🎬 Back to the Countdown: The Finale of the 1985 KROQ Top 106.7 Trilogy

Every epic 80’s saga deserves a trilogy. Just like Marty McFly racing through time, Luke Skywalker facing down the Empire, or Indiana Jones cracking his whip one more time, this is the third and final installment of my deep dive into the 1985 KROQ Top 106.7 Countdown.

In the first article, we uncovered the oddities (Phil Collins twice?) and the glaring omissions. In the second, we explored rivalries, trivia, and unforgettable quirks that made the KROQ Top 106.7 feel like a season of General Hospital.

Now, in this “Back to Countdown,” we’ll spotlight the artists who made their only appearance in 1985, those who bowed out for good, a few legends who took a long hiatus before staging their comeback, and how a Broadway legend co-wrote the #24 song. Think of it as the closing credits to an epic 80’s trilogy—equal parts nostalgia, Gen-X snark, and synth…lots of synth.

📼 Missed It by That Much – Songs That Were Missing From The KROQ Top 106.7 Countdown

Deleted Scenes: The Tracks That Never Made the Cut

Digging deeper into 1985, I found even more songs that were absent from the KROQ Top 106.7. Two of the bands I saw on the Lost 80’s Live tour last year—Belouis Some and China Crisis—never cracked the countdown at all. Total bummer.

Here are some tracks that deserved props in ’85 but got left behind like Kevin McCallister:

• Belouis Some – Imagination
• Belouis Some – Some People
• China Crisis – King in a Catholic Style (Wake Up)
• Stephen “Tin Tin” Duffy – Kiss Me
• Go West – We Close Our Eyes
• Howard Jones – No One is to Blame
• Scritti Politti – Wood Beez
• The Cult – Rain
• The Dream Academy – Life in a Northern Town
• The Smiths – The Boy With the Thorn in His Side
• The Smiths – The Headmaster Ritual

🕺 Was It Something I Said?

The Empire Strikes Back… Years Later

Two artists showed up in the 1985 KROQ Top 106.7 Countdown only to vanish for years. Adam Ant strutted in at #13 with Vive Le Rock but didn’t return until 1991’s Room at the Top. Nick Heyward (ex‑Haircut One Hundred) wouldn’t reappear until 1993 with From Monday to Sunday.

🎤 One and Done

Lost Sequels: Blink and You Missed ’Em

These artists only showed up once (1985 KROQ Top 106.7) between 1980–1993—the golden years of New Wave and alt‑rock. Their brief cameos were notable, either for the song itself or the sheer oddity of never appearing again.

Kate Bush – #37 “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)”  

Rock Hall of Famer now (as if!), but back then she was a one‑and‑done on KROQ. Meanwhile, New Order, Billy Idol, and DEVO can’t get an invite to the party.  And INXS and The B-52’s apparently have unlisted numbers as they’ve never been nominated.

Phil Oakey & Giorgio Moroder – #28 “Good‑Bye Bad Times”  

• Human League’s frontman plus disco legend Moroder. Oddly, Together in Electric Dreams didn’t make the list. Somebody call the countdown police.

The Dream Academy – #81 “The Love Parade”  

• Wait—Life in a Northern Town didn’t chart on KROQ in 1985? That’s like leaving Back to the Future off a list of 1985 movies.

Baltimora – #85 “Tarzan Boy”  

• Italian project, Irish singer, random map‑pointing for a name. Pure 80’s chaos.

Murray Head – #24 “One Night in Bangkok”  

• Broadway meets KROQ. Written by ABBA’s Benny & Björn with lyrics by frequent Andrew Lloyd Webber collaborator and Tim Rice. Proof the 80’s loved a mash‑up.

Paul Hardcastle – #103 “19”  

• A sobering tribute to Vietnam War veterans. By the 90’s, Hardcastle traded protest beats for smooth jazz. Talk about a tonal shift.

🎸 Exit Stage Left (in your best Snagglepuss voice)

Final Curtain Call: Cue the End Credits

Some artists made their last appearance on the 1985 KROQ Top 106.7 Countdown before fading from the airwaves entirely:

• The Boomtown Rats – Closed out with Dave at #94. A song so forgotten it might as well be hiding behind your old Atari cartridges.
• Shriekback – Nemesis hit #54, they had more than one track (Hand on my Heart in 1984)… who knew?

📻 Last Song on the Mixtape

And that’s the final spin of our three‑part journey through the neon‑soaked, Aqua Net‑fueled world of the 1985 KROQ Top 106.7. We’ve laughed at the oddities (Phil Collins twice? Really?), scratched our heads at the omissions (justice for The Smiths!), and marveled at the one‑hit wonders who barged in like Crockett and Tubbs before vanishing into the VHS haze. Some artists stuck around, others ghosted faster than a Pac‑Man power pellet, but all of them helped shape the soundtrack of a year that was equal parts eyeliner, synthesizers, and sheer attitude.

As we close out this trilogy, think of the countdown not just as a list, but as a time capsule—rewindable, replayable, and best enjoyed blasting from a boombox while you strut in your Members Only jacket. Because if the 80’s taught us anything, it’s that music—like 80’s hair—was never meant to be subtle.