There are songs you remember because you loved them. And then there are songs that seem to carry an entire summer inside them.

Hear the opening notes decades later and suddenly you’re back in the car with the windows down, sitting beside a swimming pool, walking through a crowded amusement park, or listening to a portable radio on a hot afternoon.

During the 1980s, radio was still one of the great shared experiences. When a record became a huge summer hit, you didn’t just hear it once or twice. You heard it everywhere.

So let’s turn the dial back and revisit ten summers of the 1980s through ten unforgettable songs—one from every year.

Summer 1980: “Magic” — Olivia Newton-John

The new decade began with Olivia Newton-John seemingly everywhere.

“Magic,” from the soundtrack to Xanadu, reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in August 1980 and remained there for four weeks.

The movie may not have become the classic its creators hoped for, but the song certainly endured.

Smooth, dreamy and unmistakably early-’80s, “Magic” was exactly the kind of record you could hear coming from an FM radio beside the swimming pool or through the open windows of a passing car.

It was also a perfect bridge between the softer pop sounds of the late 1970s and the new decade that was beginning to take shape.

The sound of summer 1980: Olivia Newton-John reminding everyone that the ’80s had officially arrived.

Summer 1981: “Jessie’s Girl” — Rick Springfield

By the summer of 1981, Rick Springfield had one of those songs that seemed impossible to escape.

“Jessie’s Girl” had been climbing the charts throughout the spring before finally reaching No. 1 in August.

And what a summer song it became.

That instantly recognizable guitar riff sounded fantastic coming through a car radio, and the chorus was practically designed to be sung at full volume.

Springfield was also appearing regularly on television, which only added to his popularity.

For anyone who experienced the summer of 1981, hearing “Jessie’s Girl” today can feel like opening a musical time capsule.

Summer 1982: “Eye of the Tiger” — Survivor

Few songs are as closely connected to a particular moment in the 1980s as Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger.”

Written for Rocky III, the song exploded during the summer of 1982.

It reached No. 1 in July and stayed there for six consecutive weeks, dominating much of July and August.

And it was everywhere.

Radios. Beaches. Gyms. Arcades. Cars. Swimming pools.

That opening guitar riff alone could make you feel as though something important was about to happen.

More than four decades later, it remains one of the most instantly recognizable songs of the decade.

If you had an FM radio turned on during the summer of 1982, avoiding “Eye of the Tiger” would have been nearly impossible.

Not that anyone was complaining.

Summer 1983: “Every Breath You Take” — The Police

Summer 1983 belonged to The Police.

“Every Breath You Take” reached No. 1 in July and remained there for an incredible eight weeks.

For much of the summer, it seemed to be playing everywhere.

Its distinctive guitar line and Sting’s restrained vocal gave the song a sound unlike almost anything else on Top 40 radio.

Interestingly, despite often being remembered as a romantic song, its lyrics tell a much darker story of obsession and surveillance.

But during the summer of 1983, most listeners weren’t analyzing the lyrics.

They were simply turning up the radio.

And if you spent that summer near an FM receiver, chances are “Every Breath You Take” became part of your soundtrack.

Summer 1984: “When Doves Cry” — Prince

Choosing only one song from the summer of 1984 is almost unfair.

This was the summer of Bruce Springsteen, Tina Turner, Ray Parker Jr., Cyndi Lauper, Lionel Richie, Duran Duran and countless other huge records.

But one song stands above almost all of them.

“When Doves Cry.”

Released as the lead single from Purple Rain, Prince’s groundbreaking hit reached No. 1 in July and remained there for five weeks.

It sounded strange, modern and completely unlike the conventional pop records surrounding it.

And with Purple Rain becoming a cultural phenomenon that summer, Prince seemed to be everywhere.

Radio.

MTV.

Movie theaters.

Record stores.

The summer of 1984 was one of the greatest summers in pop music history, and “When Doves Cry” sits right at the center of it.

Summer 1985: “Shout” — Tears for Fears

By 1985, the sound of the decade had fully arrived.

Big drums.

Synthesizers.

Huge choruses.

And few records captured that sound better than Tears for Fears’ “Shout.”

The song reached No. 1 in August 1985 and remained there for three weeks.

Turn on the radio that summer and you were also likely to hear Madonna, Duran Duran, Bryan Adams, Phil Collins and Huey Lewis & The News.

But “Shout” had something special.

Those enormous drums and the unforgettable chorus sounded spectacular coming through a good FM stereo.

Summer 1985 also brought Back to the Future to movie theaters, Live Aid to television screens and some of the decade’s most memorable music to the radio.

“Shout” fits perfectly into that moment.

Summer 1986: “Papa Don’t Preach” — Madonna

By the summer of 1986, Madonna wasn’t simply a successful pop singer.

She was one of the biggest stars in the world.

“Papa Don’t Preach” arrived that summer and quickly became one of the most talked-about records on radio.

The song reached No. 1 in August and remained there for two weeks.

Its dramatic strings, driving rhythm and controversial storyline made it stand apart from much of what surrounded it on Top 40 radio.

And the video received enormous exposure on MTV.

Madonna had already defined much of the first half of the decade, but the summer of 1986 demonstrated that her dominance was nowhere near finished.

If you were listening to pop radio that August, Madonna was unavoidable.

Summer 1987: “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)” — Whitney Houston

Some songs simply sound like summer.

Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” is one of them.

Bright, energetic and impossible to sit still through, the song became one of the defining records of 1987.

It reached No. 1 in late June and remained there for two weeks as summer officially began.

Whitney’s enormous voice combined with the upbeat production created exactly the kind of song that belonged at swimming pools, parties, amusement parks and inside cars with the windows rolled down.

There are plenty of sophisticated arguments that can be made about what constituted the best music of 1987.

But sometimes summer doesn’t need sophisticated.

Sometimes you just need a song that makes you want to dance.

Summer 1988: “Roll with It” — Steve Winwood

Steve Winwood was already a veteran musician by the time the 1980s arrived, but during the second half of the decade he experienced an extraordinary pop resurgence.

“Roll with It” became one of his biggest hits.

The song reached No. 1 in July 1988 and remained there for four weeks, carrying it straight through the heart of summer.

With its upbeat rhythm, soulful vocals and unmistakable late-’80s production, it sounded perfect on FM radio.

The summer of 1988 offered plenty of competition, including George Michael, Def Leppard, Cheap Trick and Guns N’ Roses.

But for four weeks that summer, Steve Winwood sat at the very top.

Summer 1989: “Right Here Waiting” — Richard Marx

By 1989, the decade was beginning to wind down.

Nobody necessarily realized it at the time, of course.

There was still another summer vacation to enjoy.

Another road trip.

Another afternoon beside the pool.

Another cassette to make.

And one of the biggest songs coming through the radio was Richard Marx’s “Right Here Waiting.”

The ballad reached No. 1 in August and stayed there for three weeks.

Unlike some of the energetic summer hits earlier on our list, “Right Here Waiting” captured another side of summer—the slower evenings, summer romances and late-night drives.

It was exactly the kind of song that sounded better after the sun went down.

And as the final summer of the 1980s approached its end, Richard Marx provided one of the decade’s last great summer ballads.

Ten Summers, Ten Songs

1980 — “Magic” — Olivia Newton-John

1981 — “Jessie’s Girl” — Rick Springfield

1982 — “Eye of the Tiger” — Survivor

1983 — “Every Breath You Take” — The Police

1984 — “When Doves Cry” — Prince

1985 — “Shout” — Tears for Fears

1986 — “Papa Don’t Preach” — Madonna

1987 — “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)” — Whitney Houston

1988 — “Roll with It” — Steve Winwood

1989 — “Right Here Waiting” — Richard Marx

Ten songs. Ten summers. One unforgettable decade.

Of course, choosing just one song from each year means leaving out dozens of records that could easily have made the list.

And that’s part of the fun.

Maybe your summer of 1984 wasn’t Prince at all. Maybe it was Bruce Springsteen or Tina Turner.

Maybe 1985 will forever mean “The Power of Love.”

Perhaps your memory of 1987 belongs to U2, Bon Jovi or George Michael.

That’s the remarkable thing about music and memory.

The charts can tell us which record was No. 1.

But they can’t tell us which song was playing when you met someone special, bought your first car, went on your first road trip, spent a week at the beach or stayed out far later than you were supposed to.

Those songs belong to you.

And sometimes all it takes is hearing the first few seconds to find yourself right back there again—with the windows down, the FM radio turned up and an entire summer still ahead of you.

What was the song of your favorite summer in the 1980s? Tell us the year and the song in the comments.