Pop Top 40: Hot 100 week ending 10/16/82
The moment I began to obsess over the charts
Fall of ‘82. 7th grade. So of course I love this chart.
[this week, last week, title, artist, label, weeks on chart, peak-to-date]
1 1 JACK & DIANE –•– John Cougar (Riva)-13 (3 weeks at #1) (1) — The week ending September 11th, then-rising star John Cougar did something extraordinary: he doubled up in the top 10 of the Hot 100, the same week his American Fool album ascended to #1 in its 19th week on the chart.
Billboard‘s “Chart Beat” columnist Paul Grein noted that Cougar was “the first artist in more than 18 months to simultaneously have Billboard‘s No. 1 album and two singles in the top 10. … The last act to have the No. 1 album and two top 10 singles at the same time was John Lennon, who did it in February, 1981 with Double Fantasy and the hits “Starting Over” and “Woman.”” The only other artists in the previous decade to pull off such a feat were all huge stars at the time: Linda Ronstadt in ’77, the Bee Gees (three top 10s from Saturday Night Fever) and Olivia Newton-John (with Grease) in ’78, and Donna Summer in ’79. For a relatively new artist to do so — he’d previously only made the top 30 three times, never getting higher than #17 — was unheard of. And three weeks later, “Jack and Diane” would do what “Hurts So Good” couldn’t, hitting #1. It stayed atop the Hot 100 for four weeks — and it’s never left the radio since, whether it be on Classic Rock or Classic Hits formats, or even as a top 40 recurrent/gold title for some of the ’80s. Of course, I grew up in Indiana, where the former Mr. Cougar might as well be the state’s poet laureate. For much of the decade he was as big as Madonna and Michael Jackson in my home state — and for good fucking reason: “Jack and Diane” is a classic story song about being a teenager that still resonates over four decades later. Whether or not he knew it, and I suspect he did, Mellencamp was a poet.
2 5 WHO CAN IT BE NOW –•– Men At Work (Columbia)-15 (2) — Less annoying than “Down Under,” not as good as “Overkill.” I still find it stunning that Business As Usual spent 15 weeks atop the US album chart.
3 4 EYE IN THE SKY –•– The Alan Parsons Project (Arista)-16 (3) — Alan Parsons Project were a weird group, easily switching from prog to supersoft pop at the drop of a hat. This is mostly the latter with just a soupçon of the former, and is odd as hell. And also not that interesting; how did this make the top 3 again?
4 3 HARD TO SAY I’M SORRY –•– Chicago (Full Moon)-20 (1) — One of the biggest bands of the ’70s, Chicago, had quite the dry spell after 1978’s #14 single “No Tell Lover,” not hitting the top 40 again for close to five years. But when they did, though, they hit hard: “Hard to Say I’m Sorry,” co-written by producer David Foster and lead singer Peter Cetera, and played by Foster, Cetera, half of Toto, and Chicago’s drummer Danny Seraphine, spent two weeks at #1 and twelve weeks in the top 5 (along with three weeks atop the AC chart). This took a bit of a turn from Chicago’s ’70s output, much more soft rock and less horn-driven (though the full album version, “Hard To Say I’m Sorry/Getaway,” rectified some of that balance, as “Getaway” does sound more like hard-charging ’70s Chicago). It’s not one of their best, frankly, even in soft rock terms; Foster, brilliant as he’s capable of being, also sometimes tends toward the slushy, and that’s where “Sorry” lies.
5 2 ABRACADABRA –•– The Steve Miller Band (Capitol)-21 (1) — Ew. One of the worst choruses in rock history: “Abra/abracadabra/I wanna reach out and grab ya.” Has anyone ever wanted to be grabbed by Steve Miller? Ew. Not helped by Eminem’s pathetic sampling of this on “Houdini,” either.
6 7 I KEEP FORGETTIN’ (Every Time You’re Near) –•– Michael McDonald (Warner Brothers)-11 (6) — Perfect Yacht Rock from the man I refer to as “the Voice of God.” I mean, this fucking voice: so rich, so full-bodied, he’s practically a cup of Colombian coffee. Also, 1982 Michael McDonald was fine as fuck.
7 8 SOMEBODY’S BABY –•– Jackson Browne (Asylum)-12 (7) — Browne never sounded so good as he did once he “sold out” and went El Lay on this slick cut from Fast Times at Ridgemont High.
8 9 YOU CAN DO MAGIC –•– America (Capitol)-12 (8) — Such a bizarre comeback: somehow, America got a quickie early ’80s makeover from their ’70s folkie image and scored a top 10 single. It’s not half bad, but Russ Ballard’s production really weighs it down. And the songwriting. And the vocals. Okay, maybe it is half bad.
9 11 HEART ATTACK –•– Olivia Newton-John (MCA)-7 (9) — My all-time favorite ONJ single, for its sheer propulsion and her breathlessness.
10 10 I RAN (So Far Away) –•– A Flock Of Seagulls (Jive)-15 (10) — After “Don’t You Want Me” and “Tainted Love,” this was really only the third new wave record to make the US top 10; 1982 saw the dam of AOR start to be breached by forces from across the ocean. I prefer “Space Age Love Song,” but this is a fine single, no question about it — it’s the sound of the future. Forget about lead singer Mike Score’s hair and focus on the way this sounds.
11 17 UP WHERE WE BELONG –•– Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes (Island)-9 (11) — Adult Contempo shlock, but I’ll never begrudge Warnes, just for making Famous Blue Raincoat.
12 12 BLUE EYES –•– Elton John (Geffen)-15 (12) — One of my Elton favorites, a pretty piano ballad which works thanks to the songwriting and his impassioned vocal.
13 13 BREAK IT TO ME GENTLY –•– Juice Newton (Capitol)-9 (13) — If you’re more of a Brenda Lee partisan you may not appreciate the song’s update with very early ‘80s production, but you’ve gotta admit Newton sings the hell out of it.
14 6 EYE OF THE TIGER –•– Survivor (Scotti Brothers)-20 (1) — Tom Breihan calls it “pure bombast,” and he’s right. I wouldn’t give it an 8/10, however — more like a 3. This is oddly inert bombast from a buncha guys who didn’t know any better.
15 21 GYPSY –•– Fleetwood Mac (Warner Brothers)-7 (15) — The essence of the “Stevie side” of Mac, all witchy and Lindsay playing little guitar filigrees and Christine’s cooing backing vocals, while Stevie sings and dances around in flowing skirts and lots of scarves. A marvelous record, and the first 45 I ever owned, a birthday gift about 6 weeks hence.
16 16 HOLD ON –•– Santana (Columbia)-10 (16) — This nothingburger of a song feels oddly disco-y, which must be why I like it.
17 18 GLORIA –•– Laura Branigan (Atlantic)-15 (17) — Italodisco gone pop and put on a strict regiment of heavy steroids: which is to say, it’s marvelous. This is what “Eye of the Tiger” is striving for, though Survivor would never admit it. And Branigan could belt — she was never given her due as a vocalist.
18 27 HEARTLIGHT –•– Neil Diamond (Columbia)-6 (18) — His last top 10 hit in the last moment he could’ve had it, this stupid E.T.-indebted treacly ballad actually gets to me, which I find irritating. But it does. I mean, “everyone needs a place” is a truism if ever there was.
19 19 WHAT’S FOREVER FOR –•– Michael Martin Murphey (Liberty)-13 (19) — Saccharine on one hand, but full of truths on the other. Murphey mostly sells this folk-country record.
20 23 DON’T FIGHT IT –•– Kenny Loggins with Steve Perry (Columbia)-8 (20) — Likely the most rocking thing Loggins ever pulled off, with Journey’s Perry providing able backup.
21 22 BIG FUN –•– Kool and the Gang (De-Lite)-8 (21) — By and large I don’t love K&TG post-“Celebration,” the moment their funky soul started to curdle into cloying pop, but there are exceptions. 1981’s Something Special brought back the soul, and this single from ‘82’s As One does it too, almost sounding more like a horn-soaked Cameo than what the Gang would become (cf. their next two albums, the ones that feature all of their mid ‘80s mid-or-less pop hits). And for the record, pretty much all of their ‘70s albums are worth your time.
22 26 THE ONE YOU LOVE –•– Glenn Frey (Asylum)-9 (22) — I know, I know. Everything about this record is gross. Yet this glacially paced soft pop ballad has me precisely in its sights and hits me every time. Is it the tenor sax? The very four-on-the-floor beat? The tempo? Probably, yes, all of those. And to its credit, it sounds nothing like the Eagles.
23 14 YOU SHOULD HEAR HOW SHE TALKS ABOUT YOU –•– Melissa Manchester (Arista)-22 (5) — The early ‘80s were a glorious time, one when a career balladeer/bizzer like Manchester could pull off a post-Donna Summer uptempo number and get her biggest career hit with it. Also, the bridge’s “surprise” “Can’t you see? It’s me!” lyric works. Of a piece with the next year’s “Flashdance,” though this is so much better.
24 24 JUMP TO IT –•– Aretha Franklin (Arista)-9 (24) — Bless Luther Vandross and Arista boss Clive Davis for bringing the Queen’s career back to life with this buoyant, light-as-a-feather funk cream puff of a record. Because Aretha was the Queen, she knew just what to do with it, how to ride Marcus Miller’s popping bassline smoothly — and just like that, she was back, with a 4-week R&B #1 and her biggest pop hit in 8 years.
25 34 NOBODY –•– Sylvia (RCA)-8 (25) — Almost 20 years ago, I dated someone for whom Sylvia was one of his absolute favorite artists. I was like, Sylvia?! Whose favorite artist is a country-pop singer from my home state whose songs are mostly piffles when they amount to anything? (The relationship didn’t last that long, though probably longer than it should’ve. Nice guy, though.) This story song about a woman discovering her husband is cheating is silly, like an early ‘80s soap opera plot. Come to think of it, maybe that’s why this #1 country record was a hit.
26 28 YOU DON’T WANT ME ANYMORE –•– Steel Breeze (RCA)-8 (26) — These guys sounded like what early MTV looked like: slick, corporate rock/pop, but often very hooky. And as I think I’ve established, I’m by no means opposed to corporate rock. They got it right this once, with the right well-penned song — produced by Kim Fowley!
27 33 NEW WORLD MAN –•– Rush (Mercury)-5 (27) — The one and only top 40 single for Canada’s biggest prog band, and how weird is that? (Geddy Lee had featured vocals on the Bob & Doug McKenzie comedy record “Take Off,” which had made the top 20 earlier in the year and possibly primed the pump for this.) I’ve always been surprised that follow-up “Subdivisions,” with a fairly memorable, heavily-rotated-on-MTV video, couldn’t crack the code as well, not even making the Hot 100.
28 35 SWEET TIME –•– REO Speedwagon (Epic)-8 (28) — The dark side of corporate early ‘80s rock, a nadir from a band full of ‘em.
29 29 VOYEUR –•– Kim Carnes (EMI-America)-9 (29) — At its peak, the first single/title track from Carnes’s follow-up to the smash Mistaken Identity (#1 album, #1 single, 2 Grammy wins from 4 nods), a great record that was a bad idea. Releasing something titled “Voyeur” in Reagan’s 1982 and expecting it to make a mark at top 40 radio? Which is a damned shame, because this is a great, sleekly-produced new wave pop record; I highly recommend its parent album, too.
30 32 LOVE COME DOWN –•– Evelyn King (RCA)-8 (30) — Joyous, upbeat R&B from a great singer who’s never quite gotten her due, it seems to me. #1 R&B and Dance, and her biggest pop hit (#17) apart from ‘77’s “Shame.”
31 31 YOU DROPPED A BOMB ON ME –•– The Gap Band (Total Experience)-10 (31) — At its pop peak, still in the era when R&B was largely persona non grata on top 40 radio post-disco backlash — but a massive #2 R&B hit, one of five consecutive top 5s on that chart for Tulsa’s finest. This is ‘80s funk, hard and uncut, and it slams to this day. In a chart full of great singles, this is one of the best.
32 36 SOUTHERN CROSS –•– Crosby, Stills and Nash (Atlantic)-5 (32) — Easygoing light pop/rock from the folkie legends, riding the soft wave of the early ‘80s, and it got ‘em their first pair of back-to-back top 20 pop singles since 1970. This meanders along amiably.
33 37 ATHENA –•– The Who (Warner Brothers)-7 (33) — The Who have never been my cup of tea; guitar pyro atop essentially power pop effectively turns me off. Their post-Keith Moon LP It’s Hard is the sound of them not quite knowing what to do with the ‘80s, with this limp pop-rocker Exhibit A. That said, follow-up “Eminence Front,” a big AOR hit, is my favorite Who track, all atmospherics and a bellowing Townshend vocal.
34 48 AMERICAN HEARTBEAT –•– Survivor (Scotti Brothers)-4 (34) — Attempting to capitalize off “Eye of the Tiger,” Survivor recorded what would’ve made a great car commercial, a silly jingoistic fist-pumper that I stupidly love.
35 41 STEPPIN’ OUT –•– Joe Jackson (A&M)-9 (35) — Jackson’s attempt at Cole Porter earned him his only US top 10, because early ‘80s, and it’s a lovely little sparkling jewel of a single. This shouldn’t work but absolutely does.
36 40 I GET EXCITED –•– Rick Springfield (RCA)-6 (36) — The essence of a 1982 third single, diminishing returns and all that. Did you know he had 17 US top 40 hits?!?
37 44 PRESSURE –•– Billy Joel (Columbia)-4 (37) — The Nylon Curtain is the only album of Joel’s I’ll occasionally defend, his post-Vietnam treatise appropriately coiled and tense, most notably on its first single. This mode suits the asshole.
38 39 MICKEY –•– Toni Basil (Chrysalis)-7 (38) — As I recently said re Chappell Roan, every generation gets the cheerleading anthem it deserves, and my generation lucked out with this perfect percussive bon-bon, on its way to a fluky #1 the week after my 12th birthday. I don’t even mind the Farfisa organ in it, and I usually hate that.
39 15 HURTS SO GOOD –•– John Cougar (Riva)-26 (2) — I mean, don’t it?
40 54 MUSCLES –•– Diana Ross (RCA)-3 (40) — The flat-out weirdest record Michael Jackson ever made (he wrote/produced), which is saying something. About which I can only further add: me too, Diana, me too.