Faith remains a classic though not George Michael’s best in my opinion. What isn’t in doubt was he was a terrific singer in his lifetime.

Never Let Me Down Again is darker and more haunting than Everything Counts, further evidence of how Depeche Mode were evolving.

Paradise City from Guns N' Roses has something anthemic about it. It is one example of a band who were on fire from the off.

In Fairytale of New York, we have a duet between MacGowan and MacColl as they look back on a turbulent relationship that has now ended.

Looking at the lyrics to R.E.M.'s The One I Love it is clear that the narrator here is not offering flowers and chocolates to his beloved.

The Cure's Robert Smith described Just Like Heaven as a couple kissing with such passion that they pass out.

Yé ké yé ké is performed in Mandinka, a language spoken by the Mandkina people in Senegal, Gambia and Guinea.

Beds Are Burning addresses the injustice that has plagued the land since European settlers first arrived in the early 17th century.

Birthday reminded me of Björk’s later work as a solo artist, especially Hyperballad, with a sumptuous melody but peculiar lyrics.

Pump Up the Volume from M|A|R|R|S was a milestone of sorts in music history. It became an example of acid house which derived from Chicago.

Pet Shop Boys singer, Neil Tennant, wrote It’s a Sin as a way of exorcising demons from a Catholic school he went to as a child.

New Order's True Faith centres around drug addiction but juxtaposes the benefits with the dangers of narcotics.

Bring the Noise is said to have been written in part as a response to reviews of Public Enemy's debut album.

Push It has been interpreted by some listeners as concerning sex but the reality is actually they are looking at dancing here.

From what I could garner the song concerns Ali Farka Toure trying to woo a woman through the sheer power of his music.

The music kicks in and there's a desire to sing the Camarón of the title, as you would after a good meal and a few glasses of wine, I'm sure.

This Corrosion takes the idea that Sisterhood were essentially churning out mediocre substitutes of The Sisters of Mercy.

Bamboléo is actually reworked from Simon Diaz’s Cabalo vejo which appeared on our list back in 1980 if you can believe.

The Church's Under the Milky Way boasts images of the stars and a time of uncertainty, with the narrator in love and searching for someone.

Attencion Na SIDA was Franco’s epic commentary on a new threat to society that had become increasingly prevalent throughout the 1980s - AIDS.