Billboard 1982: The Rankdown (Winner Revealed)

[Az Paynter]

So now I see how liked 'Don't You Want Me' is on Pulse... that's gonna make a future set of Madness interesting one way or another...

[🇯🇲 dollybaby 🇯🇲]

1988 (the year that I was born) is my favorite year in music as well, as well 1989.

It would be cool to do a Billboard rankdown for the 90s.

[Butterflies & Hurricanes]

Unhinged take a bow, you were a most excellent host! & yeah, the song I became obsessed with in junior high school & prompted me to start a paper route so I could save money to buy a stereo so I could record Kasey Casem’s Top 40 onto a cassette tape every weekend, THAT gateway drug of a song, was crowned Pulse champ for 1982, well, I don’t think 13yo Tom could’ve wished for anything better!

[singingrulebritannia]

yay, all my remaining top 10s were in the top 5

[Butterflies & Hurricanes]

by the way...for all those here who can't get enough 80s music...our Alt year-end rankdowns are halfway thru the 90s & moving our way to the 80s...i have said that i will host the 1988 Alt rankdown (who knows, maybe i'll do '89 too, but i don't want to be greedy)...that's probably several months away however...but be on the lookout

[newpower]

This was one of the best top 10s of all the 80s rankdowns and the right song ended up at the top.

Thanks Unhinged for hosting another 80s rankdown. Looking forward to the Top 100 of 1980's.

[craziaskowboi]

Wow, I thought #20 was a good, solid rating for "Don't You Want Me," but only two other people ranked it lower than I did! Having every ranking in the top 25 has to be a record!

[craziaskowboi]

Apr 9, 2019 11:52:24 GMT -5 🇯🇲 dollybaby 🇯🇲 said:

1988 (the year that I was born) is my favorite year in music as well, as well 1989.

It would be cool to do a Billboard rankdown for the 90s.

Considering the 2000s are being ranked as well, it's inevitable that the 1990s will.

And just so everybody knows, I'll be giving "Three Little Pigs" a very high ranking in 1993!

[mamooshka]

Apr 9, 2019 10:53:32 GMT -5 Unhinged said:

Final Thoughts

So here we are then at the final Top 2. Well, sort of, I do plan on doing a Top 100 of the 80's as many of you know, but that is more of a bonus rankdown than anything. The official Billboard lists end here folks. It's been a lot of fun, lots of work, but still a lot of fun and with this rankdown series I feel that I have left a bit of a legacy on this forum. Well, that's debatable I guess. lol

Unhinged - you've been a great host through all these RDs and I've enjoyed every one of them. It's feels like you've taken us on a journey - maybe from Indiana to Ohio ? We're like a dysfunctional family, arguing about who tanked this or that song ... but at the end of day, we share more in common that we care to admit. 80s music brings us all back to more innocent days and this was an opportunity to revisit gems and discover other songs that we hadn't heard before. 

So there's no debate about your legacy. Can't wait for the big decade showdown!

Attachment Deleted

[Juanca]

Apr 9, 2019 1:22:42 GMT -5 Doc Indie Party Rock said:

and with that it's once again time for me to reveal my own top 100 of 1982. My favorite music  year in all music history. Most artists feature 2-3 songs but the crown acts were Rick Springfield and The Cars. Rick with 7 songs and Cars with 5 songs from "Shake It Up". Here a few Easter eggs with some rare music videos. Wait till you see the one for "Sex Dwarf". Anyway you know the deal. Album Rock, New Wave and Pop. This year was stacked.

Thanks for sharig!! Always good to see your ranking :)
I'll share comments on a few songs I've known and liked...


98. I Want Candy - Bow Wow Wow
I remembering hearing this first in a TV ad in the 00s. I liked it. And then I managed to see her live last year as part of an 80s multi-act concert. She was FUN!

90. Body Language- Queen
I liked the video of this one the music was just ok to me

However, my second favorite song from this album after Under Pressure was Back Chat, with the disco pop new wave vibe, and the dynamic musicality -with room for guitars, drums, vocals, bass.



89. Love Me Tomorrow- Chicago
This was ok. Not amongst my favorite Chicago songs, even though I liked many of their songs...

81. Talk Talk- Talk Talk
It had minor airplay, but I think the video was more popular than the song.

69. Only Time Will Tell- Asia
I ranked Heat of the Moment at #6 in this RD --and I like OTWT even more than Heat!! one of my favorite songs of the 80s. That intro is epic (one of my favorites ever), and that crescendo of music and vocals from then onward, including the guitar-led musical bridge. A song with good recurrent airplay back home and even more in my personal playlist :)


68. Destination Unknown- Missing Persons
This wasn't as big as Words. It got a bit more popular in 1983-84 when the video had good rotation in our main music TV station. It made my personal chart in '84, and I still use this song once in a while.


52. Planet Earth- Duran Duran
Another song that I remember more thanks to the video being played in our music TV station around 84. I ranked this as my 11th favorite Duran Duran single ever.


46. Johnny Can't Read- Don Henley
This was a HIT back home! Plus, he recorded a version in Spanish, Johnny No Sabe Leer, which helped the song become even more popular. I still have the 45RPM with English and Spanish versions :)

38. Rock The Casbah- The Clash
28. Should I Stay Or Should I Go- The Clash
Both were big hits back home, but in 1983 and 1988, respectively, as I've shared in respective Hot 100 RDs :)

14. Girls On Film- Duran Duran
My #13 favorite DD single. The video had lot of rotation in our main TV music station, too, especially at night I certainly liked the percussions here

[Juanca]

10. Hurts So Good (4): Jack and Diane was the bigger hit back in 1982, but for some reason this song got bigger and bigger with time. It got a better ranking in the decade-end rank downs. And I remember going to parties in the early and late 90s, and listening to this as one of those classics played in between current hits. It has become one of my 1980s staple songs, a simple but effective, melodic pop rock song.

9. Eye of The Tiger (2): I love epic rock songs :) And this fit the bill. Another great intro, with strong production, music, and soaring vocals. It was the second biggest hit of the year back home, and one of the top songs of the decade. Great recurrent airplay, and one of my favorite 80s rock songs. I was afraid it wouldn't make the top 10, so I'm super glad to see it this high!

8. Who Can It Be Now? (25): This is a surprise. That saxophone is great, and the overall sound. The chorus is likely the weaker part of the song for me. I like the more subdued vocals, and also the outro with the multiple vocals and instruments. Very strong song, but I like others a bit more.

7. Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic (10): A solid, high-energy pop-rock song that is a real 80s classic. Love the subdued vocals and the more party rock chorus and especially the madness in the bridge. Great to see them in the top 10!

6. I Love Rock 'N Roll (15): Another great chick rock tune of the 80s. I love her energy and vocals I almost put it in my top 10, but in the end other songs had a few stronger qualities than this one. It was one of my favorites that year anyway, and a yearend top 25 back home.
Interestingly, and showing the influence of 1982 songs, the Top 6 have been covered or sampled by a wide range of successful artists.. Of course, ILRNR would become a single by Britney Spears (although her version was a letdown IMO)

5. I Can't Go for That (9): Yay!! One of my favorite H&O songs. I love the bass line, the sprinkle-like synths, the saxophone, guitars, and the overall dynamism of the melody that goes from more funky verses to very smooth pre-chorus with silky vocals in the pre-chorus to straight-up pop in the chorus. It was also a yearend top 25 back home.
I also loved it when Simply Red practically reinvented this song with their hit Sunrise, a song that became a hit back home and a personal chart-topper
www.youtube.com/watch?v=PE3g2zeBVQQ

4. Edge Of Seventeen (8): I learned about this song only around the time of Bootylicious, and I LOVED it at fist listen. The music, with great use of drums, percussion, guitars, piano, and the great lead and multi-layered background vocals, plus the last-minute ad-libs with more constant dance-rock vibe that can keep you going and going. My second favorite song by Stevie.

3. I Ran (1): Another great example of epic 80s music. The music, melody, vocals are all great and complement each other tremendously. Synths, guitar, drums, in the right doses. A classic that even though didn't make the yearend top 40, got a good decade-end ranking and has maintained great recurrent airplay back home. A song I've always loved. And when last year I had the chance to hear them play this live, it was an AWESOME experience. My partner, my buddy and I were all singing to the top of our lungs!!
The cover of this one is less popular, but still worth to mention, as it was by the famous Darude with runner-up Idol Blake Lewis.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=9u-77IJmhW8

2. Tainted Love (21): Another aspect I love of the 1980s are the great covers that effectively transformed songs, like this one. A short and sweet, but super effective, catchy, timeless song. Despite my #21 ranking, I really like this song, and its intermittent dramatic synth sounds.
I have to say that, although I wasn't a big fan of Marilyn Manson, this was a pretty good cover:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ybaiCgOFUQ

1. Don't You Want Me (7): GOOD!! I can easily say that this was my favorite song back in 1982. I played that CBS 45RPM A LOT. My mom and brother also liked this song, and my mom would help me practice English with this song, too :) I love the new wave vibe, the vocals and the video! And I'd like many of the HL (and Philip Oakey) songs over the next 10+ years. In 1992 this was also covered by The Farm, and became a minor hit in modern rock radio stations back home. It made my personal top 20 as well, as I appreciated the slight differences in production and music -although I was very disappointed at the vocals)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5beMgNEqM0


Thanks, Unhinged for another great rank down!! And of course for all your effort in elaborating all these RDs of such an epic era of music!!!
Now WTF are we going to do ranking so many good songs in the next 80s RD?!!!! That's likely gonna be a dramatic massacre and clusterfuck!! And we should come up with some more anecdotes and music to share... :) :)

[Doc Indie Party Rock]

This list is so great. The theme for tonight will be the word "perfect". After all we dealing with the 80's


#10. Hurts So Good - John Cougar
I love this one. Perfect intro with the drums and guitar licks(strums). Always thought it was some kind of biker theme song.

#9. Eye Of The Tiger - Survivor
One of the best examples to represent album Rock of the 80's. Perfect lyrics. Everything perfect for the Rocky III soundtrack. Once again the guitar strums made the song.

#8. Who Can It Be Now? - Men At Work
Another one with perfect lyrics to tell the story of it's theme which was paranoia. Even better than Rockwell's hit.

#7. Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic - The Police
The jumpy synths create the perfect melody that makes the song very memorable. You always see these guys having so much fun in the music videos.

#6. I Love Rock 'n' Roll - Joan Jett & The Blackhearts
This is one of the strongest 80's song. This one has stood the test of time time and time again. It always gets airplay on those classic 80's radio stations. Surely one of the best perfect examples of stellar anthem music. Could be my theme song.

#5. I Can't Go For That (No Can Do) - Daryl Hall and John Oates
this would be the #1 example of perfect Blue Eyed Soul. A true classic and my favorite of the duo.

#4. Edge Of Seventeen - Stevie Nicks
This is the perfect and biggest  surprise here. It's ok. Don't know how it ended up higher than "Hold Me"? Is there a lot of teens on this forum?

#3. I Ran - A Flock Of Seagulls
Looks like New Wave will take the crown for the best of 1982. The best thing about this song is that the synths produce a perfect Running theme.

#2. Tainted Love - Soft Cell
The funny thing is that this song took forever to reach the top 10. This is a perfect example of simple yet effective. Marilyn Manson released a horrible cover of this song ,and the Scorpions gave it a hard rock feel.



#1. Don't You Want Me - The Human League
One of my favorite songs of the 80's. The story this one tells reminded me of that Eric Robert's flick "Star 80". When Paul Schnider met Dorthy Stratton in the restaurant for the first time. This songs is also another perfect example of a song that stands the test of time. Twenty years from now when music is just a series of bleeps and samples this one will still take us back to when music was created flawlessly. The perfect 80's.


Unhinged . perfect job man.

These are the songs that get airtime on my foobar and cell phone every week. whether at the gym or just on a long walk. Nothing accompanies me better than music from the 80's.

[Doc Indie Party Rock]

On a side note. I love the 80's big icons like Madonna, George Michael, Prince, Michael Jackson, and I think the fifth was either Bruce Springsteen or Whitney Houston, but what made 1982 so memorable and special is that there was no big icons on the list. Olivia Newton-John and Rick Springfield were being set up to be the big 80's icons, but it didn't turn out that way. 1982 It was more about the bands and how songs like "Centerfold" and "Abra Cadabra" just caught on with the audience instead of a song already being linked to a big name. This is part of the reason 1982 is my favorite year in music history. It's also the reason I jumped on the Glam Metal wagon, because it sort of brought back the bands to the charts. You could say the same for 2000's post grunge. If we ever rank 70's you see how there were a lot of different bands charting. A lot o them one hit wonders.

[craziaskowboi]

Here's how I'd rank the years of the 1980s, music-wise:


1. 1984
2. 1985
3. 1987
4. 1983
5. 1982
6. 1989
7. 1988
8. 1986
9. 1980
10. 1981