Pulse Rankdown: 1983 Year-End Modern Rock Chart (complete)

[singingrulebritannia]

1) PM me (singingrulebritannia) the top 100 Modern Rock songs of 1983, all ranked to your preference. (e.g. if you like a song the most, rank it the highest and vice versa).
2) The points a song has will be totaled up based on an inverse point system. So if you rank a song #100, it gets 1 point, and if you rank a song #1, it gets 100 points. All the points from the participants will be totaled up.
3) The due date for submission is Thursday, March 18th. The deadline time is 11:59 PM CST.
4) ALL songs must be ranked.
5) To avoid posting with duplicate lines when you PM me, click BBCode below the text box before pasting your list.
6) While not a requirement, it would be appreciated if you sent your list in the Artist - Song format and kept the artist and song names as they are here (e.g. put The Cure, not Cure; or Pretenders, not The Pretenders).
7) All your rankings will be posted when I post a song in this thread.
8) You are allowed to make changes to your list, as long as you do so before the deadline.
10) For reference, here are the top 100 Modern Rock (aka Alternative) songs of 1983, as compiled by Pyjamarama:

1. The Cure - The Lovecats
2. Big Country - In A Big Country
3. Nena - 99 Luftballoons
4. Talking Heads - Burning Down The House
5. Aztec Camera - Oblivious
6. Peter Schilling - Major Tom
7. Culture Club - Karma Chameleon
8. Culture Club - Church Of The Poison Mind
9. The Fixx - One Thing Leads To Another
10. Duran Duran - Union Of The Snake
11. The Police - King Of Pain
12. The Police - Synchronicity II
13. UB40 - Red Red Wine
14. Elvis Costello & The Attractions - Everyday I Write The Book
15. Men Without Hats - The Safety Dance
16. Adam Ant - Strip
17. Billy Idol - Rebel Yell
18. Eurythmics - Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)
19. U2 - New Year's Day
20. Real Life - Send Me An Angel
21. David Bowie - Let's Dance
22. The Police - Every Breath You Take
23. Tears For Fears - Mad World
24. The Romantics - Talking In Your Sleep
25. The English Beat - Save It For Later
26. David Bowie - Modern Love
27. The Cure - Let's Go To Bed
28. Siouxsie and the Banshees - Dear Prudence
29. Midnight Oil - Power And The Passion
30. Cyndi Lauper - Girls Just Want to Have Fun
31. Madness - Our House
32. X - The New World
33. Tears For Fears - Pale Shelter
34. New Order - Blue Monday
35. Echo & The Bunnymen - The Cutter
36. Echo & The Bunnymen - Never Stop
37. Icicle Works - Whisper To A Scream (Birds Fly)
38. The English Beat - I Confess
39. Tears For Fears - Change
40. The Psychedelic Furs - Love My Way
41. U2 - Sunday Bloody Sunday
42. Public Image Ltd. - This Is Not A Love Song
43. Suicidal Tendencies - Institutionalized
44. The Police - Wrapped Around Your Finger
45. INXS - The One Thing
46. David Bowie - China Girl
47. Oingo Boingo - Nothing Bad Ever Happens to Me
48. Depeche Mode - Get The Balance Right!
49. Big Country - Fields Of Fire
50. Thomas Dolby - She Blinded Me With Science
51. Eurythmics - Love Is A Stranger
52. Stray Cats - She's Sexy + 17
53. The B-52's - Legal Tender
54. The Bongos - Numbers With Wings
55. Grandmaster & Melle Mel - White Lines (Don't Don't Do It)
56. Kajagoogoo - Too Shy
57. Duran Duran - Save A Prayer
58. Duran Duran - Is There Something I Should Know?
59. The Alarm - The Stand
60. Bauhaus - She's In Parties
61. Culture Club - I'll Tumble 4 Ya
62. The Cure - The Walk
63. After The Fire - Der Kommissar
64. The Style Council - Long Hot Summer
65. Modern English - I Melt With You
66. The The - This Is The Day
67. REM - Radio Free Europe
68. The B-52's - Whammy Kiss
69. Adam Ant - Puss 'n Boots
70. INXS - Don't Change
71. New Order - Age Of Consent
72. Re-Flex - The Politics Of Dancing
73. The Fixx - Saved By Zero
74. Toy Dolls - Nellie The Elephant
75. Howard Devoto - Rainy Season
76. Violent Femmes - Blister In The Sun
77. Blancmange - Living On The Ceiling
78. JoBoxers - Just Got Lucky
79. Yaz - Nobody's Diary
80. New Order - Confusion
81. X - True Love Pt #2
82. The Suburbs - Love Is The Law
83. B-Movie - Nowhere Girl
84. Berlin - The Metro
85. The Human League - (Keep Feeling) Fascination
86. Spandau Ballet - Lifeline
87. The Fixx - Stand Or Fall
88. Talking Heads - Making Flippy Floppy
89. The Fixx - Red Skies
90. Heaven 17 - Let Me Go
91. Elvis Costello & The Attractions - Let Them All Talk
92. A Flock Of Seagulls - Wishing (If I Had A Photograph Of You)
93. Let's Active - Room With A View
94. Gang Of Four - Is It Love
95. New Order - Your Silent Face
96. Let's Active - Every Word Means No
97. Ultravox - Reap The Wild Wind
98. Violent Femmes - Add It Up
99. Pretenders - 2000 Miles
100. The Smiths - This Charming Man

Spotify playlist (this year, all 100 songs are on the platform, thankfully):


Numberless list:

SPOILER: Click to show

The Cure - The Lovecats
Big Country - In A Big Country
Nena - 99 Luftballoons
Talking Heads - Burning Down The House
Aztec Camera - Oblivious
Peter Schilling - Major Tom
Culture Club - Karma Chameleon
Culture Club - Church Of The Poison Mind
The Fixx - One Thing Leads To Another
Duran Duran - Union Of The Snake
The Police - King Of Pain
The Police - Synchronicity II
UB40 - Red Red Wine
Elvis Costello & The Attractions - Everyday I Write The Book
Men Without Hats - The Safety Dance
Adam Ant - Strip
Billy Idol - Rebel Yell
Eurythmics - Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)
U2 - New Year's Day
Real Life - Send Me An Angel
David Bowie - Let's Dance
The Police - Every Breath You Take
Tears For Fears - Mad World
The Romantics - Talking In Your Sleep
The English Beat - Save It For Later
David Bowie - Modern Love
The Cure - Let's Go To Bed
Siouxsie and the Banshees - Dear Prudence
Midnight Oil - Power And The Passion
Cyndi Lauper - Girls Just Want to Have Fun
Madness - Our House
X - The New World
Tears For Fears - Pale Shelter
New Order - Blue Monday
Echo & The Bunnymen - The Cutter
Echo & The Bunnymen - Never Stop
Icicle Works - Whisper To A Scream (Birds Fly)
The English Beat - I Confess
Tears For Fears - Change
The Psychedelic Furs - Love My Way
U2 - Sunday Bloody Sunday
Public Image Ltd. - This Is Not A Love Song
Suicidal Tendencies - Institutionalized
The Police - Wrapped Around Your Finger
INXS - The One Thing
David Bowie - China Girl
Oingo Boingo - Nothing Bad Ever Happens to Me
Depeche Mode - Get The Balance Right!
Big Country - Fields Of Fire
Thomas Dolby - She Blinded Me With Science
Eurythmics - Love Is A Stranger
Stray Cats - She's Sexy + 17
The B-52's - Legal Tender
The Bongos - Numbers With Wings
Grandmaster & Melle Mel - White Lines (Don't Don't Do It)
Kajagoogoo - Too Shy
Duran Duran - Save A Prayer
Duran Duran - Is There Something I Should Know?
The Alarm - The Stand
Bauhaus - She's In Parties
Culture Club - I'll Tumble 4 Ya
The Cure - The Walk
After The Fire - Der Kommissar
The Style Council - Long Hot Summer
Modern English - I Melt With You
The The - This Is The Day
REM - Radio Free Europe
The B-52's - Whammy Kiss
Adam Ant - Puss 'n Boots
INXS - Don't Change
New Order - Age Of Consent
Re-Flex - The Politics Of Dancing
The Fixx - Saved By Zero
Toy Dolls - Nellie The Elephant
Howard Devoto - Rainy Season
Violent Femmes - Blister In The Sun
Blancmange - Living On The Ceiling
JoBoxers - Just Got Lucky
Yaz - Nobody's Diary
New Order - Confusion
X - True Love Pt #2
The Suburbs - Love Is The Law
B-Movie - Nowhere Girl
Berlin - The Metro
The Human League - (Keep Feeling) Fascination
Spandau Ballet - Lifeline
The Fixx - Stand Or Fall
Talking Heads - Making Flippy Floppy
The Fixx - Red Skies
Heaven 17 - Let Me Go
Elvis Costello & The Attractions - Let Them All Talk
A Flock Of Seagulls - Wishing (If I Had A Photograph Of You)
Let's Active - Room With A View
Gang Of Four - Is It Love
New Order - Your Silent Face
Let's Active - Every Word Means No
Ultravox - Reap The Wild Wind
Violent Femmes - Add It Up
Pretenders - 2000 Miles
The Smiths - This Charming Man

Participants:
singingrulebritannia
Pyjamarama
gonecountry
razorshark
jamesflame
Red
American Idiot
rowellfarm490
DadJokes
Doc Indie Party Rock
willapted33
aerodynamite
wheatsquares33
lyhom
trilogy
Geometrical
alexcuse
Sambalada
Daryl the Beryl
chanman
campbellssoup
Juanca
Mirago
peacebone
craziaskowboi
tanooki

Tags (taken from peace's 1984 OP with a few additions. you do not have to be on this tag list to participate):

SPOILER: Click to show

Geometrical wheatsquares33 American Idiot peacebone lyhom rowellfarm490 Pyjamarama Alex1901 Mirago singingrulebritannia gonecountry wrip Doc Indie Party Rock campbellssoup Daryl the Beryl newpower Juanca House Lannister Verisimilitude janinho MoD Red eidde @humanshazam somelikeitwhen alexcuse willapted33 Sambalada Albie craziaskowboi aerodynamite thethirdcurry

[singingrulebritannia]

With the 2020 rock chart rankdowns finally done and in the books, we can return to ranking the final years of the early 80s. Many music critics have called 1983 and 1984 two of the best years for the Hot 100 of all-time. A lot of their quality had to do with the high ratio of "Modern Rock" tracks crossing over to Pop. To illustrate: 22 songs on this chart appeared on a Hot 100 year-end (one of them, "Red Red Wine", finding its success as late as 1988). 9 songs were previously featured in Rowell's Lost Hits series, and 7 more are shared exclusively with the upcoming Mainstream Rock list (not to mention that 4 were already in the 1984 rankdown). Dozens and dozens of these songs have also been previously ranked in personal rankdowns, some hosted by yours truly.

I haven't ranked it myself yet, but just from a glance, this list looks to live up to the hype you may have already seen regarding it. So I hope participation will be accordingly bountiful.

[gonecountry]

Thank God, I've been waiting for this. The #100 song is just as awesome as #1. Makes me want to stay up all night doing my rankdown in some kind of 80's coke-fueled frenzy.

This is going to be the Sophies Choice of Rankdowns...

[campbellssoup]

Well I already know my #1 (and 2 and 3)

[Doc Indie Party Rock]

Actually have this one half way done. Extremely iconic list of songs.

[razorshark]

Hell ya count me in

Also can I get tagged when these year end lists start??  I don't frequent here and I probably would have missed this if I wasn't looking for something else.

[rowellfarm490]

This is probably a question Pyjamarama would be able to answer for sure but which version of "True Love" by X are we supposed to be ranking. Based on the band's wikipedia page and other sources, "True Love, Part 2" is listed as a single from this album era and not Part 1. Since the two are completely different songs I just want to make sure we are ranking the correct one, whichever that is.

[Pyjamarama]

Feb 13, 2021 10:01:15 GMT -5 rowellfarm490 said:

This is probably a question Pyjamarama would be able to answer for sure but which version of "True Love" by X are we supposed to be ranking. Based on the band's wikipedia page and other sources, "True Love, Part 2" is listed as a single from this album era and not Part 1. Since the two are completely different songs I just want to make sure we are ranking the correct one, whichever that is.

good question, I’m not familiar with either version, but if part 2 was the single (& the other wasn’t) then I’m sure that’s the version. I’ll double-check my source material to make sure.

[razorshark]

For Major Tom are we ranking the German version in the playlist or the English version??

[singingrulebritannia]

Feb 13, 2021 17:40:48 GMT -5 razorshark said:

For Major Tom are we ranking the German version in the playlist or the English version??

You can rank whichever version you prefer. Same for "99 Luftballoons".

[matteeeb]

#100 :jammincat:

[Pyjamarama]

Feb 13, 2021 17:32:48 GMT -5 Pyjamarama said:

Feb 13, 2021 10:01:15 GMT -5 rowellfarm490 said:

This is probably a question Pyjamarama would be able to answer for sure but which version of "True Love" by X are we supposed to be ranking. Based on the band's wikipedia page and other sources, "True Love, Part 2" is listed as a single from this album era and not Part 1. Since the two are completely different songs I just want to make sure we are ranking the correct one, whichever that is.

good question, I’m not familiar with either version, but if part 2 was the single (& the other wasn’t) then I’m sure that’s the version. I’ll double-check my source material to make sure.

yes, “True Love part 2” is the song we should be ranking, not part 1

[gonecountry]

Man, this is a great list. I'm halfway through and it is tough. That said, I just realized that Depeche Mode's Everything Counts didn't make the Top 100 cuts of the year. That blows, but it would have made it even harder than it already is.

I am pretty sure what my #100 is going to be. Because I don't like songs that have to spell out words to me. Unless those songs are called "Word Up".

[Doc Indie Party Rock]

Aside from a couple of Culture Club and Thompson Twins songs that are missing, This list looks more like I remember for 1983. Doesn't look like Gavin's list had much say this year. Which is a good thing. 

[Pyjamarama]

sumbitted

i was in HS at the time so that may make me biased but imo, this was THE best year in music ... i don't dislike any of these songs, and while some songs' artistic merits slowly reveal themselves over the years, there's no denying that sometimes nostalgia can overwhelm my decision making ability

[gonecountry]

So it massively snowed in Texas, is there any chance that a UB40 doesn't wind up in the bottom 5 of a Rankdown? It seemed like if it was going to ever happen, this may be the time as the stars are in alignment (Texas freezes over and we're ranking Red Red Wine)

Asking for a friend.

[Pyjamarama]

poor UB40, sure, all of their songs sound alike but they are overhated

[gonecountry]

Just submitted. 83 was a very solid year, the top 20 were all classics IMO. I thought I knew my #100 and that nothing could be worse than the Safety Dance. I was wrong. The bottom 10 either bored me to tears or annoyed the crap out of me, particularly #100.

Looking forward to this one...

[singingrulebritannia]

I probably should've posted the first reminder yesterday, because it was a week after the thread opened, but oh well. 3 weeks and 2 days to submit

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Geometrical wheatsquares33 American Idiot peacebone lyhom razorshark tanooki jamesflame@joobix rowellfarm490 Alex1901 Mirago singingrulebritannia wrip Doc Indie Party Rock DadJokes campbellssoup Daryl the Beryl newpower Juanca House Lannister Verisimilitude janinho MoD Red eidde @humanshazam somelikeitwhen alexcuse willapted33 Sambalada Albie craziaskowboi aerodynamite thethirdcurry

[razorshark]

Submitted a few days ago and man, what a list. The entire top 90 are songs I'd call good, only my bottom 3 are actively bad imo. The entire top 6 are songs that I feel have made my life better having heard them. I am so hyped for the reveals.

[chanman]

Sign me up cuz I'm gonna work this

[singingrulebritannia]

2 weeks and 2 days to submit. I've been concentrating intently on the Sonemic rankdown so I haven't been pushing this one as hard as I should. At least I've fetched all the extras videos now, so I'll be able to start posting those soon (just have to categorize them)

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Geometrical wheatsquares33 American Idiot peacebone lyhom tanooki matteeeb rowellfarm490 Alex1901 Mirago singingrulebritannia wrip Doc Indie Party Rock DadJokes campbellssoup Daryl the Beryl newpower Juanca House Lannister Verisimilitude janinho chanman MoD Red eidde @humanshazam somelikeitwhen alexcuse willapted33 Sambalada Albie craziaskowboi aerodynamite thethirdcurry

[singingrulebritannia]

The workload for the Sonemic Rankdown has been kind of wrecking me, so I want there to be a little more space between the end of it and the beginning of this. Your new deadline is March 18 (Midnight CT). This means you have 2 weeks and 3 days to submit. Thank you to everyone who has sent thus far despite how bad I've been at reminders.

SPOILER: Click to show

Geometrical wheatsquares33 American Idiot peacebone lyhom tanooki matteeeb rowellfarm490 Alex1901 Mirago singingrulebritannia wrip Doc Indie Party Rock DadJokes campbellssoup Daryl the Beryl newpower Juanca House Lannister Verisimilitude janinho chanman MoD eidde @humanshazam somelikeitwhen alexcuse willapted33 Sambalada Albie craziaskowboi aerodynamite thethirdcurry

[singingrulebritannia]

OK...time to finally start posting these extras. We'll start off simple with the first category, which is, songs that crossed over to 1984 Mainstream Rock. Some of these were in the rankdown, some were also just extras there. Either way, I already featured the videos there, so they won't be in this post.

Artist	Song	estimated chart points
Yes	Owner Of A Lonely Heart	229
Cyndi Lauper	Time After Time	225
The Rolling Stones	Undercover Of The Night	177
The Rolling Stones	Too Much Blood	130
John Cougar Mellencamp	Crumblin' Down	119
Genesis	Just A Job To Do	110
Bob Dylan	Neighborhood Bully	90
The Fixx	The Sign Of Fire	n/a
Genesis	That's All	n/a
Paul Young	Come Back And Stay	n/a

[singingrulebritannia]

And now, let's look at another category of crossovers--1983 Mainstream Rock rankdown songs and extras. Out of these 5, "Suddenly Last Summer" would've been my highest ranking here.

Artist	Song	estimated chart points	Video
The Motels	Suddenly Last Summer	212	Link
Red Rockers	China	211	Link
The Call	The Walls Came Down	189	Link
Greg Kihn Band	Jeopardy	183	Link
U2	Two Hearts Beat as One	182	Link

[singingrulebritannia]

I enjoy every song in this set quite a bit. My highest would be, perhaps predictably, Come On Eileen

Artist	Song	estimated chart points	Video
Dexy's Midnight Runners	Come On Eileen	177	Link
Robert Plant	Big Log	165	Link
Spandau Ballet	True	165	Link
Men At Work	Overkill	160	Link
Huey Lewis & the News	Heart And Soul	158	Link

[singingrulebritannia]

Another grouping full of classics. My highest would be "Little Red Corvette", but "Mama" wouldn't be far behind.

Artist	Song	estimated chart points	Video
Genesis	Mama	153	Link
Prince	Little Red Corvette	145	Link
The Moody Blues	Sitting At The Wheel	131	Link
Pat Benatar	Love Is A Battlefield	129	Link
Robert Plant	In The Mood	128	Link

[singingrulebritannia]

I'm not sold on Heart and Asia being fits for this format (same with Huey Lewis earlier). But they aren't even the most confusing entries in these extras.

Artist	Song	estimated chart points	Video
Asia	Don't Cry	126	Link
Heart	How Can I Refuse	117	Link
Ric Ocasek	Something To Grab For	117	Link
The Motels	Little Robbers	109	Link
Dave Edmunds	Slipping Away	95	Link

[singingrulebritannia]

For instance...what is Def Leppard doing here?

Artist	Song	estimated chart points	Video
Bananarama	Na Na Hey Hey (Kiss Him Goodbye)	n/a	Link
Chris De Burgh	Don't Pay The Ferryman	n/a	Link
Def Leppard	Photograph	n/a	Link
Dire Straits	Industrial Disease	n/a	Link
Dire Straits	Twisting By The Pool	n/a	Link

[singingrulebritannia]

I am also quite baffled by the presence of Elton John. But I do love this particular song. If only it had done enough for the Mainstream Rock rankdown...

Artist	Song	estimated chart points	Video
Eddy Grant	Electric Avenue	n/a	Link
Elton John	I'm Still Standing	n/a	Link
Genesis	Home By The Sea	n/a	Link
Jackson Browne	Lawyers In Love	n/a	Link
Marshall Crenshaw	Whenever You're On My Mind	n/a	Link