The 100 Greatest Songs of 1982 #1. Little Red Corvette (2 Viewers)

[5-ish Finkle]

83. Berlin “Sex (I’m A…)” (from Pleasure Victim)

Berlin ‎– Sex (I'm A...) official video 1983

"Sex (I'm A...)" is a song by the American band Berlin from their second album Pleasure Victim. The song was co-written by group members John Crawford, Terri...

youtu.be

This is still one of the greatest songs ever written about sex. Terri Nunn masterfully expresses male fantasies (and mocks them at the same time.) And of course the final minute of the tune is an orgiastic chorus that would have made Donna Summer proud.

I may or may not have played this song as a college radio DJ…at my conservative Christian alma mater.

Bet that reeeeally had the ladies showin' ankle at Concordia, didn't it?!

Grove City.

Ahhhh...well, everyone knows that those Mercer Co. presby girls are wolverines once you cut a hole in the sheet.

Terri Nunn wasnt teaching them anything they didnt already know.

 

[zamboni]

Iron and coke/chromium steel smoke pouring out of Uruk's ears right now...

 

[Uruk-Hai]

Iron and coke/chromium steel smoke pouring out of Uruk's ears right now...

I figured it was coming, so I already got my disgust out the other day.

 

[northern exposure]

77. Billy Joel “Allentown” (from The Nylon Curtain)

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Songs about the decline of working class America was usually more in Bruce Springsteen’s line of work than Billy Joel’s, but this tune is a fine contribution to the category.

My least favorite Billy Joel "hit" but deserves a place - it was ubiquitous.

Least favorite Billy Joel "hit"? That's a tough one, there's so many to pick from!

 

[timschochet]

76. Duran Duran “Save A Prayer” (from Rio)

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This isn’t the best Duran Duran song ever, but it might just be the prettiest. Great melody and the guy sings his heart out.

 

[zamboni]

76. Duran Duran “Save A Prayer” (from Rio)

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This isn’t the best Duran Duran song ever, but it might just be the prettiest. Great melody and the guy sings his heart out.

Won't argue about placement (would have been at least 60 spots higher for me), but I'm just glad you included this.

 

[Gr00vus]

80. Missing Persons “Destination Unknown” (from Spring Session M)

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Missing Persons probably influenced more people with their looks than with their actual music, which was derivative and sounded like a thousand other bands from the New Wave era. But at their best they could deliver a pretty good pop hook.

Can't agree with these statements. Dale's vocals aside, the musicianship in this band was above and beyond most other bands of the genre/era and I find their sound pretty distinctive, particularly the spring session M tracks.

 

[TripItUp]

77. Billy Joel “Allentown” (from The Nylon Curtain)

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Songs about the decline of working class America was usually more in Bruce Springsteen’s line of work than Billy Joel’s, but this tune is a fine contribution to the category.

My least favorite Billy Joel "hit" but deserves a place - it was ubiquitous.

there are far worse Billy Joel "hits"..Uptown Girl and We Didn't Start the Fire are pop trash.

Allentown is a great tune.

 

[Dr. Octopus]

77. Billy Joel “Allentown” (from The Nylon Curtain)

- YouTube

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Songs about the decline of working class America was usually more in Bruce Springsteen’s line of work than Billy Joel’s, but this tune is a fine contribution to the category.

My least favorite Billy Joel "hit" but deserves a place - it was ubiquitous.

there are far worse Billy Joel "hits"..Uptown Girl and We Didn't Start the Fire are pop trash.

Allentown is a great tune.

Agree on Fire.

 

[Ghost Rider]

Allentown is amazing. My favorite Joel song.

Save a Prayer is another great one. I don’t revisit a lot of DD, but this one I do.

 

[John Maddens Lunchbox]

Am i the only one who hated Duran Duran?
Le Bon sung like a cat with its tail trodden on.

I liked their first single Planet Earth, the film clip for Girls on Film, Ordinary World and Come Undone. Thats it.

 

[timschochet]

75. Iron Maiden “Run To The Hills” (from The Number Of The Beast)

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I’ll admit I’m not the biggest Maiden fan in the world (though I’ve always admired their album covers) but this song, from arguably one of the best albums in all of Heavy Metal, is pretty great. It’s actually a fine description of Native American history, and it rocks.

 

[Quint]

75. Iron Maiden “Run To The Hills” (from The Number Of The Beast)

- YouTube

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I’ll admit I’m not the biggest Maiden fan in the world (though I’ve always admired their album covers) but this song, from arguably one of the best albums in all of Heavy Metal, is pretty great. It’s actually a fine description of Native American history, and it rocks.

i'd have gone with "Hallowed Be Thy Name" but to each his own

 

[rockaction]

Am i the only one who hated Duran Duran?

Every girl in sixth or seventh grade had a crush on them so I decided they were rubbish because those girls' tastes were rubbish, or so I thought. And they were rubbish in the end, all around, but I liked Duran Duran as I got older. I think I even owned Seven And The Ragged Tiger.

The Reflex. The Reflex. Flex flex flex flex flex.

 

[timschochet]

75. Iron Maiden “Run To The Hills” (from The Number Of The Beast)

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

youtu.be

I’ll admit I’m not the biggest Maiden fan in the world (though I’ve always admired their album covers) but this song, from arguably one of the best albums in all of Heavy Metal, is pretty great. It’s actually a fine description of Native American history, and it rocks.

i'd have gone with "Hallowed Be Thy Name" but to each his own

No spotlighting! (We’re not quite done yet with this band.)

 

[northern exposure]

80. Missing Persons “Destination Unknown” (from Spring Session M)

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

youtu.be

Missing Persons probably influenced more people with their looks than with their actual music, which was derivative and sounded like a thousand other bands from the New Wave era. But at their best they could deliver a pretty good pop hook.

Can't agree with these statements. Dale's vocals aside, the musicianship in this band was above and beyond most other bands of the genre/era and I find their sound pretty distinctive, particularly the spring session M tracks.

In my mind they don't get their due because Dale's vocals were just so quirky and bad. I couldn't listen to more than 1 or 2 of their songs. Put an average lead singer, without the vocal affectations, in the band and they would have been much bigger.

 

[Ghost Rider]

Maiden has better albums in the 80s, but The Number of the Beast is really good, and Run to the Hills has held up really well. Great song.

 

[Tom Servo]

83. Berlin “Sex (I’m A…)” (from Pleasure Victim)

Berlin ‎– Sex (I'm A...) official video 1983

"Sex (I'm A...)" is a song by the American band Berlin from their second album Pleasure Victim. The song was co-written by group members John Crawford, Terri...

youtu.be

This is still one of the greatest songs ever written about sex. Terri Nunn masterfully expresses male fantasies (and mocks them at the same time.) And of course the final minute of the tune is an orgiastic chorus that would have made Donna Summer proud.

I may or may not have played this song as a college radio DJ…at my conservative Christian alma mater.

Bet that reeeeally had the ladies showin' ankle at Concordia, didn't it?!

Grove City.

Ahhhh...well, everyone knows that those Mercer Co. presby girls are wolverines once you cut a hole in the sheet.

Terri Nunn wasnt teaching them anything they didnt already know.

Actually, Grove City now has no church affiliation.
There weren’t enough people listening to WSAJ to start a good bar fight. They have an online station that’s seems to do much better.

 

[New Binky the Doormat]

Am i the only one who hated Duran Duran?
Le Bon sung like a cat with its tail trodden on.

I liked their first single Planet Earth, the film clip for Girls on Film, Ordinary World and Come Undone. Thats it.

meh, I liked'em.

 

[DocHolliday]

Maiden has better albums in the 80s, but The Number of the Beast is really good, and Run to the Hills has held up really well. Great song.

I would put every Maiden song from Number on this list. That is a perfect heavy metal album.

 

[Quint]

75. Iron Maiden “Run To The Hills” (from The Number Of The Beast)

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

youtu.be

I’ll admit I’m not the biggest Maiden fan in the world (though I’ve always admired their album covers) but this song, from arguably one of the best albums in all of Heavy Metal, is pretty great. It’s actually a fine description of Native American history, and it rocks.

i'd have gone with "Hallowed Be Thy Name" but to each his own

No spotlighting! (We’re not quite done yet with this band.)

Apologies. #embarrassed

 

[Leroy Hoard]

In my mind they don't get their due because Dale's vocals were just so quirky and bad. I couldn't listen to more than 1 or 2 of their songs. Put an average lead singer, without the vocal affectations, in the band and they would have been much bigger

This. Terri Nunn, Deb Harry, Pat Benatar would have made them. Problem is every one of these singers were hooked up with someone in the band, so there was never going to be a change until that happened.

 

[zamboni]

In my mind they don't get their due because Dale's vocals were just so quirky and bad. I couldn't listen to more than 1 or 2 of their songs. Put an average lead singer, without the vocal affectations, in the band and they would have been much bigger

This. Terri Nunn, Deb Harry, Pat Benatar would have made them. Problem is every one of these singers were hooked up with someone in the band, so there was never going to be a change until that happened.

True, Dale was never a natural singer. Worked as a Playboy bunny and met Frank Zappa, who had her perform on Joe's Garage and, in the process, connected her to his drummer Terry Bozzio - and the rest is history.

 

[timschochet]

74. Jackson Browne “Somebody’s Baby” (from the Fast Times At Ridgemont High soundtrack)

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Sorry Jackson Browne haters! This may be his cheesiest hit song ever but it’s still a very good pop hit. And it made him a whole lot of money.

 

[zamboni]

74. Jackson Browne “Somebody’s Baby” (from the Fast Times At Ridgemont High soundtrack)

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Sorry Jackson Browne haters! This may be his cheesiest hit song ever but it’s still a very good pop hit. And it made him a whole lot of money.

Audio consultant Ron Johnson's favorite song.

 

[Uruk-Hai]

74. Jackson Browne “Somebody’s Baby” (from the Fast Times At Ridgemont High soundtrack)

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Sorry Jackson Browne haters! This may be his cheesiest hit song ever but it’s still a very good pop hit. And it made him a whole lot of money.

I like this one.

 

[DocHolliday]

74. Jackson Browne “Somebody’s Baby” (from the Fast Times At Ridgemont High soundtrack)

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

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Sorry Jackson Browne haters! This may be his cheesiest hit song ever but it’s still a very good pop hit. And it made him a whole lot of money.

Love this song.

 

[timschochet]

73. The Go-Go’s “Vacation” (from Vacation)

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Not nearly as good IMO as any of the hits from their first album, but still a very fun New Wave tune. And of course the picture from the album cover is iconic.

 

[TripItUp]

73. The Go-Go’s “Vacation” (from Vacation)

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Not nearly as good IMO as any of the hits from their first album, but still a very fun New Wave tune. And of course the picture from the album cover is iconic.

way higher on my list...agree the first album hits were better.

 

[timschochet]

72. George Thorogood & The Destroyers “Bad To The Bone” (from Bad To The Bone)

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The guitar riff is stolen from Muddy Waters’ “Mannish Boy”, but Thorogood happily admitted it. About a decade after this song, Stevie Ray Vaughan would be lauded as a great purveyor of the blues, and deservedly so, but why not George? He could bring it.

 

[TripItUp]

Hot Take

Iron Maiden is overrated and borderline unlistenable. There is a reason nobody plays Maiden anywhere.

 

[TripItUp]

72. George Thorogood & The Destroyers “Bad To The Bone” (from Bad To The Bone)

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

youtu.be

The guitar riff is stolen from Muddy Waters’ “Mannish Boy”, but Thorogood happily admitted it. About a decade after this song, Stevie Ray Vaughan would be lauded as a great purveyor of the blues, and deservedly so, but why not George? He could bring it.

Always felt like a ripoff song to me.

 

[timschochet]

Hot Take

Iron Maiden is overrated and borderline unlistenable. There is a reason nobody plays Maiden anywhere.

I dunno, I play them.

 

[TripItUp]

Hot Take

Iron Maiden is overrated and borderline unlistenable. There is a reason nobody plays Maiden anywhere.

I dunno, I play them.

certainly there are diehard maiden fans, just like there are diehard Rush fans...but for the most party they are not as well received as other metal acts of the era IMHO.

 

[zamboni]

Hot Take

Iron Maiden is overrated and borderline unlistenable. There is a reason nobody plays Maiden anywhere.

Your hot take is a bad take.

 

[timschochet]

Hot Take

Iron Maiden is overrated and borderline unlistenable. There is a reason nobody plays Maiden anywhere.

I dunno, I play them.

certainly there are diehard maiden fans, just like there are diehard Rush fans...but for the most party they are not as well received as other metal acts of the era IMHO.

OK. I can’t offer an opinion on that. As I wrote I’m not the biggest Maiden fan (or Rush fan for that matter) but when I hear songs I like, such as “Run to the Hills” or 1 or 2 others that might show up on this list I won’t turn them off.

 

[Ghost Rider]

Hot Take

Iron Maiden is overrated and borderline unlistenable. There is a reason nobody plays Maiden anywhere.

I dunno, I play them.

certainly there are diehard maiden fans, just like there are diehard Rush fans...but for the most party they are not as well received as other metal acts of the era IMHO.

This makes no sense. Judas Priest, who was bigger than Maiden in their heydays, now plays to 4-5K seat venues here in the States, while Maiden still sells out arenas and amphitheaters that hold close to 20K. I wasn't a big Maiden fan until the last few years, but they are running laps now around almost all metal bands of their era when it comes to drawing power.

 

[northern exposure]

In my mind they don't get their due because Dale's vocals were just so quirky and bad. I couldn't listen to more than 1 or 2 of their songs. Put an average lead singer, without the vocal affectations, in the band and they would have been much bigger

This. Terri Nunn, Deb Harry, Pat Benatar would have made them. Problem is every one of these singers were hooked up with someone in the band, so there was never going to be a change until that happened.

True, Dale was never a natural singer. Worked as a Playboy bunny and met Frank Zappa, who had her perform on Joe's Garage and, in the process, connected her to his drummer Terry Bozzio - and the rest is history.

My friend used to refer to Dale as the G-Rated Wendy O. Williams (Plasmatics). Both blonde with a penchant for revealing outfits. Dale had the breathy hiccupy vocals and WOW had the screaming snarl.

 

[northern exposure]

72. George Thorogood & The Destroyers “Bad To The Bone” (from Bad To The Bone)

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

youtu.be

The guitar riff is stolen from Muddy Waters’ “Mannish Boy”, but Thorogood happily admitted it. About a decade after this song, Stevie Ray Vaughan would be lauded as a great purveyor of the blues, and deservedly so, but why not George? He could bring it.

I think George was highly regarded after his self titled debut and Move It On Over were released on Rounder Records. Once this record came out and the hits started to come, his cred vanished.

 

[John Maddens Lunchbox]

Hot Take

Iron Maiden is overrated and borderline unlistenable. There is a reason nobody plays Maiden anywhere.

They’re no Elvis Costello thats for sure

 

[rockaction]

73. The Go-Go’s “Vacation”

Love this track. Belinda Carlisle could sing the Hebrew alphabet and it'd sound totally new wave, perky, and fun.

 

[zamboni]

72. George Thorogood & The Destroyers “Bad To The Bone” (from Bad To The Bone)

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

youtu.be

The guitar riff is stolen from Muddy Waters’ “Mannish Boy”, but Thorogood happily admitted it. About a decade after this song, Stevie Ray Vaughan would be lauded as a great purveyor of the blues, and deservedly so, but why not George? He could bring it.

I think George was highly regarded after his self titled debut and Move It On Over were released on Rounder Records. Once this record came out and the hits started to come, his cred vanished.

I don't think his cred vanished, just basically the recognition that he was a one-trick pony in terms of his output.

I always respected that as a former semi-pro ball player, he used to schedule his tours around baseball season.

 

[timschochet]

71. Thomas Dolby “She Blinded Me With Science” (from The Golden Age Of Wireless)

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SCIENCE!!

I have to admit that when this song was a hit, it annoyed the hell out of me. I couldn’t stand it, or the artist (although a few months later I did hear an earlier single by him, “Europa And The Pirate Twins”, and liked it a lot.)

But over the years “She Blinded Me With Science” has kind of grown on me. A little.

 

[rockaction]

71. Thomas Dolby “She Blinded Me With Science”

So awesome. I'm actually liking your list so far.

 

[zamboni]

71. Thomas Dolby “She Blinded Me With Science” (from The Golden Age Of Wireless)

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SCIENCE!!

There was always that guy who would walk into science class and shout that.

 

[rockaction]

There was always that guy who would walk into science class and shout that.

There was? Dang. I missed my opportunity.

 

[zamboni]

There was always that guy who would walk into science class and shout that.

There was? Dang. I missed my opportunity.

Same here. Trying it with "GEOMETRY!" or "TYPING!" just didn't have the same effect.

 

[DocHolliday]

Hot Take

Iron Maiden is overrated and borderline unlistenable. There is a reason nobody plays Maiden anywhere.

I used to like you

 

[DocHolliday]

73. The Go-Go’s “Vacation” (from Vacation)

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

youtu.be

Not nearly as good IMO as any of the hits from their first album, but still a very fun New Wave tune. And of course the picture from the album cover is iconic.

Just heard this on the radio yesterday. It is a very fun song that puts me in a better mood.

 

[DocHolliday]

72. George Thorogood & The Destroyers “Bad To The Bone” (from Bad To The Bone)

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

youtu.be

The guitar riff is stolen from Muddy Waters’ “Mannish Boy”, but Thorogood happily admitted it. About a decade after this song, Stevie Ray Vaughan would be lauded as a great purveyor of the blues, and deservedly so, but why not George? He could bring it.

Always felt like a ripoff song to me.

I despise this song and pretty much anything Thorogoid did. It’s just annoying.