAQ-NDE)  
    [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Just_Can%27t_Get_Enough_(Depeche_Mode_song))
43. [Devo - Whip It](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIEVqFB4WUo)  
    [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whip_It_(Devo_song))
44. [Public Image Ltd. - Public Image](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylOCIP54PIQ)  
    [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_Image_(song))
45. [Erasure - Oh Lamour](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFduy8qQIOg)  
    [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oh_L'amour)
46. [Freur - Doot Doot](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aexff90ZWiQ)  
    [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freur) (no song page)
47. [Lene Lovich - Lucky Number](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QB7XgVJPLPY)  
    [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucky_Number_(song))
48. [Bow Wow Wow - Do You Wanna Hold Me?](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07e5i-ycP_s)  
    [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bow_Wow_Wow) (no song page)
49. [Heaven 17 - Let Me Go](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zjt7poJXd4I)  
    [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Let_Me_Go_(Heaven_17_song))
50. [China Crisis - Working With Fire And Steel](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z355fLXBOSI)  
    [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Working_with_Fire_and_Steel_(song))