After such a great weekend in which a childhood friend of my one of my boys got married and the class for which I was one of their sponsors had their twentieth class reunion (man, they are old!), things came crashing down again when I heard of the passing of The Cars’ leader Ric Ocasek. The Cars actually brought new wave in through classic rock’s doors when their timeless debut album was released in 1978. To the people who are now in their mid-fifties, like me, The Cars were one of our unifying artists, regardless if you were a Sabbath fan, a Pistols fan or a Fleetwood Mac fan; we all found ourselves in agreement with how great The Cars were. But, now, their two vocalists are gone, but their groundbreaking music lives on. And with Eddie Money’s passing on Friday, I am not looking forward to a third rock star death.
You just cannot talk about the Eighties without thinking about the influence of The Cars. Ironically, 1983 was a very quiet year for the band, though we all remember what happened for them the following year. But, we are revisiting 1983, a year in which true pop music was the dominant force on the music scene. This was the year during which new wave and the subsequent Second British Invasion occurred. Michael Jackson’s moonwalk on the Motown 25th Anniversary Special caused Thriller to become THE dominant musical force for the year. Additionally, The Police released their own landmark album, Synchronicity, which lead the group to become the biggest band in the world. Even though their were many terrific rock, funk and R&B records released during the year, pop was king. And a little known but important scene on Hollywood’s Strip that we now call Glam metal was beginning to break nationally behind the success of Quiet Riot, the first metal act to have a number one album in the US. And, alternative music was beginning to break as well, with R.E.M. IRS Records full-length debut being released to critical acclaim while their British jangle counterparts, The Smiths, were making a big scene over in the UK.
When you were a twenty-year-old at the time, the whole scenario was awesome! Little did I realize by the end of the year, I would only be six months away from meeting the most important person in my life. Regardless of that fact, 1983 was a great year for pop music, so let’s get on with the countdown!
100. “Goodbye to You” – Scandal
99. “Heaven” – Bryan Adams
98. “Confusion” – New Order
97. “Lawyers in Love” – Jackson Browne
96. “Buffalo Gals” – Malcolm McLaren
95. “Mad World” – Tears for Fears
94. “Wrapped Around Your Finger” – The Police
93. “Mr. Roboto” – Styx
92. “Cuts like a Knife” – Bryan Adams
91. “Come Dancing” – The Kinks
90. “Promises, Promises” – Naked Eyes
89. “Salt in My Tears” – Martin Briley
88. “Holiday Road” – Lindsey Buckingham
87. “Breaking Us in Two” – Joe Jackson
86. “Straight from the Heart” – Bryan Adams
85. “I’m Still Standing” – Elton John
84. “Dead Giveaway” – Shalamar
83. “I Won’t Hold You Back” – Toto
82. “It’s a Mistake” – Men at Work
81. “She’s a Beauty” – The Tubes
80. “Stray Cat Strut” – Stray Cats
79. “You Can’t Hurry Love” – Phil Collins
78. “Puttin’ on the Ritz” – Taco
77. “Always Something There to Remind Me” – Naked Eyes
76. “Never Gonna Give You Up” – Sergio Mendes
75. “In the Mood” – Robert Plant
74. “Joanna” – Kool & the Gang
73. “China Girl” – David Bowie
72. “Gimme All Your Lovin'” – ZZ Top
71. “Undercover of the Night” – The Rolling Stones
70. “Major Tom (Coming Home)” – Peter Schilling
69. “Church of the Poison Mind” – Culture Club
68. “Is There Something I Should Know?” – Duran Duran
67. “The One Thing” – INXS
66. “No Parking (On the Dancefloor)” – Midnight Star
65. “Stand Back” – Stevie Nicks
64. “Say, Say, Say” – Paul McCartney & Michael Jackson
63. “Jeopardy” – Greg Kihn Band
62. “Overkill” – Men at Work
61. “One on One” – Daryl Hall & John Oates
60. “Making Love Out of Nothing at All” – Air Supply
59. “Too Shy” – Kajagoogoo
58. “Mirror Man” – The Human League
57. “The Safety Dance” – Men Without Hats
56. “Der Kommissar” – After the Fire
55. “King of Pain” – The Police
54. “Tell Her About It” – Billy Joel
53. “Rock of Ages” – Def Leppard
52. “Say It Isn’t So” – Daryl Hall & John Oates
51. “I Love L.A.” – Randy Newman
50. “Synchronicity II” – The Police
49. “Delirious” – Prince
48. “Mama” – Genesis
47. “Crumblin’ Down” – John Cougar Mellencamp
46. “Modern Love” – David Bowie
45. “Sharp Dressed Man” – ZZ Top
44. “Uptown Girl” – Billy Joel
43. “Favorite Waste of Time” – Marshall Crenshaw
42. “Why Me” – Planet P Project
41. “Big Log” – Robert Plant
40. “In a Big Country” – Big Country
39. “Red Red Wine” – UB40
38. “Cum on Feel the Noize” – Quiet Riot
37. “Just Be Good to Me” – S.O.S. Band
36. “Leave a Tender Moment Alone” – Billy Joel
35. “White Lines (Don’t Do It)” – Grandmaster Flash & Melle Mel
34. “Owner of a Lonely Heart” – Yes
33. “Faithfully” – Journey
32. “Pass the Dutchie” – Musical Youth
31. “Blister in the Sun” – Violent Femmes
30. “She Works Hard for the Money” – Donna Summer
29. “Love Is a Battlefield” – Pat Benatar
28. “Maniac” – Michael Sembello
27. “All Night Long (All Night)” – Lionel Richie
26. “Electric Avenue” – Eddie Grant
25. “Flashdance…Oh What a Feeling” – Irene Cara
24. “Blue Monday” – New Order
23. “Our House” – Madness
22. “New Year’s Day” – U2
21. “What About Me” – Moving Pictures
20. “Photograph” – Def Leppard
19. “Rockit” – Herbie Hancock
18. “Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You)” – A Flock of Seagulls
17. “Just Got Lucky” – JoBoxers
16. “True” – Spandau Ballet
15. “One Thing Leads to Another” – The Fixx
14. “Here Comes the Rain Again” – Eurythmics
13. “This Must Be the Place (Naïve Melody)” – Talking Heads
12. “Whenever You’re on My Mind” – Marshall Crenshaw
11. “Don’t Change” – INXS
10. “Let’s Dance” – David Bowie
9. “Sunday Bloody Sunday” – U2
8. “Burning Down the House” – Talking Heads
7. “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” – Cyndi Lauper
6. “Karma Chameleon” – Culture Club
5. “Everyday I Write the Book” – Elvis Costello & the Attractions
4. “I Guess That’s Why They Call It the Blues” – Elton John
3. “Long Hot Summer” – The Style Council
2. “Radio Free Europe” – R.E.M.
1. “Every Breath You Take” – The Police
If My Records Could Talk 