Well, I'd not limit myself to love songs at a pool party myself....I'd throw Love 1 by Haircut 100, Cruel Summer by Bananarama and maybe some Joy Division just to remind my younger guests that before there were the Killers...well, you know.

I have to say that if you want to know when you're finally "old" all you have to do is wait for the music you listened to when you were in high school to become a "genre" based on decade alone. Sigh.

For a summer pool party, off the top of my head;
"Cruel Summer" Bananarama
"Flashdance" Irene Cara
"Boys of Summer" Don Henley
"Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" Cyndi Lauper
"Every Little Thing She Does is Magic"/"So Lonely"/"Next to You" The Police
"Footloose" Kenny Loggins
"La Bamba" Los Lobos
"She Drives Me Crazy" Fine Young Cannibals
"Little Lies" Fleetwood Mac
"Jitterbug" Wham!
"Hey Mickey" Toni Basil
"Surfin' USA" Beach Boys

and on and on.

come on! Two great 80's love songs:
You Make My Dreams Come True by Hall and Oates
Do You Believe in Love by Huey Lewis & the News

Warning - this may be too big a dose of the '80s for some folks to handle. But I'm not limiting this to love songs, either. Way too much '80s (good, bad and otherwise) to choose from.

Ambrosia - "Biggest Part of Me"
Tom Tom Club - "Genius of Love"
Bananarama - "Cruel Summer"
Blondie - "Call Me", "Dreaming", "T-Birds", "The Tide Is High"
David Bowie - "China Girl"
Kate Bush - "Delius"
Cameo - "Candy"
Kim Carnes - "Bette Davis Eyes"
Duran Duran - "Rio", "Hungry Like The Wolf"
Harold Faltermeyer - "Axel F"
Fleetwood Mac - "Little Lies", "Hold Me"
Glenn Frey - "The Heat Is On", "Smuggler's Blues", "You Belong To The City"
Godley & Creme - "Cry"
Jan Hammer - "Miami Vice Theme", "Crockett's Theme"
The Human League - "(Keep Feeling) Fascination"
Elton John - "I'm Still Standing"
Madonna - "Borderline", "Dress You Up", "Cherish", "Causing A Commotion"
Men At Work - "Down Under"
Missing Persons - "Destination Unknown"
The Motels - "Suddenly Last Summer"
Naked Eyes - "Promises, Promises"
Billy Ocean - "When The Going Gets Tough"
Pet Shop Boys - "Domino Dancing"
Robert Plant - "Big Log"
The Pointer Sisters - "I'm So Excited", "He's So Shy"
Prefab Sprout - "When Love Breaks Down"
Pretenders - "Kid", "Brass In Pocket"
Prince - "Pop Life", "Raspberry Beret"
REM - "Nightswimming"
Cliff Richard - "A Little In Love", "Dreaming"
Smokey Robinson - "Cruisin'", "Being With You"
Rolling Stones - "Waiting On A Friend"
Linda Ronstadt - "How Do I Make You"
Steely Dan - "Hey Nineteen"
Rod Stewart - "Young Turks", "Tonight I'm Yours"
Sting - "Love Is The Seventh Wave"
Swing Out Sister - "Am I The Same Girl"
Tears For Fears - "Everybody Wants To Rule The World"
Tina Turner - "What's Love Got To Do With It"
U2 - "Where The Streets Have No Name"
Wall Of Voodoo - "Mexican Radio"
Dionne Warwick - "Deja Vu"
Stevie Wonder - "Master Blaster (Jammin')"

God, I loved Simply Red. Mick Hucknall had such a great voice (and hair). "Money's Too Tight To Mention" was a huge favorite in my crowd during our chronically broke-ass early twenties. Sigh.

80s love songs?

Baby Pain by Intaferon
With or Without You by U2
If You Were Here by Thompson Twins
If You Leave by OMD
Never Tears Us Apart by INXS
Electric Blue by Icehouse

and come on,

I Need Love by LL Cool J

"Eternal Flame" - Bangles
"Don't You Forget About Me" - Simple Minds
"Heaven" - Psychedelic Furs
"The Killing Moon" - Echo and the Bunnymen
"The Lovecats" - The Cure

I'd better stop now...

80s Pool Party Music Selections:

Great songs! Can we add these to the playlist?

Nu Shooz - I Can't Wait
Strafe - Set It Off
Chaka Khan - Ain't Nobody
Shannon - Let the Music Play
Yaz - Situation
XTC - Senses Working Overtime

How about a disco party? Love disco!

Thanks for adding to the list. I am going to have to download some of these songs.

REM's "Nightswimming"... love that song. But I think it's early 1990s.

modestalmond - "hey mickey" wow that is a funny one.

How about-
Spandau Ballet "true"
The Cure - "Just like heaven"
B-52s- "Dance Just Mess Around"
X- 4th of July
DEVO-" Freedom of Choice"
Grace Jones- "Pull up to the Bumper"
Funkadelic-"One Nation Under a Groove" OMG that brings back some memories
Heatwave- "Boogie Nights"
SOS Band-"Take Your Time"
Kool & The Gang- "Celebration" or "Too Hot"
Sade- "Smooth Operator"
Chaka Kahn- "I feel for You"
Peter gabriel- "Big Time"
Tom Petty- "Do do me like that"
The Police -"Every little thing she does"
Kim Carnes "Bette Davis Eyes"

The Bangles, The Gap Band, Duran Duran,
and on and on

I just realized Love Songs, LOL well some I mentioned..

It was fun reading these.

Tears for Fears one if my favorites, Wall of Voodoo good one I have all of those.

I LOVE 80'S MUSIC. MOST OF MY FAVORITES WERE ALREADY POSTED HERE.. I WILL JUST YOUR LIST TO MY EMAIL TO DOWNLOAD THEM TONIGHT, ;)

amazing...

A couple of more that played all the time-
Take My Breath Away- Berlin
Gloria- Laura Branigan - well anything from Flash dance
Go Go's- Our lips are sealed
Chicago-"Hard To Say I'm Sorry "
Take a Look at Me now & Easy Lover- Phil Collins

REM's "Nightswimming"... love that song. But I think it's early 1990s.

Whoops! You're right. What was I thinking?!?

(Also, I listed Smokey Robinson's "Crusin'", which is really '79. But it was still getting heavy radio play in 1980, so sue me.)

It's a slow day at work and I'm bored so...

"I Wanna Rock"/"We're not Gonna Take it" Twisted Sister
"Eye of the Tiger" Survivor
"Escape (The Pina Colada Song)" Rupert Holmes
"The Look" Roxette
"I'm so Excited" The Pointer Sisters
"Suffragette City" David Bowie
"99 Red Balloons" Nena
"She Blinded me with Scince" Thomas Dolby
"Wishing (If I had a Photograph of You)"/"I Ran" Flock of Seagulls
"I get Around"/"Kokomo" Beach Boys
"Love Shack" The B-52's
"Pretty Woman" (cover) Van Halen
"Livin' on a Prayer"/"You Give Love a Bad Name" Bon Jovi
"YMCA" The Village People
"Cars" Gary Newman
"Celebration" Kool & the Gang
"Mr Roboto" Styx
"Let My Love Open the Door" Pete Townshend
"Get Out of My Dreams" Billy Ocean
"Video Killed the Radio Star" The Buggles
"Eighteen til I die" Bryan Adams
"Come on Eileen" Dexy's Midnight Runners
"Walk Like an Egyptian" The Bangles
"Beat It"/"Thriller"/"Billie Jean" Michael Jackson
"Ghostbusters" Ray Parker Jr.
"Hit Me With Your Best Shot" Pat Benatar
"Everybody Have Fun Tonight" Wang Chung
"Cum on Feel the Noise" Quiet Riot

to continue the on and on part of my list. Haha

Oh, and add the B-52's "Roam" to my list.

duh Pat Benatar I was the first one in my high school that had that cassette.. and then got her hair cut.

Lovesong by The Cure.

Melt With You by Modern English is the eighties love song I love the most. The Loved Ones by Elvis Costello is my favorite ironic love song.

I don't know about all love songs, but my 80s list is:

If She Knew What She Wants ~ Bangles
When You Were Mine ~ Cyndi Lauper
Bad Reputation ~ Joan Jett
Missing You ~ John Waite
Anything Anything ~ Dramarama
Everybody Wants To Rule the World ~ Tears for Fears
Heaven Is a Place on Earth ~ Belinda Carlisle
Pop Goes The World ~ Men Without Hats
Smooth Operator ~ Sade
Down Under ~ Men at Work
Voices Carry ~ Til Tuesday
What's Love Got to Do with It ~ Tina Turner
Toy Soldiers ~ Martika
I'm So Excited ~ Pointer Sisters
SheBop ~ Cyndi Lauper
Gloria" ~ Laura Branigan
Cherish ~ Madonna
How Will I Know ~ Whitney Houston
Heart and Soul ~ Huey Lewis and the News

Okay...I'm gonna go "Deep 80's"

"It's My Life"- Talk Talk
"Uncertain Smile"- The The
"Warm Leatherette"- The Normal
"Under the Milky Way"- The Church
"Love Will Tear Us Apart"- Joy Division
"Don't Talk to Me About Love"- Altered Images
"Can't Make Love"- Wall of Voodoo
"Wishing"(If I Had a Photograph of You)- A Flock of Seagulls
"Kiss Me"- Tintin/Stephen Duffy
"The Ghost in You"- The Psychedelic Furs
"New Toy" Lene Lovich
"Tatooed Love Boys" The Pretenders
"Prince Charming"- Adam & The Ants...not to be confused with Adam Ant (that came later) :-)
"Oh to Be in Love"- Kate Bush
"The Sensual World"- Kate Bush
"Kiss Them for Me"- Siouxsie and The Banshees
"Pull up to the Bumper" Grace Jones
"Dirty Back Road" The B-52"s
"Christmas Wrapping" The Waitresses
"Summer of Love" The B-52's

omg! I can go on forever and ever (but I better stop now) :-)

Oh! I forgot "Nothing Compares 2 U"- Sinead O'Connor

I'm not sure if it's from the 80s (could be early 90s)
I Will Give You Everything by The Skydiggers

tintin - thanks for sharing "Nothing Compares 2 U" I love that song and everything I go to download it I can't remember the name of the song.

"Jesse's Girl" - Rick Springfield

the Cult "Love Removal Machine"
Blue Oyster Cult "Burnin' For You"
Stranglers "Golden Brown"
The Jam "In the City"
The Cure "Let's Go to Bed"
Split Enz "I Got You"
Kirsty MacColl "They Don't Know"
Pretenders "Talk of the Town"
Naked Eyes "Always Something There to Remind Me"

sunspot42: Déja Vu is such a solid 80s bummer song, I love you for including it.

You had this coming...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ

Mai Tai "History" and "Female Intuition"
Lene Lovich "Lucky Number One"
Jermaine Stewart "We Don't Have to Take Our Clothes Off"
Five Star "All Fall Down"
......

Oh, ofcourse I forgot to mention Modern Talking, try "Brother Louie" or "You're my Heart, You're my Soul".
Everybody always claimed to hate them, yet they always seemed to go to the nr.1 spot on the charts in Europe. It's always fun to embarrass pals by pulling this one out from somewhere in the back of their record collection, lol.

Working the suntan look...

tintin's Deep 80s list is amazing.
A jar of Dep hair gel to you, sir!

Great music lists! Hey bemyescape, let's get together and throw that disco party. I'm all for it. Play that funky music. The only time I'd use love songs for entertaining is if I were entertaining for a party of two. Otherwise, let's get the party started with some dancing music.

Nobody mentioned any Journey????