Welcome back ladies and gents. Sorry for the delay, but it's all because of one reason. Did I make a mistake covering this year so soon?
Like I just chose this year on a whim after listening to a
group of friends on our Discord. One of
them told me that I have only tackled the 1980s once in my history of
retrospective series, so it led me to the thought process of how I wanted to
tackle one of the best years ever. And
lord this truly is the best year I’ve covered so far doing these lists in terms
of general quality. I will be hard
pressed to come across this year consistently excellent in quite some
time. 1983 is a year full of greatness
and I’m just a mere mortal who shares his opinions to a much smaller audience.
So how do I treat a year that is this truly special? I know on my worst list that I said I could
make a Top 50 list and have to make some truly painful cuts because this is one
of the few years where the quality is at worst in the decent tier for more than
half this year end list. But just so you
guys don’t have to read an overlong block of text, I’m going to share a brief
list of twenty honorable mentions. And I
mean brief, like four to five sentenced thoughts tops; some less. Before moving on to the top ten list. It’s the least I can do for a year that is
this excellent.
20 Honorable Mentions
“Tell Her About It” – Billy Joel
Man. This is the best
Tony Orlando and Dawn song I’ve ever heard.
Somebody should have told this Billy Joel fella to do more of this
throughout his career. Hey when it comes
to Motown throwbacks from this year, this was the only great one.
“Allentown” – Billy Joel
And we go from that to honestly the second best song of
Billy Joel’s career. I have always loved
Allentown. And as someone who at one
point lived minutes away from said town, I have always admired how much love
for the working class in this town Billy Joel dedicates to in this song. It’s an inspiring message from a singer who
I’ve always admired. And yet it was one
of the last cuts I had to make towards this all-time great best list.
“Rock the Casbah” – The Clash
I’m going to remove the political symbolism this song
eventually inspired, and I do mean all of it because god this song inspired so
much conservative philosophy over the last forty years. I’ve always had a soft spot for that
chorus. It’s just so catchy. It’s not “Should I Stay or Should I Go?”, but
it’s a great song from The Clash.
“Photograph” – Def Leppard
Finally. I’ve come
across a song with this title that doesn’t suck. Also by association this is one of the best
songs in Def Leppard’s entire discography.
Which is saying something since I’ve never been the biggest Def Leppard
fan, sorry.
“Faithfully” – Journey
I love Journey and this is one of their best ballads. I absolutely love how simplistic its message
is and the way Steve Perry sells it. One
of the first cheesy hair ballads of the 80s and absolutely one of the best.
“The Safety Dance” – Men Without Hats
Dangerously close to the best list than most of you might
realize. Hell it would make the list
proper if the song was just the Short Version.
“Maniac” – Michael Sembello
For a movie that has not aged all that well in “Flashdance”,
it sure spawned two of the biggest hits of the entire year. And we’ll get to that other one eventually,
but Maniac’s vibe just absolutely knocks it out of the park. Immediately got the vibe the movie gives off
more than the other did.
“She Works Hard For the Money” – Donna Summer
Donna Summer is a national treasure no matter what decade
she is in.
“Hungry Like The Wolf” – Duran Duran
What an earworm of a song.
The moment you hear it, those “do do’s” never leave your head the rest
of the day. Hell, I am hearing them now
typing this out………..you don’t hear them too?
“Sweet Dreams (Are Made For This)” – Eurythmics
What an iconic synth line.
Who am I to disagree with this not being one of the best songs of the
1980s? Seriously, this song has appeared
on so many best of the decade entertainment recaps that I’ve lost count. It didn’t make the list proper since the
verses aren’t nearly as memorable as the chorus for me. Still not denying its greatness though.
“Little Red Corvette” – Prince
You can pinpoint rap music’s fascination with comparing
girls to cars to this one song. And they
always miss the point of why it works when Prince did it. Prince constantly excelled when he was at his
most desperate.
“Maneater” – Hall & Oates
Definitely one of the most iconic choruses of just not the
year, but the entire decade. Definitely
better than the rest of their output from this year on that alone.
“Electric Avenue” – Eddy Grant
For a song about the 1981 Brixton Riot, it’s just so
insanely fun and catchy. Like that was
some serious news back in the day about social injustice and civil unrest in
the African-Caribbean community in the United Kingdom. Would have fooled me with how instant of an
earworm that chorus is. Never has a song
about trying to legalize marijuana (or at least I assume that’s what take me
higher means) got stuck in your brain so easily.
“Twilight Zone” – Golden Earring
This was one of the few songs on this list where I had no
prior knowledge going in and good lord is this great. I absolutely love that guitar riff, it’s been
stuck in my head for the past week. Its
songs like these that make me happy that I do these sorts of
retrospectives. Because I find hidden
gems like these.
“Sexual Healing” – Marvin Gaye
The last of Marvin Gaye’s hits is honestly one of my
favorites of his. Just goes to show that
an all-time great can put out consistently great quality no matter how long his
career spans.
“Affair of the Heart” – Rick Springfield
I love “Jessie’s Girl” as much as the next guy, but Rick
Springfield’s list of good singles go beyond just that one fantastic song. For example.
“Beat It” – Michael Jackson
Don’t get me wrong, I like this song an awful lot. It’s one of the honorable mentions for a
reason y’all. But when it comes to
Michael Jackson’s huge hits, I’ve always found this one a tad overrated. Probably due to me preferring the Weird Al
parody so much more.
“Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’” – Michael Jackson
Then we go from a tad overrated to a tad underrated. I’ve always found this MJ song to have so
much less of a following in comparison to the rest of his major hits from
around this time. That “mama mama say
mama mama say makoosa”. It gets lodged
into your brain so easily.
“Back on the Chain Gang” – Pretenders
Another addition to the subcategory of an artist’s biggest
hit being an absolute knock against their record label. Lead singer Chrissie Hynde has stated for the
record that this is about her strained relationship with Ray Davies of The Kinks
due to her record label’s unrelenting demands to keep producing records. Yeah these recording studios are real
assholes. But we got a damn great song
out of it.
“Down Under” – Men at Work
The last cut I had to make from my best list. Honestly this song has been a favorite of
mine since I was a kid. It has always
made me want to visit Australia. Still
holding on that dream and this song is always an inspiration goal every time I
hear it. Such an influential pop-rock
song in my eyes.
There. Twenty
songs. And I still had to make plenty of
painful cuts that I wanted to mention as well because good lord this year was
magnificent. So let's see what blinded me (with science) from this year. I'm talking about:
So let me ask this question to my readers. What was the first song introduced to you
from the MTV era of 80s pop music that represented how iconic this decade was?
I expect a variety of answers amongst my friends. Probably a lot of Michael Jackson songs,
Prince, Madonna, or any of the other big names from this time period. I mean that’s why so many people love the
1980s. The songs are iconic. The artists come off as larger than life
superstars. The 1980s is one of the go
to eras to me when it comes to longing for pop being supremely important.
But to answer my own question, my choice is not from one of
those larger than life megastars of this era.
Nope. My choice was a song that I
was first introduced by an Atari video game collection for the
Playstation. And it came from a short
lived new wave act. And it still is
cherished by me today.
10. “Always Something There to Remind Me” – Naked Eyes
Who are these guys? I
would say one hit wonders, but they technically do have a second hit that made
the year end list this year. And while
that one is good too, Naked Eyes might as well just be one hit wonders. I kid you not, seven of their eight most
streamed songs on Apple Music are all this same song from different
albums. And their biggest hit? It’s not even the first time this song was
covered.
Yeah I’ve talked smack about cover songs so many times on
this blog already, but this is one of the rare occasions where the cover is
actually better than the original. Or
should I say the fifth cover. Yeah this
one is better than Lou Johnson’s original, Sandie Shaw’s, R.B. Greaves, and
prior to this one, most famously by Dionne Warwick. And I’ll be honest, this one is the best
because it isn’t an absolute slog of a song like the rest of these
versions. I mean who would have thought? Making a song about remembering about a
significant other having an actual pulse?
And making that beat swing and sound like fun? Gee, who would have thought of such a novel
concept.
But yeah, this was my introduction to new wave synthpop at
the young age of 8 years old and immediately became one of my favorite songs by
doing so. So yeah, there is always
something there to remind me of such an amazing song. Wasting countless hours trying to figure out
how to play Pitfall!
Such an insanely simple yet effective game. Next.
I bet a lot of you were surprised to see “Little Red
Corvette” not making the top ten. Like I
sort of hinted at with my explanation, it is just not my cup of tea seeing
objects of desire being compared to cars.
Still love the song for other reasons, but that’s the main reason
why. But fear not ladies and gents,
Prince is still amazing enough to get a song up on the actual best list.
9. “1999” – Prince
Fun fact. This was my
introduction to Prince. Easily the most
accessible song he’s ever done in his career and by all accounts the least
Prince sounding Prince song. When I
think of Prince’s music, this is what I think of:
Or this:
Not necessarily 1999.
But that’s not necessarily a knock on this song. Because it’s still an awesome song that
introduced me to this all-time favorite artists of mine’s discography.
Ladies and gents, I don’t know how many of you know this fun
fact. During the year 1983 and many
years before and after this one, the United States was in the middle of the
Cold War. And while us millennials have
to deal with the present thoughts of the world ending, our parents also had to
deal with that thought in the form of nuclear warfare with Mother Russia.
And you know what? I
honestly never connected the dots while listening to this song up until
recently. Talks about war, explosions,
bombs, uncertainty of when destruction will happen. So how does Prince handle with the thoughts
of the world running out of time? By
just partying the night away. I honestly
respect that notion. Like Prince stated
himself, we could die any day. So why
not dance the night away and party?
I’ve always had a soft spot for songs like this. Partying to escape the worry and fear of everything going on around us while not being oblivious that world sucks. And nobody is better at making the best of that than Prince himself. The man just always oozed charisma and you know what? It makes me want to go out and party like its 1999…although that means party like I’m 9. Sleepovers? Go-kart racing? Watching the Kids Choice Awards with friends? I’m taking this too literally. Let’s move on.
If I made this list over a year ago, I don’t think this song
would have been this high up on here.
8. “I’m Still Standing” – Elton John
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve always liked this song. It would have probably been in the honorable
mentions guaranteed. The amount of good
songs in Elton John’s discography to me is endless. All of you should know that by now after
reading about my lifelong fandom description in my 1974 best list. So what changed in the past year that made
this song rocket up to my personal top ten for this list? The Elton John biopic, Rocketman.
I hate to be blunt, but yeah it changed my views on this
song entirely. My original analysis of
this song was this was a song about Elton John’s longevity in the music scene
as some of the older names of the time phased out besides him and how he is
ambitious to still be at the top of the industry with all the big names in the
1980s. I mean Elton John has even stated
that himself, that’s how I know it was my view.
But that biopic absolutely added layers of subtext towards
this song. I knew about Elton John’s
addiction problems obviously, but this song being positioned in the movie as
helping him on his road to recovery wasn’t just coincidental. It opened my eyes to this layer of subtext
about this song and how it can be utilized as such. Glad to see Elton John still standing.
At one point in time I called this one of the best Billboard
number one year end hits of all time.
And while my opinion on that has changed since then, I still love it.
7. “Every Breath You Take” – The Police
And look there is no denying the obvious. The creepiness of these lyrics have only been
highlighted far more in the nearly forty years since this came out. There is a reason why this song is often
associated with creeping and stalking in media.
But even with that being stated, that is a fair share of The Police’s
discography. Making creepy subject
matter into digestible pop music.
I’ll go out on a limb and say it. This song has never been creepy to me. Like I said, I get why others do. But I take it to a more flattering approach. It goes to show how committed this guy is
towards his love interest that he will always have his eyes on her. That’s more of a compliment towards Sting and
company than other acts who have done this same subject. The Police is one of the few groups out there
that can make this work.
And to think, this was the biggest song of one of the best
years. That just goes to show how amazing
this year truly is.
So when it comes to “classic rock” bands that I first found
myself attached to, there were two bands that I grew immediate attachments
to. I already mentioned Queen being one
of them in my 1974 list. And here is the
other.
6. “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)” – Journey
And I know I’m not alone in stating this undying love for
this band. Journey is one of the first
“classic rock” groups that I knew a lot of my friends first discovered as well.
But it truly is amazing that one of my all-time favorite acts is so
flavorless. No layers of intrigue or a
long winded history as an act. They are
just a simple band that performs stadium level rock songs and ballads. Their songs are so simple, yet so effective
when it comes to spreading its message across.
And Separate Ways is absolutely one of their best
songs. Another instance of Steve Perry
selling so much with the simplest of materials.
It’s another song about how someday we will all find love. This time through leaving your ex and how
even she will find love too. But the way
Steve Perry sells this is absolutely ridiculous. Instead of being slower and somber, this is
sold in over the top silliness.
Okay part of my opinion on this is because of the music
video. Which I don’t care what anyone
else thinks, this is the best music video of 1983. It’s so over the top gloriously cheesy. But even ignoring that, this song is fucking
awesome. I love Steve Perry’s
voice. I love that guitar solo. I love that synthesizer, especially combined
with Perry’s belting. There is just so
much I love about this amazing 80s cheese of a song.
Let’s mention some of the music juggernauts this year had to
offer. PRINCE! MICHAEL JACKSON! STING!
ELTON JOHN! HALL &
OATES! JOURNEY! THESE ONE HIT WONDERS AND THEIR FIDDLE!
5. “Come on Eileen” – Dexys Midnight Runners
In such an iconic year full of heavyweights entrenched into
pop music history, it’s weird that one of the largest hits from this year was
from these guys playing a simple love song with a fiddle. That’s not what most probably expected when
it comes to looking at the charts from this year, but here they are. With one of the biggest hits of this year. And it’s charming as hell.
If I can make a millennial comparison point here, “Come on
Eileen” is what Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used To Know” was to the 2010’s. A song that absolutely nobody expected to get
wildly popular amongst some of the biggest names in popular music, but ended up
being one of the biggest songs of the year because it’s just so insanely
charming. It defies all trends and
logical sense and ever since 1983, we have never had another “Come on
Eileen”.
I’m not surprised that Dexys Midnight Runners ended up
becoming one hit wonders. Their sound
wasn’t meant to stick around in this time period, but I absolutely cherish the
hell out of this one gloriously adorable love song. They were too
too-rah-loo-rah-too-rah-loo-rye-ay for the Hot 100.
Remember back on the worst list where I talked about Jim
Steinman working with Air Supply and it turned out to be an incredibly poor
man’s Meatloaf song? Well that wasn’t
the only other artist Jim Steinman worked with this year for a theatrical pop
song. Sing it with me folks….TURN
AROUND…
4. “Total Eclipse of the Heart” – Bonnie Tyler
Now this is absolutely 100% a Meat Loaf song. Except…and I don’t know how much flack I will
get for saying this…this is the best song Jim Steinman has ever been a part
of. And that includes Meat Loaf’s
work. This is just a theatrical
masterpiece of pop perfection.
Simply put, this is one of the finest ballads I’ve ever
heard. And a lot of that has to do with
the subtle production of a slow build to eventually building up the grandiose
power of the rest of the song. But most
importantly, it comes down to the performance itself and god bless does Bonnie
Tyler knock it out of the park. Her
voice is wonderfully gritty and the grit comes out at the exact right
moments. This is exactly what lovelorn
desperation should sound like.
This song emotionally exhausts me every time I hear it and
yet it constantly keeps me coming back for more. Unless it’s the Nicki French cover:
Once again ladies and gents.
Don’t modernize timeless classics.
They more often than not disappoint you.
…we can’t talk about 1983 and not have a Michael Jackson
song super high up this list.
3. “Billie Jean” – Michael Jackson
I know I know.
Separate the art from the artist....is starting to become a bit of a
critiquing cliché, isn’t it? Like even I
can admit that. I’ve used that phrase
for my fair share of artists over the years doing my year end retrospectives of
past and present. That doesn’t
necessarily mean all terrible people make terrible music. Unless you are Tekashi 6ix9ine who I’ll never
understand the appeal of being an unlikeable piece of shit.
So let me say this once and for all. Michael Jackson may have been a
pedophile. It wouldn’t surprise me if he
was. There were just too many signs
while he was still alive and my stance sure didn’t change when that documentary
aired around this time last year. But
when it comes to making music, Michael Jackson was undeniably one of the best
pop artists who ever lived. His
discography is full of great hits. His
dance moves are iconic. His overall
presence as an entertainer is without question.
Michael Jackson’s legacy as one of the best pop artists of all time is
absolutely valid when he has made so much great music.
And “Billie Jean” is quite simply one of the best songs of
Michael Jackson’s career. It is arguably
my favorite of his too alongside “Smooth Criminal”. This song is just too perfect for words. And if that sounds like a cop out for me to
no write any more about this song; well all I have to say is “THE KID IS NOT MY
SON.”
…yeah it’s a cop out.
When it came to discussing why “Umbrella” was my number one
hit song of 2007, I mentioned the one huge reason why it is placed at the top
of the list is because it perfectly epitomizes why pop music is so great. Every single element of the song just excels
greatly at being a pop song. And if you
want another example of a perfect pop song, look no further than that other
huge hit from “Flashdance”.
2. “Flashdance… What a Feeling” – Irene Cara
You know a song this damn near perfect when it comes from a
movie that I think is absolutely terrible.
Despite spawning some of the biggest hit songs of this year,
“Flashdance” is a prime example of a movie being “all style” but “no
substance”. Sure those stylistic moments
are some of the flashiest scenes in 1980s movies history like this iconic
moment:
…um what was I talking about again? But if you seriously watch this movie, this
script has no substance. It’s generic
and plot hole filled. These characters
are flat. You can predict every single
twist and turn in this overrated pile of garbage.
But for as much as I hate this movie, this song is absolute
pop perfection. I don’t know much about
Irene Cara as a performer. I know she
was in the movie “Fame” a few years before; another bad 80s movie. However, this will forever be Irene Cara’s
defining moment as an actor/singer. Not
only due it being an Academy Award winning song. But for just being an absolute titan of a pop
song.
For four minutes, you just get absolutely lost in this slice
of pop perfection. It is like its own
world where you just want to escape and dance in your feelings. Which I have.
Countless amounts of times.
Pretty terribly….I’m not a good dancer.
But who cares? It’s not about a
singular dance. It’s about the feeling
you have while escaping from the troubles of your world by dancing. And you know what? I will gladly escape from the troubles this
year has brought to us any chance I get.
What a feeling indeed.
So what is the best hit song from one of the best years for
music? This was a challenge. More so than ever before. Because so many of these songs are just so
iconic. So beloved. So cherished.
All are timeless classics that were so tough to rank. But in the end, I had to go with what song
has stood the test of time the best for me.
A truly exceptional classic that I often revisit when it comes to
listening to my music. Back when I had
an iPod, it was one of the most listened to songs and for damn good reason. I mean it’s so good that not even a terrible
cover from a few years ago didn’t damage my thoughts on the original.
…does this reveal have to be any more anti-climatic after
this giveaway?
1. “Africa” – Toto
And I’ll be honest.
Despite having one of the best songs of all time in their discography,
I’m not that big of a Toto fan. To me,
Toto has always been a tad overrated.
They aren’t awful by any means, but when it comes to songs I like by
them, I can honestly only name three or four songs of theirs I like in
comparison to other classic rock acts of this time.
So why this? How did
they make a song this goofy end up sounding so perfect? Accidental genius. Seriously:
https://omny.fm/shows/kroqfm-on-demand/interview-toto-covers-weezers-hash-pipe
Half of the band even admits that the song was a dumb goofy
experiment about how many times they can make references to the continent. And not even that, they were considering not
putting this on their album Toto IV because it doesn’t sound like anything
they’ve ever done before. To that I say,
screw you guys. This is the best song
you’ve ever done because it truly doesn’t sound like anything you’ve ever done
before. This band should have fully
embraced their total complete turn to pop music sooner.
Every element of this song is just so gloriously
amazing. Whether it be the vocals
harmonizing so well. That riff that
plays throughout the entirety of the song that will never be replicated ever no
hard Rivers Cuomo tried to ruin it. And
of course, the absolutely goofy lyrics about Africa themselves. I’ve always had a feeling that these guys
have never been to the continent of Africa and just assumed all of this stuff
based off of late night documentaries and other people’s experiences. But you know what? With how passionately they sound about
wanting to go to Africa, it makes me even want to go.
But just like I mentioned with Journey, it’s just the way
this song is sold that makes this one of my favorite songs of all time. Every verse, every hook, every instance of
this song is just instantly imprinted into my noggin. Personal fact about me. As much as I love music, I can’t memorize
every single lyric of a song without listening to the music itself. “Africa” by Toto is one of five songs I can
instantly quote word for word without listening to the music. That’s how much this song personally means to
me.
I just love the fact that the 2010s fully embraced this, at
the time, underappreciated classic.
Whether millennials discovered this song from Family Guy, South Park, or
Stranger Things (off the top of my head) or the Weezer cover a couple years
ago, this song won’t soon be forgotten.
Especially as my best hit song of one of the best years in pop music
history.
1. “Africa” – Toto
2. “Flashdance…What a Feeling” – Irene Cara
3. “Billie Jean” – Michael Jackson
4. “Total Eclipse of the Heart” – Bonnie Tyler
5. “Come On Eileen” – Dexys Midnight Runners
6. “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)” – Journey
7. “Every Breath You Take” – The Police
8. “I’m Still Standing” – Elton John
9. “1999” – Prince
10. “Always Something There to Remind Me” – Naked Eyes
11. “Down Under” – Men at Work
12. “Allentown” – Billy Joel
13. “Maniac” – Michael Sembello
14. “The Safety Dance” – Men Without Hats
15. “Sweet Dreams (Are Made For This)” – Eurythmics
16. “Faithfully” – Journey
17. “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’” – Michael Jackson
18. “Sexual Healing” – Marvin Gaye
19. “Photograph” – Def Leppard
20. “Electric Avenue” – Eddy Grant
21. “Maneater” – Hall & Oates
22. “Little Red Corvette” – Prince
23. “Hungry Like The Wolf” – Duran Duran
24. “Back on the Chain Gang” – Pretenders
25. “Tell Her About It” – Billy Joel
26. “Twilight Zone” – Golden Earring
27. “Rock the Casbah” – The Clash
28. “Affair of the Heart” – Rick Springfield
29. “She Works Hard For the Money” – Donna Summer
30. “Beat It” – Michael Jackson
31. “Let’s Dance” – David Bowie
32. “Human Nature” – Michael Jackson
33. “Our House” – Madness
34. “She Blinded Me With Science” – Thomas Dolby
35. “Too Sky” – Kajagoogoo
36. “Promises Promises” – Naked Eyes
37. “Stray Cat Strut” – Stray Cats
38. “Dirty Laundry” – Don Henley
39. “Overkill” – Men at Work
40. “Goody Two-Shoes” – Adam Ant
41. “Shame on the Moon” – Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet
Band
42. “Stand Back” – Stevie Nicks
43. “Steppin’ Out” – Joe Jackson
44. “Heartbreaker” – Dionne Warwick
45. “Solitaire” – Laura Branigan
46. “We’ve Got Tonight” – Kenny Rogers & Sheena Easton
47. “Fall In Love With Me” – Earth, Wind, & Fire
48. “It’s a Mistake” – Men at Work
49. “China Girl” – David Bowie
50. “I Won’t Hold You Back” – Toto
51. “Don’t Cry” – Asia
52. “Come Dancing” – The Kinks
53. “Baby Come to Me” – Patti Austin & James Ingram
54. “I’ve Got a Rock ‘n’ Roll Heart” – Eric Clapton
55. “Gloria” – Laura Branigan
56. “You Got Lucky” – Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
57. “Family Man” – Hall & Oates
58. “Time (Clock of the Heart)” – Culture Club
59. “Breaking Us In Two” – Joe Jackson
60. “What About Me” – Moving Pictures
61. “Heart to Heart” – Kenny Loggins
62. “One on One” – Hall & Oates
63. “Der Kommissar” – After The Fire
64. “(Keep Feeling) Fascination” – The Human League
65. “Hot Girls in Love” – Loverboy
66. “Is There Something I Should Know?” – Duran Duran
67. “How Am I Supposed to Live Without You?” – Laura
Branigan
68. “She’s a Beauty” – The Tubes
69. “Up Where We Belong” – Joe Cocker & Jennifer Warnes
70. “You Can’t Hurry Love” – Phil Collins
71. “I’ll Tumble 4 Ya” – Culture Club
72. “Lawyers In Love” – Jackson Browne
73. “Your Love is Driving Me Crazy” – Sammy Hagar
74. “Jeopardy” – The Greg Kihn Band
75. “Tonight I Celebrate My Love” – Peabo Bryson &
Roberta Flack
76. “Dead Giveaway” - Shalamar
77. “Take Me to Heart” - Quarterflash
78. “All This Love” - DeBarge
79. “The Other Guy” – Little River Band
80. “I Know There’s Something Going On” – Frida
81. “You Are” – Lionel Richie
82. “Straight From the Heart” – Bryan Adams
83. “(She’s) Sexy + 17” – Stray Cats
84. “All Right” – Christopher Cross
85. “It Might Be You” – Stephen Bishop
86. “Try Again” - Champaign
87. “Don’t Let it End” – Styx
88. “My Love” – Lionel Richie
89. “Pass the Dutchie” – Musical Youth
90. “Never Gonna Let You Go” – Sergio Mendes
91. “Far From Over” – Frank Stallone
92. “You and I” – Eddie Rabbitt & Crystal Gayle
93. “True” – Spandau Ballet
94. “The Girl Is Mine” – Michael Jackson & Paul
McCartney
95. “Truly” – Lionel Richie
96. “Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?” – Culture Club
97. “Making Love Out of Nothing At All” – Air Supply
98. “Mickey” – Toni Basil
99. “Mr. Roboto” – Styx
100. “Puttin On the Ritz” – Taco
