The Only 1983 Playlist that Matters: The (Mainstream) Empire Strikes Back

1983 was one of those pivotal years when a new generation of kids took over and embraced a new generation of music. It was the first year that GenXers graduated high school and with the rise of MTV and few had time for the hoary, hairy heroes of yesteryear.

So while a host of acts found themselves on the wrong side of the generational divide, a number of the smarter dogs were able to learn some new tricks and stay atop the charts. It was all very exciting, since you had the New Wave pulling in influences from both disco and rock -- bitter rivals in the early 80s-- and creating this incredibly huge middle ground where all sorts of influences could meet and exchange musical body fluids.

We've already looked in great depth at what Bowie and The Police were serving up in '83, so let's have a look at how the Mainstream was striking back at the New Wave insurgency...

The Only 1983 Playlist that Matters: Synthetic Pop Pleasures

You can’t talk about 1983 without talking about Eurythmics, who bookended the year with two big hit LPs Sweet Dreams and Touch. Their sound wasn’t anything new for the genre but was certainly a bracing shock to be hearing on Top 40 radio at the time.

The Only 1983 Playlist That Matters: Rad New Wave Hitz 4U!

  

I was originally planning to do a single playlist for 1983. I ended up creating six. As it happens 1983 was even more pivotal a year than I'd expected. There was so much going on in so many different genres that I realized how much 1983 had spoiled me for every year that followed it. 

I mean, this 1983 excursion is going to have nearly as many songs as the 90s megalist. That's how pivotal a year it was. 

1983 4EVER: You Will Know Synchronicity

 

Whether you loved it or hated it, there’s no talking about 1983 without talking about the Police’s mega-smash Synchronicity, released 38 years ago last Thursday. The album even knocked Michael Jackson’s mighty Thriller off the top of the Billboard charts, a position it reached no less than 17 times. 

1983 4Ever: Dreams Stay with You

My obsession with Scottish post-punk probably began the first time I heard John McGeoch's guitar, but certainly reached an apogee with Big Country. 

I first heard them in September of 1983 during the height of the New British Invasion/synth pop craze and almost immediately ran out to buy their debut The Crossing at the old Quincy Records off the main drag in Quincy Square. I remember actually being afraid that if I didn't get the album right away they might disappear back into the ether somehow. It was that kind of year.

"The Only Difference is That They Didn't Have Electricity"

The exact same thing as the ancient Mystery festivals.

'Tis the season for celebrated mythology: The Secret History of Rock 'N' Roll