Ozzy bites the head off a bat, John Belushi dies, David Crosby gets arrested over and over, everyone in the world realizes how bad disco music is…and CDs first hit store shelves in Japan (but it would be eight years before I started to buy them)
This was leading into the year that, as a youngster, I first started really paying attention to songs and singers a little. And in 1984, at the age of 10, I got my first real cassette tape: Purple Rain, Prince. But it was in 1983 when I started noticing. And some of the songs I noticed were released at the end of 1982. So these songs were the first songs that I can add after having heard and enjoyed them in their time – as opposed to enjoying music released “before my time”.
I was never a big fan of the 80s. I know the music well, but not many songs were considered “awesome”, especially early in the decade. This is similar to the late 70s – just a run of bad music, in terms of what was popular.
But at least we had the Thriller album, and some early John Mellencamp. Or John Cougar. Or John Cougar Mellencamp. Whatever.
Unlike most rankings you find online, I won’t be tossing these up in a numerical order. I know better than anybody that on some days, some songs kick more ass than other songs. A song that is ranked 14th today could very well rank 1st tomorrow, if it suddenly comes on the radio during the perfect moment. So I’ll group them:
Awesome
Great
Solid
Not Bad
…with inter-group splitting.
First, some videos of the best from that year…
18 Great Songs from 1982
It’s Raining Again – Supertramp
Save A Prayer – Duran Duran
Eyes of a Strangers – Payolas
Pass The Dutchie – Musical Youth
Hot In the City – Billy Idol
Dream On – Nazareth
Hold Me – Fleetwood Mac
Even the Nights Are Better – Air Supply
Hard to Say I’m Sorry – Chicago
Hungry Like The Wolf – Duran Duran
Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This) – Eurythmics
Where Everybody Knows Your Name – Gary Portnoy
Up Where We Belong – Joe Cocker & Jennifer Warnes
Beat It – Michael Jackson
Gardening at Night – R.E.M.
Open Arms – Journey
The Beatles’ Movie Medley – The Beatles
This keeps getting removed from YouTube. Here it is via another source:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WCv-SqaYI0kXFpSicrrh48d9KRfhYvAv/view
Crimson and Clover – Joan Jett
6 Truly Awesome Songs from 1982
Hurts So Good – John Mellencamp
Billie Jean – Michael Jackson
Jack & Diane – John Mellencamp
Traveling Riverside Blues – Led Zeppelin
Blister In The Sun – Violent Femmes
Africa – Toto
The YouTube playlist of these great songs from 1982 can be found here.
My playlists on Spotify
Here is the full list of songs that I like from 1982…
| Awesome – 1 | Hurts So Good | – | John Mellencamp |
| Awesome – 1 | Billie Jean | – | Michael Jackson |
| Awesome – 3 | Jack & Diane | – | John Mellencamp |
| Awesome – 3 | Traveling Riverside Blues | – | Led Zeppelin |
| Awesome – 3 | Blister In The Sun | – | Violent Femmes |
| Awesome – 3 | Africa | – | Toto |
| Great – 7 | Hard to Say I’m Sorry | – | Chicago |
| Great – 7 | Hungry Like The Wolf | – | Duran Duran |
| Great – 7 | Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This) | – | Eurythmics |
| Great – 7 | Where Everybody Knows Your Name | – | Gary Portnoy |
| Great – 7 | Up Where We Belong | – | Joe Cocker & Jennifer Warnes |
| Great – 7 | Beat It | – | Michael Jackson |
| Great – 7 | Gardening at Night | – | R.E.M. |
| Great – 7 | Open Arms | – | Journey |
| Great – 7 | The Beatles’ Movie Medley | – | The Beatles |
| Great – 7 | Crimson and Clover | – | Joan Jett |
| Great – 17 | It’s Raining Again | – | Supertramp |
| Great – 17 | Save A Prayer | – | Duran Duran |
| Great – 17 | Eyes of a Strangers | – | Payolas |
| Great – 17 | Pass The Dutchie | – | Musical Youth |
| Great – 17 | Hot In the City | – | Billy Idol |
| Great – 17 | Dream On | – | Nazareth |
| Great – 17 | Hold Me | – | Fleetwood Mac |
| Great – 17 | Even the Nights Are Better | – | Air Supply |
| Solid – 25 | White Wedding | – | Billy Idol |
| Solid – 25 | Gypsy | – | Fleetwood Mac |
| Solid – 25 | Bad to the Bone | – | George Thorogood |
| Solid – 25 | Down Under | – | Men at Work |
| Solid – 25 | Ebony And Ivory | – | Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder |
| Solid – 25 | Da Da Da | – | Trio |
| Solid – 25 | Eye of the Tiger | – | Survivor |
| Solid – 25 | Love’s Been a Little Bit Hard On Me | – | Juice Newton |
| Solid – 25 | Should I Stay or Should I Go? | – | The Clash |
| Solid – 25 | Come Dancing | – | The Kinks |
| Solid – 35 | Goody Two Shoes | – | Adam Ant |
| Solid – 35 | Do You Really Want To Hurt Me? | – | Culture Club |
| Solid – 35 | Come On Eileen | – | Dexys Midnight Runners |
| Solid – 35 | Dirty Laundry | – | Don Henley |
| Solid – 35 | Rio | – | Duran Duran |
| Solid – 35 | Electric Avenue | – | Eddy Grant |
| Solid – 35 | Our House | – | Madness |
| Solid – 35 | Sexual Healing | – | Marvin Gaye |
| Solid – 35 | Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’ | – | Michael Jackson |
| Solid – 35 | The Girl Is Mine | – | Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson |
| Solid – 35 | Back On The Chain Gang | – | Pretenders |
| Solid – 35 | Abracadabra | – | Steve Miller Band |
| Solid – 35 | Jenny (867-5309) | – | Tommy Tutone |
| Solid – 35 | Rosanna | – | Toto |
| Solid – 35 | (Oh) Pretty Woman | – | Van Halen |
| Solid – 35 | Subdivisions | – | Rush |
| Solid – 35 | Valerie | – | Steve Winwood |
| Solid – 35 | Eye in the Sky | – | The Alan Parsons Project |
| Solid – 35 | Chariots of Fire | – | Vangelis |
| Solid – 35 | Kids In America | – | Kim Wilde |
| Solid – 35 | Maneater | – | Hall & Oates |
| Solid – 35 | Truly | – | Lionel Richie |
| Not Bad – 57 | I Want Candy | – | Bow Wow Wow |
| Not Bad – 57 | The Girl Is Mine | – | Michael Jackson |
| Not Bad – 57 | I Ran (So Far Away) | – | A Flock of Seagulls |
| Not Bad – 57 | Hot Hot Hot | – | Arrow |
| Not Bad – 57 | Heat of the Moment | – | Asia |
| Not Bad – 57 | I’ll Tumble 4 Ya | – | Culture Club |
| Not Bad – 57 | Shock The Monkey | – | Peter Gabriel |
| Not Bad – 57 | Rock the Casbah | – | The Clash |
| Not Bad – 57 | Dancing in the Street | – | Van Halen |
| Not Bad – 57 | Always On My Mind | – | Willie Nelson |
| Not Bad – 57 | Baby Come on Home | – | Led Zeppelin |
| Not Bad – 57 | New World Man | – | Rush |
| Not Bad – 57 | Der Kommissar | – | After the Fire |
| Not Bad – 57 | I Don’t Wanna Dance | – | Eddy Grant |
| Not Bad – 57 | Gloria | – | Laura Branigan |
| Not Bad – 57 | Who Can It Be Now? | – | Men at Work |
| Not Bad – 57 | I’ll Melt With You | – | Modern English |
| Not Bad – 57 | Fascination | – | The Human League |
| Not Bad – 75 | You Got Lucky | – | Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers |
| Not Bad – 75 | The Message | – | Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five |
| Not Bad – 75 | I Can’t Go For That (No Can Do) | – | Hall & Oates |
| Not Bad – 75 | Steppin’ Out | – | Joe Jackson |
| Not Bad – 75 | No One Like You | – | Scorpions |
| Not Bad – 75 | I’m So Excited | – | The Pointer Sisters |
| Not Bad – 75 | Mexican Radio | – | Wall of Voodoo |
| Not Bad – 75 | Enough Is Enough | – | April Wine |
| Not Bad – 75 | Physical | – | Olivia Newton-John |
| Not Bad – 75 | The Sweetest Thing (I’ve Ever Known) | – | Juice Newton |
| Not Bad – 75 | She Blinded Me With Science | – | Thomas Dolby |
| Not Bad – 75 | Always Something There To Remind Me | – | Naked Eyes |
| Not Bad – 75 | Too Shy | – | Kajagoogoo |
| Not Bad – 75 | It’s Raining Men | – | The Weather Girls |
| Not Bad – 75 | Save It For Later | – | English Beat |
Dobber's Take 
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