Top 30 Songs of 1983 (2025)

The '80s were a decade of radical reinvention, and many of its predominant musical trends began to solidify in 1983.

It was a year that saw new wave and glam metal vying for public attention; that saw several of the previous decade's rock titans getting their careers back on track; and that found progressive and art-rock acts making forays into full-fledged pop territory.

It could be weird, garish and downright creepy — but also brilliant and exhilarating.Sample the year's highlights below in our list of the Top 30 Songs of 1983.

30. Billy Joel, "Uptown Girl"
From:An Innocent Man

Billy Joel paidtribute to the sounds of his adolescence onAn Innocent Man, evoking Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons on the Top 5 hit "Uptown Girl."The relentlessly upbeat melody is a world apart from 1982'sdownbeatThe Nylon Curtain, but the soaring backing vocals and infectious hooksmake "Uptown Girl" a pure pop triumph.

29. Styx, "Mr. Roboto"
From:Kilroy Was Here

Your enjoyment of "Mr. Roboto" depends largely on your sense of humor. If you try to take it seriously, you'll have a bad time. But if youaccept Dennis DeYoung'sbizarre robo-camp spectacle on its own terms, you'll have a blast.

28. Dio, "Holy Diver"
From: Holy Diver

After successful stints in Black Sabbath and Rainbow, Ronnie James Dio proved he was ready for solo stardom withHoly Diver, the debut album from his eponymous solo band. The title track is an all-time metal classic,a riff-heavy stomper given a stately elegance thanks to Dio's operatic vocals.

27. Elvis Costello, "Everyday I Write the Book"
From:Punch the Clock

Elvis Costello dismissed "Everyday I Write the Book" as "kind of a hack pop song," and "an exercise in writing that sort of bad Smokey Robinson song, with all the tricks of the trade." But the bespectacled rocker was downplaying hisown versatility. "Everyday I Write the Book" is a clever, delectable new wave-soul hybrid, and it granted Costello his first Top 40 hit in the U.S.

26. Nena, "99 Luftballons"
From:Nena

The original German lyrics to "99 Luftballons" tell a harrowing tale: A military general mistakes 99 balloons for UFOs and sends hispilots to investigate, thus prompting a full-scale war that leavesall sides devastated and without a victor. The poignant anti-war message is couchedin a bouncy new wavemelodystreaked with melancholy, and it ends with a haunting sendoff: "I've found a balloon / I think of you and let it fly."

25. Genesis, "That's All"
From:Genesis

Genesis pivoted from prog to pop on their self-titled album, as best heard on theTop 10 single "That's All." Anchored by a strutting piano riff and Phil Collins' snarling vocal, itexpertlymeldsGenesis'intricatesongwriting talents and mainstream pop ambitions.

24. Robert Plant, "Big Log"
From:The Principle of Moments

Robert Plant hit his stride on his sophomore solo album, which yielded two Top 40 hits in "Big Log" and "In the Mood." The former containsPlant's signature mystique and sensuality,filtered through a modern prism of synthesizers, drum machines and shimmering, clean guitars.

23. Elton John, "I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues"
From:Too Low for Zero

After a streak ofunderperforming albums, Elton John got back on track with the platinum-certifiedToo Low for Zero. Lead single "I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues" shows John at his best: jazzy piano, an R&B shuffle and a powerful-but-unfussy lead vocal. Stevie Wonder's yearning harmonica soloisthe icing on the cake.

22. Night Ranger, "Sister Christian"
From:Midnight Madness

It's easy to make fun of "Sister Christian," especiallyif you've seen it used in that iconic Boogie Nightsdrug deal scene. But if you suspend your prejudices for a moment, you'll be forced to admit that Night Ranger's biggest hit is an expertly crafted AOR ballad with a legendarily inscrutable lyric to boot.

21. Ozzy Osbourne, "Bark at the Moon"
From:Bark at the Moon

Ozzy Osbourne's career hung in the balance after the tragic, premature death of guitarist Randy Rhoads, but the Prince of Darknesspressed onward with the help ofaxman Jake E. Lee onBark at the Moon. The album's title track is astone-coldclassic, full of furious riffs, one of Ozzy's most lucid vocal performances and two epic solos that cemented Lee as aworthy successor to Rhoads' throne.

20. Duran Duran, "The Reflex"
From:Seven and the Ragged Tiger

Duran Duran embraced the sounds of sleek synth-pop on Seven and the Ragged Tiger, and its chart-topping single "The Reflex" is a sterling example.It'snot so much a sonic reinvention as a natural evolution,and itsdigitized percussion, plucky guitar work andping-ponging vocal hooks make it one of their mostindelibly catchy songs.

19. New Order, "Blue Monday"
From: Single

The throbbing kick drum announces itself.On "Blue Monday," New Order consummated their shift from Joy Division's postmortem post-punk to alternative dance pioneers. With its nonlinear structure, gooey synth-bass andBernard Sumner's robotic vocal delivery, the trackheralded a dance music revolution and remains the bestselling 12-inch single of all time.

18. Stevie Nicks, "Stand Back"
From:The Wild Heart

Stevie Nicks couldn't get Prince out of her mind, even on her wedding day. The singer was driving with her short-livedhusband Kim Anderson when the Purple One's "Little Red Corvette" came on the radio. Inspired by the melody and lush production,Nickswrote "Stand Back," a defiant pop-rock anthem with a pulsating groove and tastysynths courtesy of Prince himself. Steve Lukather also lent his talents to the star-studded track, whichgrantedNicks a Top 5 hit.

17. Kiss, "Lick It Up"
From:Lick It Up

Kiss desperately needed a win by 1983, hobbled by dwindling album sales and personnel shifts. They scoredit with "Lick It Up," a throbbing pop-metal anthemwhose video found the band members ditching their signature face paint.The songshowed a new side of Kiss, physically and musically, and proved they could hold their own against the younger rock acts they had directly influenced.

16. Yes, "Owner of a Lonely Heart"
From:90125

Yes erased all traces of their prog-rock past onthe glossy,synthetic chart-topper "Owner of a Lonely Heart," but that's not to say it lacks the band's signature. The sampled drum loops, crunchypower chords and synth-brass stabs sound impressively futuristic, and the soaring chorus put the band in the samestanding as Duran Duranor the similarly evolving Genesis. As far as sonic facelifts go, this is one of the decade's most successful.

15. Pat Benatar, "Love Is a Battlefield"
From:Live From Earth

Released as the lead single and one of two studio recordings off Live From Earth,"Love Is a Battlefield" strikes a perfect balance between Pat Benatar's hard-rocking origins and the predominant pop-rock sounds of the mid-'80s. Danceabledrums, synthesizer squalls and Neil Giraldo's shimmering lead guitar give the track a new wave bounce, while Benatar's explosive vocals keep it rooted in smoldering arena-rock territory.

14. Iron Maiden, "The Trooper"
From:Piece of Mind

No small feat following a breakthrough masterpiece likeThe Number of the Beast, but Iron Maiden caught lightning in a bottle yet again withPiece of Mind. "The Trooper," in particular, became one of the band's signature songs, and it's no mystery why. The band's signature rhythmic gallop,dual-lead guitars and Bruce Dickinson's banshee wail are all on proud display on this bloody battlefield anthem thattackles the folly of war.

13. Motley Crue, "Looks That Kill"
From:Shout at the Devil

Motley Crue was primed for the big leagues by the time they releasedShout at the Devil,refining Too Fast for Love'sglam-punk-metal hybrid with tighter performances and songwriting. Lead single "Looks That Kill" is a taut arena-metal stomper, sporting tense riffs fromMick Mars, relentless drumming from Tommy Lee and a feral vocal from Vince Neil. Decades later, it still sounds dangerous.

12. Metallica, "Seek & Destroy"
From:Kill 'Em All

Metallica didn't release "Seek & Destroy"as a single fromKill 'Em All, but it's nonetheless become the album's most popular song. It's easy to see why:The seven-minute thrasher features the blistering riffs, breakneck tempo changes and communal, rage-inciting vocals that would come to define the band'sbest work."Seek & Destroy" is a remarkably sophisticatedearly-thrash classic, delivered with the ferocity that only four 20-year-old street urchins could summon.

11. U2, "New Year's Day"
From:War

U2 had been building toward the epic, post-punk grandeur ofWar since their debut albumBoy arrived three years earlier. Lead single "New Year's Day" is a nervy, arena-readyrocker that, alongside "Two Hearts Beat as One" and "Sunday Bloody Sunday," helped shape the genre's direction in the '80s. The Edge's textural guitars addgravitas, while Bono's soaring vocalsraise a political consciousness that still resonates in music today.

10. Quiet Riot, "Cum on Feel the Noize"
From:Metal Health

Quiet Riotagreed to cover Slade's "Cum on Feel the Noize" with producer Spencer Proffer in exchange for studio time to record three of their originals. They originally planned to sabotage the performance, but they ended up recording such a strong first take that frontman Kevin DuBrow had no choice but to sing his heart out. Good thing, too, because "Cum on Feel the Noize" rightfully became one of Quiet Riot's signature hits, areadymade arena-rock anthem thathelped makeMetal Healththe first metal album to top the Billboard 200.

9. Eurythmics, "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)"
From:Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)

Annie Lennox was "totally depressed" and "curled up on the floor in the fetal position" at a dismal Eurythmics gig when an improvised synth line from bandmateDave Stewart piqued her interested. She leapt to her feet and started playing the other synth, and "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" was born.The dark, chillysynth riffs matchthe song'sbleak, nihilistic lyrics, which paint relationships asexploitative and parasitic.Yetthrough the darkness, the song's effervescent hooks shine, and the "hold your head up" bridge is a testament to the band's perseverance.

8. Journey, "Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)"
From:Frontiers

Don't let the dreadful music video fool you: "Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)" is peak Journey, anchored by Jonathan Cain's tense keyboard riff and Neal Schon's stabbing guitars. Steve Perry sells the drama with a vocal performance that's equal parts soaring and deliberately ragged: When he wails"Promises we made were in vain, in vain, in vain," his anguish is palpable.

7. John Mellencamp, "Pink Houses"
From:Uh-Huh

The brilliance of "Pink Houses" lies in its duality. Lyrically, it's astory about the myth of the American Dream, and the U.S. government's unwillingness to extend a hand tothose in need. But these nuances get swept awayin the deceptively ra-ra singalong chorus. Mellencamp envisions an America for everyone — but he's unflinching about its shortcomings.

6. Billy Idol, "Rebel Yell"
From:Rebel Yell

Years before Nirvana and Green Day were even a twinkle in the public's eye, Billy Idol helped launch punk into the mainstream withRebel Yell. The title track roars out of the gate with a vicious combination of lush, radio-ready synths and Steve Stevens' laser-like guitar. Idol's vocal fits the song title to a tee, as his melodic, muscular howlshoots the song into the stratosphere.

5. ZZ Top, "Sharp Dressed Man"
From:Eliminator

"Sharp Dressed Man" is the perfect synthesis of old-school and new-school ZZ Top: a four-minute tour de force of greasy blues-rock riffs, ass-shaking beats andsleek, futuristic production. Equally paramount to its success was its music video, whichwas in constant MTV rotation and remade ZZ Top into unlikely kings of cool. "Sharp-dressed depends on who you are," sagely bassist Dusty Hill told Spin in 1985. "It's all in your head. If you feel sharp, you be sharp."

4. David Bowie, "Let's Dance"
From:Let's Dance

Despite the mixed critical reception to David Bowie's Let's Dance, there's no denying the immediate impact of its title track, a dance floor-ready exhortation sweetened by Chic's Nile Rodgers.The unabashed post-disco instrumental melds with Bowie's chilly, disaffected vocals and Stevie Ray Vaughan's smoldering guitar solo to make one of the Thin White Duke's most beguiling concoctions.

3. Talking Heads, "Burning Down the House"
From: Speaking in Tongues

On their sole U.S. Top 10 hit, Talking Heads blend the sharp, artypost-punk of their early days with the funk and worldbeat excursions ofSpeaking in Tongues' predecessor,Remain in Light. The result is essentiallyan art-school take on a P-Funk song, complete with David Byrne'sslick white-boy raps. It soundssimultaneously nonsensical and dead serious — a microcosmof thedecade's best art.

2. Def Leppard, "Photograph"
From:Pyromania

Def Leppard spent years refining thedeceptively simple lead riff and stadium-sized chorus to "Photograph."When it finally clicked, magic happened. Like the rest of the star-makingPyromania, the song softens the band's harder edges with soaring pop hooks and Mutt Lange's rich, multilayered production. A singing guitar solo from Phil Collen sends it over the top. Def Leppard would score bigger hits in the future, but "Photograph" remains theirdefinitive anthem.

1. The Police, "Every Breath You Take"
From:Synchronicity

The Police's biggest hit is "an aggregate of hundreds of others," Sting once admitted, "but the words are interesting. It sounds like a comforting love song. I didn't realize at the time how sinister it is." The bandleader'saccidental stalker anthem only serves toemphasize theduelingimpulses of aperson unhealthily consumed by love. This conflict,which plays out over a hypnotic groove replete with Andy Summers' iconic guitar lick, makes "Every Breath You Take" one of the most darkly captivating hitsof not onlythe Police's oeuvre, but the entire decade.

Top 40 Albums of 1983

Pop, new wave, punk and rock collided in a year that opened possibilities.

Gallery Credit: Michael Gallucci

Top 30 Songs of 1983 (2025)

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