Hello again, everyone, and Happy Friday the 13th. It has been a minute (actually about three months) since I posted a flashback Friday post, but my mental and emotional health had been on the fritz during that time. Although there still are things going on that I'm not at liberty to discuss, I do feel well enough to make this post at least. That said, here's a look at the Top 40 songs according to Billboard Magazine for this week in 1983:
40. The One Thing by INXS. Nobody outside of Australia knew at the time how massive this group would become. RIP Michael Hutchence.
39. I'm Still Standing by Elton John. A song that is basically a bleep you to any and all exes out there.
38. Gimme All Your Lovin' by ZZ Top. The first song off their Eliminator LP, and the first video that featured the three hotties and the "Eliminator" car, which created massive airplay on MTV and got the band a new generation of fans.
37. Do You Really Want to Hurt Me by Culture Club. One of the first music videos I remember seeing, and the first time I remember seeing a male dressed as a female, which led me to ask myself, "you can do that?" In retrospect, one of my late mother's favorite programs, "The $1.98 Beauty Show," also had drag performers (although I didn't realize it until later in life), but I was way too young to figure out what was going on.
36. One on One by Hall and Oates.
35. Never Gonna Let You Go by Sergio Mendes. This song was mainly forgotten until a few years ago when the Michelin Tire Company used it for one of their ads.
34. So Wrong by Patrick Simmons.
33. I Couldn't Say No by Robert Thomas Corral with Carlene Carter.
32. Some Kind of Friend by Barry Manilow.
31. Welcome To Heartlight by Kenny Loggins. Not to be confused with Neil Diamond's song "Heartlight" from the year before that was featured in the movie E.T.
30. Try Again by Champaign. There's a few things I'd like to try again myself...
29. Separate Ways (Worlds Apart) by Journey. This was undoubtedly one of my favorite songs that year.
28. It Might Be You by Stephen Bishop.
27. She's A Beauty by the Tubes. Another one of my favorites from that year.
26. Family Man by Hall & Oates. This song could be one of Twitter's theme songs if you think about it...
25. Stranger In My House by Ronnie Milsap. True story; my across the cul-de-sac neighbors were related to Ronnie Milsap.
24. Billie Jean by Michael Jackson. The song that changed pop music forever and lauched the vieo music era into the stratosphere.
23. Don't Let It End by Styx.
22. Always Something There to Remind Me by Naked Eyes. This song haunts me for some reason.
21. Mornin' by Al Jarreau.
20. Faithfully by Journey. Something I'd like to be, just nobody has given me a chance yet.
19. Affair of the Heart my Rick Springfield. I think as time has gone by, Springfield's work has been underappreciated.
18. Even Now by Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band. Just the other day, someone on Twitter asked about driving the backroads and listening to Bob Seger. I replied by asking "Shame On The Moon?" You could add this song to that list.
17. Time (Clock of the Heart) by Culture Club.
16. Mr. Roboto by Styx. Another favorite from that year. But nobody spraypainted "Kilroy Was Here" anywhere in Orlando from what I remember.
15. Straight from The Heart by Bryan Adams. His debut track. I thought it was "Cuts Like a Knife" but not so. Guess my memory is slipping a little bit. Uh-oh.
14. Rio by Duran Duran. This song is geographically confusing. Listening to the lyrics, you'd think they were talking about the Rio Grande, but watching the video and listening to the music, it sounds like they're taking about Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Or could they have been singing about the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul?
13. Photograph by Def Leppard. I used to have a picture of my third grade class from Orlando Christian School. I lost it with half my other stuff when "Hurricane Denise" disrupted my life about a decade ago. Damn.
12. My Love by Lionel Richie.
11. I Won't Hold You Back by Toto. As a little kid, my one sister and I would try to sing along to the lyrics. Nowadays, I cringe when this song plays.
10. Der Kommissar by After the Fire. America's first look at Falco, God bless his soul.
9. Solitaire by Laura Branigan. A vastly underrated song in my opiinion.
8. Little Red Corvette by Prince. Baby you're much too fast. Yes you are...
7. Flashdance...What a Feeling by Irene Cara. According to my numbers, this song actually rated higher than "Every Breath You Take" on the Billboard charts. I think I mentioned how I do my song ranking system in a previous blog post several years ago, I'll have to dig it up sometime.
6. Come On Eileen by Dexy's Midnight Runners. I thought when this song came out, this band would be the "next big thing." Alas, it was a mere one-hit wonder.
5. She Blinded Me With Science by Thomas Dolby. Good Heavens, Miss Okimoto, you're beautiful!
4. Overkill by Men At Work. When tis song came out, I swore in the final chorus, Colin Hay, the lead singer of MAW, sang "I gotta go dookie!!" It was later in life he was actually singing, "I'm diving in too deep!!" Don't you just love how kids minds work. 😆
3. Jeopardy by Greg Kihn Band. Before the iconic reboot of the classic game show, "Jeopardy!" there was this hit song, and subsequent parody song "I lost on 'Jeopardy!'" by Weird Al Yankovich.
2. Let's Dance by David Bowie. My first exposure to David Bowie; I was too young for the Ziggy Stardust era.
and the number one song 39 years ago this week in 1983 was...
1. Beat It by Michael Jackson
Such an iconic video. Just like "Billie Jean" and of course his masterpiece, "Thriller."
Well, I'm off to watch "Smackdown" and go on Twitter. Until next time.
CT
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