Best 1980s Funk Songs — List of 80s Funk and Disco Tracks
A list of the best 1980s funk songs and disco classics — 12 essential tracks, each linked to the album.
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1ZA
More Bounce to the Ounce
Talk-box electro-funk that shaped hip-hop.
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2DR
I'm Coming Out
Chic production and a gay-anthem-in-waiting.
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3DR
Upside Down
Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards turn Motown into disco.
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4K&
Celebration
The most-played wedding song with no plans to apologise for it.
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5ZA
Doo Wa Ditty (Blow That Thing)
Roger Troutman's talk-box on its debut — irresistible.
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6RJ
Super Freak
The most sampled verse in hip-hop history, and still the best.
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7GJ
Pull Up to the Bumper
Coolly menacing post-disco from Compass Point.
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8RJ
Give It to Me Baby
The groove that opened the album and set the decade.
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9GB
You Dropped a Bomb on Me
Explosive, synth-driven party funk.
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10PR
Forget Me Nots
The bassline that launched a thousand samples.
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11GB
Outstanding
A slow-jam standard that defined the early '80s R&B ballad.
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12CA
Word Up!
The synth-funk landmark with the most copied bassline of the decade.
Tap the artwork or "Listen" to find the track on Amazon Music; "Watch" opens a YouTube search; the song title opens its album page. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases and sign-ups.