I've been playing the hell out of "867-5309/Jenny" and Poco's "Shoot For the Moon", trying to decide which track gets a placement on my list. I've also listened to other questionable tracks to see if there was anything else that might be considered expendable. And I've reached a decision, I think.

1982, like all of the 80s I made a long master list of songs for me to choose from. However, I really haven't had trouble to cutting that list down to a more manageable size. Nor have I had any trouble deciding the order of the songs. But the question of whether to include the Tommy Tutone song has been the bee-atch. But like I've said, I've made up my mind.

So here's my 25 favorite songs of 1982:

1. "Slit Skirts" - Pete Townshend

Some of Towser's best lyrics, I think. A song about the difficulties of romance for the middle-aged, it tends to be slow, hestitant and melancholy. During the verses anyway. Then as the chorus hits, the song takes a new confidence and tempo. The driving, dominant instrument in the song is actually the piano. It's the anchor on which the entire tune is based. The best line in the tune is definitely "Can't pretend that growing old never hurts." This song sounds like it should have been a Who song. It's easy to imagine Roger Daltrey twirling his microphone as the cut gears up for the chorus.

2. "Come On Eileen" - Dexy's Midnight Runners

The opening fiddle bit is kind of a sampling of the tune, "Those Endearing Young Charms", the song Yosemite Sam kept trying to get Bugs Bunny to play on the dynamite rigged pie-anny. Then a guitar and banjo takes over, only to be replaced by the fiddle again, the instrumental centerpiece of this classic. A sweep of the piano and it's on to the singing. Horns, banjos, guitars, bass, fiddle, this could've been a country song, except the band performing it was Irish, I believe. At any rate the song flows at a nice pace until near the end when it does a sudden tempo change, only to build up to the fast paced climax. I love this song, even if lead singer, Kevin Rowland's vocals are hard to understand.

3. "Sirius/Eye In the Sky" - the Alan Parsons Project

The instrumental, "Sirius", adopted by the Lakers, wasn't it?, is very much linked to "Eye In the Sky". Hell, when Parsons performed "Eye In the Sky" live, it was with "Sirius" before it. They work together perfectly. The guitar and strings (or is it a synthesizer?) propel "Sirius", which really does sound like a bright, shining star. And on "Eye In the Sky", Eric Woolfson handles the lead vocals on this one and his voice is absolutely perfect. A great ballad. The best of the year.

4. "Johnny Can't Read" - Don Henley

The obvious choice is "Dirty Laundry", a great song and one truer today than it was Don recorded it, but this song about illiteracy is IMHO much better. The music brings to mind the ditties heard on early 80s video games, Pac-Man in particular. The lyrics are actually tongue-cheek, even if Don is clearly critical of how mass entertainment has kept kids from being able to read. (Hey, Don, you're a part of the entertainment field. Hello!) Still, this is probably the best thing off Henley's debut solo album. And if you listen carefully to the end of the song, you can hear Don reference one of his old Eagles song: "There's a new kid in town."

5. "Kids In America" - Kim Wilde

A thumping bass and keyboards imitating the sounds of car horns honking and Kim's voice open this song slowly, until a drum beat sounds off like the crack of a whip. Then the tune picks up its pace. The beat is insistent and very hard to ignore, much less resist. The bass will get your heart pumping faster as it plays throughout this little number. It's really hard to listen to this one and not feel the urge to get up and dance. This is '82's best dance song.

6. "Space Age Love Song" - A Flock of Seagulls

They're better remembered for Mike Score's hairdo (see the movie Pulp Fiction and the song, "I Ran (So Far Away)", but I've always liked this one better. A killer drum beat opens the song and then the bass (god, I love the bass in this song!) and guitar take over. This is this New Wave's band Rock song, and it's a d4mned good one. The synths are kept to a bare minimal, but then the lyrics are also minimalistic (the same words each "verse" with a word or two changed each time). And am I the only who, when hearing the "whooshes" in the song think of the starship Enterprise's fly-bys in the old STAR TREK series?

7. "The Metro" - Berlin

There's a couple of other songs from their debut e.p. Pleasure Victim I wanted to add - "The Masquerade" and the great examination of sex roles, "Sex (I'm A...)" - but this has always been my favorite one off this album. It's robotic, hypnotic and Terri Nunn's vocals are superb. The song really does convey the feeling of riding on a subway train. The keyboards are pretty tasteful, used only sparingly. The best line "I remember hating you for loving me" is both devastating and classic. One of the best things Berlin recorded.

8. "Little Guitars (Intro)/Little Guitars" - Van Halen

The Intro is Eddie Van Halen strumming an acoustic guitar for a little under a minute and it leaves you wanting more. Then brother, Alex wipes the slate clean with a few drum beats. The rest of "Little Guitars" is completely electric. No, this is probably not Eddie's fastest fret work, but it's his most tasteful and effective. And no the song isn't Van Halen's best, but it is my favorite. Diamond Dave's vocals are his usual high octane. On the album where just about half the songs were covers, this was the highlight of the original material from Diver Down.

9. "I Melt With You" - Modern English

In some ways, I suspect this is the best loved and best remembered tune from 1982. It's definitely an infectious dance tune. The song takes a slower pace in a couple of places, but those breaks are needed, cos this song's rapid pace can almost wear you out.

10. "Pass the Dutchie" - Musical Youth

In case you don't know it, this is actually a cover song. The original song, though, was called "Pass the Kutchie". In Jamaican patois, both "dutchie" and "kutchie" mean pot, it's just that the latter means "pot" as in ganja. I suspect the lyrics for the Musical Youth version were altered to avoid any other references to marijauna. This was, I think, the first reggae song I really liked. It's still great fun to listen to. The fun thing to listen for the bit that sounds like the Road Runner near the end of the tune. I remember a dj or two making jokes about that.

11. "Martyrs and Madmen" - Roger Daltrey

A previously unreleased track on from his Best Bits album, this frantic rocker about addiction is one of the two or three best things Daltrey recorded during his solo career. Vocally, Roger snarls the lyrics as well and with as much venom anything he ever did with the Who. This is probably well forgotten by the public at large, but it is worth listening to if you can find it.

12. "Empty Garden (Hey, Hey Johnny)" - Elton John

The best of the songs that paid tribute to the late John Lennon, including the ones by his fellow Beatles George Harrison and Paul McCartney. Actually, this is John's best tribute song period, "Candle In the Wind", the Princess Di version, be damned. Elton is in fine vocal form on this song and the instrumentation is pretty simple and straight forward. A wonderfully heartfelt tribute.

13. "Der Kommissar" - After the Fire

Yeah, I know, Falco wrote it and had a hit with it, too. So what? Falco's version blew. ATF's version starts off menacingly and then takes off in a dance oriented direction. Martial in tone, with a heavy bass guitar centering it, the guitars (acoustic and electric) and keyboard swim in and out. I've never been too sure of what the song's about and haven't really cared. I just like the groove this track gets into. "All is klar, Herr Kommissar?"

14. "She's Tight" - Cheap Trick

Cheap Trick gets a little risque with this naughty little song about finding a phone number on a wall. The lyrics are nice and dirty. There's nothing fancy in this straight ahead rocker by the group. I love how the guitars slash and then suddenly stop, though. It works perfectly.

15. "Fantasy" - Aldo Nova

Helicopters and the sounds of lasers blasts swarm through the speakers at the beginning of this song. Then the guitar come to life and "Fantasy"
is off and running. A guitar line is played repetitively and so's a keyboard line. But these only add to the hypnotic appeal of this aggressive hard rocker.

16. "Hard to Say I'm Sorry" - Chicago

Stately, beautiful, haunting, elegant. This song by Chicago is very reminiscent of "If You Leave Me Now". Gorgeous harmonies. This is easily one of my favorite romantic songs. It also has what I think is the best guitar solo in any Chicago song.

17. "Stone Cold" - Rainbow

Richie Blackmore and his band scored a cool, menacing hit with this number. The guitars echo the anger of the lyrics in the chorus. The song from the beginning seems to be rising from the depths of the ocean or from out of a cave. It continues to rise until the end. The guitar solo is smooth and powerful.

18. "Dancing With Myself" - Billy Idol

Maybe I should have picked "White Wedding (part 1)" instead. (Was there ever a "White Wedding [part 2]"?) But I kinda prefer this song more. And yeah, it's a cover of a tune by Generation X, but that' okay, Mr. William Broad, was a member of Generaion X, so he's really just covering his own material. Sort of like when ELO covered the Move's "Do Ya". This is as good a song about masturbation as "Turning Japanese" the previously year was. Maybe even better. Idol had better songs on his next album, but this one's pretty damned good.

19. "Five Thirty-Five" - Buck Dharma

B.Ö.C.'s lead guitarist releases a solo album and scores a minor hit with this cut from Flat Out. Unlike the other hit tunes Buck has written - "Godzilla", "Burnin' For You" and "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" - there's nothing dark at all about this song. It's a nice friendly pop metal song that could never have found a place on a Blue Öyster Cult album. What's more, it's an unabashed love song. Who knew Buck had it in him?

20. "Love Leads to Madness" - Nazareth

A drawling power metal pop tune from this Scottish band. They had, basically by this time, almost completely abandoned their metal roots and became radio friendly. This song, though, still rocks enough that it can't be confused with "Love Hurts".

21. "Red Skies" - the Fixx

Dark and dire, this song about the threat of nuclear war, was actually quite catchy. The music is almost bubbly enough to hide the lyrics. But not quite. There are some pretty deft guitar work in this one. Almost certainly the best thing the Fixx ever did.

22. "Don't Change" - INXS

"The One Thing" was the first most Americans heard of from this Australian act, but this one's better, I think. This song is just so majestic, it's almost breathtaking. Michael Hutchence's voice is fantastic. He is sorely missed.

23. "Wind Him Up" - Saga

It was a toss up between this and "On the Loose". I like the frenetic pace of this song just an iota more. A tune is about a compulsive gambler, and it has a bright, almost happy keyboard that masks the darkness of the words that are sung. I have no idea what the other songs by this Canadian band were like, but this is quite possibly the best thing they did. But not by much. I still think I maybe should go with "On the Loose".

24. "Shoot For the Moon" - Poco

Speaking of the dilemma of choosing one song over another, I've decided against "867-5309/Jenny" for this slot. In the end, I'm more intrigued and drawn to this lilting country-like ballad. The lyrics are great. It's wistful and a song I think should have gotten more attention and be better known than it is. I believe this is Poco's last hit of any sort. A pity. This is one damned fine song.

25. "The Prisoner" - Iron Maiden

The lyrics, of course, were inspired by the 1960s cult TV series of the same name. The song even features a slice of the show's opening "In the Village" dialogue between Number 6 and Number 2. The lyrics deal with a need for personal freedom, rather than slavish references to the series. The music is fiery and everything Heavy Metal of the Eighties was supposed to be. Then there's airline pilot, Bruce Dickinson's killer, almost operatic, voice. This song just narrowly beat out "Run to the Hills" and "The Number of the Beast" as an Iron Maiden selection. In the end this one is too powerful to ignore.

np - The Complete Robert Johnson - Robert Johnson

"It's all one song." - Neil Young

"Maybe I should have picked "White Wedding (part 1)" instead. (Was there ever a "White Wedding [part 2]"?) "- Benn

Yup, there sure was. Billy did the same trick that Don McLean did with "American Pie". It was spread over two sides of a 45 so if you wanted to hear the whole song you had to put in more money.
It also cropped up on a compilation called "Vital Idol"- all being said, though, it ain't a patch on Part 1.

Re: Benn's comment on the last board:

>Whoa! We agree on a year's top song! It's a miracle!

Hmmm? Didn't we agree on "Stairway To Heaven" for '71, if memory serves me correctly?

Anyway, and now we find ourselves in '82. Here's my list.

1. "Fever", JUDAS PRIEST
At one time in high school, when Priest was my go-to group, I considered this my all-time favorite song. It's a lesser known number from the great, great classic metal album Screaming For Vengeance, but it's absolutely everything a great metal song should be. It starts off spookily slow and then kicks in the jams and has a contagious chorus. Also one of the few honest to gosh love songs from Preist's repritore.

2. "Only Time Will Tell", ASIA
A classic from the best new artists of the year. A supergroup of sorts combining such luminaries as keyboard god Geoff Downes (ex-Yes), Greg Lake (ex-ELP) and John Wetton (ex-King Crimson/Uriah Heep), Asia followed the radio-friendly prog rock format which had already proved gold for Styx, Journey and Kansas. The song has incredible, wide-open production and a classic intro. Wetton's lyrics and the wall-of-sound panache the band creates turn a everyday ordinary breakup into an event of cosmic significance. In a later incarnation, Asia would become one of my favorite bands of all time.

3. "The Final Cut", PINK FLOYD
Yes, the album itself is a poor man's The Wall, but this excellent title track is among the most definitve things the band ever turned out. Why this didn't make the recent Echoes compilation CD I have no idea. Although Roger Waters had already begun his annoying tendancy (begun on The Wall) to give up singing and scream most of his lyrics and softly mumble in spoken word form the rest (which would continue throughout his entire solo career), the song itself is too great for that liability to bring it down.

4. "Hallowed Be Thy Name", IRON MAIDEN
This is my candidate, hands down, for the best song Maiden ever did. An atmospheric and effective story of a man who is about to be executed, and full of differently paced sections.

5. "Wasted On The Way", CROSBY STILLS AND NASH
Simply lovely work from the veteran rock trio. Simple lyrics which yet speak volumes.

6. "Southern Cross", CROSBY STILLS AND NASH
Okay, let's stick with the brilliant Daylight Again album and throw in the very next song. A wonderfully crafted tune both musically and lyrically, it is full of depths of meaning. I'd better stay clear of Daylight Again. That's one of those albums you could fill up an entire year's list full of songs with if you're not careful.

7. "Without You", ASIA
Spaking of those types of albums . . . I don't think this incredible song from Asia's debut was ever a hit, but it is definitely a stunning number, full of unforgettable passion and atmosphere.

8. "The Gunner's Dream", PINK FLOYD
One of Floyd's lesser-known but most unforgettable ballads. The song is the musings of a warplane pilot who has been shot down and who dreams briefly of an idyllic, utopian, war and strife-free world in the moments before his death. One of those songs that serves to understate the underrateness of The Final Cut album.

9. "The Prisoner", IRON MAIDEN
At the time I first heard this song (while still in high school), I had never heard of the TV series. So the opening was naturally lost on me. Of course, as Benn pointed out, the song itself has little to do with the show. Beavis and Butthead once paid tribute to this number by singing it when they were locked up behind bars in a "scared straight" program. I still feel that "Hallowed Be Thy Name" has the edge over this one, though. After all, the prisoner in "The Prisoner" was just being harrassed by the authorities, the prisoner in "Hallowed" was about to be EXECUTED by them!

10. "Prisoner", URIAH HEEP
Coincidentally, a similar title to my previous entry. Guitar god Mick Box singly resurrected Heep after they were left for dead in the wake of the Conquest commercial fiasco, recruited a whole new lineup, and radically changed their format to a kick-butt commercial friendly heavy metal band with the Abominog album. Half of this album are covers (previous to this the only cover they had done was the folk standard "Come Away Melinda" on their first album back in '70), but they are decidely obscure covers (such as John Cougar Mellancamp's "Hot Night In A Cold Town") and this song, done by a band called Sue Saad and The Next. I've never heard the original, if I had I would probably have included it on my list for 1980. Nice little heavy ballad.

11. "My Father's House", BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN
A haunting and unforgettable number from Bruce's relentlessly downbeat Nebraska, which has to be considered one of the most depressing albums ever done by anyone.

12. "Subdivisions", RUSH
Rush was beginning to stray away from pure guitar power and into the realm of techno-music, still this is a fine number.

13. "I Am The Future", ALICE COOPER
The lone bright spot from Coop's Zipper Catches Skin, arguably the weakest disc he ever turned out with horrendous production values. Great songs always find a way to overcome poor prodcution, however. This was in the soundtrack to some obscure 1980's high school film.

14. "Even The Nights Are Better", AIR SUPPLY
Putting bands like Priest and Maiden in this list gives me enough security to include an Air Supply song. This one was a radio staple at the time I was first starting to listen to radio, so it will always have those strong personal associatins for me, but I thin this tune still stands well enough on its own merits.

15. "Lysistrata", TODD RUNDGREN AND UTOPIA
Rundgren draws on an ancient Greek opera to make a comment on modern-day warfare in this catchy and rocking memorable little bumber.

Thnaks to Benn, BTW, for reminding me of worthy candidates such as Alan Parson's "Eye In The Sky", Chicago's "Hard To Say I'm Sorry", Nazareth's "Love Leads To Madness" and Buck Dharma's Flat Out album (my favorite number from that is "Your Loving Heart.")

Okay, that's it. Hope you liked this year's list! See you in '83!

Um, there's one problem with your Pink Floyd selections, Todd. The album from which they hail, The Final Cut, was released on March 21st, 1983. http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&uid=CASS70308251157&sql=Algja7i7jg7or So, um, I don't think either song are eligible for the 1982 list. Sorry.

"11. 'My Father's House', BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN
A haunting and unforgettable number from Bruce's relentlessly downbeat Nebraska, which has to be considered one of the most depressing albums ever done by anyone." - Todd Pence

Ever hear Lou Reed's Berlin or The Blue Mask? Those are just as depressing. Of course, I also hear that Leonard Cohen can be just as bad.

"Thnaks to Benn, BTW, for reminding me of worthy candidates such as Alan Parson's 'Eye In The Sky', Chicago's 'Hard To Say I'm Sorry', Nazareth's 'Love Leads To Madness and Buck Dharma's Flat Out album (my favorite number from that is 'Your Loving Heart.') - Todd Pence

No problem. Glad to do it, sir. BTW, my second favorite cut from Flat Out is "All Tied Up". That album revealed Buck's dirty little secret: He's a popster at heart. Just listen to his version of the Fleetwoods' "Come Softly to Me".

"It's all one song." - Neil Young

Oh, yeah, Todd if it's any comfort for you, Pink Floyd did have a new song out that year (1982): "When the Tigers Broke Free", which was a part of the soundtrack for the movie, Pink Floyd - The Wall. If I'm not mistaken, that is.

And I think you're right, we did agree in 1971 on our Number One song choice. Hm. We seem to do that once every ten years.

"It's all one song." - Neil Young

You are absolutely right about my Pink Floyd selections, bro. I stand embarrassed. I used as my source for the dating the box set book, which due to a confusing layout seems to list '82 as the year of that album's release. Chalk it up to hastily poor research on my part. I'm usually more careful and thorough than that, but hey, mistakes happen when you're trying to hurriedly throw together a list. Of course, this gives me a head start on next year and I can easily substitute a couple of those alternates you suggested, say the Buck Dharma and the Chicago song tacked on to the end of that list.

A Couple of More Supplementals:

1981
"Change"- Killing Joke
KJ's landmark first album, with its theretofore unheard-of mix of post punk aggression and techno dance beats, opened the door through which subsequent generations of bands like Ministry and NIN would pass. This single retains its power to this day.

"The Weakness in Me"- Joan Armatrading
Haunting and fragile ballad, long considered one of her best. Started getting some airplay lately due to its inclusion on some recent soundtracks.

1982
"Stranger on the Town"- The Damned
Back when it seemed that every song they did had to have a different stylistic approach, they go for Memphis Soul on this one and succeed with flying colors. Go Captain! (Incidentially- this is also the year that Captain Sensible had a hit with the novelty rap "Wot")

"Wall of Death"- Richard and Linda Thompson
Not quite the slash-your-wrists special that the title suggests. It's actually a great harmony laden jaunty folk-rock number that uses a carnival midway as a metaphor for life: "you're going nowhere when you ride on the carousel...". Covered numerous times in later years.

"We Were Happy There"- The dB's
Awesome jangle pop, and one of Peter Holsapple's best to boot.

"The Coldest Night of the Year"- Bruce Cockburn
This one was originally released as an unreleased track on a Best Of collection, and has subsequently made it on to other compliations due to the first one's rarity. Clever wordplay and an upbeat arrangement temper the inherent longing in the lyrics. To many, myself included, this track signified an end to an era- things were grim in Cockburnland, and they were about to get a heck of a lot grimmer.

Ever hear Lou Reed's Berlin or The Blue Mask? Those are just as depressing. Of course, I also hear that Leonard Cohen can be just as bad.
Got that right! At least Reed mixes up the tempos and arrangements, which Cohen rarely does. He has written and recorded some amazing songs, though I prefer to experience them individually, like in part of a multi-disc shuffle.

Another addition: "Tainted Love" Soft Cell.

And, if I may get the jump on 1983 before you guys:

"High On Yourself" and "I Really Want You Right Now" by The Lyres
Two slices of Hammond organ-fueled brilliance

What was the commercial where the patient's heart monitor started playing Tainted Love?

Oh, and from Board 1, Centerfield was 1985. I didn't realize we were doing it year by year.

Okay, folks. I've been busy with work and clinicals for my CNA classes these last three days (and nights). However, this is my weekend off. I've already started work on my 1983 chart. After work tonight, I'll finish it up and post it. And then I'll start 1984. Sorry to keep y'all waiting. (Those of you who are waiting.)

"It's all one song." - Neil Young

Good luck on the CNA stuff, Benn! (Oh, and looking forward to the next list.)

ahem... That should have been "Oh, and I'm looking forward to the next list."

I started work on posting my 1983 list when I found myself falling asleep at the keyboard. So I saved what I had written and shut down for the night. I'm up now and pretty much awake. Let me turn on some music to start my day and it's on to 1983.

Here we go. I had to replay the top two songs to decide "Who's On First?" After playing them, it was no choice.

Here for your amusement is the Top Songs of the Class of 1983! And remember folks, this is for entertainment purposes only, so please, no gambling.

1. "Who's Behind the Door?" - Zebra

It opens with an acoustic guitar that sounds like guitarist Randy Jackson is making the strings gallop. Then the synths kick in. Later Jackson would add a layer of electric guitar, while drummer Guy Gelso pounds a ferocious beat on both drum synthesizers and a normal kit. Musically, this great song, running for slightly more than 5 minutes, leaves you feeling exhausted, like you've just run a marathon. The lyrics are first rate metaphysical philosophy. Zebra in their short recording career (three albums) would never again create something this deep and powerful.

2. "Sister Christian" - Night Ranger

A truly majestic tune. A stately piano opens the song until drums build the tempo into a more driving rock beat. Jack Blade provides a nice and cutting lead guitar solo. The lyrics are haunting with their references to "motoring" and advice against suicide. (Or am I reading too much into those lines, "Sister Christian/There's so much in life/Don't you give it up before your time is due"?) Still, this is definitely one of the essential tracks of the 80s.

3. "Twilight Zone" - Golden Earring

Even after all these years, this cut has held up better than their more famous hit "Radar Love". Maybe it's the air of menace and despair the song conveys. Maybe it's because it effing rocks harder than "Radar Love" does. The vocals alternate between growling and desperation, the bass hits a helluva great groove. The guitars display some Grade-A chops, especially during the solo. This song, btw, has nothing to do with Rod Serling's TV show. I think it's about a drug dealer. I could be wrong, though.

4. "Mexican Radio" - Wall of Voodoo

By this point, New Wave gave up trying to be "serious" music. It became the Class Clown. Sometimes it'd be Class Clown in the guise of the Waitresses. Sometimes in the guise of Devo. Or maybe even Toto Coelo's horrible "I Eat Cannibals" (too silly for words). Then there's this goofy little gem. Manic, frantic this is really a fun pop song, New Wave or not. When that bass guitar starts up, it's hard to keep yourself from pogoing all over the place. And even after all these years (20), I find myself amused by the lines, "I wish I was in Tiajuana/Eating barbequed iguana."

5. "Eyes Without a Face" - Billy Idol

A power ballad ala Punk, even if Idol was merely a poser. The hand claps help make this smooth, mellow song irresistable. And Steve Stevens' solo is one that is not to be missed.

6. "Little Robbers" - the Motels

Sounds like the song has a little reggae or samba in it. Despite its snarling lyrics, it is musically an upbeat song. Martha Davis' vocals are great. The only other Motels songs I like as well are "So L.A." and "Suddenly, Last Summer". This tune is just too catchy to ignore, though.

7. "She Bop" - Cyndi Lauper

I realize most people will probably prefer Lauper's "Time After Time" or "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun". Sorry, but I honestly think this ode to self-abuse (self-pleasure - whatever you wanna call it) is superior. The infectious pop sound innocently hides the song's subject matter - masturbation. (Okay, something weird's going on here. This is like the fourth song about self-love I've picked. Three for this decade. Maybe I should see a psychiatrist?) Lauper's helium voice sounds not just girlish, but almost childllike. This is actually a pretty subversive song. If you weren't careful, you'd think it was about dancing.

8. "She Wants You" - the Breaks

Somewhere, sometime during the early 80s when I was living in Orange, TX, I was recording songs off the radio. There was this one song that had already been playing that I hit the record button on my tape recorder. I got the final part of this song. I didn't know who recorded the song or what it was called. And I'm one of those people who HATES not knowing those factoids about songs I like. Two years ago I bought a CD called Heard It On the Radio Volume 1. I bought it for a couple of other tunes. Anyway, to my shock and pleasure, that song I had on the "junk tape" was on that disc - complete and uncut. And I now know who did it and what it is called - "She Wants You" by the Breaks.

I can't really tell you much about the Breaks. They seem to be an almost one hit wonder band. But this song about lust is a superb power pop song. Nice, bold keyboard works, great chuggin' bass guitar and a helluva great guitar solo makes me want to hear more of this band. Maybe this was the only great song this band recorded, but I wouldn't object to finding out for myself.

9. "Our House" - Madness

Can't talk about '83 and not mention this classic lil gem from Britain. Wasn't this a GREAT pop/New Wave song? Perfect production, from the opening slide guitar to the guitar solo from the horns to the keyboards to Graham "Suggs" McPherson's vocals, this was one of the best - most fun - songs of the year. Catchy as hell, too.

10. "China Girl" - David Bowie

The song, whether I knew it or not, that introduced me to Mr. Stevie Ray Vaughan. Yup, that's SRV on the guitar on this song and the rest of Bowie's Let Dance album. This tune shows Stevie guitar skills better than "Let's Dance", the song, did. And boyoboy, did this hot guitar slinger from Oak Cliff, Texas (a city I lived in a few times) have skills - mad skills. The opening licks, the deft solo. Ow!

But enough about Stevie Ray. Bowie's vocals are nice and almost seductive on this tune. The other instruments - bass, drums, keyboards - all are well played. And Stevie's guitar! Okay, so this is a showcase introduction to SRV. It's also a great song to boot.

11. "Boys In Town" - the DiVinyls

In '83 I was looking for a female lead rock band - other than Pat Benatar and Blondie - to get into. Blondie had already disbanded, and Benatar wasn't quite as interesting as she was on her first two albums. At a record shop in Port Arthur, Texas, I happened to see the Catholic Girls' debut l.p. and Desperate by the DiVinyls. I bought both records and put them on my turn-table and gave them a listen. I hated the Catholic Girls record. But the DiVinyls' debut, Desperate... Ohmanohman! That was - and still is, if you can find it - a great Punk/Metal album. Christina Amphlett's voice is, admittedly an acquired taste - she sounds like a harpy or harridan on most cuts. For the most part her vocals sound like they were ripped apart by a razor. The album overall, has a hard-hitting pulsating drive to it. It was a slap in the face when compared to all the "oh-so-fragile-if-you-hurt-me-I'll-curl-up-and-die" music most women at that time were putting out. Amphlett would kill you kill if you tried to break her heart. While "Boys In Town", the opening cut on Desperate, isn't the best example of that, it's still a change of pace from how women dealt with being treated as merely a sex object. Christina not only is tired of all the little boys in her life, but, as she screams, she wants out of town. And you can tell it isn't just to escape. She means to raise some hell.

12. "Synchronicity II" - the Police

The song's (and album) title comes from the title of a book by philosopher, one time Freud student, Carl Jung, Synchronicity: An Acausal Connecting Principal. Synchronicity holds that unconnected events may actually be related. In this brilliant rocker by Sting, Stewart and Andy, the day in the life of a white collar worker is somehow related to a Scottish loch. You decide if it has any deeper significance. The music is spooky and so is Sting's voice. It's hard to believe this trio, who's style tended to lean more to the pop side could have affected such a driving rock sound. And so successfully. On an album of such mellow hits as "Wrapped Around My Fingers" and "Every Breath You Take", this was the prime rockin' cut.

13. "I Couldn't Say No" - Robert Ellis Orrall (with Carlene Carter)

A pretty simple pop tune about misunderstanding and a certain amount of distrust between a couple. And yet you know their love will keep them together. (Ooops! Wrong duet and decade!) There's nothing complicated either musically or lyrically here. This is just a pleasant musical excursion that I find thoroughly enchanting. Neither Orrall nor Carter would ever have a more prominent song.

14. "The Salt In My Tears" - Martin Briley

Briley had a long career before this, kicking around the music scene as a member of such bands as Mandrake and Greenslade. But in '83 he scored a big hit with this classic f... you kiss off song. Sharp, stabbing guitar and sharp, stabbing vocals highlight this number.

15. "Shooting Shark" - Blue Öyster Cult

The lyrics are bit hard to understand, but my take on them has always been about wanting to break up with someone you have a love/hate feeling for. The song is mournful, eerie and features a great saxophone and lead guitar solo. This is my second favorite B.Ö.C. song and one of these days, I'm gonna hear them perform it live, dammit. Another great Cult tune by Buck Dharma.

16. "Total Eclipse of the Heart" - Bonnie Tyler

Her long awaited follow to the late '70s' "It's a Heartache". Welsh born Tyler really does sound like a female Rod Stewart, doesn't she? This song, produced by Meat Loaf's Bat Out of Hell's Jim Steinman, is operatic and epic in nature and structure. Haunting, melancholy, the tune features backing vocals by Rory Dowd and the music talents of E Streeters, Roy Bittan and Max Weinberg and ace guitarist Rick Derringer. This was probably the best thing Tyler ever recorded. (Beats her version of Blue Öyster Cult's "Goin' Through the Motions", also on her Faster Than the Speed of Night album.)

17. "Mr. Roboto" - Styx

Probably the most maligned song in Styx's catalog by now. Most people have pretty much disowned this track from the band's concept album, Kilroy Was Here. Still, it actually captured the feeling of New Wave (if that was its intent) and infused it with a true rock sound. The lyrics are meaningless for the most part, when taken out of the context of the l.p.'s storyline, but it's still a good, cool, fun song. I'm unapologetic in my love of this song. So there! :-p

18. "Take a Chance" - the DiVinyls

Yet another favorite from the DiVinyls' debut album. (No, the record with "I Touch Myself" wasn't their first. If that's the first time you heard of this Australian act, you missed it.) This rocker features some nice clean guitar work by Christina Amphlett's co-conspirator and DiVinyls mainstay, Mark McEntee. Amphlett snarls the lyrics of this song. It's really one of the few tunes on this album that could almost be called a pop tune. ("Victoria" is definitely pop and it is a gorgeous one, too.)

19. "Noise" - the Kinks

A bonus track on the Kinks' 1983 album, State of Confusion. The song, complaining about noise pollution, is sonic chaos incarnate. Singer, Ray Davies seems to be desperately trying to be heard above his brother Dave's guitar, not to mention the rest of the Kinks. The lyrics, are as is usual for the band, tongue in cheek, but that doesn't meant the message about the need for a little peace and quiet in this noisy modern world isn't to be taken seriously. "Hey buddy! Turn that radio down!"

20. "China" - the Red Rockers

A bouncy, semi-political song from this New Orleans rock band. A catchy melody and top notch vocals and instrumentation has made this one of my all time favorite songs.

21. "New Year's Day" - U2

The first song I ever heard from this Irish quartet. Stark, crisp, this song was the prototype U2 song for much of the Eighties. It showed the group's Punk origins (which they would soon shed). The song doesn't really show off the Edge's guitar skills, as it's main instrumentations are bass, drums and piano. But when Dave Evans does pick up his axe, he chops through the noise of the rhythm section with a very nice solo. Bono's vocals are, as always, passionate and bombastic.

22. "Kiss the Bride" - Elton John

If you think about it, the lyrics, about Elton being in love with a woman who's about to get married, is hilarious. I keep wondering if originally, the lyrics weren't "I wanna kiss the groom." Which for Reginald Dwight would have made more sense. Still, this staccato, almost robotic rocker is probably the toughest rock song Sir Elton did in the Eighties (if not the only rocker he did in the 1980s).

23. "Change of Heart" - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

A hard-chargin' straight ahead rocker that helps fulfill Petty's musical promise shown on the D4mn the Torpedoes! l.p. The lyrics are some that Prince Mick Jagger would have been very comfortable singing. The guitars crunch and slam like battering rams on this one. TP's vocals are effectively snide and self-congratulatory on this bitter tune. Great stuff, really.

24. "Not Now John" - Pink Floyd

Did he say what I think he said? Usually, Roger Waters is sad and melancholy. Here he's angry - very angry. This relentless rocker is a great candidate for a Heavy Metal classic. Mostly it seems to be a commentary on British Imperialism. But if you wanna know what Roger thought of the movie, Pink Floyd - The Wall, this verse will tell you:

"F... all that
We gotta get on with the film show.
Hollywood waits at the end of the rainbow.
Who cares what it's about
So long as the kids go.
So f... all that
We gotta get on with the show!"

25. "Texas Flood" - Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble

Title cut and, if you ask me, the best thing off SRV's debut album. A killer, raw blues song. Stevie plays even more authoritatively here than he does on the Bowie album he debuted on. SRV's vocals are tired and world-weary, as any good Bluesman's should be. But, as is true on most of Stevie's albums, it is his fretwork that deserves the most attention. This was just the beginning of some great stuff from this Texas guitar god.

Hope this was worth the wait, y'all.

np - 200 KM/h In the Wrong Lane - t.A.T.u. (Believe it or not.)

"It's all one song." - Neil Young

Before I post my own 1983 list, which I've got all ready to go and should be posted within the next hour or two, I've come up with a couple of extra songs from 1982 to tack on to the end of that list, to fill the two slots made vacant by my Final Cut error - here they are.

"Airwaves" THOMAS DOLBY
From the guy who gave us in the same year the ridiculously infectious "She Blinded Me With Science". "Airwaves" is a weirdly haunting slow tune with lyrics that pretty much make little if any sense, yet convey a depth of feeling regardless. Here's a candidate for the "what is this song about?" category. Dolby's strangely emotionless vocals add to the songs eerie atmosphere.

"Play The Game Tonight" KANSAS
A power-pop rocker in the tradition of "Carry On Wayward Son."

1983 coming straight up, just as soon as I get it all typed. It's a 20-song list this year.

1. “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)”, JOURNEY
A more nostalgic choice than anything else, although it is still undeniably a great song. When this first became a smash hit on the radio, my fourteen-year old self (whose musical expertise back then extended little beyond the Beatles and Simon and Garfunkel) thought it the epitome of popular music. Journey’s Frontiers beats out the Police’s Synchronicity as the best record of the year.

2. “Making Love Out Of Nothing At All”, AIR SUPPLY
This Aussie pop duo never recorded anything so passionately powerful. Absolutely the best song they ever did, and it even has a little uncharacteristic muscle behind it as well (supplied by guests from the E Street Band and Rick Derringer). Incredible, heart-rending vocals and very nice lyrics. Recorded as a solo effort to add to a greatest hits collection, this became a smash radio hit.

3. “True”, SPANDAU BALLET
Another slow-paced “wedding song” is my favorite from a slew of well-remembered one-hit wonders who dominated this year. I guess Spandau Ballet was categorized as a “New Wave” band, but this is definitely more in Moody Blues territory. Magnificent symphonic music, but what really gets me are the wide-ranging vocals. The name of SB’s singer escapes me for the moment, and I don’t want to stop and look it up right now, but he was good. Incredible song.

4. “Faithfully”, JOURNEY
Returning to Frontiers for one of Journey’s greatest songs ever. This takes “Who’s Crying Now” and “Open Arms” to a whole new level to reach the absolute pinnacle of Journey’s balladeering. This may be Steve Perry’s most incredible singing performance ever, and the music is as magnificent – pure FM power ballad perfection. The ending might just go a wee bit overboard in the bombast department, however.

5. “The Final Cut”, PINK FLOYD
See comments for this song on my earlier post.

6. “Total Eclipse Of The Heart”, BONNIE TYLER
Now that I’m putting them on the same list, it strikes me how similar the melody of this song is to the Air Supply number I listed earlier. Ms. Tyler holds nothing back in pouring her heart out into her singing, although it seems that it makes her voice ragged in a couple of places. So she’s got kind of a Joplin-thing going here.

7. “Stranger”, ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA
One of ELO’s best songs, from the underrated Secret Messages album. Beautiful and evocative, with memorable lyrics.

8. “My Own Time (I’ll Do What I Want)”, ASIA
Asia at the time was setting a standard of wide open and dramatic production, creating a musical experience comparable to the striking Roger Dean covers gracing their LPs. Certainly this music was superior and more progressive than what their antecedents Yes were coming up with at this point in time. This song features all of the band’s characteristic panache, and is anthematically upbeat and catchy. Some of Wetton’s greatest vocals for the group, as well.

9. “The Best Was Yet To Come”, BRYAN ADAMS
’83 was a breakout year for Adams with the classic Cuts Like a Knife blockbuster album. This song was not one of the hits from that LP, but it is a charming and touching emotional little closing number that I would rank among Adams’ best ballads.

10. “Revelations”, IRON MAIDEN
One of Maiden’s more fantastically progressive tunes, which starts out covering a G.K. Chesterton hymn and then delves into a frenzied prayer with wicked instrumentation and tempo changes. Great rocking-out midsection, one of Maiden’s best and most complex tunes ever.

11. “The Gunner’s Dream”, PINK FLOYD
See comments for this song on my earlier post.

12. “Shooting Shark”, BLUE OYSTER CULT
Once again. Benn’s already introduced this song. One of the more unusual numbers from Revolution By Night, indeed, from BOC’s entire repertoire. A slightly odd tempo and arrangement augment the semi-dreamlike production.

13. “Pass The Gun Around”, ALICE COOPER
Da Da is the great forgotten Alice Cooper album. Heck, I thought I had collected all of Coop’s albums before I learned of its existence. But it is one of his best from his latter period, and he wouldn’t make an album this good again for almost ten years. This closing number is one of his best-ever songs, and its omission from the Life And Crimes box set borders on the incomprehensible. Like “The Quiet Room” before it, this one holds a blunt seriousness far removed from Alice’s usual tongue-in-cheek attitude.

14. “Blue For You”, MEN AT WORK
Now here’s one of 1983’s most under rated album, Men At Work’s masterful Cargo. Full of nice pop melodies understatedly played, with some fine musical moments. But what really matters are the lyrics, which paint portraits of introverted characters flirting with madness. “Blue For You” is my favorite song from the album, although they are all good. The song moves along at a measured, slow, pace, yet is full of repressed passion.

15. “The Other Side Of Midnight”, URIAH HEEP
The Heepsters had embraced the arena heavy metal format and were showing themselves to have a real flair for it. This number is built around a killer riff and a jackhammer pace, similar in style to what Deep Purple would do the next year with their “Knockin’ At Your Back Door” comeback. I vote this as the best commercial hard rock song of the year.

16. “Silver Wheels”, MOBY GRAPE
The Grape made a remarkable (although quickly forgotten) comeback in ’83, and I just had to include one of the songs from that untitled album. The opener, “Silver Wheels”, is probably the best bet . . . it is lovely, well-played and sung, catchy, and atmospheric.

17. “King Of Pain”, THE POLICE
One of the more unlikely smash hits of ’83, this unique little rocker is full of unforgettable imagery and sums up the feeling of the Synchronicity album. “Synchronicity II”, which Benn listed, also gets high marks as do the other hits “Every Breath You Take” and “Wrapped Around Your Finger”.

18. “Running Water”, THE MOODY BLUES
Another great Moodies ballad. What more needs to be said? They’re always good to include in a yearly roundup list.

19. “Uptown Girl”, BILLY JOEL
Yeah, this is probably here out of nostalgia more than anything else. You couldn’t get away from this on the radio in ’83, and it does stick in your head. Heck, anyone who does genuine doo-wop in the heart of the new wave era is okay by me. And it is an ode to Christie Brinkley, who has been my number one fabulous babe of all time ever since at age twelve I saw her on the ’80 Sports Illustrated swimsuit cover.

20. “Script For a Jester’s Tear”, MARILLON
Sort of the link in the evolutionary chain from Genesis to Dream Theatre. Certainly a combination of prog and metal in a much different way than had been done during the seventies, due to the fact that heavy metal itself was a much different animal in the eighties. The title track to this memorable album possesses an impressive range of style and mood. And meaningful lyrics to boot.

Well, there’s my grouping for ’83. Hope it was entertaining, educating and informative.

Missed this one on board 1... I know it's sappy and smarmy, but because of various things in my life at that (very long ago) time, I liked "The Best of Times" -- STYX, Paradise Theatre

"Now that I’m putting them on the same list, it strikes me how similar the melody of this song is to the Air Supply number I listed earlier." - Todd Pence

I wonder if that's because Rick Derringer and members of the E Street Band grace both songs?

"7. 'Stranger', ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA
One of ELO’s best songs, from the underrated Secret Messages album. Beautiful and evocative, with memorable lyrics." - Todd Pence

That one was a track that was under serious consideration for my list. It's probably the best track on Secret Messages, an album I find to be quite uneven. It's not the worst ELO l.p. But it's not as consistent as many of the others. I get the feeling Jeff Lynne was going through the motions.

np - Cult Classics - Blue Öyster Cult

It's all one song." - Neil Young

>I wonder if that's because Rick Derringer and members of the E Street Band grace both songs?

Could be.

Sorry, don't take this personally, but I always thought Air Supply made a career "out of nothing at all." I remember nothing of that song except the melody & the words "out of nothing at all" repeating over and over.
The two Journey songs Todd listed were so overplayed in my part of the US (to this day, I might add), that in spite of how good they actually are, they suffer from "Stairway to Heaven" syndrome. I do have to admit I personally prefer Journey's less balad-y stuff, but I can't deny they hit their marks with them.
And now for something odd, but coming from me it probably won't be a surprise. I don't like "Come on Eileen" by Dexie's Midnight Runners. Never have. In all honesty, I don't get it... Benn's description of the song was right on, but I just don't get why everyone seems so enamored with this tune, even to this day. Even young'uns who weren't even alive in the early 1980's love this song. It isn't even just that I don't get why that is, but I don't get why I dislike it so much. To be fair, I have to admit that this is the one "one hit wonder" that seems to have the most longevity in history, and seems to reach the widest group of people (namely everyone, except me of course).
Man, I'm sounding like a crochety old man in this post... sorry.
How 'bout something I do like? The first time I heard Zebra's "Who's Behind the Door?" I happened to be lying awake in bed with my generic "walkman" (couldn't afford the real thing), and just happened to catch the song just after it started. Man, was that a cool song! I hoped it wouldn't end too soon, and I wasn't disappointed. And what a treat on stereo headphones! I actually turned off the "walkman" after I realized the dj wasn't going to bother announcing who or what the song was, and lay awake awhile longer replaying it in my head. That's a memory I like to hang on to...

Benn, thank you, thank you, thank you for including "Salt in my Tears" on your list. I had always liked that song and recently had been trying to remember who sang it. I would do Internet searches but couldn't get the name of the song right ("Salt of my Tears", no; "Salt of your Tears," that ain't right). I also mistakenly thought Eddie Money might have sang it.

There are many great picks, "Twilight Zone," "Mexican Radio" and "Our House" among them. But "Sister Christian"? Too hokey for me (though not as hokey as Todd's top three picks). The biggest omission: Where's "Radio Free Europe"?

Re: the secret messages album

I'm with you Benn, Lynn's heart isn't in it. He was stuck in a contract that he couldn't get out of and that's what caused the last three ELO albums. We should be grateful though, because that three included the brilliant "Time" LP. But the other two were just ordinary. Having said that though, I quite like "Rock'n'Roll Is King" and "Four Little Diamonds".
It just occured to me that at on just about every ELO album he tries a version of the 12-bar blues- with a few chord changes- off the top of my head- "Rockaria!" (New World Record), "Birmingham Blues" (Out Of The Blue), "Don't Bring me Down" (Discovery), "Hold On Tight" (Time), "Four Little Diamonds" (Secret Messages).

CR, thanks for leting me know that I'm not the only one who doesn't like "Come On Eileen". It's got just about every minor annoyance in tune, production, and performance that the 80s ever begot, all rolled into one song. To be fair, the chorus is kind of catchy, but what about the rest? How many people even KNOW the rest of "Come On Eileen"?

"Poor old Johnny Ray
He sounded sad on the radio
Moved a million hearts in mono
Our mothers cried.
Sang along
Who could blame them?

"You've grown (you're grown)
You're grown
Now I must say more than ever.
Go toora loora toora loo rye aye
We can sing just like our fathers

Chorus

"These people round here
With their with their down beaten eyes
Sunk in smoke dried faces
Resigned to what their fate is
But not us (Not us)
We are far too young and clever (clever)
Go toora loora toora loo rye aye
Eileen, I'll hum this tune forever.

Chorus

"Come on Eileen too-loo rye-aye come on
Eileen too-loo rye-aye toora toora-too-loora
Now you have grown, now you have shown, oh Eileen
Come on Eileen, these things they are real and I know
how you feel
Now I must say more than ever
things round here have changed
Too-ra loo-ra too-ra loo-rye-aye."

To be fair to Craig and Blitz, I do understand how y'all might not like that song. But it is a song that for whatever strange reason, I do like. I'm weird that way, I guess.

np - Rams vs Giants - It's football season folks. Hallelulah! Go Rams!

"It's all one song." - Neil Young

"Benn, thank you, thank you, thank you for including "Salt in my Tears" on your list. I had always liked that song and recently had been trying to remember who sang it. I would do Internet searches but couldn't get the name of the song right ("Salt of my Tears", no; "Salt of your Tears," that ain't right). I also mistakenly thought Eddie Money might have sang it." - Trike

You're welcome, Trike. My pleasure. A few years ago I looked to find it on an album and could only find it available on a cassette tape. So I ordered it. Since then, I downloaded it off Napster and have it burned on a disc. I don't know whether it's currently available on a CD or not, though.

"But 'Sister Christian'? Too hokey for me (though not as hokey as Todd's top three picks). The biggest omission: Where's 'Radio Free Europe'?" - Trike

Yeah, I can see where you might think that about "Sister Christian". To me, it is a powerful song, though. I still like. Faults included.

As for R.E.M.'s "Radio Free Europe", I did consider it. And three or four other songs off Murmur: "Perfect Circle", "Talk About the Passion", "We Walk" and maybe "Pilgrimage". It's just I think the other tunes were slightly better.

"It's all one song." - Neil Young

"Re: the secret messages album

I'm with you Benn, Lynn's heart isn't in it. He was stuck in a contract that he couldn't get out of and that's what caused the last three ELO albums. We should be grateful though, because that three included the brilliant 'Time' LP. But the other two were just ordinary. Having said that though, I quite like 'Rock'n'Roll Is King' and 'Four Little Diamonds'." - Rodney Hrvatin

Actually, I think ELO started to go downhill beginning with the Xanadu soundtrack. The six songs from that album. (I'm counting the title track and "Drum Dreams", the B-side to both ELO singles ["I'm Alive" and "All Over the World"].) Time was, indeed, the only great 80s album the band created. What's bad is that, to me, at that time, the best ELO songs were being made by the Moody Blues and the Alan Parsons Project.

I agree, btw, with your choices of highlights from Secret Messages, but I also like the title cut, "Time After Time" and "Danger Ahead".

"It just occured to me that at on just about every ELO album he tries a version of the 12-bar blues- with a few chord changes- off the top of my head- 'Rockaria!' (New World Record), 'Birmingham Blues' (Out Of The Blue), 'Don't Bring me Down' (Discovery), 'Hold On Tight' (Time), 'Four Little Diamonds' (Secret Messages)." - Rodney Hrvatin

Hm. Interesting. I will say I don't think Jeff ever was very successful at writing a good blues song, though. I give him props for trying, though. But Lynne's forte was pop/rock.

\i"It's all one song." - Neil Young}

OK, at least one person knows it. Thanks for clearing that up!

np - Glory Be - Daisy Clan