Welcome to another Sun-Soaked episode of The Songs Of The Summer Series from friend and Contributing Author Ozmoe! This week: Remembering 1982…
What Was the Song Of The Summer of 1982?
“When the legend becomes fact… print the legend.“
This line from the 1962 film classic The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance seems appropriate when describing what some people believe happened when MTV arrived on the scene in the United States in August 1981.
Videos revolutionized the top 40! The easy listening music that dominated the early 1980s vanished! Rock music came back in full force!
conventional wisdom: 1981.
The truth is less dramatic.
A look at the charts a year later shows not a lot had changed. Air Supply, Paul Davis and other adult contemporary warhorses still had hits. And some acts made the top 10 who didn’t get any airplay on MTV because they were judged too country (Juice Newton, Willie Nelson) or too R&B (Deniece Williams, Ray Parker Jr.). The latter would get on MTV later thanks to the impact of Michael Jackson and Thriller in 1983.
So, the much-ballyhooed video revolution in the United States during the early 1980s was actually an evolution. Thankfully during this transition in 1982, the tradition of a summer song on top 40 radio remained in full force.
As a reminder or for those just joining us, I categorize a summer song basically as the fun tune you’d like to do at karaoke with your friends. It’s hummable, singable, danceable, and probably some other kind of optimistic labels I can’t think of right now.
tnocs.com summer charts expert ozmoe
So, without further ado, here are my top candidates for 1982. Make sure to comment and rank your top three, with one of course being your favorite. All are listed chronologically based on their Billboard Hot 100 peak.
• Tommy Tutone – 867-5309/Jenny
Some previous hit songs had phone numbers in their titles (Beechwood 4-5789 or 634-5789 ring a bell for anyone?). But this one had a lead vocalist who sounded like what you’d hear at a local bar. His gritty sound coupled with an insistence on naming who he was calling gave this a resonance that the events in the song were really happening. It was a rousing singalong even if you weren’t at a saloon. By the way, I’m glad this wasn’t my number back before Caller ID…
• The Human League: Don’t You Want Me
This love story song from the perspective of both partners gives an opportunity to people of all genders to identify with one of the parts. That’s only some of its appeal. Another element is incorporating a catchy synthesizer that doesn’t overwhelm the lyrics and thus doesn’t sound too dated. For the second “British Wave” in America, this was a fairly layered yet totally accessible record to play over and over again.
• Toto: Rosanna
It may not be as big to Africa in generating memes for the group, but Rosanna is quite ear-friendly listening, nonetheless. The title character is lovingly described (although I’m not really wild about the “meet you all the way” line, but whatever), and the instrumentation gives a jolt to what lesser hands probably would’ve made into a boring ballad, especially the break near the end. It’s got staying power, as do Toto and the song’s inspiration, actress Rosanna Arquette.
• Survivor: Eye of the Tiger
Gonna Fly Now was so associated with the Rocky movies, and Survivor was an unknown band. So few probably predicted this number would in many people’s mind surpass its predecessor and arguably a bigger anthem. To their credit, Survivor refused to add a cheesy roar to this song, preferring to let its strong words and melody do the trick instead along with their solid delivery of the tune. Do a workout with this playing. I guarantee you’ll see results from it.
• The Dazz Band: Let It Whip
Here’s proof that not all hit singles in 1982 were generated by MTV. Even though they had a white keyboard player, the Dazz Band was banned from the station despite having a catchy number with S&M overtones in the title. Too bad, since its groove makes you want to move, with some solid musical chops on display as well. Let It Whip was their sole top 40 pop hit and shouldn’t be confused with the 1976 hit Dazz, which was done by a different band named Brick.
• John Cougar: Hurts So Good
Speaking of S&M, the video for this number was set in a biker bar with leather-clad patrons. While I don’t know how much that may have helped sales, I do think that it would’ve been a massive hit regardless due to several factors. One was John Mellencamp’s delivery (like the way he drew out saying the word “love”), another was great guitar licks and a third was the inclusion of handclaps. But yeah, it does sound appropriate coming from a biker bar.
• Fleetwood Mac: Hold Me
After a few questionable singles released in 1980-81 (anybody remember Sisters of the Moon or Fireflies?), rock’s longest-running soap opera got back into hitmaking mode with this sunny offering. Christine McVie and Lindsay Buckingham harmonize well together, the mix is strong, and the sound exudes confidence and sensuality. By the way, if this group doesn’t get inducted into the Kennedy Center Honors soon, there’s no justice, in my opinion.
• The Go-Go’s: Vacation
One of the first groups to successfully modify the upbeat 1960s pop/rock sound with a 1980s sheen were the Go-Go’s, and Vacation is a fine representation of what they did. You got the classic girl group sound updated with a harder edge and inspiring lyrics about making a romantic getaway. What’s there to dislike here? Not much, I’d say. And we’d get more of these sorts of tunes as the 1980s progressed.
If you have any other candidates to suggest as the summer song of 1982, list them in the comments below along with your vote.
We’ll take another excursion into another year next week!
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Of the choices you presented, I’d go with 3) 867-5309/Jenny, 2) Don’t You Want Me and 1) Eye of the Tiger. Whether it was my favorite song that summer is irrelevant (hint: probably not), but it was inescapable. Chicago’s then-new B-96 had it in rotation practically every 30 minutes.
I would add for your consideration Soft Cell’s “Tainted Love.” Although its chart run was so long that it could be considered a song for many seasons, it did peak in summer ’82. If it were included it would knock Jenny to a runner-up status for me alongside Hurts So Good, Vacation and Rosanna, which are also strong contenders but not quite there.
Three other songs I remember from that summer are a little too AC: Juice Newton’s “Love’s Been a Little Bit Hard on Me,” Melissa Manchester’s “You Should Hear How She Talks About You,” and Chicago’s “Hard to Say I’m Sorry” (especially the album version with “Getaway”). Those latter two are really more autumn songs, though. And if the Go-Gos had peaked just a little later with “We Got the Beat,” it would make my Top 3. I like “Vacation,” but it’s no WGTB.
It’s no competition! Surely The GoGos – and everything else Belinda ever did – has a lock on Song Of The Summer?
As for other candidates… I have to go with Charlene’s “I’ve Never Been To Me”; sipping champagne on a yacht seems pretty darn summery!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txGhgfo6Iew
“I’ve Never Been to Me” is used in Lynne Ramsay’s You Were Never Really Here. Won’t explain how, in case you choose to watch it. It’s the one comic moment in a very dark film.
From your choices it has to be “Vacation” – I mean, the video, song title, it’s all about summer vacation, right?
But I have to add another one, even though it peaked later – when “Jack & Diane” appeared on MTV in late July of 1982, it immediately supplanted “Hurts So Good” as Cougar’s best song.
I still remember where I was when it was released: over Kevin’s house, inside drinking Countrytime Lemonade and having a scrapple sandwich on break from playing tennis. I got chills listening to (and watching) the video, and that week I ran out and bought the 45.
So…
I was only one year old at the time, so I can’t speak to what was actually blasting from speakers in the summer months, but “Vacation” seems like the perfect pick, and “Eye of the Tiger” after that. “Don’t You Want Me” is my favorite song of the bunch, but it’s so obsessive and creepy. I agree that “Tainted Love” deserves consideration. I’ll also suggest “Shake It Up” by the Cars, “Hot in the City” by Billy Idol, “Don’t Stop Believin” by Journey, “Physical” by ONJ, and “Kids in America” by Kim Wilde. A great year for memorable tunes!
Ozmoe is not making this easy – another year of worthy choices. I’ll go with:
3) 867-5309 – Did I dial the number out of curiosity? I’ll plead the 5th.
2) Vacation – Great melody; a real power-pop gem. It’s my favorite GoGo’s single.
1) Eye Of The Tiger – Yo, Adrian, this one wins in a TKO.
And I love this fun fact. Good on you,Frankie Sullivan and Jim Peterik.
Go-Go’s all the way!!! Seriously, there are few songs in existence that capture the summer party vibe like Vacation.
Eye of the Tiger may be more iconic, but I wouldn’t classify it as a summer song per se.
Same for Hurts so Good… classic tune, but not quite as summer-y. Probably runner up this year.
I hemmed and hawed through this list and then finally got to “Vacation.” Bingo. That’s the winner hands down. No question.
Can someone explain the appeal of “Rosanna” to me? I don’t get it. It’s well played but it’s a nothing of a song. That’s just one dog’s opinion, of course. The punk in me was listening to “Never Say Never” by Romeo Void, “Sex Bomb” by Flipper, and “Sailin’ On” by the Bad Brains. I’d take any of them over Toto any day.
Do you prefer the original Bad Brains cuts or the Rock For Light re-recordings? I usually go with the later ones, but maybe the view is distorted for us latecomers.
I like the original ROIR cassette, probably because I heard it first. It’s muddy but more powerful than the cleaner studio tracks. I think it might be just a question of what you’re used to.
Makes sense, and explains my exact opposite preference for the muddier Misfits tracks over the clean Walk Among Us cuts–I got the Walk Among Us ones later. 🙂
I was in a funk and horn band for about six months, led by a drummer with an unhealthy fixation on Toto in general, and Rosanna specifically.
He’d do that really annoying band-guy-thing: We’d be working on something else, trying to figure out a turnaround or harmony parts for a tune.
And then, he would just start blamming away, playing the song’s signature drum intro, until we all just acquiesced and played it all the way through. It made for a very boring 4 minutes.
He insisted that we work the tune ad-nauseum, at least four times each rehearsal. I was on guitar, and whenever I didn’t precisely replicate the challenging Steve Lukather parts (which I indeed failed to execute perfectly probably 90% of the time,) I got the eyeroll and the head shake from the guy. It was like the time I’d disappointed Mr. Piemonte in European History class by not knowing the dates of the French Revolution.
So now whenever I hear it, or even read about it, I have a primal urge to change the station or the subject.
Sorry, (V-)dog, it’s a “no” from me.
Got to go with “Hurts So Good” at number one, partly because of the video. So many summer memories on motorcycles on the same roads where this was filmed. Southern Indiana for the win (don’t get to say that very often).
Second, “867-5309/Jenny”, also because of a memory. One of my nieces was young enough that she thought it was fun to do the numbers by displaying that many fingers, and she was demonstrating it to me. My sister, who listened only to country radio at that time, said “She does that all the time. Where is she getting that sequence?” Yes, she had dialed it to see if there was some kind of pervert who was giving his number to little children at the other end. Fortunately, in her area code, it was not a number in service.
Third, “Eye of the Tiger”, although I can never hear it now without picturing Jensen Ackles from “Supernatural” having fun with the crew.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvfVEm6qkG0
It has to be Vacation, with Eye of the Tiger as runner up. Cross Atlantic release schedules mean that the thought of Don’t You Want Me as a summer song just doesn’t compute. It was UK Christmas #1 in ’81. Its not exactly festive but it still feels more of a winter than summer song to me.
Meanwhile the dominating summer hit here was Come On Eileen topping the charts for 4 weeks through August. Another contender was Captain Sensible, on day release from The Damned with his not exactly, erm… sensible version of Happy Talk from South Pacific. Two weeks at top. And sandwiched between them was Irene Cara with the Fame theme. Feels like a strong summer trio to me.
Wow. Fame was a summer ‘82 hit there? (It was a summer ‘80 hit here.) Could it have to do with the spin-off TV series? For some reason I thought that was a few years later.
Yes, it was on the back of the TV series which first aired here in June ’82 and set off a wave of Kids from Fame hit singles and albums as well as Irene Cara. My older sister had the Fame annual and the first Kids from Fame album. There was no escape for me, which was fine, I quite liked it too.
totally – Don’t you want me is winter 81. Wintery video too.
I like this series Ozmoe, choosing one song for the summer is difficult (specially 1984), and the songs from today’s list are good too.
Can we talk about “Let it Whip” for a minute?
I don’t think it fits as a summer song, but it is a GREAT song – it would’ve made my Irrational Love list, but I never purchased it…which might be why I’ve never tired of it.
It might be my favorite of the bunch listed above.
It is my favorite of the list above also.
From my perspective now, I’d have to say Vacation, but as a 12-year-old boy, hanging mostly with other 12-year-old boys, it was Eye of the Tiger.
We got MTV sometime before this – it was early in its history, after the “half our videos are by Rod Stewart” phase, and before “okay, Michael Jackson is allowed on, even though he’s Black.” The first video I saw when I turned it on was “Cars” by Gary Numan, and British synth-pop would continue to dominate MTV in a way it didn’t dominate radio for another couple of years.
Wow, ’82 had quite a lineup; such great songs! In retrospect, I’d call it a tie between Don’t You Want Me and Eye of The Tiger. They are each so quintessentially early 80s; they immediately put you in a certain mood.
Personally, Let it Whip is my favorite from that list in present day. Damn that tune grooves.
But, if you were to ask BabyDutch in 1982 what her summer song was, there was no contest –
Tommy Tutone. One of the first songs I was able to memorize and sing along to that was on the radio. That was pretty cool, I thought. Ah, the innocence of not understanding what the song was about, and just having fun screaming out the phone #…
Same. I love “Let it Whip” but 8-year old me vividly remembers 867-5309.
“867-5309/Jenny” plays like an elegy to rotary phones. But that’s not enough to make my top three in a very loaded field. “Let it Whip” reminds me of being let out of summer school and you’re at 7-11 playing Dig-Dug, back when 32-ounces of Pepsi seemed like a reasonable life choice. Another great song, as aforementioned. That said, this is my top three: 1) “Hurts So Good”(What single made me buy the album? So it must be my favorite song from this group.) 2) “Vacation”(If Francis Ford Coppola was a music critic, he’d proclaim: “The Go-Go’s are the eighties.”) 3) “Don’t You Want Me”(After all these years, I remember that the song held the top spot for six(oh, three) weeks.)
1982 was a banner year for music and the Summer had more than its fair share of classics. So much so, that the entire Billboard Top 12 was completely static during the week of August 28th.
Here’s my list, plus a few left fielders:
1) You Should Hear How She Talks About You – Melissa Manchester
2) Kids In America – Kim Wilde
3) Hard To Say I’m Sorry – Chicago
4) Eye of The Tiger – Survivor
5) Vacation – Go-Go’s
RW Extras:
Melissa Manchester had me hooked from Don’t Cry Out Loud. Shy, sensitive, gay/”not quite sure yet” teenage boys/young men were a key Manchester demographic. This song slowly inched up the chart and I would drive to my local record stores to track its progress on the Billboard Charts which were posted above the 45s. It looked as if it was going to stall in the 40s (the dreaded black star), but I always thought it was a sublime pop song and Manchester looked fab on the Hey Ricky LP cover, which I had displayed on my closet door (insert pun). Straight teenage boys DO NOT display Melissa Manchester album covers in their room! The song was everywhere later that summer and was played into early Autumn. WLS played it constantly and it was in their Y/E Top 20. Sadly, it was Manchester’s last Top 40 hit.
I was working at my Dad’s grocery store that summer with a great group of teens. There was this one checkout girl named Shawn who had the total hots for stock boy Dave and she adopted Manchester’s YSHHSTAY as her theme song to win Dave over. Shawn constantly flirted with Dave, friends would talk to Dave about what a great girl Shawn was, and the song was played at her Halloween party. In the end, the sheer magic of the song had…ABSOLUTELY NO IMPACT! :o( Straight teenage boys/young men it turns out are NOT a key Manchester demographic and are completely immune to Melissa’s charms (and Shawn’s in this case). No long-distance dedication here. SIGH!
I purchased the Kim Wilde album and have always loved the song and her work.
Hard To Say I’m Sorry was the end song in a so-bad-it’s-fantastic movie, Summer Lovers where Peter Gallagher and Daryl Hannah go off to Greece and have a thruple with a young French woman. The dialog is horrible, but Greece looked stunning. Love the song and love the rousing Chicago horn playing at the end.
Eye of The Tiger was inescapable. I would have chosen Don’t You Want Me, which is technically the most superior song in my list, but I associate it more with Spring. Genius of Love by the Tom Tom Club peaked in the Spring as well.
Loved the Vacation video by the Go-Go’s and the song is also pop perfection!
Nick Heyward was (and still is) gorgeous and him in a loincloth for the Love + 1 video makes me drool.
Personally is a nice quiet ballad. One was starved for classic McCartney after Ebony & Ivory, although I do like that song. I remember a DJ joking that he had to be very careful how introduced the Juice song because of two words in the title.
I also saw my first and only Olivia Newton-John concert at Poplar Creek (Chicago suburbs) in the Summer of ’82. I recently found my concert t-shirt and will share with you sometime soon. Waiting for the next round of #JUSTICEFORMAGIC
The Summer of ’82 Charts were the end of an era, as by Autumn, new wave and more experimental music crept into the Top 40. The Look of Love – ABC, Shock The Monkey – Peter Gabriel, Mickey – Toni Basil, I.G.Y. – Donald Fagen and Who Can It Be Now – Men at Work. ONJ, Kim Carnes, Don Henley and Billy Joel were going new wave with Heart Attack, Voyeur (should have been bigger), Dirty Laundry and Pressure. Summer of ’83 songs would song infinitely different.
You haven’t lived ’til you’ve heard Don Ho’s version of “Shock the Monkey”.
“Take it Away” might be my favorite post-1980 Paul McCartney song. A fine choice.
My write-in for Summer of ’82 is 38 Special’s “Caught Up In You”… yeah, the “little girl” line hasn’t aged well, but the song is as hook-y as anything else already mentioned, and great for top-down driving.
My top three from Ozmoe’s list:
1. Let It Whip
2. Vacation
3. Hurts So Good
I like “Caught Up in You” but to me it’s a Xerox of “Hold on Loosely.” I’d give “Loosely” a 10 and “Caught” an 8. (“If I’d Been the One” is another 10.)
Funny, my favorite by them is “Like No Other Night”, which is another Xerox of their earlier hits. They certainly had a formula, but they did it well.
And “Back Where You Belong” is the 10-est of all .38 Special 10s.
For me, It’s “Vacation”, “Eye of the Tiger” (played constantly in our in our high school and my workout gym) and “Rosanna” (My personal crush of the “80’s and why she never got better roles in movies I will never get. A victim of the Weinstein effect?).
Although I loved the ’80s, 1982 was one of my least favorite summers of the decade. Two significant musical happenings that impacted my life that dreary summer were the end of the Top 40 format for AM giant 770 WABC-AM in New York in May (when they went all talk), and the arrival of MTV on our cable system in the middle of that summer.
So I remember that summer best for MTV-only hits like “I Want Candy” and “Love Plus One” than I do for the top chart hits.
All that said, I liked “Hold Me,” “867-5309/Jenny” and “Vacation.” I really did not like “Eye of the Tiger,” “Don’t You Want Me” or “Hurts So Good” (although I’d really embrace the material from Mellencamp’s subsequent three albums).
I knew Lisa Germano was the fiddle player on The Lonesome Jubilee. She rules on “Paper in Fire” and “Cherry Bomb”. I didn’t know what to expect from Geek the Girl. Blind purchase. I couldn’t believe my ears. Germano looks so happy in the “Paper in Fire” video.