Best 80s Soft Rock Songs For Your Wedding Playlist: Volume 2

If this is the first time you've visited my website and blog, welcome to my musical world. Producing these posts for my clients is very therapeutic to me. The truth of the matter is I love music and as your professional wedding DJ should you decide to get married in the holy city of Charleston, you'll be hiring a guy who will see to it that your soundtrack and playlist is the most memorable ever. Since the current iteration of my website went live nearly 2 years ago this July, I've managed to keep the blog full of DJ tips, playlist ideas, and other important audio and podcasts designed for brides and grooms seeking the best Charleston Wedding DJ. The traffic statistics to my blog do not go without notice and I've been reviewing in recent weeks some of the most popular posts. Back in April of 2017, I published a post for some dinner music ideas that included some of the biggest soft rock hits from the 80s.  Now, close to 14 months later, this post has become one of the top 5 most visited posts on my DJ blog. It's gotten traffic from all over the world.  For more musical inspiration, I clicked back over to this post to review some of the selections. I was reminded how awesome it was to grow up in the 80s and hear all these amazing soft rock artists.  Maybe if you are of a certain age, you'd think of a lot of these artists as your "parents music".  They might be, and believe me, you'll want to read on for an incredible 80s Soft Rock sequel.

Since there was so much traffic to the post I put up in the spring of 2017, I felt there was more of a demand for this genre of music than I originally thought. Plus, after reviewing the list from the original post, I realized that there were quite a few artists and songs that could make up another complete post.  So, for those brides and grooms planning the music for their Charleston wedding and need some musical inspiration, I give you the Best 80s Soft Rock Songs For Your Wedding Playlist: Volume 2  It's another great compilation of tunes you might consider adding into your Charleston wedding playlist, whether for the dinner music portion of the day or a few slow dances. Let's get started right now. :)

The Best 80s Soft Rock Songs Volume 2 From Charleston Wedding DJ Mike Bills Are On Spotify
If you are a modern bride or groom who are very much into their music and find themselves hanging out on Spotify all the time, you should head over there now and download this playlist. Once you get over to my Spotify profile, you'll also find a ton of other wedding playlists designed to help you plan the music for your upcoming wedding. Just search for DJ Mike Bills.

"Hello" | Lionel Richie
Lionel Richie had a knack for writing some of the most romantic lyrics and this song was no exception.  It went all the way to Number 3 in 1984 in America and spent 6 weeks at Number 1 in England.

"Biggest Part Of Me" | Ambrosia
Ambrosia had that distinct of adult contemporary radio back in the late 1970s and early 80s. I actually played this song at a wedding back in April at the Hyatt House.

"Straight From The Heart" | Bryan Adams
You might remember his break through album "Cuts Like A Knife" from the early 80s on MTV. This beautiful love song was the first single to drop from that record and was his first song to reach the Top 10.

"Almost Paradise" | Mike Reno & Ann Wilson
The love theme from one of the most iconic coming of age 80s movies would be the perfect addition to your Charleston wedding playlist. Mike Reno from Loverboy and Ann Wilson from Heart team up for a beautiful ballad for your wedding over at Kiawah Island, Middleton Place, or the Daniel Island Club

"Up Where We Belong" | Joe Cocker & Jennifer Warnes
Back in the summer of 1982,  this song broke on the radio all over America. From the soundtrack of the movie "An Officer And A Gentleman", Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes collaborated for a beautiful love song that reached Number 1. 

"Open Arms" | Journey
VH1 voted this song on their 25 Greatest Power Ballads list. "Faithfully" by Journey was on the first post last spring, so I definitely needed to add another Journey song onto this sequel post. It would be a beautiful slow dance song at your wedding over at Pepper Plantation or Harborside East.

"Everywhere" | Fleetwood Mac
"Everywhere" was one of the last singles to be released off Fleetwood Mac's 1987 album "Tango In The Night". It went all the way to Number 14 in early 1988.

"Leather & Lace" | Stevie Nicks & Don Henley
Stevie Nicks released her first solo album "Bella Donna" in 1981. This collaboration with Don Henley was a Top 10 hit back in the Fall of 1981.

"You Can't Hurry Love" | Phil Collins
Originally written and recorded by The Supremes in 1966, Phil Collins did a great cover of the song that was released in the latter part of 1982 and became his first Number 1 song as a solo artist in England in early 1983.

"Time After Time" | Cyndi Lauper
Released in early 1984, this wonderful love song was the follow-up to her break out song "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun". While "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" has been a Top 5 selection for the bouquet toss at Charleston weddings, "Time After Time" is an excellent choice for dinner and perhaps a nice slow dance.

"Crazy For You" | Madonna
"Crazy For You" was the first ballad released by Madonna. You might remember it from the classic 80s movie "Vision Quest".  Madonna did an excellent job on her first ballad, and it'll be a beautiful addition to your dinner music for your Charleston SC wedding.

"I Love You" | Climax Blues Band
The 2nd hit by the Climax Blues Band was a staple on early 80s adult contemporary radio and went all the way to the Top 20.

"Hey Nineteen" | Steely Dan
There is certainly nothing wrong with adding a little jazzy Steely Dan to your Charleston wedding playlist. "Hey Nineteen" is a perfect song to throw on during dinner.  "Hey Nineteen" went all the way to Number 10 in early 1981.

"Rosanna" | Toto
In doing the research for thiws blog post, I actually just learned that "Rosanna" was the first song to be released from Toto IV. Toto IV was the album that also had another huge 80s hit from Toto; "Africa". 'Rosanna" featured the very beautiful Cynthia Rhodes in the video, who later went on to marry another 80s soft rock artist Richard Marx.

"Something So Strong" | Crowded House
The follow-up to their breakout hit "Don't Dream It's Over" was far more fitting and uplifting for this post. "Something So Strong" puts me in a good mood and takes me back to those carefree days of 1987.

"Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" | Starship
You just got married to the one you love and are getting ready to start your new life together. From the movie "Mannequin", this song went all the way to Number 1 in the spring of 1987. It would be the perfect song to use for your send-off from your Charleston wedding. The video is a little cheesy, as was the movie, but you'll see why it's an excellent send-off song when you hear it :)

 "Head Over Heels" | Tears For Fears
The 3rd single from their album "Songs From The Big Chair" went all the way to Number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. 

"Waiting For A Girl Like You" | Foreigner
After their hard rocking 70s, Foreigner settled into a bit of an adult contemporary groove in the early 80s. "4" was their fourth album released in the summer of 1981. "Waiting For A Girl Like You" was the second song to break from the record and became one of the top power ballads of the 80s. 

"Drive" | The Cars
"Heartbeat City" was one of the biggest albums of the 80s. It was the 5th record to be released by the Cars, and this song was the 3rd single from it to be released in the spring of 1984.

"Through The Fire" | Chaka Khan
You could not go anywhere in the summer of 1985 without hearing this song. Released in the spring of 1985 from her album "I Feel For You", it went all the way to Number 15 on the Hot R&B charts.

"Glory Of Love" | Peter Cetera
All this talk of Ralph Macchio and William Zabka getting back together in Cobra Kai had me thinking me of this beautiful love song from Karate Kid II in the summer of 1986. This song went all the way to Number 1 in August of 1986.

"I'll Always Love You" | Taylor Dayne
Taylor Dayne got a nomination for Best Female R&B song with this beautiful track. After upbeat and pop singles like "Prove You Love" and "Tell It To My Heart", this was her single on the adult contemporary charts in the late summer and fall of 1988.

"Never Tear Us Apart" | INXS
"Never Tear Us Apart" was a beautiful and sexy ballad released in the late summer of 1988 off their multi-platinum selling album "Kick". It ended up hitting Number 7 on the Billboard charts in America.

"You Got It All" | The Jets
Originally written by Rupert Holmes (who gave us Escape / The Pina Colada Song), "You Got It All" went all the way to the Number 3 spot on the Billboard charts in early 1987.

"Don't Know Much" | Linda Ronstadt & Aaron Neville
Released in September of 1989, this song was one of the most beautiful duets of the 80s, and went all the way to Number 1 on the adult contemporary charts.

"I Just Called To Say I Love You" | Stevie Wonder
The great Stevie Wonder was still producing some of the most beautiful songs during the 1980s. You might remember this song from the movie soundtrack of The Woman In Red. It was released in the summer of 1984, and by that fall, the song had reached Number 1 on the adult contemporary charts. It'd be a beautiful song to play during dinner at your wedding reception over at Alhambra Hall.

"I Can Dream About You" | Dan Hartman
You might remember this song from the movie "Streets Of Fire" going back to 1984.  The song went all the way to Number 6 in the summer of 1984.

"More Love" | Kim Carnes
Originally written and released by Smoky Robinson & The Miracles back in 1967, Kim Carnes had the most well known cover in 1980.  The cover of the classic Motown song went all the way to the Top 10 in the summer of 1980.

"Little Jeannie" | Elton John
Little Jeannie was the 5th song by Elton John to become a Number 1 song on the Adult Contemporary. It was one of the first AC songs for Elton John in the early 80s, and began a string of 80s success,

"Islands In The Stream" | Kenny Rogers & Dolly Parton
The song was written by the Bee-Gee's, but in the summer of 1983, Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton teamed up for one of the biggest duets of the 80s.  The song would go on to Number 1 on the Country, Adult-Contemporary, and the Hot 100 charts.

Interested In Talking To Mike Bills About Being Your Wedding DJ?
So, we'll see how popular this 80s Soft Rock | The Sequel becomes in the coming days, months and years up on my blog. This post featured another 30 incredible soft rock songs from the 80s that you could easily consider adding into your Charleston wedding playlist. When I design the playlists for these posts, I go more for texture and lyrics than I do for it being a "typical" song you'd hear on a wedding playlist.  When you book your Charleston wedding DJ with Mike Bills Entertainment, you are given complete control over your playlist, so that you can be as different as you would like. It's important to remember that no two weddings are ever going to be the same when it comes to the music. Most couples are only planning to get married once, so make sure you hire the best Charleston wedding DJ who will be there for you from start to finish and help you create the absolute best soundtrack that will have you and your guests talking for many years after your big day here in Charleston. Are you recently engaged and maybe getting married  in the fall of 2018 or 2019 and are ready to begin interviewing who your DJ will be? Click HERE to tell me a little more about your big day. Thank you once again for making it to the end of another blog post and spending a little more time in my musical world.