Billboard Hot 100 Chart 8/9/1983

Unlike 2003's chart, every one of these songs played at some point today on eighties radio.

Wouldn't usually vote for the Police over Donna Summer, or even the Human League, but just might have to in this case.

When I wrote up this chart last week, I said there's only two duds on this list: Mendes and Eurythmics. Cara is a defensible choice.

"She Works Hard for the Money" is my jam; love it like "9 to 5" as an ode to the working girl

"Stand Back" rules. You know how we bickered over the Eagles? Here's where an Eagles-indebted El Lay standby created a song of the moment.

The rest in descending order:

She Works Hard For the Money
(Keep Feeling) Fascination
It's a Mistake
Is There Something I Should Know
Maniac
Every Breath You Take

"Sweet Dreams", easy

Couple I hate, couple I'm bored of (and never liked all that much anyway), two or three I draw a blank on, and one I've actually always liked: "Fascination."

That might actually be my least favourite Police single. Voted "Flashdance".

All of 'em. Well, maybe not the Mendes so much, after all. Kinda sounded like a James Ingram reject. In the end, voted Irene Cara slightly over the Police.

It's hard to not vote "Sweet Dreams" and the Duran Duran song is really good, but I think "(Keep Feeling) Fascination" is my favorite Human League song. That synth riff !! Takes me right back to the roller skating rink.

I haven't yet found much use for Human League beyond "Don't You Want Me" (one of the very first songs I remember) and "Human" (the first song I ever called up a radio station to request), but I should probably give some of their albums a listen some day.

"Sweet Dreams" is textbook "terrible single on great album."

Stevie Nicks vs. Irene Cara vs. Eurythmics imo

Probably have to give Irene Cara the nod.

this is actually tougher then i thought it would be but has to be "Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)."

xxxp dare is what you need.

Sweet Dreams is one of the most perfectly constructed singles of the 80s xp

I don't think "Sweet Dreams" is terrible, but its not a song I ever need to hear again.

Unlike 2003's chart, every one of these songs played at some point today on eighties radio.
I don't think I've heard "It's a Mistake" or "Never Gonna Let You Go" before.

Solid chorus, huge synth riff, Lennox harmonies...OK. What else? Repeat until the "Move along" bit.

"Never Gonna Let You Go" is classic CVS fare.

Wasn't aware of the existence of "It's a Mistake" until I bought whichever of Rhino's Just Can't Get Enough: New Wave Hits of the 80s volumes it was on. I'm assuming it owed a lot of its airplay to the momentum generated by their bigger singles?

"Never Gonna Let You Go" you will recognize if you've ever spent even a minute listening to any Lite-FM type station.

CVS?

The newlyweds were driving up to San Ysidro Ranch in Santa Barbara when Prince's song "Little Red Corvette" came on the radio. Nicks started humming along to the melody, especially inspired by the lush synthesizers of the song, and "Stand Back" was born. They stopped and got a tape recorder and she recorded the demo in the honeymoon suite that night. Later, when Nicks went into the studio to record the song, she called Prince and told him the story of how she wrote the song to his melody. He came to the studio that night and played synthesizers on it, although his contribution is uncredited on the album. Then, she says, "he just got up and left as if the whole thing happened in a dream."[1] According to U.S. Copyright Office records, Prince is officially a co-writer of the song, even though he is only occasionally credited as such.

I may have heard "Never Gonna Let You Go" before, it just seems to sound a lot like a dozen other cheesy ballads from the time that they all kind of bleed together.

Overload >>>> It's a Mistake imo

ugh "Never Gonna Let You Go" I just heard in the car.

Love all these song (except Mendes - can't even remember that one), but went with Human League.

I listened to the radio a lot that summer, but never heard "Stand Back" before.

!

The Purple One worked on it with her, even.

Out of 10:
Police 3 (pretentious twaddle)
Eurythmics 7(Annie's voice!)
Donna S 7 (heartfelt, disco diva can still do soul)
Maniac 3 (boring PF key disco)
DD 4 (bombastic as usual)
Stevie 6 (not a candle to 'Bella Donna' but OK)
I Cara 6 (sounds better now than then)
MAW 4 (their 15 mins had well and truly run out)
H Leeg 5 (never connected with them but this wasn't bad)
Mendes 7 (actually thought this OK)

I remember 1983 as a good year for music, poss the best of the 80s, but this wasn't representative. Also there can't have been too many top 10s in 83 with no Wacko and no Steinman production jobs.

My ranking:

The Police – Every Breath You Take
Irene Cara – Flashdance…What A Feeling
Eurythmics – Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)
Human League – (Keep Feeling) Fascination
Michael Sembello – Maniac
Donna Summer – She Works Hard For the Money
Stevie Nicks – Stand Back
Duran Duran – Is There Something I Should Know
Men at Work – It’s a Mistake
Sergio Mendes – Never Gonna Let You Go

voted for "stand back" la la lala la la la
flashdance a close second along with sweet dreams.

this list would make for a good cassette side.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Fascination. Theme of freshman year of college optimism.

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

I can agree with the top two