Quintessential Songs of 1982 - help
 

helping out with a friend of compling songs from that year - any thoughts??

According to my "Top 100 Hits of the 80s" collection:

Centerfold - J. Geils Band
Eye of the Tiger - Survivor
Maneater - Hall & Oats
I Love Rock 'N Roll - Joan Jett
Jack & Diane - John Cougar Mellencamp
Tainted Love - Soft Cell
Mickey - Tony Basil
867-5309 - Tommy Tutone
I Ran - A Flock of Seagulls
Who Can It Be Now - Men At Work

'Hard to Say I'm Sorry/Get Away' - Chicago.

oh I love that song.

"More Than This" by Roxy Music.

(Under-the-radar favorite of mine)

"I Predict" Sparks

Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic - Police

1982
 

Didn't Carly Simon sang Chic's "Why" that year? Or was it vice versa?!?

Roni Griffith's "(The Best Part Of) Breakin' Up" was, I think, a 1982 disco hit.

Michael Jackson's "Thriller" was out in 1982 and spawned numerous hits.

Although you didn't ask for a hits collection, I'd say that the songs on the following album for the most part are "quintessential" 1982:

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1. Harden My Heart - Quarterflash
2. Rosanna - Toto Listen
3. Eye in the Sky - The Alan Parsons Project
4. Gloria - Laura Branigan
5. Who Can It Be Now? - Men at Work
6. Open Arms - Journey
7. Don't Talk to Strangers - Rick Springfield
8. Maneater - Hall & Oates
9. Up Where We Belong - Joe Cocker, Jennifer Warnes
10. Centerfold - J. Geils Band

let me ask another question, which is the flipside of the mainstream music mindset, what lesser known bands were around but where under the radar so to speak?

The Jam - "Town Called Malice"
XTC - "Senses Working Overtime"
Pretenders - "Back On the Chain Gang"
Human League - "Don't You Want Me"
The (English) Beat - "Save It for Later"
The (English) Beat - "I Confess"
Wall of Voodoo - "Mexican Radio"
The Psychedelic Furs - "Love My Way"
Gang of Four - "I Love a Man in Uniform"
R.E.M. - "Wolves, Lower"
R.E.M. - "Gardening At Night"

"Physical" Olivia Newton-John
"Ebony and Ivory" McCartney/Wonder

"Tainted Love" was 1981. It just took a really long time to work its way up the charts.

while it was a UK hit in 1981, Don't You Want Me by Human League was huge in the US in 1982

Best song mentioned so far IMO :up:

Just a few. I don't know about singles, but all these came from albums released that year.

Members "Working Girl"
Bow Wow Wow "I Want Candy"
INXS "One Thing", "Don't Change"
Devo "That's Good"
Single Bullet Theory "Keep It Tight"
Ultravox "Reap The Wild Wind"

1982's Greatest Hits
1. Mickey - Toni Basil
2. Apache - Sugarhill Gang
3. Through The Years - Kenny Rogers
4. I Love Rock and Roll - Joan Jett & The Blackhearts
5. Open Arms - Journey
6. 867-5309 (Jenny Jenny) - Tommy Tutone
7. Eye Of The Tiger - Survivor
8. You Dropped A Bomb On Me - Gap Band
9. Hard To Say I'm Sorry - Chicago
10. I'm So Excited - Pointer Sisters

11. Ribbon In The Sky - Stevie Wonder
12. On The Wings Of Love - Jeffrey Osborne
13. State of Independence - Donna Summer
14. We Got The Beat - GoGos
15. She's Got a Way - Billy Joel
16. Rock This Town - Stray Cats
17. Up Where We Belong - Joe Cocker & Jennifer Warnes
18. Tainted Love - Softcell
19. One Hundred Ways - Quincy Jones and James Ingram
20. Who Can It Be Now - Men at Work
21. Get Down On it - Kool & the Gang
22. Turn Your Love Around - George Benson
23. Let It Whip - Dazz Band
24. Planet Rock - Afrika Bambaataa
25. Gloria - Laura Branigan
26. Everybody Wants You - Billy Squire
27. Always On My Mind - Willie Nelson
28. Don't You Want Me - Human League
29. I Want Candy - Bow Wow Wow

30. Waiting On A Friend - Rolling Stones
31. Genius Of Love - Tom Tom Club
32. Goobye To You - Scandal
33. Situation - Yaz
34. Circles - Atlantic Starr
35. Memory - Barbra Streisand
36. Abacab - Genesis
37. Cool (Part 1) - The Time
38. Juke Box Hero - Foreignor
39. Hot In The City - Billy Idol
40. Shadows Of The Night - Pat Benatar
41. Murphy's Law - Cheri
42. You've Got Another Thing Comin' - Judas Priest
43. Jack and Diane - John Cougar (Melloncamp)
44. Leader Of The Band - Dan Fogelberg
45. Workin' For A Livin' - Huey Lewis and the News
46. Working For The Weekend - Loverboy
47. Truly - Lionel Richie
48. Mama Used To Say - Junior
49. Paperlate - Genesis
50. I Wouldn't Have Missed It For The World - Ronnie Milsap
51. Under Pressure - Queen and David Bowie
52. I Know What Boys Like - The Waitresses
53. Going To A Go-Go - Rolling Stones
54. Hurt So Good - John Cougar (Melloncamp)
55. Maneater - Hall and Oates
56. Kids In America - Kim Wilde
57. Love Plus One - Haircut One Hundred
58. Should I Stay Or Should I Go - The Clash
59. I Feel Like A Number - Bob Seger
60 I Ran (So Far Away) - A Flock Of Seagulls
61. Centerfold - J. Geils Band
62. Empty Garden (Hey Hey Johnny) - Elton John
63. I Can't Go For That (No Can Do) - Hall and Oates
64. Vacation - GoGo's
65. Early In The Morning - Gap Band
66. Someday, Someway - Marshall Crenshaw
67. Abracadabra - Steve Miller Band
68. I've Never Been To Me - Charlene
69. Leather and Lace - Stevie Nicks and Don Henley
70. Steppin' Out - Joe Jackson
71. I Will Always Love You - Dolly Parton
72. Let Me Tickle Your Fancy - Jermaine Jackson (& Devo)
73. Shakin' - Eddie Money
74. The Message - Grandmaster Flash
75. Talk Talk - Talk Talk

Scandal - Goodbye to You

Some classics that (I think) were missed:

Heat of the Moment- Asia
Rio- Duran Duran
Gypsy- Fleetwood Mac
I Melt with You- Modern English
Shock the Monkey- Peter Gabriel


A pretty damned good year.

I'm assembling my own 80's ultimate collection. Here are some the tracks I have earmarked coming from 1982--though I might be wrong on some of them. These all weren't necessarily hits, but they are favorites:

The Stranglers - "Golden Brown"
Elvis Costello & the Attractions - "Beyond Belief," "You Little Fool"
Marshall Crenshaw - "Someday, Someway," "Not for Me"
Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers - "You Got Lucky"
Don Henley - "Dirty Laundry"
Kraftwerk - "The Model" (the album came out in '79, I believe...but for whatever reason this single came out three years later)
Tones on Tail - "Go!," "OK This is the Pops"
Oingo Boingo - "Goodbye Goodbye"
Joe Walsh - "A Life of Illusion"
Adam and the Ants - "Goody Two Shoes," "Friend or Foe"
George Clinton - "Atomic Dog"
The Cure - "Let's Go to Bed"
Trio - "Da Da Da I Don't Love You You Don't Love Me Aha Aha Aha"
Blancimage - "Living on the Ceiling"
Afrika Baambaata - "Planet Rock," "Jazzy Sensation"
Nick Lowe - "Heart"
New Order - "Temptation"
The Waitresses - "I Know What Boys Like"
Romeo Void - "Never Say Never"
The Dream Syndicate - "Tell Me When It's Over"
Iron Maiden - "Run to the Hills"

Metallica was waaaay under the radar in 1982 unless you happened to hear their "No Life 'Til Leather" demo. :D

Great list. Lowe released "Heart" on Nick the Knife, but he also released it with Rockpile in 1980 on Seconds of Pleasure.

I love the Rockpile take in all its raccous, sloppy rockabilly glory (actually, that whole album is outstanding--sucks they only released one record), but I have a slight preference Lowe's smoother, slower take, probably because it's the first version I heard.

One of my favorites was "Standing On The Top" by The Temptations & Rick James. It appeared on both of their albums that year - with The Temps getting the long version.

Captain Beefheart's last album came out in '82. "Ice Cream For Crow"

From Wedding Central Australia

Top 100 Hits of 1982 / Top 100 Songs of 1982

1. Physical, Olivia Newton-John
2. Eye Of The Tiger, Survivor
3. I Love Rock N' Roll, Joan Jett and The Blackhearts
4. Ebony And Ivory, Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder
5. Centerfold, J. Geils Band
6. Don't You Want M, Human League
7. Jack And Diane, John Cougar
8. Hurts So Good, John Cougar
9. Abracadabra, Steve Miller Band
10. Hard To Say I'm Sorry, Chicago
11. Tainted Love, Soft Cell
12. Chariots Of Fire, Vangelis
13. Harden My Heart, Quarterflash
14. Rosanna, Toto
15. I Can't Go For That, Daryl Hall and John Oates
16. 867-5309 (Jenny), Tommy Tutone
17. Key Largo, Bertie Higgins
18. You Should Hear How She Talks About You, Melissa Manchester
19. Waiting For A Girl Like You, Foreigner
20. Don't Talk To Strangers, Rick Springfield
21. The Sweetest Thing, Juice Newton
22. Always On My Mind, Willie Nelson
23. Shake It Up, Cars
24. Let It Whip, Dazz Band
25. We Got The Beat, Go-Go's
26. The Other Woman, Ray Parker Jr.
27. Turn Your Love Around, George Benson
28. Sweet Dreams, Air Supply
29. Only The Lonely, Motels
30. Who Can It Be Now?, Men At Work
31. Hold Me, Fleetwood Mac
32. Eye In The Sky, Alan Parsons Project
33. Let's Groove, Earth, Wind and Fire
34. Open Arms, Journey
35. Leader Of The Band, Dan Fogelberg
36. Leather And Lace, Stevie Nicks and Don Henley
37. Even The Nights Are Better, Air Supply
38. I've Never Been To Me, Charlene
39. '65 Love Affair, Paul Davis
40. Heat Of The Moment, Asia
41. Take It Easy On Me, Little River Band
42. Pac-man Fever, Buckner and Garcia
43. That Girl, Stevie Wonder
44. Private Eyes, Daryl Hall and John Oates
45. Trouble, Lindsey Buckingham
46. Making Love, Roberta Flack
47. Love's Been A Little Bit Hard On Me, Juice Newton
48. Young Turks, Rod Stewart
49. Freeze-frame, J. Geils Band
50. Keep The Fire Burnin', REO Speedwagon
51. Do You Believe In Love, Huey Lewis and The News
52. Cool Night, Paul Davis
53. Caught Up In You, 38 Special
54. Why Do Fools Fall In Love?, Diana Ross
55. Love In The First Degree, Alabama
56. Hooked On Classics, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
57. Wasted On The Way, Crosby, Stills and Nash
58. Think I'm In Love, Eddie Money
59. Love Is In Control, Donna Summer
60. Personally, Karla Bonoff
61. One Hundred Ways, Quincy Jones
62. Blue Eyes, Elton John
63. Our Lips Are Sealed, Go-Go's
64. You Could Have Been Wih Me, Sheena Easton
65. You Can Do Magic, America
66. Did It In A Minute, Daryl Hall and John Oates
67. I Ran, A Flock Of Seagulls
68. Somebody's Baby, Jackson Browne
69. Oh No, Commodores
70. Take It Away, Paul McCartney
71. It's Gonna Take A Miracle, Deneice Williams
72. Love Will Turn You Around, Kenny Rogers
73. Don't Stop Bellevin', Journey
74. Comin' In And Out Of Your Life, Barbra Streisand
75. Gloria, Laura Branigan
76. Empty Garden, Elton John
77. Yesterday's Songs, Neil Diamond
78. Crimson And Clover, Joan Jett and The Blackhearts
79. Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic, Police
80. Here I Am, Air Supply
81. I Keep Forgettin', Michael Mcdonald
82. Get Down On It, Kool and The Gang
83. Any Day Now, Ronnie Milsap
84. Make A Move On Me, Olivia Newton-John
85. Take My Heart, Kool and The Gang
86. Mirror Mirror, Diana Ross
87. Vacation, Go-Go's
88. (Oh) Pretty Woman, Van Halen
89. Should I Do It, Pointer Sisters
90. Hot In The City, Billy Idol
91. Kids In America, Kim Wilde
92. Man On Your Mind, Little River Band
93. What's Forever For, Michael Murphy
94. Waiting On A Friend, Rolling Stones
95. Do I Do, Stevie Wonder
96. Working For The Weekend, Loverboy
97. Goin' Down, Greg Guidry
98. Arthur's Theme, Christopher Cross
99. Through The Years, Kenny Rogers
100. Edge Of Seventeen, Stevie Nicks

2 great Squeeze songs

Black Coffee in Bed
When the Hangover Strikes

-Paul Jacobi-