The countdown continues! If you missed the previous songs, you can go back and check out songs 40-31 and 30-21. Today, there are plenty more songs that I’m not familiar with, and a couple of songs I know, which both happen to be duets. As usual, you can click on the song title to see the YouTube video, and you can click on the album cover if you would like to get the song from Amazon. Now, let’s Return to the weeke of March 6, 1983, and continue this week’s U.K. countdown!
20. “Genetic Engineering” by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
19. “Up Where We Belong” by Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes
18. “High Life” by Modern Romance
17. “Hey Little Girl” by Icehouse
16. “Change” by Tears for Fears
15. “Get the Balance Right!” by Depeche Mode
14. “She Means Nothing to Me” by Phil Everly and Cliff Richard
13. “The Tunnel of Love” by Fun Boy Three
12. “Communication” by Spandau Ballet
11. “Baby Come to Me” by Patti Austin and James Ingram
That wraps up today’s list of songs. I loved today’s countdown! What will tomorrow bring? Come back tomorrow, and find out what the biggest hits in the U.K. were this week in 1983. I guarantee you will know at least 1 song that will be in the top 10. Just look at the time period, and you know what album had been out.
[twitter-follow screen_name=’returntothe80s’ show_count=’yes’ text_color=’00ccff’]
This song earned Diana Ross her twelfth Grammy Award nomination for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. Oh BTW, this was written and produced by someone you may or may not heard of – Michael Jackson.
Speaking of Michael Jackson, this was the first single released from his up and coming album, Thriller. At least he got the worst song out of the way! It wouldn’t be so bad if it wasn’t for all that yapping at the end.
Love this song by Joe Jackson! It peaked at #4, and was Jackson’s highest charting hit in the U.S. This song received a Grammy nomination for Record of the Year in 1983 but lost to “Rosanna” by Toto, which is fine by me.
This song, from Hall & Oates’ eleventh studio album, H2O, was a smash hit, hitting #1 and staying there for four straight weeks. This was a staple on MTV.
This iconic ’80s tune was Toni Basil’s only hit. But, boy was it ever a hit, reaching the top of the charts. The legendary Cheerleader video is considered the very first choreographed dance video.
Unfortunately, I am all too familiar with this song. My mom is the biggest Neil Diamond fan, so this was my life. I do like his early stuff a lot. But, I didn’t care much for his easy listening music. This song was written by Diamond, Carole Bayer Sager and her then-husband Burt Bacharach. They were inspired by the blockbuster movie E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, which Diamond, Bayer Sager and Bacharach had all seen together.
This classic duet is from the film, An Officer and a Gentleman (which I have yet to see). The movie’s producer, Don Simpson, demanded “Up Where We Belong” be cut from An Officer and a Gentleman, saying, “The song is no good. It isn’t a hit.” (Sounds like a Trump tweet. Oh shit, here come the comments and emails!). It’s a good thing Simpson was a movie producer, and not a music producer. The song was a #1 hit in the US for three weeks, won the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song and the Academy Award for Best Original Song. It also won the BAFTA Film Awards for Best Original Song in 1984. Cocker and Warnes also won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal in 1983.
This is one of those new songs that was placed on a Greatest Hits album. And this song definitely belongs there! I love this ONJ song! It was the first single released off of Olivia’s Greatest Hits Vol. 2, and was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.
I have always loved Laura Branigan’s voice, and I had a huge crush on her. I was devastated when she died in 2004 from a brain aneurysm. This was Branigan’s signature song. It peaked right here at #2, and remained her for three weeks.
“Hello” seems to get all the love out of Lionel Richie’s ballads. But, this one is my favorite. This was also Richie’s debut solo single. It was the first single released off of his self-titled debut album. The song won a Grammy Award for Richie in the category Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. Not a shabby start for a solo career.