The Best Song of 1983

Allmusic says '83, if we can still trust them after their site-redesign fiasco.

"As the game extends the cycle, be ready to move. One heart's for love, one's for peace."

On second though, AMG may be right about the release date. I think 1982 was when they were discovered by the Pretenders.

You may be right on that score. In that case, substitute "Beat It".

"Beat It" is not as good "Shaking Through" or "Hearts." "Many moons cascade one river--they light from side to side."

But seriously*, who thought that PHIL COLLINS would make a decent movie star. WTF?? Which executive producer is to blame for this sort of travesty.

(* hahaha, OK, not really)

HA! Obviously you never watched Miami Vice. Phil starred in the dramatic episode "Phil the Shill" in 1984.

(IMDB to the rescue - an uncredited appearance in A Hard Day's Night and the role of Mike Lucas in Calamity The Cow [1967]with Desmond Carrington! Even old Des won't play Phil's records on the radio.)

Anyway, the answer is "Pale Shelter". To this and many other things.

"Every Breath You Take" hasn't been mentioned yet -- and it's still fucking amazing twenty years on. I still get the chills from it sometimes. And somehow, it's greatness hasn't been tainted by the overplayed-to-the-point-of-becoming-violently-ill Puffy ripoff. It's still great despite this.

its one of the best songs ever written

the techno or whatever you want to call them

kids of the last 20 years still havn't bettered it!!!!

AND 1999!!!!

Go-Betweens - "Cattle & Cane"
Cocteau Twins - "Sugar Hiccup"
The Cure - "Love Cats"

I presume Marcello was operating on a one artist/one single basis otherwise where's "Don't Talk To Me About Love"?

Man I fucking love old school R.E.M.

I still prefer "It Can Happen" though.

Oh yeah, I'd forgotten this bit - Jon Anderson's solo vocal at the end. Mistake!

Best song on Marcello's list - "Photograph".

Best Song by Australians: AC/DC, "Nervous Shakedown"

English: Duran Duran, "Hungry Like The Wolf"

Irish: Dexy's Midnight Etc. "Come On Eileen" (this was the very last single I ever bought. Never owned any released after '83)

Canadia: Men Without Hats (now Men Without Jobs), "The Safety Dance"
Technofolk - The wave of nobody's future!

American (female singer): The Motels, "Suddenly Last Summer"

American (male singer): John Cougar Mellencamp, "Crumblin' Down" (His best rocker ever, says me)

Black American: Prince, "1999"

Former Black American: Michael Jackson, "Billie Jean" or "Beat It", toss a coin.

If I really REALLY had to choose, I'd probably go with "1999", which certainly captured the mood of '83 more than that of '99. (No Y2K refs, for one reason.)

I didn't listen to pop tunes in the 80s.

I wanted to create a "Best (Pop) Songs of 1983" thread but found this one to be close enough.

But i also found this (1983: the year it all went wrong?): 1983: the year it all went wrong?

It is harder to choose the best (pop) songs from 1983 than I thought.

This isn't the *best* song of 1983, and I'm probably in the minority for liking it, but it is a song I find myself going back to for some strange reason.

Real Life - Send Me an Angel

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6zBjYIyz-0

we did do this kind of recently: Acclaimed Music Top 40 Songs from 1983 poll

you are right, "Send Me an Angel" is right up there as one of the best.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KyW9864AXVk

I ranked those top tens, see.

The rare instance where I disagree with enough of your rankings that the chosen order seems almost random to mine eyes. And it only starts with consigning 'Der Kommissar' to the Hague, for shame.

I think I'm probably too biased to weigh in because nostalgia for 1983 makes me love almost every one of those songs.
But still, I think i can safely say that the following are empirically awesome, and unfairly maligned:

Meh

Irene Cara – Flashdance… What a Feeling (the slow build is an irresistible force)
Eurythmics – Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) - (i'm pretty sure this would have still been a hit if released during any arbitrary year between 1983 and now)
The Motels – Suddenly Last Summer (haven't actually heard this since 1983, but it sounds great in my head)
Toto – Africa (I guess the backlash was inevitable, but it's not Toto's fault)
Men at Work – Down Under (that flute riff! as great as 'overkill' is, this song towers above it)

The Hague

David Bowie – China Girl (unless this got banned for the lyrics, which i get)
After the Fire – Der Kommissar (alles klar, herr sotosyn?)

Well, you know. These..

Some great stuff that year, but I'm gonna have to go with "Photograph." I have a hard time believing mortals created that track (and there's been little proof that Mutt Lange is one).

Too Late For Love >>>>>>> Photograph

Aztec Camera - Walk out to Winter
Prefab Sprout - Lions in My Own Garden (Exit someone) - already in someone's list, I know

My 1983 top ten . . .

1. Chaka Khan – Ain't Nobody
2. Herbie Hancock – Rockit
3. The Lotus Eaters – The First Picture Of You
4. Class Action – Weekend
5. The Style Council – Long Hot Summer
6. Orange Juice – Rip It Up
7. Mtume – Juicy Fruit
8. Ryan Paris – Dolce Vita
9. Freeez – IOU
10. Talk Talk – My Foolish Friend

I left out Relax because, though it did come out in 1983, it's a totally 1984 song in terms of its airplay and cultural impact.

I've been playing this a lot lately
Hall and Oates - One On One

My "nominees," so to speak:

Bananarama, "Cruel Summer"
Eurythmics, "Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)"
Michael Jackson, "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'"
Elton John, "I'm Still Standing"
New Order, "Blue Monday"

Christ, how did I forget Blue Monday.

Not sure I have a top 10, but if Plustwo 'Melody' isn't top, I'm not interested

no mentions yet for
My Mine - Hypnotic Tango

?! :(

(and probably a bunch of other stuff crossed over from the Italo thread, '83 was pretty much the golden year there)

2 by Kissing The Pink

The Last Film
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFX5Ca36kOk

Desert Song (insanely not a single)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3KsrwWuexQ

'tis the season:

Pretenders "2000 Miles"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEyGZlBdkaA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRxgidNP2pA

10 favourite 1983 discoveries of the last ten years for me

Ahmed Fakroun - Ya Farhe Beek
Blue Gas - Shadows From Nowhere
King Sunny Ade - Synchro System
Laid Back - Fly Away / Walking In The Sunshine
Lustt - Pillow Talk
Mariah - Sokokara
Plustwo - Melody
Sylvester - Rock The Box
The The - Giant
XTC - Deliver Us From The Elements

Sylvester - Rock The Box

hell yeah!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHOQwulIQCA

(it's from 1984 tho)

Ah damn thanks, had it in both my 83 and 84 playlists for some reason.

I can never get over the incredible line "everyone around Great Britain...from LiverPOOOL to WALES"

A fabulous Sylvester performance, that.

"Hearts" isn't even the best song on 90125