Top 10 Songs of 1982

80s music really began to establish its identity in 1982, forging both an image and a sound that always harbored more substance than anyone believed was there. Rock and pop styles flourished and intertwined to create an impressive display of originality that still resonates today, especially in the signature genres new wave, synth pop and arena rock.

1. The Human League - "Don't You Want Me"

Perhaps the best group in a vast wave of British synth pop exports, the Human League hit the jackpot with this tune, a wonderfully woven tale of a dysfunctional, hard-knocks relationship featuring a classic interplay of male and female vocals to round out the narrative. The melody is intoxicating, the synth parts mesmerizing, and the singers impeccable in their presentation of what amounts to highly accessible lyrical material. Few singles as tight as this have ever been released.

2. Tommy Tutone - "867-5309 (Jenny)"

This confusingly named band (the group's lead singer's first name is Tommy, but his last name is not Tutone) has always been considered somewhat scornfully as one of the quintessential one-hit wonders of the '80s, a viewpoint that tends to suggest novelty regarding this song. But it's a solid rock tune with a brilliant concept and deserves credit as one of the best songs of the modern rock era. Period. And as a stalker song, well, it simply has no equal.

3. Men At Work - "Who Can It Be Now?"

The former Australian bar band's first No. 1 hit is a wonderfully paranoid, hypnotic portrait of a man out of place and out of time in modern society. It also features some tasty saxophone fills that firmly plant it into the sonic realm of the glorious '80s. But what really makes the song tick is the unique combination forged by Colin Hay's spirited, slightly off-kilter vocal style and Men at Work's undeniable rock and roll chops. A brilliantly crafted and ultimately timeless gem.

4. Alan Parsons Project - "Eye in the Sky"

Although at times this song can sound dated with its space-age, hypnotic qualities, at the core of it lies a near-perfect pop/rock song. The fact that one has to dig through layers of production to experience the songwriting prowess is not necessarily all that surprising, given the perfectionist production and engineering past of the band's namesake. Still, what a joy it is to realize that the only thing that really matters is the quality of a song. In this case, high quality indeed.

5. Asia - "Heat of the Moment"

From the band's inception, Asia presented a unique fusion of styles old and new. Blending '70s progressive rock with hard rock guitar and innovative keyboards, this tune particularly ran a musical gamut that allowed it to claim a distinct place in pop music history. Though from the start critics labeled this union of disparate talents as a cynical, commercially minded enterprise, I always felt like this music was actually quite organic and genuine in forging its broad appeal.

6. Laura Branigan - "Gloria"

Branigan's rousing, sing-along anthem is a quintessential '80s classic, but it's far more than a time capsule relic. Impassioned vocals and keyboard flourishes aside, the song's escalating melody takes center stage and delivers with great success across the years. That's also because of the clearly feminist but also authentically modern lyrical perspective of the song. No "I Am Woman" bombast here, just an honest emotional portrait of a woman trying to make it through the darkness.

7. Steve Miller Band - "Abracadabra"

Longtime classic rock icon and axe-man Steve Miller segued into the '80s with both style and substance with the release of this tune. Though it undoubtedly stands as his most singular and successful pure pop song, this hit single also daringly manages to work as space-age guitar rock just as well. Once again, what ultimately distinguishes this and any other classic pop song are melody and presentation, and "Abracadabra" features masterful strokes in both areas.

8. A Flock of Seagulls - "I Ran (So Far Away)"

Many music fans have understandably been distracted by the shocking and famous haircuts of this band, but underneath that surface lies a classic pop song no matter what decade. The melodic verse is even better than the well-known chorus, and the guitar work of Paul Reynolds, I fear, will always remain criminally underrated. This band has always been unfairly classified as a one-hit wonder, but even if that label is valid, this is certainly one hit to be eternally proud of.

9. Jackson Browne - "Somebody's Baby"

Not many artists can transcend era as smoothly as the versatile Jackson Browne, but this song manages to be an essential document of the '80s without sounding dated. Whatever that actually means. Though the tune rose to prominence partly because of its inclusion in the popular film Fast Times at Ridgemont High, it's so memorable mainly because of its infectiously evocative take on the heady emotions of adolescence and first love. Or, maybe it's just a Phoebe Cates thing.

10. Joe Cocker & Jennifer Warnes - "Up Where We Belong"

We all know that '80s music takes a lot of abuse as a showcase for fleeting music that emphasized style over substance, but it most certainly produced as many timeless melodies as any era before or since. This great song from the soundtrack of An Officer and a Gentleman perfectly fits its title and lyrical content, as it surely stands as one of the most soaring ballads in pop music history. A tastefully handled duet that justifiably became a slow dance favorite.

Top 10 Songs of 1981

1. Hall & Oates - "Kiss On My List"

1981 was a hell of a year for this pop duo, as singles from two different highly successful albums (Voices and Private Eyes) spent significant time near the top of the charts. It's difficult, in fact, to suss out the best Hall & Oates song from even this year much less their entire career, but for my money "Kiss On My List" is a sterling selection. One of the duo's best distillations of its many influences, this tune sparkles and succeeds wildly with a clever and unique lyrical conceit.

2. Rick Springfield - "Jessie's Girl"

Simply one of the best pop songs of all time, Rick Springfield's most well-known tune really stands the test of time and repeated airplays. Armed with a killer guitar riff that is actually quite nifty and dripping with the real but fickle emotions of envy, lust and passion, this song is a tour de force that alone proves Springfield's value as a songwriter. It is also equally effective as both a rock and pop song (pay attention to the guitar), which is a rare feat indeed.

3. REO Speedwagon - "Keep On Loving You"

One of the first '70s classic rock bands to cash in on the new decade's emerging taste for power ballads, REO Speedwagon (and particularly lead singer and songwriter Kevin Cronin) displayed in this tune a tremendous savvy for crafting a memorable and accessible melody. Beyond that, the song stands as a realization of a band's potential that had formerly labored within the shadows of arena rock success. REO's hit album Hi Infidelity became a huge smash this year, helped by similar pop gems.

4. Santana - "Winning"

This entry from Carlos Santana's storied career is undoubtedly the great guitarist's namesake band's strongest and most memorable pop song, but it also functions as a fantastic showcase for some of the decade's best, most blistering guitar leads. The tune itself is a rousing crowd-pleaser that has since found a place in sporting event montages, but structurally and musically it is as sound as can be. Great keyboards at the beginning give it its '80s feel, but the song has much more within.

5. Journey - "Don't Stop Believin'"

Journey's breakthrough album Escape yielded several big hits in 1981, but this combination power ballad/rocker/contemplative examination of lost souls clinging to hope simply has it all. Boasting one of Steve Perry's best, most world-weary lyrics not having to do directly with a relationship, the song features several sublime components, including a great, foundational guitar and bass riff, an unforgettable sing-along chorus, and the introduction of a new phrase in "streetlight people."

6. The Go-Go's - "Our Lips Are Sealed"

Very few bands that started out in the punk scene could ever say they had the ability to craft pop music anywhere near as good as this. In fact, most pop artists have never been able to reach this level, either, and that's really saying something. The song's brilliant groove and inescapable melody should have announced with authority from the start that this all-female band was unique in the annals of rock music, but unfortunately, only lately have the Go-Go's begun to receive proper respect.

7. Squeeze - "Tempted"

While this song is far from the quintessential offering from this great British band, it is undoubtedly a near-perfect pop confection that excels in several compelling ways. Although I've always loved Paul Carrack, the fact that he sings lead on this tune is a bit unfortunate, only because that means the low-voiced, somewhat novelty-sounding Chris Difford sings as much lead as the incomparable Glenn Tilbrook. The song's organ and piano lines buoy the song through its loping progression from chorus to verse to bridge.

8. The Tubes - "Talk To Ya Later"

In a decade full of happy marriages between guitar and keyboards, this underrated classic takes that combination to the promised land. Although most people won't remember it as well as "She's a Beauty", this song crystallized positive '80s rock impulses far more skillfully. Just give a listen to the keyboard break in the middle, the great vocal harmonies during the pre-chorus, or the wonderfully snotty delivery from singer Fee Waybill. As they say in professional wrestling, this song is the total package.

9. Climax Blues Band - "I Love You"

Despite or perhaps because it is such a complete exercise in simplicity, this song strikes a memorable chord as a document of the '80s. Coming from a veteran band that had previously operated as a blues and R&B outfit, this tune definitely feels like a bit of an aberration. But that doesn't make it any less enjoyable, as somewhow the simple lyrical tale of a wayward man set straight by the love of a woman works beautifully. Even the criminally simple guitar solo manages to be effective.

10. Eddie Rabbitt - "I Love A Rainy Night"

In this song that managed the highly impressive feat of hitting No. 1 on the pop, country and adult contemporary charts, Rabbitt proved that his talents were not restricted by being labeled as a country artist. This tune was justifiably everywhere in 1981, and it still works today as a basic rock song that succeeds because it so completely embraces more traditional rock and roll influences that always combined country, R&B and rock styles anyway.

Top 10 Songs of the '80s

The greatest singles of any era possess the power to change the world in three minutes, or failing that, they at least share the ability to leave their stamp on a musical landscape already filled nearly to capacity. And while chart performance, radio airplay and longevity are all important criteria to choose the best of the best, these essential '80s songs announce themselves as vital through sheer force of gravity. These tunes are simply impossible to ignore in the context of '80s music.

1. The Police - "Every Breath You Take"

Regardless of how many times this song is played, it retains a magic that only exists for the most solidly constructed, universally themed and uniquely presented musical compositions. Sting's songwriting centerpiece from 1983's Synchronicity achieves a rare pop/rock perfection, featuring a top-notch vocal performance, a groundbreaking guitar riff and a highly personal lyrical theme exploring obsession, heartbreak and romantic doom that somehow seems familiar in spite of its fierce originality. Definitely one of the finest moments of the career of the Police as well as the '80s as a whole.

2. Survivor-"Eye of the Tiger"

This Chicago-area mainstream power rock band known mostly for its ballads always had a knack for delivering among the most bombastic lyrics of the decade. But with this song, featured prominently and appropriately in the film Rocky III, Survivor brought fist-pumping arena rock to an entirely new plane of soaring bravado. The somewhat silly overuse of metaphor and cliche is sometimes a little offputting, but the hold of the melody and power-chord opening is undeniable.

3. Foreigner - "I Want to Know What Love Is"

Foreigner enjoyed a number of hits in the '80s, but none reached a level of over-the-top romantic longing as high as this keyboard-heavy love ballad does. Guitarist Mick Jones has always been an underrated songwriter, and his command was never on finer display than when the calmness of this tune's verses explode into a crescendo of a chorus perfectly suited for Lou Gramm's impressively high vocal range. When the gospel chorus kicks in at the end, it's a perfectly appropriate topping for this confection.

4. Van Halen - "Jump"

Some '70s and '80s hard rock bands turned to pop out of desperation or just pure greed as the hair metal phenomenon kicked off. In the case of Van Halen, the stylistic turn seemed as organic as the splendid synthesizer riff that fuels this tune, or David Lee Roth's exuberant leap, or Eddie Van Halen's infectious grin. On this one occasion, the band wrote a nearly perfect pop song, and unfortunately they spent the remainder of their careers rolling downhill from this moment.

5. U2 - "With or Without You"

U2's track to stardom and then its legendary status has been an intriguing one, filled with explorations of a variety of styles and approaches. However, this tune, one of many excellent songs from The Joshua Tree, strikes a perfect balance of pop and rock sensibilities. It's catchy, beautiful and hauntingly memorable, and somehow it remains both a document of its era and a timeless classic. Plus, it doesn't hurt that the song has one of the best bass lines in rock history.

6. Guns N' Roses - "Sweet Child o' Mine"

As raw and unabashed as they were, Axl Rose and his mates knew how to craft intricate and polished rock songs. The band's sound was no happy accident, and this song more than any other reveals the band at its peak collectively and individually. Never has Rose revealed his versatility as a singer more completely than through the calm verses and more fierce chorus sections of the tune. It's a tour de force of rock guitar buoyed by an unexpected lyrical sweetness, and the song's broad appeal helped take 1987's Appetite for Destruction to a mainstream place no one could have expected.

7. Whitney Houston - "So Emotional"

Pop diva Whitney Houston's '80s heyday produced several singles worthy of inclusion on best-of lists, but this one represents the best blend of danceable beats and an irrepressible chorus. Houston was and is a fine singer, but perhaps her best attribute was her ability to select top-notch material. This tune is a celebration of an '80s pluckiness we're not likely to see again, and it's so infectious that even a lot of rock fans were subject to its seduction.

8. Bonnie Tyler - "Total Eclipse of the Heart"

One of the greatest '80s collaborations was undoubtedly this Welsh female singer with the unmistakable gravelly voice and Jim Steinman, songwriter and producer of Meat Loaf fame. It was a match made in heaven, as Steinman's gift for lyrical bombast and over-the-top arrangements to match helped him produce his finest musical moment and Tyler's gritty but sensitive voice perfectly conveyed the longing of this great love song.

9. Lionel Richie & Diana Ross-"Endless Love"

Speaking of ballads and the '80s, it's impossible to go too far without discussing duets pairing male and female singers, and there was no finer example of this than this overwrought but undeniably engaging tune from 1981. Lionel Richie certainly covered this same kind of ground effectively in his solo career, but the addition of a capable female singer with whom to exchange verses raises this song to another level. It helped that Ross was far more than capable.

10. J. Geils Band - "Centerfold"

Even though I sometimes get the "na-na-na-na-na-na" part mixed up with the Smurfs theme, this song is a highlight for me personally and for the entire decade's musical catalogue. The band's frontman, Peter Wolf, was tailor-made for the '80s with his Mick Jagger swagger and exuberance, even though he had paid his dues before the band went pop. That's why the group reached its highest level of success during the '80s, and this tune's memorable playfulness is a big reason why.

Top Albums of the '80s - The Essential Eight

The best albums of any decade are always about far more than hit songs, record sales and other stats that can be measured. Scope of influence and breadth of impact are really more about feel, a sense that can be perceived only by experiencing the music. In short, these albums reverberated throughout the decade and became classics, not only of their own time but of all time.

1. Michael Jackson - 'Thriller'

Perhaps no album has ever been as ubiquitous or far-reaching or inescapable as Thriller, Michael Jackson's nearly 60 million-selling monster hit from 1982. This is the one album most of us children of the '80s still have on vinyl at our parents' houses when we go home to visit. The songs are versatile and efficient, but most of all they're skillfully produced and conveyed to fulfill their maximum commercial accessibility. For once a multitude of hits actually reflects consistent quality.

2. Madonna - 'Like a Virgin'

It's difficult to choose a signature album from an artist who produced so many top-selling LPs, but this one wins out probably because it placed Madonna on an entirely different plane than her '80s music cohorts. With this album, mere song titles like "Material Girl" and "Like a Virgin" became key threads in the fabric of '80s culture. While becoming an icon alone does not guarantee a classic album, in this case the impact of the music was as important as image in making that happen.

3. Bruce Springsteen - 'Born in the U.S.A.'

Though Bruce Springsteen successfully transcends any decade in which he has worked, this album, in terms of quality, influence and style, stakes a fierce claim as one of the most signature releases of the '80s. The quality throughout the 14-song set is astounding, filled with irresistible hooks, a remarkable diversity of styles, and Springsteen's artfully rendered socially conscious brand of rock and roll.

4. Prince - 'Purple Rain'

Prince had produced some excellent and diverse music before, but with this 1984 release he synthesized pretty much everything he had to offer into a tight, nine-song LP. The hits were astounding in their efficiency and musical scope, but the lesser-known charting tunes and album tracks like "I Would Die 4 U" and "The Beautiful Ones" were no less skillfully presented. And of course, Prince being Prince, the album stoked controversy with "Darling Nikki", a tune that dealt with (gasp) masturbation.

5. Guns N' Roses - 'Appetite for Destruction'

In the midst of the Los Angeles hair metal scene, Guns 'N Roses exploded with a different kind of music on its 1987 debut release that could beat the hell out of any of the other glossy pop-metal floating around on MTV. Inspired equally by classic hard rock, metal and punk, the band's grimy rock was threatening, aggressive and supercharged with walls of guitar sound. In essence, the album provided a necessary bridge between a time when hard rock had teeth and when it regained them once Nirvana hit.

6. U2 - 'The Joshua Tree'

Also a landmark 1987 release, U2's breakthrough to superstardom is a rare artistic statement that also works extremely well as rousing rock and roll. The Irish band had already become extremely important on the burgeoning college rock/alternative scene, but with this collection the band graduated to something way more far-reaching and intense. While surely notable for its eclecticism, this album has the distinction also of having genuine things to say about faith, despair, loss and doubt.

7. George Michael - 'Faith'

Following the dissolution of the consistent but slight hit machine Wham!, which he had previously led, George Michael surely was not expected to go out and immediately release a masterpiece. But that's just what he did, with this erotically charged collection of dance pop and ballads. The songs "Father Figure" and, of course, "I Want Your Sex", particularly harbored an edge that certainly raised the eyebrows of parents whose teen children wore this record out.

8. Van Halen - '1984'

In stark contrast to its Orwellian title, this album is purely and simply a party record, an ode to a brand of hedonism that only David Lee Roth could accurately convey. As such, it's a particularly effective document of its time, but it's also filled with a number of high-quality tunes, from the very hard-rocking "Hot for Teacher" to the synthesizer-infused "Jump" to the affecting power ballad "I'll Wait". And credit should go to Eddie Van Halen for understanding the lure of the synthesizer.