# Best #1 single of the year retrospective: 1983 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 14, 2014, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1983/701316 "2014-10-14T16:54:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2014, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1983/701316/21 "2014-10-14T21:37:19Z")
And we continue the long slide into groups of songs I don’t particularly care for. In this case, “Let’s Dance” is the only song that doesn’t cause the radio dial to spin spontaneously. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2014, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1983/701316/22 "2014-10-14T21:39:54Z")
I went with Beat It, even though Billie Jean will likely win, and should. I just prefer the song. I love Sweet Dreams and would’ve voted for it if MJ’s songs weren’t in the running… ---
**Author:** ![KarlGrenze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dbc845/32.png) [@KarlGrenze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGrenze)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2014, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1983/701316/23 "2014-10-14T21:41:01Z")
OK, I must admit my birth year has some better options than the other early 80s years. Lots of them still get airplay. I went with Eurythmics, but it didn’t surprise me most so far prefer Michael Jackson. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2014, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1983/701316/24 "2014-10-14T21:45:48Z")
Quite a few tempting choices here - Dexy’s, Bowie, Eurythmics, Richie, Australians, and some others not to be sniffed at - but yes, “Billie Jean” is really Michael Jackson at his absolute peak. That’s the one. ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2014, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1983/701316/25 "2014-10-14T21:55:44Z")
Too many good choices on this one. I think that if you gave me this poll once every six months, you’d find that my answer would be different based on my mood and what I’d listened to recently. In fact, let me just list the ones I would NEVER vote for: 4, 6, 13, 15, 16. In particular, I’m tempted to vote Michael Jackson… back in the day, I listened to Thriller over and over again until I wore the tape out and had to buy a new one. Beat It wins over Billy Jean because of the guitar. Eye of the Tiger is very tempting because it’s more rock-n-roll than the others… but then I’m reminded that it’s no “Rock of Ages” is it? The best rock didn’t make it to the top of the charts in the early 80’s. So I ultimately went with Africa by Toto. I have two 80’s-themed Pandora stations. Def Leppard is the seed for one of them, and Africa (that song specifically) is the seed for the other. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2014, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1983/701316/26 "2014-10-14T22:34:08Z")
Nowadays I wouldn’t across the street to piss on any of the songs if they were on fire, but I have to give credit to that sneaky, stealthy, seductive groove from _Sweet Dreams_. I was never a huge Bruce Springsteen fan, but I think I spent most of 1982 listening to _Nebraska_. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2014, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1983/701316/27 "2014-10-14T23:00:25Z")
This is a terrible list of songs. Excruciatingly bad. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2014, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1983/701316/28 "2014-10-14T23:02:42Z")
This is the best year in a while, in that the best songs are so damn good. Let’s Dance won, for me, though Sweet Dreams was, oh, so close. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2014, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1983/701316/29 "2014-10-14T23:04:32Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > This is a terrible list of songs. Excruciatingly bad. Just goes to show how tastes differ. I think that 13 out of the 17 songs on this list are pretty good, and some are great. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2014, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1983/701316/30 "2014-10-14T23:05:30Z")
I went with the powerhouse voice of Annie Lennox. That’s what a singer should sound like, rather than like a lot of what followed in later years. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2014, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1983/701316/31 "2014-10-14T23:55:44Z")
Wow! The first time this was tough for some years–maybe the toughest (in a good way) of all so far. So many awesome songs, but I’ll go with the purest essence of Jim Steinman. The innertubes seem convinced that was Meatloaf backing Bonnie Tyler, but it was another member of Steinman’s repertory company, Rory Dodd. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1983/701316/32 "2014-10-15T00:03:13Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > Wow! The first time this was tough for some years–maybe the toughest (in a good way) of all so far. So many awesome songs, but I’ll go with the purest essence of Jim Steinman. The innertubes seem convinced that was Meatloaf backing Bonnie Tyler, but it was another member of Steinman’s repertory company, Rory Dodd. For the purest essence of Jim Steinman, I get it - Bonnie or Meatloaf. I gotta go with Sister of Mercy, This Corrosion. Fuckin’ love that song, big Tabernacle starting bit and all… ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1983/701316/33 "2014-10-15T00:08:57Z")
> [@Johanna](#): > > Not me. I don’t even care about the '80s. I voted for it because I really, really like Bonnie Tyler for some reason. The sound of her voice is incredible and the way she uses it on that song is stellar. It’s paradoxical that she didn’t become a great singer until after she destroyed her voice, and I don’t begin to understand how that is, but it works anyhow. Also, the dress she wore in that video is so gorgeous. I love her voice, and the music to that song is great. But… The lyrics. I hate the lyrics. The repetition, every now and then, every now and then, every now and then… It takes right out of it. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1983/701316/34 "2014-10-15T00:10:31Z")
OK, who voted for _Islands in the Stream_? 'Fess up. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1983/701316/35 "2014-10-15T00:17:47Z")
Hey, if you’re a country fan it’s about the closest you can come to a #1 for many years to come. I picked Beat It and I’m frankly shocked and annoyed that so many consider Billie Jean the better song. Hello! Did Eddie Van Halen do the solo for that song? Didn’t think so.🙂 ---
**Author:** ![dada2fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ccd318/32.png) [@dada2fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dada2fish)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1983/701316/36 "2014-10-15T00:32:16Z")
Like lots of you said, many contenders. This was my era. Although I’m the world’s biggest Bowie fan, I hated Let’s Dance. Eurythmics, Michael Jackson and Police are great picks. But there is only one song on there that I loved then and I still turn it up loud and sing along on the radio to this day… Africa- Toto ---
**Author:** ![Nema98](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d2c977/32.png) [@Nema98](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nema98)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1983/701316/37 "2014-10-15T01:06:04Z")
> [@dracoi](#): > > Too many good choices on this one. I think that if you gave me this poll once every six months, you’d find that my answer would be different based on my mood and what I’d listened to recently. In fact, let me just list the ones I would NEVER vote for: 4, 6, 13, 15, 16. > > In particular, I’m tempted to vote Michael Jackson… back in the day, I listened to Thriller over and over again until I wore the tape out and had to buy a new one. Beat It wins over Billy Jean because of the guitar. > > Eye of the Tiger is very tempting because it’s more rock-n-roll than the others… but then I’m reminded that it’s no “Rock of Ages” is it? The best rock didn’t make it to the top of the charts in the early 80’s. > > So I ultimately went with Africa by Toto. I have two 80’s-themed Pandora stations. Def Leppard is the seed for one of them, and Africa (that song specifically) is the seed for the other. “Eye of the Tiger” was from 1982, and it was number 1. ---
**Author:** ![Nema98](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d2c977/32.png) [@Nema98](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nema98)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1983/701316/38 "2014-10-15T01:09:16Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > I went with the powerhouse voice of Annie Lennox. That’s what a singer should sound like, rather than like a lot of what followed in later years. It is a shame that the Eurythmics are somewhat a forgotten 80’s band. Anyways I like most of these songs, even the Patti Austen and James Ingram duet and that is Lionel Ritchie single. The only ones I don’t like are the Michael Sembello and the Rogers/Parton duet. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1983/701316/39 "2014-10-15T01:26:05Z")
> [@suranyi](#): > > Just goes to show how tastes differ. I think that 13 out of the 17 songs on this list are pretty good, and some are great. Indeed, I don’t get the people who claim early '80s were _ **so** _ terrible. We’ve seen and will see worse. Again we have at least a nice sampling from different market segments. Several very distinctive tracks that are characteristic of the time and some excellent good production work. Sure, the year groans under the weight of MJ’s dominance: _Billie Jean_, _Beat It_, and even _Say, say, say_ in one of those inexplicable Macca duets. But it also brings to the chart what Sweet Dreams are made of and who are we to disagree with the goddess Annie Lennox; the Police with the theme song for the sensitive stalker/batterer:p; Bonnie every now and then falling apart; Eileen coming; blessed rains in Africa; women who glow and men who chunder (OK so this one is just for the fun factor). Once you narrow it down to 3 or 4 choices it gets tough… Hell, even Lionel Richie crosses over with something upbeat and light for a change before reverting to smarmy form the following year (y’know, if I read this right this dude was in a Pop #1 in one combination or another or solo every year but one between 1978 and 1985; maybe there’s something to smarmy balladeering…). ---
**Author:** ![Peanuthead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peanuthead/32/360_2.png) [@Peanuthead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peanuthead)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1983/701316/40 "2014-10-15T01:36:34Z")
_Sweet Dreams_ is the only one on the list that is in my collection so \*\*The Eurythmics \*\*get my vote. And they’re doing much better in the poll than I expected. Yay Annie! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1983/701316.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1983/701316.md?page=3)