Pause-and-Playlist: 1983 – Our Favorite ’80s Year
We love playlists (today’s version of mixtapes). Earlier this summer, we promised to serve up more themed playlists, sprinkling in a few music videos and sharing the playlist on Spotify.
We got sidetracked a little there, but we’re getting back into the groove with this new playlist: “1983 – Our Favorite ’80s Year.”
Michael Jackson dominated the charts with “Thriller,” the biggest-selling album of all-time; U2 got its first international hit, “New Years Day”; “Friday Night Videos” premiered on NBC, and new wave took hold on the Hot 100.
The year began with Daryl Hall & John Oates’ “Maneater” at No. 1 and it ended with the Paul McCartney/Michael Jackson duet “Say Say Say” on top. In between, there were so many great tunes.
(Follow along with our Pause-and-Playlist on Spotify, or click on the Spotify player at the bottom of this page.)
“Maneater,” Daryl Hall & John Oates
“The Girl Is Mine,” Michael Jackson / Paul McCartney
“Dirty Laundry,” Don Henley
“Sexual Healing,” Marvin Gaye
“Heartbreaker,” Dionne Warwick
“Africa,” Toto
“Baby, Come to Me,” Patti Austin (A Duet With James Ingram)
“Rock the Casbah,” The Clash
“You and I,” Eddie Rabbitt / Crystal Gayle
“The Other Guy,” Little River Band
“You Can’t Hurry Love,” Phil Collins
“Shame on the Moon,” Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band
“Goody Two Shoes,” Adam Ant
“Love in Store,” Fleetwood Mac
“You Got Lucky,” Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
“Allentown,” Billy Joel
“Stray Cat Strut,” Stray Cats
“Heart of the Night,” Juice Newton
“Shock the Monkey,” Peter Gabriel
“Space Age Love Song,” A Flock of Seagulls
“Do You Really Want to Hurt Me,” Culture Club
“Twilight Zone,” Golden Earring
“Pass the Dutchie,” Musical Youth
“On the Loose,” Saga
“I Know There’s Something Go On,” Frida
“The Woman in Me,” Donna Summer
“Back on the Chain Gang,” The Pretenders
“Hungry Like the Wolf,” Duran Duran
“Eminence Front,” The Who
“Industrial Disease,” Dire Straits
“You Are,” Lionel Richie
“Breaking Us in Two,” Joe Jackson
“Windows,” Missing Persons
“Betcha She Don’t Love You,” Evelyn “Champagne” King
“Billie Jean,” Michael Jackson
“Come On Eileen,” Dexys Midnight Runners
“Lies,” Thompson Twins
“One on One,” Daryl Hall & John Oates
“I’ve Got a Rock ‘n’ Roll Heart,” Eric Clapton
“Poison Arrow,” ABC
“Jeopardy,” Greg Kihn Band
“New Frontier,” Donald Fagen
“Separate Ways,” Journey
“Make Love Stay,” Dan Fogelberg
“Mr. Roboto,” Styx
“Der Kommissar,” After The Fire
“Whirly Girl,” Oxo
“She Blinded Me With Science,” Thomas Dolby
“Should I Stay or Should I Go,” The Clash
“Change of Heart,” Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
“Little Red Corvette,” Prince
“Beat It,” Michael Jackson
“Love My Way,” Psychedelic Furs
“Outstanding,” The Gap Band
“Let Me Go,” Heaven 17
“Straight From the Heart,” Bryan Adams
“Walking in L.A.,” Missing Persons
“Desperate But Not Serious,” Adam Ant
“Always Something There to Remind Me,” Naked Eyes
“Photograph,” Def Leppard
“Solitaire,” Laura Branigan
“Goodnight Saigon,” Billy Joel
“So Wrong,” Patrick Simmons
“Mexican Radio,” Wall of Voodoo
“Let’s Dance,” David Bowie
“The One Thing,” INXS
“Rio,” Duran Duran
“Flashdance … What a Feeling,” Irene Cara
“Gimme All Your Lovin’,” ZZ Top
“I Melt With You,” Modern English
“Overkill,” Men At Work
“My Love,” Lionel Richie
“She’s a Beauty,” The Tubes
“Time (Clock of the Heart),” Culture Club
“I Eat Cannibals,” Total Coelo
“Why Me,” Planet P Project
“Cool Places,” Sparks and Jane Wiedlin
“Electric Avenue,” Eddy Grant
“Never Gonna Let You Go,” Sergio Mendes
“Too Shy,” Kajagoogoo
“All This Love,” DeBarge
“Do You Wanna Hold Me?,” Bow Wow Wow
“Family Man,” Daryl Hall & John Oates
“Don’t Pay the Ferryman,” Chris De Burgh
“Love On Your Side,” Thompson Twins
“I’m Still Standing,” Elton John
“Our House,” Madness
“The Walls Came Down,” The Call
“Come Dancing,” The Kinks
“Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You),” A Flock of Seagulls
“Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This),” Eurythmics
“White Wedding,” Billy Idol
“The Salt In My Tears,” Martin Briley
“Wanna Be Startin’ Something,” Michael Jackson
“She Works Hard for the Money,” Donna Summer
“(Keep Feeling) Fascination,” The Human League
“Saved By Zero,” The Fixx
“The Metro,” Berlin
“Drop the Pilot,” Joan Armatrading
“Every Breath You Take,” The Police
“Is There Something I Should Know,” Duran Duran
“Stand Back,” Stevie Nicks
“China Girl,” David Bowie
“1999,” Prince
“Maniac,” Michael Sembello
“Take Me to Heart,” Quarterflash
“The Safety Dance,” Men Without Hats
“Dead Giveaway,” Shalamar
“It’s a Mistake,” Men At Work
“I’ll Tumble 4 Ya,” Culture Club
“Lawyers in Love,” Jackson Browne
“Tonight, I Celebrate My Love,” Peabo Bryson / Roberta Flack
“Promises, Promises,” Naked Eyes
“Human Nature,” Michael Jackson
“Sharp Dressed Man,” ZZ Top
“Radio Free Europe,” R.E.M.
“Tell Her About It,” Billy Joel
“Don’t Cry,” Asia
“Making Love Out of Nothing At All,” Air Supply
“Burning Down the House,” Talking Heads
“(She’s) Sexy + 17,” Stray Cats
“True,” Spandau Ballet
“Big Log,” Robert Plant
“Change,” Tears For Fears
“Don’t Forget to Dance,” The Kinks
“It Must Be Love,” Madness
“King of Pain,” The Police
“Islands in the Stream,” Kenny Rogers Duet With Dolly Parton
“One Thing Leads to Another,” The Fixx
“Just Be Good to Me,” The S.O.S. Band
“Suddenly Last Summer,” The Motels
“If Anyone Falls,” Stevie Nicks
“Delirious,” Prince
“Heart and Soul,” Huey Lewis and the News
“Just Got Lucky,” Jo Boxers
“All Night Long (All Night),” Lionel Richie
“Modern Love,” David Bowie
“Break My Stride,” Matthew Wilder
“Uptown Girl,” Billy Joel
“Love Is a Battlefield,” Pat Benatar
“Major Tom (Coming Home),” Peter Schilling
“Ain’t Nobody,” Rufus with Chaka Khan
“P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing),” Michael Jackson
“Talking In Your Sleep,” The Romantics
“Say Say Say,” Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson
“Crumblin’ Down,” John Cougar Mellencamp
“Church of the Poison Mind,” Culture Club
“In a Big Country,” Big Country
“Say It Isn’t So,” Daryl Hall & John Oates
“I Guess That’s Why They Call It the Blues,” Elton John
“Holiday,” Madonna
“Synchronicity II,” The Police
“Owner of a Lonely Heart,” Yes
“Let the Music Play,” Shannon
“Gold,” Spandau Ballet
“The Politics of Dancing,” Re-Flex
“Karma Chameleon,” Culture Club
About the Author
Gerry Galipault Gerry Galipault debuted Pause & Play online in October 1997. Since then, it has become the definitive place for CD-release dates — with a worldwide audience.
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