1982 is the year when I got my MTV. It was a heady time. In one quick flick of the remote on the cable box, and I was witnessing an actual revolution in music. Finally, the US had its first national radio station that played the same music all over the country. Finally, the generational shift was taking place right in front of our eyes. Now, Gen X was flexing its collective economic muscles to make their music (new wave, college rock, rap, dance music, R&B, pop, synth pop, etc.) the major trend of the Eighties, arrogantly pushing many of those Sixties and Seventies musical icons aside for a new sound.
So while the Boomers were becoming yuppies, Gen X was coming of age and new icons such as Michael Jackson, Prince, Bruce Springsteen and The Clash all released significant albums during this year. Two supergroups dominated the charts as well. First, four musicians with major Seventies prog rock pedigree came together to form Asia, a relatively streamlined version of the Seventies sound with Eighties synthesizers made a grand entrance that unfortunately was short-lived. And, a conglomeration of West Coast studio musicians banded together in 1978, but reached their artistic peak in 1982 as Toto. Once again, their success was an aberration, yet still noteworthy.
Perhaps the biggest surprise of 1982 was the emergence of a fellow Hoosier who then went by the name of John Cougar, now known as John Mellencamp. Prior to his triumphant performance on Saturday Night Live in the Spring of that year, he was a toiling singer/songwriting rocker. But, after he debuted “Hurts So Good,” the Ball State campus was full of the sounds of his great album American Fool. Finally, a true hick was now a rock star. And even though the great Jackson family originally hailed from Gary, Indiana, the state has always unfairly treated “The Region” as an extension of Chicago.
But enough of that in-state stupidity! 1982 was a fun year during which we experienced a seismic shift in the the music being played in our lives. And, how better to celebrate the year than to put forth my 100 favorite songs of the year. Hold on!
100. “Only the Lonely” – The Motels
99. “She’s Tight” – Cheap Trick
98. “Everybody Wants You” – Billy Squier
97. “Poison Arrow” – ABC
96. “That Girl” – Stevie Wonder
95. “Bad to the Bone” – George Thorogood & the Destroyers
94. “And I’m Telling You I’m Not Going” – Jennifer Holiday
93. “Love Is in Control” – Donna Summer
92. “Eye of the Tiger” – Survivor
91. “Working for the Weekend” – Loverboy
90. “Down Under” – Men at Work
89. “Homosapien” – Pete Shelley
88. “(We Don’t Need This) Fascist Groove Thang” – Heaven 17
87. “O Superman (For Massenet)” – Laurie Anderson
86. “Jump” – Loverboy
85. “It’s Raining Men” – The Weather Girls
84. “Hurts So Good” – John Cougar
83. “Hard to Say I’m Sorry” – Chicago
82. “Only You” – Yaz
81. “Thriller” – Michael Jackson
80. “Rosanna” – Toto
79. “(Keep Feeling) Fascination” – The Human League
78. “Dirty Laundry” – Don Henley
77. “Candy Girl” – New Edition
76. “Twilight Zone” – Golden Earring
75. “White Wedding” – Billy Idol
74. “Africa” – Toto
73. “Rio” – Duran Duran
72. “Allentown” – Billy Joel
71. “Beat Surrender” – The Jam
70. “Hold Me” – Fleetwood Mac
69. “No One like You” – Scorpions
68. “Temptation” – New Order
67. “Nasty Girl” – Vanity 6
66. “It’s Raining Again” – Supertramp
65. “Don’t Fight It” – Kenny Loggins with Steve Perry
64. “Fantasy” – Aldo Nova
63. “Mickey” – Toni Basil
62. “I Keep Forgettin’ (Every Time You’re Near)” – Michael McDonald
61. “Eye in the Sky” – Alan Parsons Project
60. “Do You Believe in Love” – Huey Lewis & the News
59. “Think I’m in Love” – Eddie Money (It saddens to hear while I am typing this entry that Eddie Money passed away this morning at the age of 70. It had been recently reported that he was suffering from Stage 4 esophageal cancer. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends.)
58. “The Walk” – The Time
57. “You’ve Got Another Thing Coming” – Judas Priest
56. “Senses Working Overtime” – XTC
55. “The Bitterest Pill (I’ve Ever Had to Swallow)” – The Jam
54. “Run to the Hills” – Iron Maiden
53. “Human Nature” – Michael Jackson
52. “Save a Prayer” – Duran Duran
51. “Situation” – Yaz
50. “Total Eclipse of the Heart” – Bonnie Tyler
49. “Wanna Be Startin’ Something” – Michael Jackson
48. “She Blinded Me with Science” – Thomas Dolby
47. “Jack and Diane” – John Cougar
46. “I Want Candy” – Bow Wow Wow
45. “Heat of the Moment” – Asia
44. “Shock the Monkey” – Peter Gabriel
43. “Steppin’ Out” – Joe Jackson
42. “Goody Two Shoes” – Adam Ant
41. “Caught Up in You” – .38 Special
40. “Jackie Wilson Said (I’m in Heaven with You)” – Dexys Midnight Runners
39. “Someday, Someway” – Marshall Crenshaw
38. “Save It for Later” – The English Beat
37. “Love My Way” – The Psychedelic Furs
36. “Mexican Radio” – Wall of Voodoo
35. “Kids in America” – Kim Wilde
34. “We Got the Beat” – The Go-Go’s
33. “Rock This Town” – Stray Cats
32. “Don’t Go” – Yaz
31. “My City Was Gone” – The Pretenders
30. “More Than This” – Roxy Music
29. “Let It Whip” – Dazz Band
28. “Who Can It Be Now” – Men at Work
27. “Time (Clock of My Heart)” – Culture Club
26. “I There’s Something Going On” – Frida
25. “Cynical Girl” – Marshall Crenshaw
24. “You Dropped a Bomb on Me” – Gap Band
23. “The Look of Love” – ABC
22. “I Ran (So Far Away)” – A Flock of Seagulls
21. “Do You Really Want to Hurt Me” – Culture Club
20. “867-5309/Jenny” – Tommy Tutone
19. “I Melt with You” – Modern English
18. “Should I Stay or Should I Go?” – The Clash
17. “Back on the Chain Gang” – The Pretenders
16. “Atomic Dog” – George Clinton
15. “Maneater” – Daryl Hall & John Oates
14. “Rock the Casbah” – The Clash
13. “Hungry like the Wolf” – Duran Duran
12. “Town Called Malice” – The Jam
11. “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” – Eurythmics
10. “1999” – Prince
9. “Don’t You Want Me” – The Human League
8. “Beat It” – Michael Jackson
7. “Tainted Love” – Soft Cell
6. “Billie Jean” – Michael Jackson
5. “Sexual Healing” – Marvin Gaye
4. “Planet Rock” – Afrika Bambaataa & the Soul Sonic Force
3. “The Message” – Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five
2. “Come On Eileen” – Dexys Midnight Runners
1. “Little Red Corvette” – Prince
If My Records Could Talk 