Top songs of 1983

What was the number one song of 1983?

The number one song of 1983 was “Every Breath You Take” by The Police, the top song on Billboard's year-end Hot 100 for 1983. It spent 8 weeks at number one on the weekly chart, starting with the chart dated July 9, 1983.

“Every Breath You Take” by The Police was number one for the most weeks of 1983: 8 of the year's 53 weekly charts, starting with the chart dated July 9, 1983.

Born in 1983? The birthday number one finder shows the song at number one in the exact week of your birthday, and the number one on every birthday since.

Chart data: Billboard Hot 100, as compiled on Wikipedia (number ones of 1983, year-end Hot 100 of 1983).

How many songs reached number one in 1983?

16 songs reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time in 1983. Counting “Maneater”, which was already at number one when the year began, 17 songs held the top spot across the year's 53 weekly charts.

Of the songs that first reached number one in 1983, “Every Breath You Take” by The Police stayed there longest: 8 weeks in total, from the chart dated July 9, 1983.

Weeks at No. 1 counts every week the song spent at the top, including weeks in other years; the number in brackets is the weeks on charts dated 1983. Dates are chart issue dates.

Which artists had more than one number one in 1983?

Michael Jackson was the only act with more than one number one in 1983, counting lead and featured credits: “Billie Jean”, “Beat It” and “Say Say Say”.

What were the biggest songs of 1983?

The five biggest songs of 1983 on Billboard’s year-end Hot 100 were “Every Breath You Take” by The Police, “Billie Jean” by Michael Jackson, “Flashdance... What a Feeling” by Irene Cara, “Down Under” by Men at Work and “Beat It” by Michael Jackson.

The year-end chart ranks songs by how they performed on the weekly Hot 100 across Billboard’s chart year, so a song that peaked late in the year can rank lower than its weekly peak suggests, or count toward the next year’s list. The top 30 below show each song’s length where we could match the recording.

Numbers 31 to 100

31. “Puttin' on the Ritz” Taco
32. “Sexual Healing” Marvin Gaye
33. “(Keep Feeling) Fascination” The Human League
34. “Time (Clock of the Heart)” Culture Club
35. “The Safety Dance” Men Without Hats
36. “Mickey” Toni Basil
37. “You Can't Hurry Love” Phil Collins
38. “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)” Journey
39. “One on One” Daryl Hall & John Oates
40. “We've Got Tonight” Kenny Rogers and Sheena Easton
41. “1999” Prince
42. “Stray Cat Strut” Stray Cats
43. “Allentown” Billy Joel
44. “Stand Back” Stevie Nicks
45. “Tell Her About It” Billy Joel
46. “Always Something There to Remind Me” Naked Eyes
47. “Truly” Lionel Richie
48. “Dirty Laundry” Don Henley
49. “The Girl Is Mine” Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney
50. “Too Shy” Kajagoogoo
51. “Goody Two-Shoes” Adam Ant
52. “Rock the Casbah” The Clash
53. “Our House” Madness
54. “Overkill” Men at Work
55. “Is There Something I Should Know?” Duran Duran
56. “Gloria” Laura Branigan
57. “Affair of the Heart” Rick Springfield
58. “She's a Beauty” The Tubes
59. “Solitaire” Laura Branigan
60. “Don't Let It End” Styx
61. “How Am I Supposed to Live Without You” Laura Branigan
62. “China Girl” David Bowie
63. “Come Dancing” The Kinks
64. “Promises, Promises” Naked Eyes
65. “The Other Guy” Little River Band
66. “Making Love Out of Nothing at All” Air Supply
67. “Family Man” Daryl Hall & John Oates
68. “Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'” Michael Jackson
69. “I Won't Hold You Back” Toto
70. “All Right” Christopher Cross
71. “Straight from the Heart” Bryan Adams
72. “Heart to Heart” Kenny Loggins
73. “My Love” Lionel Richie
74. “I'm Still Standing” Elton John
75. “Hot Girls in Love” Loverboy
76. “It's a Mistake” Men at Work
77. “I'll Tumble 4 Ya” Culture Club
78. “All This Love” DeBarge
79. “Your Love Is Driving Me Crazy” Sammy Hagar
80. “Heartbreaker” Dionne Warwick
81. “Faithfully” Journey
82. “Steppin' Out” Joe Jackson
83. “Take Me to Heart” Quarterflash
84. “(She's) Sexy + 17” Stray Cats
85. “Try Again” Champaign
86. “Dead Giveaway” Shalamar
87. “Lawyers in Love” Jackson Browne
88. “What About Me” Moving Pictures
89. “Human Nature” Michael Jackson
90. “Photograph” Def Leppard
91. “Pass the Dutchie” Musical Youth
92. “True” Spandau Ballet
93. “Far from Over” Frank Stallone
94. “I've Got a Rock 'n' Roll Heart” Eric Clapton
95. “It Might Be You” Stephen Bishop
96. “Tonight, I Celebrate My Love” Peabo Bryson and Roberta Flack
97. “You Got Lucky” Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
98. “Don't Cry” Asia
99. “Breaking Us in Two” Joe Jackson
100. “Fall in Love with Me” Earth, Wind & Fire

Chart data: Billboard Hot 100, as compiled on Wikipedia (number ones of 1983, year-end Hot 100 of 1983).

What songs should go on a 1983 mix CD?

A 1983 mix that fits one 80-minute CD holds 18 of the year's biggest songs, opening with “Maneater” by Daryl Hall & John Oates and closing with “Total Eclipse of the Heart” by Bonnie Tyler, for 77:43 of music.

We built it from the year-end top 30 and every number one of 1983, taking songs in year-end order until the disc was full, then sequenced it to follow the year: the number ones in the order they reached the top, with the year’s other big hits placed between them. With a 2-second gap before each track it runs 78:19, under the 79 minutes we fill a CD to.

Lengths are the recordings matched in Deezer’s catalog. Single edits, album versions and remasters can run a little longer or shorter, so check your own playlist before you burn it.

Turn 1983 into a CD. Send us this list, or your own 1983 songs, and we burn it to a real audio CD, test-play it and post it. It makes a good gift for a birth year, a graduation year or a wedding year.

To change the songs, paste the list into the playlist length calculator to keep it under 80 minutes, then print an insert with the CD case template. Our guide to making a mixtape covers sequencing, and nostalgic gift ideas has more ways to give a year as a present.

What was popular music like in the 1980s?

Popular music in the 1980s was led by pop stars built for music video, with synth-pop, arena rock, dance-pop and big ballads sharing the top of the chart. MTV launched in August 1981, and acts such as Michael Jackson, Madonna, Prince and Whitney Houston became the decade's biggest names.

From 1980 to 1989, 231 songs reached number one on the Hot 100, and 1 song stayed there for 10 weeks or more. Of those 231, “Physical” by Olivia Newton-John spent the most weeks at number one: 10 in total. Michael Jackson had the most number ones that reached the top in these years, with 9. The typical number one of these years ran 4:13 (the median of the 202 with a known length).