26th March 1983 for two weeks

I remember hearing of Duran Duran when I was a young child. I couldn’t understand why it was Duran DURAN. Why had they named it twice. I remember that this annoyed me and probably put me off their music.

It wasn’t until I was in my teens that I began to like Duran Duran’s music.

‘Is There Something I Should Know?’ is not my fabourite of theirs (ok, if you’re asking, A View To A Kill and Ordinary World). But it’s good.

It hasn’t really lasted. You never hear this song anywhere these days.

6/10

12th March 1983 for two weeks

If ‘power ballad’ was in the dictionary there would be a picture of Total Eclipse Of The Heart next to it. This is the perfect power ballad – rocky, loud, brilliant to sing along to, and powerful words.

It’s a brilliant song and one that has proved to be timeless. They don’t make songs like this any more, but it has held its own over the years.

There was a dance version released in 1995 which made me aware of a song that I must have heard over the years.

9/10

5th March 1983 for one week

I would have been three when Billie Jean was released. However, it was always a song that I was familiar with so I have no idea when I became aware of it.

Billie Jean is such a classic. For some reason I didn’t think it ever reached Number 1, but it did, but surprisingly for just one week.

The beat of Billie Jean is something to behold. It is immediately familiar and unforgettable.

The thing I don’t get about this song is that it’s a song about paternal denial. What an odd choice to write a song about it. My conclusion is that most people don’t listen to the lyrics and focus on the brilliant tune and bassline.

There have been a few dance versions of this over the years, but the original is always best.

I can remember when Jackson passed away in 2009 many of his songs re-entered the charts and this was the biggest.

Without a doubt, Billie Jean is a classic.

9/10

19th February 1983 for two weeks

Too Shy is a typically Eighties sounding song. I don’t really know exactly what I mean by that, but it it feels typical of the sound of lots of Eighties music.

I cannot remember hearing this song before buying the Fantastic 80s compilation in 1998. I don’t feel like the song had aged well, even by then. The song is not catchy enough.

It’s not a bad song, just one that hasn’t eaten into the subconscious like so many 80s songs.

6/10

29th January 1983 for three weeks

This is a curious song really. It feels like a novelty song in terms of what the lyrics. But the tune is so catchy. It somehow toes the line between cheesy and brilliant.

It was unsurprisingly a hit Number 1, and it was at the top for three weeks. I can imagine it being really popular at the time. It was also a few years before Neighbours and the point all things Australian became huge!

It was turned into a dance remix in 2021 which made it a hit all over again, possibly bringing the song to a whole new audience of clubgoers, who probably didn’t have a clue what the original sounded like. The remix is very clever in that it stays faithful to the original in lots of ways, but also sounds brand new at the same time.

7/10

15th January 1983 for two weeks

Oh my word! What a song. You Can’t Hurry Love is a Sixties throwback, and one that has sounded great forever since.

I don’t know when I first heard this, but it has certainly stayed with me. It is a feel good song. It is a singalong song. It is a dance song. It is just brilliant.

The Supremes version is fantastic and is fabulous in its own right. But, for me, this is without doubt the best version.

10/10

18th December 1982 for four weeks

Well, true to form, 1982 ends with its worst Number 1. What a shocker. What were people thinking. Number one for FOUR weeks! Selling almost a million copies. Unbelievable. It’s bloody awful.

1/10

4th December 1982 for two weeks

Another classic Number 1. I do not remember this at all when I was a child. It was when I was in clubs as a late teen, on one of those 80s dancefloors when I first heard it. It is a brilliant song. The Jam seemed like a brilliant band and I’m sure I’d have loved them if I was at the right age.

9/10

13th November 1982 for three weeks

Although 1982 Number 1s were mostly rubbish, it seems, there were some crackers in the last few months of the year.

I don’t remember this at all when I was a young child, but definitely recall hearing it over the years as a child. It is a great song and one that has lasted well. As a dance music fan, I reckon it is overdue a remix! Electric Avenue was eventually remixed – I don’t Want To Dance needs its turn.

7/10