1001 Song You Must Hear Before You Die - 1983

1983 competes with 1982 in being my all-time favourite year for music. That said, I feel this is not a very representative list and I am missing a lot of good stuff (Aztec Camera, for starters!)

Even with a lot of good stuff left out, there is still enough worth voting for here. "Everything Counts" is hard to avoid for me so that one becomes my pick, but I also love "Every Breath You Take" and "Blue Monday"

tough, inclined to take New Order over Smiths, Run DMC, Femmes, DM, Police.

Run DMC. Also, that infernal DX7 can eat my poo.

Not a great list.

Easy: Everything Counts vs 99 Luftballons. Pretty "meh" about the rest. Yeah yeah, Blue Monday, yeh yeh. It's not THAT good though is it? It's alright... The Run DMC song is okay.

Everything Counts it is then, because it hasn't been ruined by overplay.

Also, that infernal DX7 can eat my poo.

Tend to agree ;), but it was an important aspect of how pop music would sound for the next 5-10 years. And it was launched in 1983.

xpost Especially the Live version of Everything Counts where they keep breaking down in the coda so you've just got the crowd singing the chorus right at the end.

My vote goes to the one that goes:

D
D
d
d
d
d
dddddddddddddddddddd
d
d
d
d
d
d
dddddddddddddddddddd

Rock of Ages over Photograph? Dats insane!!!!

Not a great list.

Yes, missing anything from Murmur or Hootenanny.

Swordfishtrombones too.

Bleah. Sorry. Not at home, but I checked '83 the other day, so from memory: Bananarama's "What a Shambles," Husker Du's "Real World" or "It's Not Funny Anymore," Minor Step's "Cashing In," the Replacements' "Color Me Impressed," Tracey Ullman's "They Don't Know," and something from Murmur, although "Radio Free Europe" is my favourite and it's already been listed. A couple of others, too, but I can't remember them.

No Billy Jean?

Oh I see, Thriller album was 1982

Could've had something off Speaking In Tongues too...

Will have to relisten to these, but on first viewing my inclination is towards Nena or New Order.

Frankie or ZZ Top

"Every Breath You Take" over "Blister in the Sun," with much love for "This Charming Man" and "A New England."

Blue Monday just barely edging out Run DMC & the Smiths

this year will split the brit-poppers and amerindie voters

and at the risk of sounding like a broken record, the lack of R&B in these early 80s lists is appalling

Minor Step's "Cashing In"

And senility sets in among the Minor Threat crowd.

Blue Monday, though m coleman is OTM. Where's Shannon's Let the Music Play for example? Weird to include Blue Monday (and presumably PSBs in a couple of years) but not the NY dance records that inspired them.

I'd have voted for Shannon yeah.

don't care for any of these to be honest. voted Relax in lack of Holiday or Let The Music Play (or some other great dance hit I'm forgetting)

xx post - that's exactly what i thought about blue monday

would've voted for let the music play in a heartbeat

Where's the love for "Song to the Siren"? Voted that in a flash.

Not many choices for me here. Between Nena, Run-DMC, Bowie and Lepparc, I guess I'll go with Nena. Also, Morbius OTM. Where the heck is "Radio Free Europe" or "Talk About the Passion" or "Color Me Impressed?"

( If the Bowie choice had been "Modern Love" I'd have voted for it but I'm sure "Let's Dance" gets the nod for the SRV factor.)

"Radio Free Europe" was in the 1982 poll coz it was first released then.

This list contains several songs I'd Rather Not Hear Before I Die.

From an ideal list I would take "Let the Music Play" over Herbie Hancock's "Rockit."

"Radio Free Europe" was released as a single in '81, I think

oh yeah '81 poll.

Nena

Four of the greatest Hall & Oates songs ever recorded came out this year.

Appendix: Songs You Must Hear Before You Die 1983 (Non-featured)

Alexander Robotnick - Problèmes d'amour
Bauhaus - She's in Parties
Bernthøler - My Suitor
Big Country - In A Big Country
Charlie - Spacer Woman
Chris and Cosey - October (Love Song)
Culture Club - Karma Chameleon
Eddy Grant - Electric Avenue
Frankie Goes to Hollywood - Relax
Freur - Doot Doot
Grandmaster Flash & Melle Mel - White Lines (Don't Don't Do It)
Husker Du - Real World
Liquid Liquid - Optimo / Cavern
Madonna - Holiday
Malcolm McLaren - Double Dutch
Mike Oldfield - Moonlight Shadow
Minor Step - Cashing In
New Order - Age of Consent
PIL - This is not a love song
Prince - Little Red Corvette
Rain Parade - Look at Merri
Rammellzee - Beat Bop (Vs. K-Rob)
Replacements - Color Me Impressed
Sisters of Mercy - Temple of Love
The The - This is the Day
Tom Waits - 16 Shells From a Thirty-Ought-Six
U2 - Sunday Bloody Sunday
Wang Chung - Dance Hall Days

^ Just realized 'relax' is actually listed. Scratch that one.

I'll take 'age of consent' over 'blue monday' any day of the week but being objective BM is one of the most influential singles of the decade.

I'll vote either New England or 99 Luftballons

The Dream Syndicate's Halloween belongs in here somewhere, though not a single

Rammellzee & K-Rob's "Beat Bop," definitely--an amazing record I'd never even heard until he died last year.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beat_Bop

is anyone else afraid to listen to any unfamiliar songs before voting in case of some The Ring-style curse?

my vote is going for This Mortal Coil's "Song To The Siren," such a beautiful song.

voted maiden over nena

kinda stunned that siouxsie track made it

No JoBoxers or Freeez.

^ Just realized 'relax' is actually listed.

And "Electric Avenue" is in the book, only listed as 1982 so it was in that poll.

Besides others that have already been known, I'd like to add the following

David Sylvian & Ryuchy Sakamoto: Forbidden Colours (my favourite 1983 single)
Aztec Camera: Oblivious
Paul Young: Wherever I Lay My Heat (That's My Home)
The Alarm: Sixty Eight Guns
Howard Jones: What Is Love?
Thompson Twins: Hold Me Now!
Freeez: I.O.U.
The Mighty Wah!: The Story Of The Blues
The Cure: The Lovecats
Spandau Ballet: True
UB40: Red Red Wine
Yes: Owner Of a Lonely Heart
Echo & The Bunnymen: Never Stop
A Flock Of Seagulls: Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You)
KC & The Sunshine Band: Give It Up
Paul Simon: René and Georgette Magritte with their Dog After the War
Real Life: Send Me An Angel
Savage: Don't Cry Tonight
The Flirts: Helpless

Frankly, what a year! And what an unrepresentative selection!

Four of the greatest Hall & Oates songs ever recorded came out this year.

The "H2O" album was 1982.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Yellowman!

this was the first year i *really* got into pop music, taping stuff off the radio etc. somewhere at my dad's house is a list (that i sent away for!) of B94 FM's top 100 of '83. i don't remember what was number one!

voted relax

suprised myself by voting femmes

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

i thought i was going to be the only vote for This Mortal Coil, glad it came in second.

1983 is ten years too early for all this guitar indie. Guitar indie didn't get good until the 90s.

this year is a classic, these choices are dudish

1983 is ten years too early for all this guitar indie. Guitar indie didn't get good until the 90s.

― Hongroe (Geir Hongro)

Yes, Geir. We heard you the first time you said it 5 polls ago.

didn't see this poll but I would have voted for the winner anyway

Yes, Geir. We heard you the first time you said it 5 polls ago.

There was not really indie in 1978. Actually new wave was quite nice.

But Britpop >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> the underproduced indie of the 80s and 00s.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu216/le_bateau_ivre/41eTbg6NbXL.jpg

Cocteau Twins is really underproduced.