In 1984, Cyndi Lauper topped the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks with “Time After Time.” Fittingly, given its title, the song has been remade by numerous artists, with one cover, by INOJ, returning the song to the top 10, in 1998.
The song is one of 16 that hit the Hot 100’s top 10 in the 1980s and have since been covered… with a remake likewise reaching the chart’s top tier, reinforcing their appeal years after their original runs as hits.
The first two such occurrences happened within the ‘80s. Lipps, Inc.’s “Funkytown” crowned the Hot 100 for four weeks in 1980, while Pseudo Echo’s version hit No. 6 in 1987. Plus, Willie Nelson’s “Always on My Mind” reached No. 5 in 1982, while Pet Shop Boys’ hi-NRG interpretation rose to No. 4 in 1988. (Elvis Presley first charted with the song, taking it to No. 16 on Hot Country Songs in 1972.)
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Following those two remakes, nine covers of ‘80s Hot 100 top 10s hit the top 10 in the ‘90s; three did so in the 2000s; and one did in the ‘10s. Newest on the list is Luke Combs’ version of Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car.” Chapman’s original rode to No. 6 in 1988, while Combs’ cover makes its first appearance in the tier, at No. 9, on the May 27, 2023-dated chart.
While Combs’ version adheres to the feel of Chapman’s organic original, Pet Shop Boys’ strategy of transforming a ballad into a dance anthem has helped other Hot 100 top 10s revisit the bracket, making for familiar, if extreme, makeovers. DJ Sammy & Yanou and D.H.T.’s updates of Bryan Adams’ “Heaven” and Roxette’s “Listen to Your Heart,” respectively, offered listeners two options, with each remake released as a ballad and in an uptempo, club-ready mix.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, originals have more often charted higher than respective remakes, with, of the first 15 such double-ups, the original Hot 100 top 10s peaking at higher ranks than their top 10 covers in 11 instances.
Also notably, three such remakes are by, or include, artists on the original versions: “Hard To Say I’m Sorry,” by Chicago and then Az Yet, featuring former Chicago lead singer Peter Cetera; “Candle in the Wind,” by Elton John, thanks to his live recording and tribute version to Princess Diana; and “We Are the World,” with writers Lionel Richie and Michael Jackson both having roles in the remake.
Check out the list below of enduring compositions that first hit the Hot 100’s top 10 in the ‘80s and have since returned to the region via remakes. (The rundown includes only straightforward covers, not samples or interpolations.) The songs span from the first No. 1 on the first chart of the ‘80s, by KC and the Sunshine Band, to Combs taking “Fast Car” for its latest chart spin.
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“Funkytown”
Image Credit: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images Lipps, Inc. (pictured): No. 1 (four weeks), beginning May 31, 1980
Pseudo Echo: No. 6, July 18, 1987 -
“Always on My Mind”
Image Credit: Michael Putland/Getty Images Willie Nelson: No. 5, June 12, 1982
Pet Shop Boys (pictured): No. 4, May 21, 1988 -
“Please Don't Go”
Image Credit: Brian D. McLaughlin/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images KC and the Sunshine Band (pictured): No. 1, one week, Jan. 5, 1980
K.W.S.: No. 6, Oct. 17, 1992 -
“Endless Love”
Image Credit: George Rose/Getty Images Diana Ross & Lionel Richie (pictured): No. 1 (nine weeks), beginning Aug. 15, 1981
Luther Vandross & Mariah Carey: No. 2, Oct. 1, 1994 -
“Sukiyaki”
Image Credit: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images A Taste of Honey: No. 3, June 13, 1981
4 P.M.: No. 8, Feb. 4, 1995Notably, the song is the only one on this list that has hit the Hot 100’s top 10 three times – Kyu Sakamoto first sent the classic to No. 1 for three weeks, beginning June 15, 1963.
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“Total Eclipse of the Heart”
Image Credit: Courtesy Photo Bonnie Tyler (pictured): No. 1 (four weeks), beginning Oct. 1, 1983
Nicki French: No. 2, June 24, 1995 -
“Hard to Say I'm Sorry”
Image Credit: Rick Diamond/Getty Images Chicago (pictured): No. 1 (two weeks), beginning Sept. 11, 1982
Az Yet feat. Peter Cetera: No. 8, May 3, 1997 -
“Candle in the Wind”
Image Credit: Anwar Hussein/Getty Images Elton John: No. 6, Jan. 23, 1988
Elton John: No. 1 (14 weeks), beginning Oct. 11, 1997 (as “Candle in the Wind 1997”/“Something About the Way You Look Tonight”) -
“All Cried Out”
Image Credit: John Nordell/Getty Images Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam with Full Force feat. Paul Anthony & Bow Legged Lou (pictured: Lisa Lisa): No. 8, Oct. 25, 1986
Allure feat. 112: No. 4, Nov. 22, 1997 -
“Cruel Summer”
Image Credit: Rob Verhorst/Redferns Bananarama (pictured): No. 9, Sept. 29, 1984
Ace of Base: No. 10, Aug. 22, 1998 -
“Time After Time”
Image Credit: Gary Gershoff/Getty Images Cyndi Lauper (pictured): No. 1 (two weeks), beginning June 9, 1984
INOJ: No. 6, Sept. 26, 1998 -
“Heaven”
Image Credit: Fin Costello/Redferns Bryan Adams (pictured): No. 1 (two weeks), June 22, 1985
DJ Sammy & Yanou feat. Do: No. 8, Aug. 10, 2002 -
“Listen to Your Heart”
Image Credit: Mike Prior/Getty Images Roxette (pictured): No. 1 (one week), Nov. 4, 1989
D.H.T.: No. 8, Aug. 20, 2005 -
“Don’t Stop Believin’ ”
Image Credit: Adam Rose / © Fox / Courtesy: Everett Collection Journey: No. 9, Dec. 19, 1981
Glee Cast (pictured): No. 4, June 6, 2009 -
“We Are the World”
Image Credit: Bettmann/Getty Images USA for Africa (pictured): No. 1 (four weeks), April 13, 1985
Artists for Haiti: No. 2, Feb. 27, 2010 (as “We Are the World 25: For Haiti”) -
“Fast Car”
Image Credit: William F. Campbell/Getty Images Tracy Chapman (pictured): No. 6, Aug. 27, 1988
Luke Combs: No. 9 (to-date), May 27, 2023