Welcome back as we continue this week’s countdown! If you’d like, you can go back and check out songs 40-31 and 30-21. There are some classics on today’s list as well as a couple that I had never heard of. So, let’s jump into it and Return to the week ending December 4, 1982, and move on with the countdown.

20. “Pressure” by Billy Joel

We’ll begin with a Billy Joel classic. To me, the synthesizer really gives the sensation of pressure.

19. “Down Under” by Men At Work

This is a classic ’80s song if there ever was one. This song quickly became Australia’s theme song, and brought vegemite sandwiches to national attention in the U.S.

18. “Southern Cross” by Crosby, Stills and Nash

I was surprised to see this song on the list. For some reason, I thought this was a song from the ’70s. I like a lot of Crosby, Stills and Nash songs, and I love this one. This song features Stephen Stills on lead vocals with Graham Nash joining in. David Crosby did not rejoin the band until the Daylight Again album was already being recorded. So he does not sing in this song. He does appear in the video, and sang it in live versions.

17. “Heartbreaker” by Dionne Warwick

After the Bee Gees had mega success in the disco era, they pretty much disappeared in the ’80s. Or did they? Instead of recording, they focused more on songwriting for other artists. This smash hit was one of them. It would be one Dionne Warwick’s biggest hits, reaching the top of the charts around the world. And proved to us ’80s kids that she was more than just a host of Solid Gold.

16. “Heart Attack” by Olivia Newton-John

I love me some ONJ!! I love this song, which was recorded as a new song for her Greatest Hits Vol. 2. album. I listened to the album all the time. I loved all the music on that album, and the fact that the cover was easy on the eyes didn’t hurt.

15. “Nobody” by Sylvia

This was a country crossover hit that I had never heard of. Sylvia was pretty successful in country music. But, this was her only crossover hit. It did help her get nominated for a Grammy for Best Female Country Vocal Performance. It also helped her win the Academy of Country Music (ACM) award for Top Female Vocalist of 1982.

14. “Shadows of the Night” by Pat Benatar

This is one of my favorite Pat Benatar songs. I always loved this song. Then in the late ’80s/early ’90s I had a roomate that was a really good guitarist. He always pointed out how terrible the guitar solo is in this song. Now it sticks out like a sore thumb to me. But, I still love it!

13. “It’s Raining Again” by Supertramp

I never cared much for Supertramp. I had never heard of this song, so at least this one was not overplayed. It’s not bad, but not great either.

12. “Sexual Healing” by Marvin Gaye

Time to turn the sexy on!

11. “Rock This Town” by The Stray Cats

We’ll wrap up today with a fun throwback song. This was the first of the Stray Cats’ three top ten hits in the U.S.

That is all for today. I hope you are enjoying the countdown this week. We will count down the 10 biggest hits tomorrow. Wow, the top 5 songs are all one-word titles! Come back tomorrow to check them out!

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