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1983 Music Hits: Michael Jackson, New Wave, Movie Songs, Rock, R&B, and Early MTV Energy

1983 music hits captured the moment when MTV, radio, dance floors, and movie soundtracks all started pulling pop culture in the same direction. Michael Jackson was everywhere, new wave had moved into the mainstream, rock bands were still filling arenas, and R&B, funk, and early hip-hop were reshaping what pop radio could sound like.

This was the year of It’s Raining Men, Come On Eileen, Billie Jean, Electric Avenue, Flashdance… What a Feeling, Rock the Casbah, 1999, Beat It, Sexual Healing, and Every Breath You Take. The music of 1983 had big hooks, bright videos, dramatic ballads, dance-floor grooves, and enough synthesizers to make a keyboard salesman feel personally validated.

The songs below mix major chart hits, MTV staples, soundtrack songs, rock anthems, R&B grooves, new wave favorites, and a few gloriously strange “only in 1983” moments. This was a year where Mr. Roboto, Rockit, Maniac, and Total Eclipse of the Heart could all share oxygen. That is not a playlist; that is a glorious traffic jam.

Top 10 Songs of 1983

  1. It’s Raining Men – The Weather Girls
  2. Come On Eileen – Dexys Midnight Runners
  3. Billie Jean – Michael Jackson
  4. Electric Avenue – Eddy Grant
  5. Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’ – Michael Jackson
  6. Flashdance… What a Feeling – Irene Cara
  7. Rock the Casbah – The Clash
  8. Bang the Drum All Day – Todd Rundgren
  9. You and I – Eddie Rabbitt & Crystal Gayle
  10. Ain’t Nobody – Rufus & Chaka Khan

1983 Music Hits by Style

Pop, MTV Favorites, and Mainstream Radio Hits

Pop music in 1983 was becoming more visual, more colorful, and more tied to music videos. Michael Jackson’s Billie Jean, Beat It, and Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’ helped make Thriller the central pop event of the year, while Culture Club, Prince, Lionel Richie, Billy Joel, Duran Duran, and Bonnie Tyler helped fill radio with songs that sounded huge.

This was also a year when pop could be playful, dramatic, romantic, or completely theatrical. A catchy chorus mattered, but a memorable video or visual identity could push a song even further. 1983 was not just about listening to music; it was about watching it, too.

  • Billie Jean – Michael Jackson
  • Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’ – Michael Jackson
  • Beat It – Michael Jackson
  • Come On Eileen – Dexys Midnight Runners
  • Electric Avenue – Eddy Grant
  • Do You Really Want to Hurt Me – Culture Club
  • I’ll Tumble 4 Ya – Culture Club
  • 1999 – Prince
  • Little Red Corvette – Prince
  • All Night Long (All Night) – Lionel Richie
  • Tell Her About It – Billy Joel
  • Uptown Girl – Billy Joel
  • Total Eclipse of the Heart – Bonnie Tyler
  • Hungry Like the Wolf – Duran Duran
  • Rio – Duran Duran

Rock, Arena Rock, and Guitar-Driven Hits

Rock in 1983 had plenty of power, from arena acts to polished radio rock. Journey had a major presence with Separate Ways (Worlds Apart) and Faithfully, while Def Leppard’s Rock of Ages and Photograph helped push the band deeper into mainstream American rock culture. ZZ Top, Styx, Billy Idol, Quiet Riot, Genesis, Don Henley, and The Greg Kihn Band gave the year a strong guitar-driven backbone.

Some rock songs leaned dramatic, some leaned fun, and some came with videos that looked like they were filmed in a foggy warehouse with a heroic wind machine. That was not a complaint in 1983; that was production value.

  • Separate Ways (Worlds Apart) – Journey
  • Rock of Ages – Def Leppard
  • Photograph – Def Leppard
  • Faithfully – Journey
  • Sharp Dressed Man – ZZ Top
  • Mr. Roboto – Styx
  • White Wedding – Billy Idol
  • Cum On Feel the Noize – Quiet Riot
  • Jeopardy – The Greg Kihn Band
  • Dirty Laundry – Don Henley
  • Mama – Genesis
  • I Don’t Care Anymore – Phil Collins
  • Rock ’n’ Roll Is King – Electric Light Orchestra
  • She’s a Beauty – The Tubes

New Wave, Alternative, and College Rock

New wave and alternative sounds were all over in 1983. The Clash, Modern English, Men at Work, Madness, The Police, Talking Heads, The Fixx, INXS, Berlin, The Psychedelic Furs, R.E.M., and Wall of Voodoo gave the year a smart, quirky, and often stylish edge. These songs helped make early MTV feel strange, exciting, and far less predictable than standard radio.

This was also a key period for college rock and alternative music. R.E.M.’s Radio Free Europe, U2’s New Year’s Day, and Talking Heads’ Burning Down the House pointed toward where rock would go later in the decade and into the 1990s. The “weird stuff” was getting harder to ignore, which was bad news for boring playlists.

  • Rock the Casbah – The Clash
  • I Melt with You – Modern English
  • Down Under – Men at Work
  • New Year’s Day – U2
  • Our House – Madness
  • Every Breath You Take – The Police
  • Rio – Duran Duran
  • Love My Way – The Psychedelic Furs
  • Radio Free Europe – R.E.M.
  • Burning Down the House – Talking Heads
  • One Thing Leads to Another – The Fixx
  • A Million Miles Away – The Plimsouls
  • Love Is a Stranger – Eurythmics
  • Mexican Radio – Wall of Voodoo
  • Don’t Change – INXS
  • The Metro – Berlin

Dance, Club, Electro, and Synth-Pop

Dance and electronic music had a major year in 1983. Herbie Hancock’s Rockit brought scratching and electronic funk into the pop spotlight, while Midnight Star’s Freak-A-Zoid, Newcleus-adjacent electro sounds, and Club House’s Do It Again/Billie Jean showed how dance music was playing with technology, rhythm, and remix culture.

Synth-pop was also everywhere. Men Without Hats, Kajagoogoo, Heaven 17, Ultravox, Eurythmics, Berlin, and Haysi Fantayzee helped define the stylish keyboard-heavy side of the year. In 1983, keyboards were not background instruments; they were basically renting the apartment.

  • It’s Raining Men – The Weather Girls
  • Rockit – Herbie Hancock
  • The Safety Dance – Men Without Hats
  • Freak-A-Zoid – Midnight Star
  • She Blinded Me with Science – Thomas Dolby
  • Too Shy – Kajagoogoo
  • Let Me Go – Heaven 17
  • Reap the Wild Wind – Ultravox
  • Love Is a Stranger – Eurythmics
  • Space Age Love Song – A Flock of Seagulls
  • Goody Two Shoes – Adam Ant
  • Do It Again/Billie Jean – Club House
  • Sex (I’m A…) – Berlin
  • Shiny Shiny – Haysi Fantayzee

R&B, Soul, Funk, and Quiet Storm

R&B and soul had a strong and smooth presence in 1983. Marvin Gaye’s Sexual Healing remained one of the year’s defining slow-groove hits, while Rufus & Chaka Khan’s Ain’t Nobody became a funk and R&B classic. Lionel Richie, George Benson, Al Jarreau, DeBarge, Mtume, Stacy Lattisaw, and Robert Palmer helped give the year a polished soul and quiet storm feel.

Funk also had plenty of room to breathe. The S.O.S. Band, Midnight Star, Kool & The Gang, and Herbie Hancock brought rhythm, groove, and electronic textures into the year’s R&B mix. The slow jams were smooth, the funk was sharp, and the basslines were fully employed.

  • Ain’t Nobody – Rufus & Chaka Khan
  • Sexual Healing – Marvin Gaye
  • Inside Love (So Personal) – George Benson
  • All Night Long (All Night) – Lionel Richie
  • Let’s Go Dancin’ (Ooh La, La, La) – Kool & The Gang
  • Boogie Down – Al Jarreau
  • Mornin’ – Al Jarreau
  • Just Be Good to Me – The S.O.S. Band
  • I Like It – DeBarge
  • Freak-A-Zoid – Midnight Star
  • She Works Hard for the Money – Donna Summer
  • Juicy Fruit – Mtume
  • Miracles – Stacy Lattisaw
  • You Are in My System – Robert Palmer

Movie Soundtrack Hits and Pop Culture Songs

Movie soundtracks were a major part of 1983 music. Irene Cara’s Flashdance… What a Feeling and Michael Sembello’s Maniac made Flashdance one of the year’s biggest pop-culture forces. Lindsey Buckingham’s Holiday Road became closely tied to National Lampoon’s Vacation, while Meco’s Ewok Celebration carried the Return of the Jedi moment into pop novelty territory.

Soundtracks helped make songs feel bigger than radio hits. They came attached to dance scenes, movie trailers, summer comedies, and sci-fi fandom. 1983 understood that a good hook was even better when it had a movie poster behind it.

  • Flashdance… What a Feeling – Irene Cara
  • Maniac – Michael Sembello
  • Holiday Road – Lindsey Buckingham
  • Ewok Celebration – Meco
  • Bang the Drum All Day – Todd Rundgren
  • Puttin’ on the Ritz – Taco
  • She Blinded Me with Science – Thomas Dolby
  • Rockit – Herbie Hancock

Adult Contemporary, Pop Ballads, and Slow Dance Favorites

The softer side of 1983 was loaded with ballads and adult contemporary favorites. Kenny Rogers & Sheena Easton, Peabo Bryson & Roberta Flack, Journey, Spandau Ballet, Air Supply, Bonnie Tyler, and Billy Joel gave the year plenty of slow-dance material. These songs were dramatic, polished, and often built for big emotional payoffs.

Total Eclipse of the Heart may be the most theatrical of the bunch, but 1983 had no shortage of serious feelings. If a song could make someone stare out a window while holding a landline phone, this year probably had room for it.

  • You and I – Eddie Rabbitt & Crystal Gayle
  • We’ve Got Tonight – Kenny Rogers & Sheena Easton
  • Tonight, I Celebrate My Love – Peabo Bryson & Roberta Flack
  • Faithfully – Journey
  • True – Spandau Ballet
  • Making Love Out of Nothing at All – Air Supply
  • Total Eclipse of the Heart – Bonnie Tyler
  • Every Breath You Take – The Police
  • Goodnight Saigon – Billy Joel
  • Mornin’ – Al Jarreau
  • Inside Love (So Personal) – George Benson

Classic Rock Veterans and Legacy Artists

1983 still had plenty of established artists shaping the charts. Elton John, Todd Rundgren, David Bowie, Billy Joel, Peter Gabriel, Donna Summer, Don Henley, Phil Collins, Genesis, and Electric Light Orchestra all appeared with songs that kept veteran artists very much in the conversation.

Some of these artists adapted easily to MTV and early-’80s production styles. Others simply kept writing strong songs that worked with or without video polish. The new wave was rising, but the veterans still knew where the studio doors were.

  • Bang the Drum All Day – Todd Rundgren
  • Kiss the Bride – Elton John
  • Shock the Monkey – Peter Gabriel
  • Let’s Dance – David Bowie
  • Tell Her About It – Billy Joel
  • Uptown Girl – Billy Joel
  • Goodnight Saigon – Billy Joel
  • She Works Hard for the Money – Donna Summer
  • Dirty Laundry – Don Henley
  • Mama – Genesis
  • I Don’t Care Anymore – Phil Collins
  • Rock ’n’ Roll Is King – Electric Light Orchestra

Novelty, Party, and “Only in 1983” Songs

Some 1983 songs became pop-culture oddities in the best possible way. It’s Raining Men turned into a party anthem with a long afterlife, while Bang the Drum All Day became the unofficial soundtrack for anyone who had ever considered quitting work for percussion. Mr. Roboto, She Blinded Me with Science, Puttin’ on the Ritz, and Mexican Radio gave the year its stranger and more theatrical side.

These songs helped make 1983 feel unpredictable. It was a year where serious ballads, robotic voices, movie themes, synth experiments, and full-force party songs could all land on the same chart. Music history did not file things neatly, and frankly, that is why it is fun.

  • It’s Raining Men – The Weather Girls
  • Bang the Drum All Day – Todd Rundgren
  • Mr. Roboto – Styx
  • She Blinded Me with Science – Thomas Dolby
  • Puttin’ on the Ritz – Taco
  • Mexican Radio – Wall of Voodoo
  • Ewok Celebration – Meco
  • Shiny Shiny – Haysi Fantayzee

PCM’s 1983 Top 100 Music Hits Chart

  1. It’s Raining Men – The Weather Girls
  2. Come On Eileen – Dexys Midnight Runners
  3. Billie Jean – Michael Jackson
  4. Electric Avenue – Eddy Grant
  5. Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’ – Michael Jackson
  6. Flashdance… What a Feeling – Irene Cara
  7. Rock the Casbah – The Clash
  8. Bang the Drum All Day – Todd Rundgren
  9. You and I – Eddie Rabbitt & Crystal Gayle
  10. Ain’t Nobody – Rufus & Chaka Khan
  11. Separate Ways (Worlds Apart) – Journey
  12. Kiss the Bride – Elton John
  13. Let’s Go Dancin’ (Ooh La, La, La) – Kool & The Gang
  14. 1999 – Prince
  15. I Melt with You – Modern English
  16. Down Under – Men at Work
  17. Beat It – Michael Jackson
  18. We’ve Got Tonight – Kenny Rogers & Sheena Easton
  19. Sexual Healing – Marvin Gaye
  20. Do You Really Want to Hurt Me – Culture Club
  21. Rock of Ages – Def Leppard
  22. (She’s) Sexy + 17 – Stray Cats
  23. Candy Girl – New Edition
  24. Little Red Corvette – Prince
  25. New Year’s Day – U2
  26. Tonight, I Celebrate My Love – Peabo Bryson & Roberta Flack
  27. Photograph – Def Leppard
  28. Faithfully – Journey
  29. True – Spandau Ballet
  30. Inside Love (So Personal) – George Benson
  31. All Night Long (All Night) – Lionel Richie
  32. Pass the Dutchie – Musical Youth
  33. The Safety Dance – Men Without Hats
  34. Sharp Dressed Man – ZZ Top
  35. Boogie Down – Al Jarreau
  36. Our House – Madness
  37. Mr. Roboto – Styx
  38. White Wedding – Billy Idol
  39. I’ll Tumble 4 Ya – Culture Club
  40. Making Love Out of Nothing at All – Air Supply
  41. Mornin’ – Al Jarreau
  42. Rockit – Herbie Hancock
  43. Tell Her About It – Billy Joel
  44. Total Eclipse of the Heart – Bonnie Tyler
  45. The Look of Love – ABC
  46. Shock the Monkey – Peter Gabriel
  47. Let’s Dance – David Bowie
  48. Just Be Good to Me – The S.O.S. Band
  49. Every Breath You Take – The Police
  50. Rio – Duran Duran
  51. I Like It – DeBarge
  52. Freak-A-Zoid – Midnight Star
  53. Bad Boys – Wham!
  54. She Works Hard for the Money – Donna Summer
  55. Gimme All Your Lovin’ – ZZ Top
  56. Just Got Lucky – JoBoxers
  57. Uptown Girl – Billy Joel
  58. Stray Cat Strut – Stray Cats
  59. She Blinded Me with Science – Thomas Dolby
  60. Cum On Feel the Noize – Quiet Riot
  61. Maniac – Michael Sembello
  62. Puttin’ on the Ritz – Taco
  63. The Monkey Time – The Tubes
  64. Love My Way – The Psychedelic Furs
  65. Change – Tears for Fears
  66. Radio Free Europe – R.E.M.
  67. Let Me Go – Heaven 17
  68. Goodnight Saigon – Billy Joel
  69. Reap the Wild Wind – Ultravox
  70. Burning Down the House – Talking Heads
  71. Too Shy – Kajagoogoo
  72. Jeopardy – The Greg Kihn Band
  73. Holiday Road – Lindsey Buckingham
  74. One Thing Leads to Another – The Fixx
  75. A Million Miles Away – The Plimsouls
  76. Dirty Laundry – Don Henley
  77. Mama – Genesis
  78. Love Is a Stranger – Eurythmics
  79. I Do – The J. Geils Band
  80. Hungry Like the Wolf – Duran Duran
  81. Space Age Love Song – A Flock of Seagulls
  82. Miracles – Stacy Lattisaw
  83. She’s a Beauty – The Tubes
  84. I Don’t Care Anymore – Phil Collins
  85. Juicy Fruit – Mtume
  86. Goody Two Shoes – Adam Ant
  87. Mexican Radio – Wall of Voodoo
  88. Escalator of Life – Robert Hazard
  89. Rock ’n’ Roll Is King – Electric Light Orchestra
  90. Do It Again/Billie Jean – Club House
  91. Poison Arrow – ABC
  92. This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody) – Talking Heads
  93. The Salt in My Tears – Martin Briley
  94. You Are in My System – Robert Palmer
  95. Sex (I’m A…) – Berlin
  96. Don’t Change – INXS
  97. The Metro – Berlin
  98. Ewok Celebration – Meco
  99. Shy Boy (Don’t It Make You Feel Good) – Bananarama
  100. Shiny Shiny – Haysi Fantayzee