Sigh. As we get older, we tend to reminisce. A lot. You just wait, Gen Z and Gen Alpha. You’ll be thinking back to the songs you grew up with one of these days. We Generation Xers are the storyteller/remember when demographic these days. “You don’t know nothin’ about Kajagoogoo!” is our “Get off my lawn!” battlecry in 2023.
Speaking of specific years, let’s go back 40 years to 1983. What were the hottest songs in the country (on the radio) back then? Well, let me backup. Why am I writing about 1983? Because, this was a year where late stage Baby Boomers and early stage Gen Xers were listening to and digging the same music. This was a year we both remember music with nearly the same fondness. So, ‘83 works. According to Billboard, there were three songs that were the biggest in America during the week of June 18th. Below is a list of those hits, plus what my thoughts were about them as a kid and my thoughts about them now. If you have your own analysis of these songs, feel free to contact me at grgsmmsjr@gmail.com.
1. Flashdance…What A Feeling. Irene Cara. Me in 1983: “I have a crush on Irene Cara.”
Me in 2023: This is a great soundtrack cut, and a stealth summer song. This is a very well produced pop hit. And I still have a crush on Irene Cara. R.I.P.
2. Time (Clock Of The Heart). Culture Club. Me in 1983: I saw this video on MTV every day in the summer of ‘83, so that helped with me liking the song a lot.
Me in 2023: This is a fantastic single. Boy George was a great pop/R&B singer, and this song is a bit funkier than I realized in 1983. A fully deserved classic cut.
3. Let’s Dance. David Bowie. Me in 1983: I loved this song. This was also another single that got massive airplay on MTV, so you couldn’t escape it if you tried.
Me in 2023: This is a killer song. Bowie working with music super-producer (especially in 1983) Nile Rodgers was a masterstroke of an idea. Let’s Dance is one of the best and biggest post-disco cuts ever made. There’s a reason why it ended up being the biggest selling single of Bowie’s career. In ‘83, it’s sound was fresh and daring, things Bowie was for most of his career. How influential is this record? Ask this guy.
