Top 5 Song Writers Of The 80's

Peter Prescott (Mission of Burma, Volcano Suns) - incredible intelligence and perspective, timeless observations on life. Artful and honest.

I agree with many of the above. I'll ad a few that I think may be over looked...
Peter Case - (Blue Guitar album is one of the best ever IMHO)
Richard Thompson
John Hiatt
Mary Chapin Carpenter
Gregg Brown
Brian Setzer (wrote some classic rockabilly)

CHris

suzanne vega
peter gabriel
david byrne
steve winwood
tim flynn
elvis costello
dylan (Oh Mercy)
Robbie Robertson
Bono
donald fagen - pre writer's block nightfly

Sting
Peter Gabriel
Rickie Lee Jones
Mark Knopfler
Tom Petty

My first impuse numbers one through four have already been identified;
Hiatt, Thompson, Westerberg, and Crenshaw.

Number 5, however, could go a lot of ways;

Graham Parker or David Byrne or Allen Toussaint or Elvis Costello or Todd Rundgren or Karl Wallinger (World Party, The Waterboys) or August Darnell (Kid Creole) or etc., etc.....

Lots of good songwriters out there