American Songwriter has rounded up three synth-pop tracks from the 1980s that share a common distinction: each was the first chart-topping single for the artist behind it. The piece highlights how these breakthrough hits went on to define the acts' careers, with some carrying unexpected afterlives or origin stories decades on.

The selection spans Tears For Fears' "Everybody Wants To Rule The World", which topped the US chart despite producer Chris Hughes privately calling it "bland as hell"; Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up", his first and still biggest hit, which became the UK's top single of 1987 before its "rick-rolling" internet resurgence; and Simple Minds' "Don't You (Forget About Me)", written for The Breakfast Club and reluctantly recorded by the band before reaching No. 1 in the US and Canada.

– Tears For Fears' "Everybody Wants To Rule The World" was the band's first US No. 1
– Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up" was his first No. 1 and the UK's biggest single of 1987
– Simple Minds' "Don't You (Forget About Me)", written for The Breakfast Club, hit No. 1 in the US and Canada