Billy Squire - The Stroke
The Scorpions - The Zoo
Der Kommisar - After the Fire
The Clash - Rock the Casbah
The Clash - Should I Stay or Should I Go
The Clash - London Calling
The Clash - Train in Vain
The Cult - Electric (entire album)
The Violent Femmes - The Violent Femmes (entire album)
The Cure - Why Can't I Be You and Entire albums: Fascination Street, Mixed Up, Standing on the Beach The Singles
Def Leppard - Bringin' on the Heartbreak
David Bowie - China Girl, Young Americans, and Lets Dance
Depeche Mode - Violator (entire album)
Dexy's Midnight Runners - Come on Elieen
Dino - I Like It (the first "boy band" sound, but classic)
Duran Duran - Girls on Film
The Fixx - One thing Leads to Another and Less Than Zero
Inxs - Kick (entire album)
Lindsay Buckingham - I Think I'm in Trouble and Go Insane
Loverboy - Lovin' Every Minute of It, Turn Me Loose, Workin' for the Weekend
Paul Young - Come Back and Stay
The Police, Journey - Anything pre-1987
Power Station / Robert Palmer - Anything pre-1987
The Robert Cray Band - Smoking Gun
The Smiths - How Soon is Now
Talk Talk - Talk Talk, Its My Life
Thomas Dolby - She Blinded Me Wtih Science
Timbuk 3 - I Wanna Be A Cowboy
Tom Petty - Anything pre 1987
World Party - Ship of Fools
Young MC - Bust a Move
Greg Khin Band - Jeopardy
Wall of Voodoo - Mexican Radio
Killing Joke - '80s
Murray Head - One Night in Bangkok
Tommy Twotone - Jenny 8675309
Steve Miller Band - Abacadabra
Cry - Godley & Cream
Alan Parsons Project - Eye in the Sky, Games People Play, I Wouldn't Want to Be Like You
The Church - Under the Milky Way
Dead or Alive - You Spin Me Round
Elton John - I'm Still Standing
John Parar - Naughty Naughty
Michael Jackson - Anything off Thriller
Rolling Stones - Undercover of the Night, Waiting on a Friend
Modern Lovers - Pablo Picasso
Circle Jerks - When the Shit Hits the Fan
Pet Shop Boys - Opportunities, West End Girls
Tone Loc - Funky Cold Medina, Wild Thing
Sammy Hagar - Fast Times at Ridgemont High, I CAn't Drive 55
Stewart Copland - Don't Box Me In
Styx - Renegade, Too Much Time on My Hands, Mr. Roboto
U2 - Absolutely nothing after 1983 when they started sucking real bad
Van Halen - absolutely nothing after David Lee Roth left
The Little River Band - Man on your Mind
While I consider them more of the 70s (or very early 80s before arcades really started surfacing everywhere), I'd sprinkle in some of the following for good measure:
Bad company - anything on the greatest hits
Blue Oyster Cult - Don't Fear the REaper, Godzilla, I'm Burning for You
Fleetwood Mac - Tusk
Cheap Trick - I Want You To Want Me
David Bowie - Suffragette City
Foreigner - Anything
Heart - Magic Man, Straight On, Crazy On You
Rick Derringer - Rock and Roll Hoochie Koo
Ted Nugent - STrangehold
I revisit the original post after creating this list and realize you want 1 ultimate song. These are all "ultimate" songs. Taken out of typical 80s playlists is all the obvious shit that those of us who lived '80s are probably sick of, and the stuff that stands the test of time and never gets old is in my list. At least, according to me.
- M1A