It is a common game on the social media scene to make postings about what the number one song was for the year you were born. I was born in 1982 and I am not satisfied with letting the ear of someone else, or a collective of ears decide what the top song was for my birth year. I’ll be the judge of that! Actually, I am going to take the lead of the Billboard music Hot 100 charts and narrow the pool of choices down. This is my top ten list of the best songs from the year 1982, each of them at some point or another having landed in the top ten for Billboard as well.
10. “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” – Joan Jett & The Blackhearts: This song has a fun chorus, though the rest of the lyrics don’t really draw me in. What really makes the song great though are Joan Jett’s attitude and the guitar riffs.
9. “867-5309/Jenny” – Tommy Tutone: The phone number anyone who has listened to 80s music is bound to remember! Aside from the phone number gimmick, this song is an interesting look at a man obsessing over a girl who doesn’t really know him, but he has lucked out into finding out her phone number. He’s going to be different than all the other guys. A joke that can be taken seriously, depending on the level of your mood.
8. “Eye In The Sky” – Alan Parsons Project: A soft and hypnotic song, it doubles as an exploration of a relationship and a commentary on the now realized future in which someone is always watching you. This song is soothing even if you read deep into technological implications of doomed privacy.
7. “Hurts So Good” – John Cougar: A strong get up and clap rock song, that goes more cool than heavy. It works as a nice time machine for looking back at ones youth and the “good” hurts in love that helped shape ones life.
6. “Leather and Lace” – Stevie Nicks with Don Henley: This song captures some strong, romantic magic in its dramatic lyrics. Stevie wrote the song for Waylon Jenning’s album of the same name, but he ended up not using it. It reached #6 on the Billboard charts in 1982.
5. “Physical” – Olivia Newton-John: This song gets stuck in my head and it is as glorious as it is cheesy! It is as funny as it is sexy and there is only one thing to do when you hear it “Get physical!” Or just sing along.
4. “Eye Of The Tiger” – Survivor: “Eye Of The Tiger” was mad infamous by the movie “Rocky,” but take away the over the top sappy inspirational movie magic and you’ve still got one rocking track. One to crank up the volume on!
3. “Tainted Love” – Soft Cell: Marilyn Manson does a really cool cover of this song, but the original stands up still all on its own. It is a synth groovy song with lyrics about love gone sour.
2. “Open Arms” – Journey: It doesn’t get much more epic in terms of love ballads than “Open Arms.” Cue the weddings!
1. “Trouble” – Lindsey Buckingham: I had never even heard this song before deciding to embark on the listening journey of this list! The song starts out like it is going to be something goofy, but it instead taps into some emotional, almost Roy Orbison, vibes. This song was technically released in 1981, but made it high on the charts in 1982.