American Top 40: The 80s - December 30, 2017
This week's presentation - December 31, 1983 (Top 100 Songs of 1983)
100: FAR FROM OVER - FRANK STALLONE (#10(2)/2/10/16) - This was the only Top 40 hit from actor Sylvester Stallone's younger brother. It was a great song, IMO.
99: BURNING DOWN THE HOUSE - TALKING HEADS (#9/1/11/20) - OH HELL NO!! If you're gonna burn down the house, make sure that as many copies of this song as possible are inside said house!
98: IT'S RAINING AGAIN - SUPERTRAMP (#11(4)/-/11/13) - One of a handful of 1982 holdovers on this survey. Despite their spectacular debut on the entire Hot 100 at #31, this song actually failed to crack the Top Ten. I guess it was the long-awaited first hit from them in two years and then people decided they didn't really like the song after all. Perhaps it was that, or more people bought the album ...Famous Last Words than the single (as the song did peak at #2 on the R&R chart). Whatever the case, it was a great song according to me. Whenever this song came on, I'd turn it way up and sing along with it at the top of my lungs, driving my older brother nuts, LOL!
97: HOT GIRLS IN LOVE - LOVERBOY (#11/-/11/16) - Definitely a hot hit, as I heard this one all the time during that hot summer. Not so much anymore; pretty much all we hear anymore are their lower peaking songs like "Working For The Weekend" and "Turn Me Loose". I liked this song, but prefer a few others from them.
96: LAWYERS IN LOVE - JACKSON BROWNE (#13(2)/-/12/15) - The title track of Browne's seventh album. I preferred it over the follow-up, "Tender Is The Night", but it's still not one of my favorites from him. Sort of a funny misheard lyrics story - a friend of mine thought that this song was called "Laurie's In Love" back in the day.
95: CHINA GIRL - DAVID BOWIE (#10/1/11/18) - "And when I get excited, my little China Girl says 'Oh, baby, just you shut your mouth!'" LOL! As we probably know all too well, my favorite songs from him were his two 1987 hits, but this one wasn't bad either.
94: YOUR LOVE IS DRIVING ME CRAZY - SAMMY HAGAR (#13(2)/-/13/19) - According to my Personal Top 30 charts, this song was the #1 song of 1983, as well as one of the biggest hits of the 1980s. On the Hot 100, the song didn't quite make the Top Ten, but at least it gained enough points to register on the year-ender. I remember hearing this song back in early 1983, since the radio stations I listened to played it often.
93: HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO LIVE WITHOUT YOU - LAURA BRANIGAN (#12/-/12/20) - Wow, lots of songs from late summer in the first hour! Of course, it's pretty common knowledge that Michael Bolton wrote this one (and later on recorded his own version). This is my favorite of Laura's 1983 hits (including "Gloria", which ranked on 1983's year-end list), but I slightly prefer Bolton's version.
92: SHE'S A BEAUTY - THE TUBES (#10/1/12/20) - This was the most successful of their two Top 40 hits. I was never a huge fan of this song - I preferred their other Top 40 hit "Don't Want To Wait Anymore" and especially their near-miss "Talk To Ya Later", both from 1981.
91: I'M STILL STANDING - ELTON JOHN (#12(2)/-/12/16) This song charted in sort of a low period in his career, during which he had seven singles in a row that missed the Top Ten (the dry spell would end in early 1984, when "I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues" peaked at #4. As for this song, I think it's a great one! One of his best songs of the 1980s.
90: FAITHFULLY - JOURNEY (#12(3)/-/11/16) - Strange that this song missed the Top Ten, since it still receives a ton of recurrent airplay, especially on AC-based oldies stations. I like it, but preferred many others from them (including their other song on this week's chart).
89: DON'T CRY - ASIA (#10(2)/2/11/13) - Wow, lots of songs from late summer in the first hour! The show started off with one and Hour 1 is capped off by another, with several in between. Anyway, this was Asia's second Top Ten hit (third, if you go by the R&R charts, where "Only Time Will Tell" peaked at #5). This was my least favorite of their hits, but it was still a good one. Methinks they enlisted Elmer Fudd's help in this, as it sounds like they're saying "Don't Cwy".
OPTIONAL EXTRA: IF ANYONE FALLS - STEVIE NICKS (#14/-/9/14) - The second hit from The Wild Heart album. Kind of strange that none of the singles, even the biggest one, "Stand Back", get much recurrent airplay. This would be my favorite single from the album.
88: I WON'T HOLD YOU BACK - TOTO (#10/1/12/17) - This was their fourth and final Top Ten hit (although they would have a near-miss three years later). It was a great one, IMO - one of my favorites from Toto.
87: MUSCLES - DIANA ROSS (#10(6)/6/10/17) - This song would set the Hot 100 record for the longest stay at #10, where it held for six weeks (not sure if the record's been broken, but anything past 11/30/91 doesn't count). As for this song, it was mediocre at best - not one of my favorites from her by any means.
86: CUM ON FEEL THE NOIZE - QUIET RIOT (#5(2)/5/14/21) - Ah, looks like this one was affected by the cutoff rule! Not sure if they were giving projected points at this point or not, but it doesn’t look like it. Anyhoo, I'm not generally a huge heavy metal fan, but I actually really loved this song - definitely my favorite Quiet Riot song! I remember singing this song on the playground at the top of my lungs with a friend of mine back in the day!
85: PROMISES, PROMISES - NAKED EYES (#11/-/12/20) - 1983 was definitely their heyday, as they had their two biggest hits that year (along with a minor hit at the very end). This was my favorite of their two Top 20 hits (I forget how "When The Lights Go Out" goes at the moment, though I recall it was pretty good).
84: I'LL TUMBLE 4 YA - CULTURE CLUB (#9(2)/4/12/16) - Ah, it's "The Mexican Hat Dance Song". I liked this song when it first came out (I even bought the 45), then eventually, I hated it (gave it "No. Just No" status a few times, IIRC). Now I like it almost as much as I did during its chart run.
83: I KNOW THERE'S SOMETHING GOING ON - FRIDA (#13(2)/-/12/29) - One of two former members of Abba that hit the chart in 1983 (the other was Agnetha Faltskog, whose "Can't Shake Loose" did not make the survey). Phil Collins' trademark drumming was featured in this song (and you can hear him on backup vocals). This song was pretty good, but I generally preferred her material with Abba.
82: THE LOOK OF LOVE - ABC (#18(3)/-/13/25) - This wasn't their biggest hit, but it is the song that I hear most often on 80s stations (though their two Top Ten hits from later in the 80s also receive a fair amount of recurrent airplay). This would probably be my favorite song by ABC. BTW, even though Casey didn’t mention it, this was the lowest peaking song to make the survey.
81: ALWAYS SOMETHING THERE TO REMIND ME - NAKED EYES (#8(2)/2/13/22) - Here is another song that you still hear quite often today on oldies stations. It's a pretty good song, but, as stated earlier, I preferred "Promises Promises".
80: HUMAN NATURE - MICHAEL JACKSON (#7(2)/4/11/14) - Well, we all knew that it was a matter of time before we heard a song by the King of Pop! This was the first of five songs that he placed on the year-ender! This was one of my favorite song from Jackson's monster album Thriller, which was the biggest album of 1983.
79: DELIRIOUS - PRINCE (#8(4)/4/11/18) - Not a fan of this one at all. Give me "Little Red Corvette" any day!
78: ALL RIGHT - CHRISTOPHER CROSS (#12(3)/-/13/16) - This song had a promising start, debuting on the entire Hot 100 at #29. Sounds like a sure-fire Top Five hit, yet it didn’t even hit the Top Ten, though it did hit #3 on the R&R chart - I guess, since it was from a long-awaited album, people bought it instead of the single. Anyway, like most of Cross' Top 40 hits, this song was a great one, IMO.
77: OUR HOUSE - MADNESS (#7/4/13/19) - Casey mentioned that this song was part of the second British invasion, which was bigger than the first nearly twenty years before. There were several weeks when practically half of the Top 40 (including this song) was made of songs by British acts. This song, one of two songs that this band hailing from London, has held up quite well, despite overplay. Definitely an 80s mix show essential.
76: COME DANCING - THE KINKS (#6(2)/3/12/27) - Another British act, who was part of both British invasions. Though the Kinks were more famous for their '60s and early-70s hits, this was actually their biggest hit. It had tied "Tired Of Waiting For You" for its peak of #6, weeks at the peak (2) and weeks in the Top Ten. "Tired", however, spent only eight weeks in the Top 40 and this song bested that by three weeks. It is also one of my favorite songs from them.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: CUTS LIKE A KNIFE - BRYAN ADAMS (#15/-/8/14) - Larry mentioned that Adams had two hits that just missed making the survey. Though, based on its stats, I don't know about this song, but his other song, "Straight From The Heart" did indeed just miss, as it was only a few points shy of the song at #100, so it ranked #101 (so, actually, it would have made more sense to use that song as an Optional Extra, but whatever). Anyway, this song, the title track from the album that put Adams on the map here in the States, was not bad, but definitely not his best.
75: FAMILY MAN - DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (#6/3/12/16) - The first of three songs that this dynamic duo placed on the year-end survey. This song was one of their more mediocre songs, IMO. I preferred the other H2O singles, which are coming up a little later in the countdown.
74: HEART TO HEART - KENNY LOGGINS (#13(5)/-13/17) - This was one of three songs from early 1983 that missed the Top Ten on the Hot 100 but peaked at #3 on R&R. This was a great song, though I preferred the album version of this song (which IIRC was occasionally played on the weekly show ) - the single version, which was heard here, seems a little too abrupt.
73: MY LOVE - LIONEL RICHIE (#5/5/12/16) - One of several artists who placed three This song, reminiscent of Lionel's hit with the Commodores, "Easy", was pretty good, though I preferred the first two hits from his debut solo album.
72: SUDDENLY LAST SUMMER - THE MOTELS (#9/2/13/20) - They had four Top 40 hits, and I liked all of them. This one would peak at #9, like their first hit "Only The Lonely". I think that we all know that my favorite song from them was "Remember The Nights", which charted in early 1984 (just weeks after this show).
71: TONIGHT I CELEBRATE MY LOVE - PEABO BRYSON/ROBERTA FLACK (#16(2)/-/15/29) - One of several duets between the two that were released to radio from Born To Love. The other songs, which were mainly AC hits, were "You're Looking Like Love To Me" and "I Just Came Here To Dance". I preferred the former of the two (which was the top song of 1984, according to my Personal Top 30), but I thought this song was great as well.
70: (SHE'S) SEXY + 17 - STRAY CATS (#5(2)/4/12/15) - The rockabilly music style made a brief comeback in the 80s and the Stray Cats were definitely instrumental in that. For some reason, I was never a big fan of this song. Definitely my least favorite of their Top 40 hits. My favorite would be their next release, "I Won't Stand In Your Way". Too bad that song petered out at #35.
69: AFFAIR OF THE HEART - RICK SPRINGFIELD (#9(2)/3/13/18) - As well as a British invasion, there was also an Australian invasion of sorts in the early 1980s. There were quite a few on 1982's year-ender and they also abounded on this year-end wrap-up as well - in fact, this was the first of three in a row. This song wasn't bad, but this is around the time when his musical quality was beginning to slip.
68: IT'S A MISTAKE - MEN AT WORK (#6(2)/4/12/15) - Well, they definitely had a great year, but their chart days were nearing the end. This would end up being their last Top Ten hit. It was my second favorite of theirs, behind "Overkill", which is coming up later in the survey.
67: THE OTHER GUY - THE LITTLE RIVER BAND (#11(3)/-/13/18) - And this completes the hat trick of Aussie acts! They definitely had a pretty good run, but it was almost over; this was their final Top 20 hit. It was a good one, but I preferred their follow-up hit, "We Two". Too bad that one didn't make the chart.
66: SOLITAIRE - LAURA BRANNIGAN (#7(2)/4/13/17) - Another act that placed three songs on the survey (only she was the only female artist to do so). This one, the second of the three, was my least favorite of her first three hits, but it's still a good song!
65: TOO SHY - KAJAGOOGOO (#5/4/12/19) - I don't think I need to remind you how annoying I think this song is, do I? Oh well, the good thing about it was that they cut out the second verse
.
64: ROCK THIS TOWN - STRAY CATS (9(5)/5/13/21) - Yet another act with three songs on this year-ender - in fact, they were the top new American act of 1983. This was a good song, but I preferred their other hit coming up a little later.
63: ALLENTOWN - BILLY JOEL (#17(6)/-/16/22) - This song was sure tenacious, but just couldn’t manage to push past #17 (where it spent six weeks, a record that, as far as I know, still stands today. But it spent 16 weeks in the Top 40, an unusually long term for a song that peaked so low. Heck, later in the 1980s, even the #1 songs didn’t spend that long in the Top 40! Anyway, this was one of his best (and unfortunately, the message in this song is still timely today).
OPTIONAL EXTRA: IN A BIG COUNTRY - BIG COUNTRY - (#17(3)/-/9/15) - Meh, I was never a big fan of this song for some reason. I would have probably put "Pass The Dutchie" by Musical Youth here, as it was another song that barely missed the survey, like Bryan Adams' debut hit.
62: TELEFONE (LONG DISTANCE LOVE AFFAIR) - SHEENA EASTON (#9(2)/3/14/22) - This song was somewhat of a departure from her more "innocent" songs like "Morning Train", "Modern Girl" and "For Your Eyes Only" (but her naughtiest song yet was about a year away from being released). As we all know, I generally prefer her slower songs, but this one was an exception. One of my all-time faves from her!
61: GOODY TWO SHOES - ADAM ANT (#11(3)/-/14/21) - One of several rockabilly songs not involving the Stray Cats that charted around late 1982/early 1983. I liked this song, but preferred his 1995 hit "Wonderful", which had sort of an early-80s sound to it, making me wonder how it would have done had it charted around now instead of "Goody Two Shoes".
60: HEARTBREAKER - DIONNE WARWICK (#10(2)/2/13/22) - She started out in the 1960s and was still going strong in the 1980s as well! The Bee Gees wrote this one and you can hear Barry Gibb singing back-up on the chorus. Definitely a great song!
59: HEARTLIGHT - NEIL DIAMOND (#5(4)/6/11/19) - This song, of course, was inspired by the summer blockbuster E.T. I loved that movie (though I don't know why the remastered version features Elliott riding across the sun instead of the moon). As for the song, it's good, but far from being Diamond's best song.
58: (KEEP FEELING) FASCINATION - THE HUMAN LEAGUE (#8(2)/3/13/20) - Definitely a group that's associated with the 80s, with their electronic, new wave sound. I preferred "Don't You Want Me" and their next hit after this one, "Mirror Man", but I like this song too.
57: TWILIGHT ZONE - GOLDEN EARRING (#10(2)/2/15/27) - Another great song that the two Chicago stations that I listened to back then (WLS 94.7 and B96) played quite a lot. That said, it's a shock that this song came nowhere near the R&R chart. Here on AT40, it peaked at #10.
56: DON'T LET IT END - STYX (#6/5/13/16) - Their second and final Top 40 hit from Kilroy Was Here. This was also my favorite of the two, although many people find it kind of depressing (however, if you can manage to get past the lyrics, the music itself is somewhat upbeat).
55: WANNA BE STARTIN' SOMETHING - MICHAEL JACKSON (#5(2)/6/11/15) - His second of five hits that made the countdown. This wasn't bad, but I found it sort of annoying - especially the album version, which seemed to go on and on. Fortunately, AT40 usually, if not always, played the single edit, which was nearly two minutes shorter (and is it me, or did AT40 edit this one even more?)
54: KING OF PAIN - THE POLICE (#3(2)/5/13/16) - Well, although we have yet to hear the first #1 song during the 1983 survey period, we are up to the first song that was #1 on the Radio & Records chart, which was used for the countdown show I listened to back in 1983 ("Countdown America" with John Leader). This song spent a pair of weeks at #1 on that chart in October, but it fell a little short on the Hot 100. Of course, this song was the follow-up to their ad nauseum played song that came before. More on that much, much later in the countdown.
53: IS THERE SOMETHING I SHOULD KNOW - DURAN DURAN (#4/6/12/17) - Yes, there is something you should know - this song is royally annoying! I preferred many others by them, including their breakthrough hit here in the States, "Hungry Like The Wolf". We'll be hearing that song later on as well.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: MODERN LOVE - DAVID BOWIE - (#14/-/9/13) - This song made a huge, fourteen-place leap to #22 in its third week on the chart and it looked like it might hit #1, like "Let's Dance" earlier in the year, or at least hit the Top Ten, like his prior single "China Girl", but as a matter of fact, it only got four spots higher. For some reason, I just never really got into this one, though it was passable.
52: YOU CAN'T HURRY LOVE - PHIL COLLINS (#10(3)/3/16/21) - The first of two Supremes covers that charted during the 1983 chart year. The other one was "Stop! In The Name Of Love" by the Hollies, from that summer. I preferred that one, but this was a good one as well.
51: ROCK THE CASBAH - THE CLASH (#8(4)/5/15/24) - The 1982 chart system was apparently still in place, where songs spent multiple weeks at their peak position, then dropped fast, in early 1983, so that accounts for this song's 8-33 drop in its last week on AT40. As for the song, it was a good one - my favorite of their songs (that I've heard, that is).
50: STAND BACK - STEVIE NICKS (#5-6/14/19) - She was still an active member of Fleetwood Mac, but also had a successful solo career going as well. This was the first of three hits from The Wild Heart. It was a good one, but sounds quite a lot like "Little Red Corvette...
49: ONE ON ONE - DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (#7(3)/6/15/18) - This song came very close to topping the R&R chart, but was edged out by “Billie Jean”. I’m kinda surprised it only got as high as #7 on Billboard (then again, it wasn’t as far removed as the three songs that peaked at #3 on R&R yet failed to hit the Top Ten on Billboard). Anyway, of the H20 singles, this was my favorite.
48: BACK ON THE CHAIN GANG - THE PRETENDERS (#5(3)/5/14/24) - This was their second Top 40 hit and their first Top Ten. Possibly my favorite song from them.
47: ONE THING LEADS TO ANOTHER - THE FIXX (#4/7/13/19) - Their second hit, and, as it turned out, their biggest hit ever. This is a song that, for me, overplay sort of ruined (as I do remember liking this one at first). I preferred "Save By Zero" by a fairly wide margin.
46: LITTLE RED CORVETTE - PRINCE (#6(2)/6/15/22) - I never knew how dirty it was until about ten years ago, when I looked at the lyrics (since there are times that I couldn’t understand what he was saying). This was the first Top Ten hit from a singer who we lost in April of last year. R.I.P. Prince
45: PUTTIN' ON THE RITZ - TACO (#4(2)/6/14/21) - The man is Dutch and he named himself after a Mexican food - go figure! . Originally a hit over 50 years before, this song was updated so as not to sound out of place by 1983 standards. It was a good song.
44: DER KOMMISAR - AFTER THE FIRE (#5(2)/5/14/21) - Their very first hit, too - as well as their last. This one was an 80s mix show essential! Casey made a slight faux pas by saying that this song peaked at #5 last winter when, actually, winter had ended over a month before this song peaked.
43: TRUE - SPANDAU BALLET (#4(4)/6/13/18) - PM Dawn and Nelly apparently like this song, as both artists sampled it in their songs. I think the song's pretty good, too, though I didn't like it too much during its chart run (most likely, due to overplay).
42: STRAY CAT STRUT - THE STRAY CATS (#3(3)/5/14/19) - The highest ranked of four rockabilly songs on the year-end chart (three by the Stray Cats and one by Adam Ant). This is also my favorite of all four songs - a great one indeed!
41: WE'VE GOT TONIGHT - KENNY ROGERS & SHEENA EASTON (#6(3)/7/15/18) - Well, I must say that I do prefer this one over the original by Bob Seger, but it is definitely not my favorite song by either artist.
40: SEPARATE WAYS (WORLDS APART) - JOURNEY (#8(6)/7/16/17) - We still haven't heard the first #1 Billboard song in the countdown, but here's another one that topped the R&R chart, also for two weeks, like the Police record earlier in the countdown. This had to be the record (at the time anyway) for the longest peak at #8 (and what a surprise - it didn’t happen in 1982!) Anyway, this was my favorite release from their Frontiers album, but had many other songs from them that I preferred.
39: OVERKILL - MEN AT WORK (#3/8/13/16) - And here's another R&R #1. You probably know all too well that this is by far my favorite Men At Work song. Didn't quite make it to #1 on the Hot 100, like their first two hits, but it did manage to spend three weeks on top of the R&R chart. Anymore, radio tends to play the Business As Usual songs to death, but I never hear any of the Cargo singles outside of radio shows.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: SAY SAY SAY - PAUL MCCARTNEY & MICHAEL JACKSON - One of nine #1 songs for Paul McCartney. Oddly enough, none of those were by himself - they were either with his band Wings or in a duet. This was the latter of the two and, though this charted too late in the year to make the Top 100 of 1983 survey with AT40's odd time frame for the year-enders, this one was the top song for all of 1984. As overplayed as it was the song was pretty good. - I did like the video.
38: YOU ARE - LIONEL RICHIE (#4(2)/4/16/18) - This completes a hat trick of R&R #1's (excluding the extra, of course). This was #1 during one of the seven weeks that "Billie Jean" topped the Billboard chart. This one definitely takes me back to early spring, 1983 - namely, since it receives absolutely no recurrent airplay. Yet "All Night Long" is played regularly - where is the justice I tell ya! But seriously, I liked this song a lot. Glad that it managed to at least top the R&R chart.
37: SHE BLINDED ME WITH SCIENCE - THOMAS DOLBY (#5(4)/8/15/22) - I'm so glad that AT40 generally (if not always) played the album version of this song. The single version, which is pretty much the only version you hear on retro shows, was just too watered down, IMO.
36: STEPPIN' OUT - JOE JACKSON (#6(4)/8/15/27) - One of two songs that he charted with during the 1983 survey period. The other song, "Breakin' Us In Two" didn't quite make the survey, because it only got as high as #18 (and did not have an exceptionally long chart run). Anyway, I don't like this song quite as much as I did back in the day, but it's still good. Still, I preferred his other Top 40 hits.
35: TIME - CULTURE CLUB - (#2(2)/9/13/18) - Well, we're up to the first song to peak in the runner-up position (both here and on R&R). Casey mentioned that they were the only group to place three songs on the survey. Not true; there are a few others, including Men At Work and the Stray Cats. Well, anyway, this was my favorite of their their trio of hits.
34: UPTOWN GIRL - BILLY JOEL (#3(5)/10/16/22) - Joel's salute to Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons. It was a good song (I did prefer it over "Tell Her About It"), but I preferred the title track to An Innocent Man, which, of course, was his next hit (and made 1984's year-ender, at #83).
33: JEOPARDY - GREG KIHN BAND (#2(1)/7/14/22) - This song saved them from being one-hit wonders, and also gave them their first Top Ten hit. A great song that always takes me back to the spring of 1983.
32: TELL HER ABOUT IT - BILLY JOEL (#1(1)/7/15/18) - Hey, we've finally gotten to the first #1 song during 1983 - one of 18 songs that topped the chart during the 1983 survey period, a hefty increase from the 13 chart toppers during 1982. This was the first song from what could be Joel's most successful album ever (spawned six singles - only one of which didn't quite hit the Top 20). This was the biggest song from the album, hitting #1 in September. It wasn't bad, but it ranks up there with “We Didn’t Start The Fire” and “The River Of Dreams” as some of my least favorite songs by Joel).
31: MR ROBOTO - STYX (#3(2)/8/16/18) - This was somewhat of a comeback hit for Styx, as they had been absent from the chart for about two years. I was never a huge fan of this song, though - one of my least favorites from them.
30: TRULY - LIONEL RICHIE (#1(2)/10/13/18) - This was the first #1 song in the 1983 survey period. Many people ask me why this is one of my favorite Lionel Richie songs ever, yet "Still", which sounds much like this, always gets (or used to get) a "No. Just no". The reason being is, while both songs are about undying love, the Commodores song is about a love affair coming to an end, while this song seems to be about a relationship that is going great and only getting better. Plus, this song was charting during a pretty good time in my life.
29: THE SAFETY DANCE - MEN WITHOUT HATS (#3(4)/7/16/24) - Wow, I didn't know they were Canadian! I always thought that they were part of the second British invasion of 1983! Anyway, AT40 usually played the single version of the song which I preferred, because it pretty much got straight to the point, without all the instrumental mumbo jumbo and the spelling of "Safety", as if we didn't know how to spell it.
28: COME ON EILEEN - DEXY'S MIDNIGHT RUNNERS (#1(1)/6/14/23) - Here's the third of the year's 18 #1songs. I'm still burned out on this song, due to overplay, both back in the day and today on 80s stations. But I did used to like it - I even bought the 45 of the song when it was on its way up the chart
27: DIRTY LAUNDRY - DON HENLEY (# 3(3)/10/14/19) - Henley's first Top 40 solo hit, and his biggest ever. I always liked the song, which was about the tabloidization of the news. I remember, when this song was charting, some of the kids in my class sang the chorus like "Kick 'em when they're up/kick 'em when they're down/kick 'em in the butt and knock them down!"
26: AFRICA - TOTO (#1(1)/6/16/21) - They didn't quite hit the top with "Rosanna" (which spent a month at #1 on R&R), but the tables were turned for this song - it hit #1 in February on the Hot 100 but peaked at #2 on R&R. Anyway, due to overplay back during its chart run, I detested this song back then, but now that I don't hear it ten times a day, I rather like it.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: HEART AND SOUL - HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS (#8(2)/2/13/21) - His sophomore album, Sports, came out in late 1983 and the first of five Top 40 songs from that album charted in 1983, but peaked during the 1984 survey period (and ranked at #80 on the 1984 year-ender). This was a good one, but my favorite of the Sports hits was "If This Is It".
25: NEVER GONNA LET YOU GO - SERGIO MENDES (#4(4)/8/16/23) - Today, this song would be billed as "Sergio Mendes featuring Joe Pizzulo & Leeza Miller". By the summer of 1983, I'd had about enough of the song, as it was way overplayed. But now that I don't hear it as much, it's a great one - the synth bridge after the second chorus is awesome! I seem to remember that the first time Premiere ran this show back in early 2012, this song had a sloppy edit near the end, but the song was played intact this time around, so they apparently fixed it. Either that or my memory is playing games with me.
24: THE GIRL IS MINE - MICHAEL JACKSON & PAUL McCartney (#2(3)/10/14/18) - This was the song that started it all off for the biggest selling album of all time (66 million copies sold at last count). This was a great song, IMO - my favorite of their two duets.
23: ELECTRIC AVENUE - EDDY GRANT (#2(5)/8/15/22) - This is definitely a song I associate with the summer of 1983, as it received heavy airplay then! This song wanted like anything into the top spot, as it was stuck in the runner-up spot for five weeks. Unfortunately, the song at the top was simply too strong for it. I like this song now, but I remember being sick of hearing it everytime I turned on the radio.
22: SHE WORKS HARD FOR THE MONEY - DONNA SUMMER (#3(3)/8/17/21) - A summer hit in more ways than one, as that was the season when this song charted. It spent three weeks atop the R&B chart and spent as many weeks at #3 here on AT40. Not my favorite song by her by any means, mainly due to overplay.
21: HUNGRY LIKE THE WOLF - DURAN DURAN (#3(3)/9/16/23) - This, of course, was the breakthrough hit here in the States from one of the most successful bands of the 1980s! It was also my favorite of their 1983 hits, as well as one of my all-time favorites from them!
20: SEXUAL HEALING - MARVIN GAYE (#3(3)/10/15/21) - The top soul song of 1983 kicks off the Top 20 here on AT40. I was never a huge Marvin Gaye fan, but this song was OK.
19: MAKING LOVE OUT OF NOTHING AT ALL - AIR SUPPLY (#2(3)/9/17/25) - One of two songs composed by Jim Steinman on the Top 100 or 1983 - and a great one at that. Not sure which one I prefer, although a third song written and composed by Steinman that charted later in 1983 ("Read 'Em And Weep" by Barry Manilow) tops both of them. Too bad that song didn't gain enough points to rank on 1984's year-ender.
18: YOU AND I - EDDIE RABBIT WITH CRYSTAL GAYLE (#7(4)/6/21/29) - This song was not only the highest ranked song on the big list that didn’t hit the Top Five, but it was the only such hit to make both the Top 20 and Top 30 of the year. This was a one-time duet from two of my favorite pop/country artists, and a great one at that - one of my favorite from both of them!
17: LET'S DANCE - DAVID BOWIE (#1(1)/10/14/20) - The highest ranked of his three songs that charted in 1983. Not sure if I prefer this or "China Girl" - I guess it depends on my mood at the time.
16: DO YOU REALLY WANT TO HURT ME - CULTURE CLUB (#2(3)/9/18/25) - The third and highest ranked song by Billboard's Top New Act of 1983. We all know that my opinion on the song depends on which version they played. I don't like the intro (does Boy George have any cheese to go with that whine?), and I find the instrumental bridge annoying. Fortunately, they played the version with only half of the intro and without the bridge.
15: MICKEY - TONY BASIL (#1(1)/10/18/27) - One of three songs that hit #1 during the 1983 survey period in the calendar year of 1982. This was a great cheerleading anthem! Another song I'd jam to back in the day!
14: MANIAC - MICHAEL SEMBELLO (#1(2)/9/16/22) - One of two #1 songs from the movie Flashdance. I preferred the title track, which is coming up later, over this one.
13: SWEET DREAMS (ARE MADE OF THIS) - EURYTHMICS (#1(1)/9/17/26) - It has been said that they tacked on the subtitle so as not to confuse it with Air Supply's "Sweet Dreams" from the previous year. Whether or not this is true is not certain, but anyway, this was the first of ten Top 40 hits from them, and it was their biggest hit, hitting #1 in early September. It wasn't bad, but quite overplayed, like the other two #1 summer hits.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: 1999 - PRINCE (#12/-/10/27) - I'll bet this song didn't miss the Top 100 list by much, given its stats. This song actually had three chart runs - one from late 1982, this one, and the last one at the beginning of the year responsible for this song's name. Due to the overplay, I'm still burned out on it and it is actually one of my least favorite songs from him (not that I was crazy about it in the first place).
12: SHAME ON THE MOON - BOB SEGER & THE SILVER BULLET BAND (#2(4)/8/19/21) - Earlier in my commentary, I mentioned that I was listening to Countdown America in 1983. This was the song that was #1 on the very first edition of that show that I listened to - its only week at #1. The song would peak at #2 for four weeks here on AT40. It's a good song - sounds sort of like a laid-back version of his 1980 hit "Fire Lake".
11: BABY, COME TO ME - PATTI AUSTIN w/JAMES INGRAM (#1(2)/9/18/32) - This is another song that had two chart runs, like 1999. Not sure if they counted its first chart run, which was outside of the 1983 survey period, but no matter; it only spent four weeks on the Hot 100 the first time around. Anyway, because it was the theme song for Luke Spencer on the ABC soap opera General Hospital, the song was given a second chance, which it definitely made the most of, going all the way to #1. This is another song I disliked back in the day - at the very beginning, that is. It quickly became one of my favorite songs - (I know, because I checked it off on a WLS record survey as one of ten 45s that my Dad wanted to get me for my birthday - and indeed, it was among the stack that I got).
10: ISLANDS IN THE STREAM - KENNY ROGERS WITH DOLLY PARTON (#1(2)/12/18/25) - Just like the #1 soul song of 1983 started off the Top 20, the top country song of the year kicks off the Top Ten. I wasn't too much for this song (and I don't think I need to tell you my opinion on "Getto Superstar"!), but over the past few years, I've actually grown to like this song a lot better than I used to (though I still preferred their other duet, which I believe only charted at Country and AC, called "Real Love") The title of this song made for a very funny joke about Dolly Parton taking a bath.
9: GLORIA - LAURA BRANIGAN (#2(3)/10/22/36) - This was the highest ranked song of 1983 that never hit #1 on the weekly charts. As part of Casey's outro to this song, he mentioned that the rest of the countdown consisted solely of #1 songs. This was a really good song (a close second to "How Am I Supposed To Live Without You" as my favorite song from her) and it looked like it might give "Tainted Love" a run for its money in terms of longevity, but this song didn't quite match it - spent 36 weeks on the Hot 100, which was great as well (and it was the longest charting song on the Hot 100 for a female artist - before the Soundscan era, at least).
8: BEAT IT - MICHAEL JACKSON (#1(3)/10/18/25) - One of several rock-based Michael Jackson songs to hit the charts. Eddie Van Halen's guitar solo in this was outstanding! This was also my favorite of the Thriller singles.
7: ALL NIGHT LONG (ALL NIGHT) - LIONEL RICHIE (#1(4)/13/17/24) - I've mentioned several times that Michael Jackson had five songs on the year-end survey - more than any other artist. However, Lionel is the runner-up, as he placed four songs on the big list. And how about this - Lionel bookends the 1983 survey period with his two #1 hits during the 1983 survey period - earlier, I mentioned how "Truly" was the first #1 song during that period - and this one was the last! As for the song itself, well, I think we all know that it's one of my least favorite songs from him. Not sure why, but this song just never did anything for me.
6: MANEATER - DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (#1(4)/13/17/23) - his was sort of a throwback to the sixties Motown sound (in fact, when Lamont Dozier first heard the opening notes to this song, he thought it was the cover of "You Can't Hurry Love" that Phil Collins had recorded and released around the same time). It apparently worked, as it became their biggest hit and, by its gigantic chart chart jump of 36-12 on its way up, it's no surprise. It's a good song, but I prefer many others from them.
5: TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE HEART - BONNIE TYLER (#1(4)/11/18/29) - The other Steinman-composed song on the chart this week, and this one would end up going all the way (in fact, it would block the other one from the #1 spot!) As I mentioned earlier, I liked both songs about the same. This was also the song that took away Tyler's "one-hit wonder" title.
4: DOWN UNDER - MEN AT WORK (#1(4)/10/19/25) - As I mentioned earlier, this song, along with "Who Can It Be Now", was, and still is, quite overplayed. Indeed, it is too bad the Cargo singles don't get much in the way of airplay anymore - they are far superior to the ones from Business As Usual, IMO.
3: BILLIE JEAN - MICHAEL JACKSON (#1(7)/11/17/24) - This was the highest ranked song by the artist who takes top honors in many categories for 1983. As well as being the top pop artist of the year, he is also the top soul artist, #1 artist on the dance charts, and the top songwriter of the year. Truly, 1983 was definitely Michael Jackson's year!
OPTIONAL EXTRA: MEDLEY OF #1 HITS OF 1983 - This montage replaces "Rio" by Duran Duran, which was the final Optional Extra the last time the 1983 show was run six years ago. Since Casey Kasem's voice was heard at the very beginning, as well as at the end, I'm wondering when the montage was made, as well as whether or not it was originally planned for the 2011 airing of the show, but a technical problem prevented it from being included then(since it was not part of the original show). Anyway, it was an interesting medley.
2: FLASDHDANCE…WHAT A FEELING - IRENE CARA (#1(6)/14/20/25) - This is one of those songs that overplay didn’t really hurt - in fact, it seemed to be just the opposite, as I suddenly found myself really liking the song around the time it was #1, after hating it for weeks. How about that?
1: EVERY BREATH YOU TAKE - THE POLICE (#1(8)/13/20/22) - This is indeed THE most overplayed song of 1983, as well as all of the 1980s. And you know what, looking at the stats of this and “Flashdance”, I’m wondering just how far apart were they pointwise? As for the song, though I've recently grown to liking this song a little better, there's a matter of principle. I mean, really - how did a song about stalking managed to spend two months at #1? And, especially now that we all know what the song is really about, is this song really worthy of continuing to be overplayed on 80s stations? Whatever... At least it's not my least favorite song of 1983 (#99 gets that honor).