Legion World Forums LEGION COMPANION The Anywhere Machine Top 40 Hits, 31 Years Ago (11/14/82)

From the Billboard chart/AT40:

40. YOU AND I, Eddie Rabbitt/Crystal Gayle
39. BE MY LADY, Jefferson Starship
38. ROCK THE CASBAH, The Clash
37. I’M SO EXCITED, The Pointer Sisters
36. THE GIRL IS MINE, Michael Jackson/Paul McCartney
35. MISSING YOU, Dan Fogelberg
34. HEARTBREAKER, Dionne Warwick
33. I.G.Y. (WHAT A BEAUTIFUL WORLD), Donald Fagen
32. DIRTY LAUNDRY, Don Henley
31. THE LOOK OF LOVE, ABC

30. ROCK THIS TOWN, The Stray Cats
29. GET CLOSER, Linda Ronstadt
28. ATHENA, The Who
27. GYPSY, Fleetwood Mac
26. LOVE ME TOMORROW, Chicago
25. IT’S RAINING AGAIN, Supertramp
24. BREAK IT TO ME GENTLY, Juice Newton
23. SHADOWS OF THE NIGHT, Pat Benatar
22. PRESSURE, Billy Joel
21. NEW WORLD MAN, Rush

20. SOUTHERN CROSS, Crosby, Stills & Nash
19. NOBODY, Sylvia
18. AMERICAN HEARTBEAT, Survivor
17. LOVE COME DOWN, Evelyn King
16. YOU DON’T WANT ME ANYMORE, Steel Breeze
15. THE ONE YOU LOVE, Glenn Frey
14. STEPPIN’ OUT, Joe Jackson
13. MICKEY, Toni Basil
12. MANEATER, Daryl Hall & John Oates
11. EYE IN THE SKY, Alan Parsons Project

10. MUSCLES, Diana Ross
9. I KEEP FORGETTIN’ (EVERY TIME YOU’RE NEAR), Michael MacDonald
8. YOU CAN DO MAGIC, America
7. JACK & DIANE, John Cougar
6. WHO CAN IT BE NOW? Men at Work
5. HEARTLIGHT, Neil Diamond
4. GLORIA, Laura Branigan
3. HEART ATTACK, Olivia Newton-John
2. TRULY, Lionel Ritchie
1. UP WHERE WE BELONG, Joe Cocker/Jennifer Warnes

Ronald Reagan made us all feel lovey-dovey. Lots of ballads this year though Henley had a nice protest song.

Eagles break out, Steeley Dan in other guises, all the funk songs started with the same riff and Branigan reminds us disco ain't dead.

Stray Cats was one of my first albums. Crushed on Tony Basil from her dancing days ("T.A.M.I. Show," look it up, watch it, one of the greats).

My Survivors (which doesn't actually include Survivor)

40. YOU AND I, Eddie Rabbitt/Crystal Gayle
38. ROCK THE CASBAH, The Clash
37. I’M SO EXCITED, The Pointer Sisters
35. MISSING YOU, Dan Fogelberg
33. I.G.Y. (WHAT A BEAUTIFUL WORLD), Donald Fagen
32. DIRTY LAUNDRY, Don Henley
30. ROCK THIS TOWN, The Stray Cats

25. IT’S RAINING AGAIN, Supertramp

23. SHADOWS OF THE NIGHT, Pat Benatar


20. SOUTHERN CROSS, Crosby, Stills & Nash
19. NOBODY, Sylvia



15. THE ONE YOU LOVE, Glenn Frey
14. STEPPIN’ OUT, Joe Jackson
13. MICKEY, Toni Basil

11. EYE IN THE SKY, Alan Parsons Project

10. MUSCLES, Diana Ross

7. JACK & DIANE, John Cougar
6. WHO CAN IT BE NOW? Men at Work

4. GLORIA, Laura Branigan




Not many I GOTTA listen to but not bad either. Hated not including anything with Joe Cocker but just couldn't do it.

PS:
Pointer Sisters:

I wonder if Netflix has "Beverly Hills Cop?" I've suddenly an urge.

You make a good point about the Reagan Revolution, BB. There did seem to be a conservative trend in music that began about this time and continued to get worse (!) as the decade wore on. In the charts of the later '80s, there are very few songs that stand out to me. Much of music became bland and boring until Nirvana came along.

1982, however, was the first full year of MTV and a lot of new artists and new styles had started to creep into the chart. Men at Work were a delight, and their first two hits, "Who Can It Be Now?" and "Down Under," both topped the chart, reminding us you could still have fun in pop music.

The Clash is what passed for tough-edged rock 'n' roll in those days. But neither their '50s style stripped down rock and slicked back hair nor The Stray Cats' '50s style rockabilly and pompadours appealed to me. They represented another shadow of the Reagan years: looking back to the past.

I'm not a sociologist by an fashion but I think this might be a normal reaction to Post war. The 50s I imagine as more conservative than the roaring 20s and look at some of those 30s pre-code movies, make your Mom blush.

Popular music reflects popular needs. There no doubt was "better" music that didn't make the top 40 because it wasn't what the people needed. For me, the 80s was grad school research, first job (12-16 hr days), more grad school, more research, marriage.... eh, divorce, a year lost in a jungle. Fortunately, I don't remember much of the middle 80s music/tv scene other than Culture Club, Cindy Lauper, and some song about sunglasses at night that keeps beating in my brain.

Why the bland music?

Inflation post Carter was huge! I remember having to do a modification on taxes and when I got the extra refund, they had thrown in a 20% compensation for inflation. Pres. Carter was my first vote and still one of my favorite human beings, but economist he was not, lol.

Reagan was trying to outspend the Soviets... Hostages in 80, Barracks bombed in 83, and ended with the beginning of the Gulf War.

It's no wonder we were in the mood for ballads.

Again, great points, BB.

In 1982, I was 19. I had just begun my first job (as a stock man for K mart), from which I would be fired in one year. I was convinced that writing comic books or playing guitar was my path to future success. College was the last thing I wanted. Ironic how things have since turned out.

At the time, I gravitated more toward the veteran rockers who had been around since the '60s rather than the new MTV upstarts. Groups such as Jefferson Starship, CSN, and Fleetwood Mac had survived the fickle favors of pop music and proved they could be enduring successes. They were something I aspired to. (That said, of their offerings, only "Southern Cross" ever became a favorite of mine. As big a JS fan as I am, "Be My Lady" is one of their weakest efforts.)

Elsewhere on the chart, we've got two ex-Eagles and two ex-Steely Dan members (Fagen and MacDonald) with solo hits, "proving" that you can "graduate" on to other things. There is a sense of rock music "maturing" in the early '80s, as many of these performers were in their 30s. Because of this, I suppose, many of these songs were pleasant staples of the airwaves if not favorites.

Rock needed something to come along and shake it loose. Def Leppard, Quiet Riot, and the new wave of heavy metal did some shaking the next year, but, as you note, the most memorable songs missed the Top 40.

Still, most of these songs were good songs. At least they don't make me cringe when I hear them on the radio. My personal Top 10:

20. SOUTHERN CROSS, Crosby, Stills & Nash
22. PRESSURE, Billy Joel
6. WHO CAN IT BE NOW? Men at Work
32. DIRTY LAUNDRY, Don Henley
28. ATHENA, The Who
13. MICKEY, Toni Basil
11. EYE IN THE SKY, Alan Parsons Project
4. GLORIA, Laura Branigan
7. JACK & DIANE, John Cougar
38. ROCK THE CASBAH, The Clash [which has grown on me over the years]

As I was reading the list I was thinking: my, this was a soft-rocking week. Fine with me 'cause I like the soft rock, but usually there's a bit more of a mix.

In the WAIT, WASN'T __________ FROM (DIFFERENT YEAR)? category
There's a few here for me, but

37. I’M SO EXCITED, The Pointer Sisters

Wha...? That's so 1984! Turns out it's both.

I'd forgotten that "I'm So Excited" was a hit twice.

I'd almost considered delaying posting a chart from 1982 until later. In a few weeks, we've got two decent rockers coming up--"Everybody Wants You" by Billy Squier and "Shock the Monkey" by Peter Gabriel--but neither charted very high. The fall of 1982 was indeed a soft rock period.

Not to get too down on the early 80s. There was a lot of staying power, just not in Nov. And the 80s gave Band Aid, USA for Africa and two of the best rock performances ever, Jackson at the 25th Motown and Queen at Live Aid.

Good memories.

38. ROCK THE CASBAH, The Clash
28. ATHENA, The Who
27. GYPSY, Fleetwood Mac
25. IT’S RAINING AGAIN, Supertramp
23. SHADOWS OF THE NIGHT, Pat Benatar
22. PRESSURE, Billy Joel
21. NEW WORLD MAN, Rush
20. SOUTHERN CROSS, Crosby, Stills & Nash
15. THE ONE YOU LOVE, Glenn Frey
14. STEPPIN’ OUT, Joe Jackson
11. EYE IN THE SKY, Alan Parsons Project
9. I KEEP FORGETTIN’ (EVERY TIME YOU’RE NEAR), Michael MacDonald
8. YOU CAN DO MAGIC, America
7. JACK & DIANE, John Cougar
6. WHO CAN IT BE NOW? Men at Work

14. STEPPIN’ OUT, Joe Jackson
38. ROCK THE CASBAH, The Clash
7. JACK & DIANE, John Cougar
31. THE LOOK OF LOVE, ABC
27. GYPSY, Fleetwood Mac
22. PRESSURE, Billy Joel
12. MANEATER, Daryl Hall & John Oates
11. EYE IN THE SKY, Alan Parsons Project
37. I’M SO EXCITED, The Pointer Sisters

Saturated by:-
1. UP WHERE WE BELONG, Joe Cocker/Jennifer Warnes
13. MICKEY, Toni Basil

25. IT’S RAINING AGAIN, Supertramp - I quite liked the video, not a huge fan of the song.

Out in front, if not in Cars but on a decent peddle bike, is Joe Jackson. My favourite of his (and on now). Later I would listen to the Clash. A bit of a gap after ABC to the others.

Some AT40 trivia and stuff:

This week, Michael Jackson begins an impressive streak of 74 continuous weeks in the Top 40, thanks the success of his "Thriller" album and forthcoming singles such as "Billie Jean" and "Beat It." His streak continues until the song "Thriller" drops out on 4/15/84.

One week earlier, "Tainted Love" by Soft Cell set the record for the most weeks in the Hot 100: 43. It had debuted at No. 64, dropped to No. 100, then slowly climbed the chart, peaking at No. 8 for two weeks in July 1982. It then began what Casey described as an "agonizing" descent, falling to No. 99, and moving back up to 98 and then 97, where it stayed for five weeks! A very odd chart trajectory for a song that didn't reach No. 1 and from a duo who had no other Hot 100 hits.

Songs I recognize and like:

38. ROCK THE CASBAH, The Clash
37. I’M SO EXCITED, The Pointer Sisters
34. HEARTBREAKER, Dionne Warwick
33. I.G.Y. (WHAT A BEAUTIFUL WORLD), Donald Fagen
28. ATHENA, The Who
27. GYPSY, Fleetwood Mac
26. LOVE ME TOMORROW, Chicago
25. IT’S RAINING AGAIN, Supertramp
20. SOUTHERN CROSS, Crosby, Stills & Nash
17. LOVE COME DOWN, Evelyn King
14. STEPPIN’ OUT, Joe Jackson
13. MICKEY, Toni Basil
12. MANEATER, Daryl Hall & John Oates
11. EYE IN THE SKY, Alan Parsons Project
10. MUSCLES, Diana Ross
9. I KEEP FORGETTIN’ (EVERY TIME YOU’RE NEAR), Michael MacDonald
8. YOU CAN DO MAGIC, America
6. WHO CAN IT BE NOW? Men at Work
3. HEART ATTACK, Olivia Newton-John
2. TRULY, Lionel Ritchie
1. UP WHERE WE BELONG, Joe Cocker/Jennifer Warnes

Personal Hall of Shame:

31. THE LOOK OF LOVE, ABC - I think they're the most overrated group of their kind. In their native England, there's an expression, "over-egging the pudding", which applies nicely.
29. GET CLOSER, Linda Ronstadt - Get farther, as far away as possible from anything recorded by Linda Rondstadt.
7. JACK & DIANE, John Cougar - "Hold on to 16 as long as you can?" Give me a break.
4. GLORIA, Laura Branigan - I think Umberto Tozzi's dreamy Italian-language original is much better than Branigan's screamy-mimi schlock-out.

A couple of random thoughts:

"Pressure" is probably my favorite Billy Joel song. Once again, Billy is telling off someone who meddles in his affairs, and this time he criticizes the sanctimony and simple-headed world view of this person who has never faced the harshness of life. I've always liked the cleverness of the lyrics, particularly these lines:
Here you are with your faith
And your Peter Pan advice.
You have no scars on your face
And you cannot handle pressure.

"Southern Cross" is another lyrical favorite. It's a song about a relationship gone awry because the lover lacks maturity, something the narrator also lacks but seems to be coming to terms with. These lines have always rung true:
So we cheated and we lied and we tested,
And we never failed to fail;
It was the easiest thing to do.
Yet the song ends on a hopeful note:
You will survive being bested.
Somebody fine will come along make me
Forget about loving you at the Southern Cross.

It's rare to find deep, meaningful lyrics in pop songs, let alone songs that tilt your own world view sideways. Yet I think both of these did exactly that for me. They reflected a sense of maturity and coming to grips with life that typical pop songs ignore.