My Top 40 Fave Top 40 Hits Year By Year...

 

Thanks to lockdown and a whole lot of time on my hands, I thought I'd do something original. An idea, which I've absolutely not stolen from anyone else on Buzzjack (sorry Jade :kink: }. I've compiled my own lists of favourite Top 40 hits of each year starting from when I was born. UK Top 40 hits only (otherwise the lists would be much bigger) and the hit must have reached its peak position within the year. I also planned on doing in-depth commentary for every track, until I realised I couldn't be arsed.

 

So, 1981 then.

 

At the start of the year, my parents were busy preparing for my entrance into the world and were full of hope, dreams and optimism. Even in the womb I must have realised this and would go on to set out on a heroic journey of dashing all these hopes and dreams at every given opportunity. In June, after many hours of painful labour, I was expelled from my mother's womb, two months earlier than planned, screaming and crying my little eyes out. Mum and Dad were overjoyed. It's just as well, as I continued screaming and crying for the next five years. There were complications surrounding my birth, which explains a lot. Still, my parents' dreams of starting a family became a reality, and off we went to settle in Walthamstow of all places.

Mum and Dad loved music and followed the charts, a love I inherited early on. I also inherited IBS, psoriasis and bipolar, (I would have preferred money). Even today, my Dad will phone me, raving about a new Calvin Harris song and wondering if Heart FM has any records on its playlist not by Ed Sheeran. Pop, and Top Of The Pops especially, was something that bonded us, and without meaning to sound all soppy, they're memories I'll always cherish.

 

So, these are my favourite Top 40 hits of 1981

 

1. Human League - Don't You Want Me

2. Visage - Fade To Grey

3. Teardrop Explodes – Reward

4. Yoko Ono – Walking On Thin Ice

5. Tenpole Tudor – Swords Of A Thousand Men

6. Abba – One Of Us

7. Queen & David Bowie – Under Pressure

8. Tom Tom Club – Wordy Rappinghood

9. Blondie – Rapture

10. Godley & Crème – Under Your Thumb

11. Kim Wilde – Cambodia

12. Spandau Ballet – Musclebound

13. Adam & The Ants – Stand And Deliver

14. Soft Cell – Bedsitter

15. Human League – Love Action (I Believe In Love)

16. Roxy Music – Jealous Guy

17. Adam & The Ants – Kings Of The Wild Frontier

18. Talking Heads – Once In A Lifetime

19. Dollar – Hand Held In Black And White

20. Abba – Lay All Your Love On Me

21. Spandau Ballet – Chant No.1 (Don’t Need This Pressure On)

22. Ultravox – Vienna

23. Kim Carnes – Bette Davis Eyes

24. Toyah – Thunder In The Mountains

25. Kim Wilde – Chequered Love

26. Phil Collins – In The Air Tonight

27. Freeez – Southern Freeez

28. Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark – Souvenir

29. Human League – Sound Of The Crowd

30. Olivia Newton John – Physical

31. Odyssey – Going Back To My Roots

32. Landscape – Einstein A Go Go

33. Adam & The Ants – Prince Charming

34. Kim Wilde – Kids In America

35. Aneka – Japanese Boy

36. Madness - Grey Day

37. Kiki Dee - Star

38. Michael Jackson – One Day In Your Life

39. Specials – Ghost Town

40. Shalamar – Make That Move

Edited September 16, 20204 yr by AH Gold

Hi AH, awww love the little autobiog intro :heart: Sorry you started with so many probs to deal with for a littlun, but music is the be-all in life, so say I! :cheer:

 

That's a pretty-much flawless choice of records there! Musclebound wouldnt feature near my top 100 of 1981, Bedsitter and Make That Move would just miss out, but the majority would also make my top 40 of 1981 too. :wub: Fab!

An idea, which I've absolutely not stolen from anyone else on Buzzjack (sorry Jade :kink: }

:lol: the impact *.* no worries, I'm excited to see what comes up for each year!

 

My favourites from this first list:

 

1. Human League - Don't You Want Me

2. Visage - Fade To Grey

6. Abba – One Of Us

7. Queen & David Bowie – Under Pressure

13. Adam & The Ants – Stand And Deliver

16. Roxy Music – Jealous Guy

20. Abba – Lay All Your Love On Me

22. Ultravox – Vienna

26. Phil Collins – In The Air Tonight

30. Olivia Newton John – Physical

33. Adam & The Ants – Prince Charming

34. Kim Wilde – Kids In America

35. Aneka – Japanese Boy

38. Michael Jackson – One Day In Your Life

39. Specials – Ghost Town

 

Some proper classics in that line-up *.* I recently bought a TOTP dvd that showed a performance from every year between its inception and 2004, as an anniversary thing and it really reignited my love for 'Don't You Want Me' all over again! Fantastic #1 <3

 

'Lay All Your Love On Me' is my fave ABBA song *.*

Great list mate some amazing pop hits in 1981!

 

Jade, was the Human League performance the one from the Xmas edition when they were getting covered with party poppers at the end of the performance?

I don't remember the Yoko Ono and Shalamar songs but otherwise I like every song on that list. As I did with Jade's thread,I will add my own top 20 from the year of songs that made the UK top 40.

 

1. Ultravox - Vienna

2. ELO - Twilight

3. Phil Collins - In The Air Tonight

4. Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark - Souvenir

5. Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark - Joan Of Arc

6. Queen & David Bowie - Under Pressure

7. Visage - Fade To Grey

8. Ultravox - All Stood Still

9. Abba - One Of Us

10. Ultravox - The Thin Wall

11. Hazel O'Connor - Will You

12. Ultravox - The Voice

13. Godley & Creme - Under Your Thumb

14. Landscape - Einstein A Go-Go

15. Human League - Open Your Heart

16. Dave Stewart & Barbara Gaskin - It's My Party

17. Talking Heads - Once In A Lifetime

18. Teardrop Explodes - Reward

19. New Order - Everything's Gone Green

20. Kim Wilde - Cambodia

 

Hi AH, awww love the little autobiog intro :heart: Sorry you started with so many probs to deal with for a littlun, but music is the be-all in life, so say I! :cheer:

 

That's a pretty-much flawless choice of records there! Musclebound wouldnt feature near my top 100 of 1981, Bedsitter and Make That Move would just miss out, but the majority would also make my top 40 of 1981 too. :wub: Fab!

 

Cheers John :heart: Musclebound is an unusual choice, I grant you, but I've always loved it.

 

Glad you like the mini autobiog. Be warned, there's more to come :lol:

:lol: the impact *.* no worries, I'm excited to see what comes up for each year!

 

My favourites from this first list:

 

1. Human League - Don't You Want Me

2. Visage - Fade To Grey

6. Abba – One Of Us

7. Queen & David Bowie – Under Pressure

13. Adam & The Ants – Stand And Deliver

16. Roxy Music – Jealous Guy

20. Abba – Lay All Your Love On Me

22. Ultravox – Vienna

26. Phil Collins – In The Air Tonight

30. Olivia Newton John – Physical

33. Adam & The Ants – Prince Charming

34. Kim Wilde – Kids In America

35. Aneka – Japanese Boy

38. Michael Jackson – One Day In Your Life

39. Specials – Ghost Town

 

Some proper classics in that line-up *.* I recently bought a TOTP dvd that showed a performance from every year between its inception and 2004, as an anniversary thing and it really reignited my love for 'Don't You Want Me' all over again! Fantastic #1 <3

 

'Lay All Your Love On Me' is my fave ABBA song *.*

 

I have the same DVD! If memory serves, I got it as a Christmas present.

 

I agree re Don't You Want Me. A flawless classic. Lay Your Love On Me is amazing too. Glad you like so many!

 

Cheers Jade :wub:

Great list mate some amazing pop hits in 1981!

 

Jade, was the Human League performance the one from the Xmas edition when they were getting covered with party poppers at the end of the performance?

 

Cheers Steve :wub:

 

I have the same DVD, and it is the same performance with the party poppers

 

I don't remember the Yoko Ono and Shalamar songs but otherwise I like every song on that list. As I did with Jade's thread,I will add my own top 20 from the year of songs that made the UK top 40.

 

1. Ultravox - Vienna

2. ELO - Twilight

3. Phil Collins - In The Air Tonight

4. Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark - Souvenir

5. Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark - Joan Of Arc

6. Queen & David Bowie - Under Pressure

7. Visage - Fade To Grey

8. Ultravox - All Stood Still

9. Abba - One Of Us

10. Ultravox - The Thin Wall

11. Hazel O'Connor - Will You

12. Ultravox - The Voice

13. Godley & Creme - Under Your Thumb

14. Landscape - Einstein A Go-Go

15. Human League - Open Your Heart

16. Dave Stewart & Barbara Gaskin - It's My Party

17. Talking Heads - Once In A Lifetime

18. Teardrop Explodes - Reward

19. New Order - Everything's Gone Green

20. Kim Wilde - Cambodia

 

Cheers Rollo :wub: The Yoko and Shalamar tracks were only minor hits (Yoko got to No.35, Shalamar - No.30) but both well worth checking out.

 

I'm really looking forward to seeing your Top 20 of each year! Your 1981 looks great! Hazel, Ultravox's The Thin Wall and New Order weren't too far off my Top 40.

Edited May 1, 20205 yr by AH Gold

On to 1982 then.

 

Each year will have an indulgent mini autobiography I'm afraid. Good news for this year though, I was only 1, so no amazing or inspirational anecdotes here you'll be pleased to hear. Except that I have seen several photos of me from that time. I'm not smiling in any of them. Funnily enough, neither are my parents. I was just giving them a taste of things to come. Even then I was obviously very thoughtful.

 

Narrowing down my faves to a Top 40 for 1982 was much harder than 1981. I got it down to 54 tracks. The final cull was quite painful, so sadly there's no room for The Jam, Yazoo, Stranglers, New Order, Human League, Shalamar, Hall & Oates, Bow Wow Wow, Madness, Eddy Grant, Japan or The Associates. You may balk at what did make it in, but then again it is my list.

 

My Favourite Top 40 hits Of 1982

 

1. Culture Club - Do You Really Want To Hurt Me

2. Blancmange - Living On The Ceiling

3. ABC - The Look Of Love

4. Abba - The Day Before You Came

5. Culture Club - Time (Clock Of The Heart)

6. Visage - Damned Don’t Cry

7. Sheena Easton - Machinery

8. Bucks Fizz - My Camera Never Lies

9. Abba - Under Attack

10. A Flock Of Seagulls - Wishing (If I Had A Photograph Of You)

11. Belle Stars - Iko Iko

12. Soft Cell - Where The Heart Is

13. Carly Simon - Why

14. Monsoon - Ever So Lonely

15. Dollar - Videotheque

16. Sharon Redd - Never Give You Up

17. Philip Lynott - Yellow Pearl

18. Soft Cell - Say Hello Wave Goodbye

19. Kim Wilde - View From A Bridge

20. Survivor - Eye Of The Tiger

21. Pigbag – Papa’s Got A Brand New Pigbag

22. Adam Ant – Friend Or Foe

23. Soft Cell – Torch

24. Dollar – Mirror Mirror (Mon Amour)

25. Kraftwerk – Computer Love/The Model

26. Duran Duran – Hungry Like The Wolf

27. Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five – The Message

28. Rockers Revenge Ft. Donnie Calvin – Walking On Sunshine

29. Tight Fit – Fantasy Island

30. Imagination – Just An Illusion

31. Adam Ant – Goody Two Shoes

32. Bardo – One Step Further

33. Mobiles – Drowning In Berlin

34. Mari Wilson – Just What I Always Wanted

35. Depeche Mode – Leave In Silence

36. Toto Coelo – I Eat Cannibals

37. Dionne Warwick – Heartbreaker

38. Dollar – Give Me Back My Heart

39. Evelyn ‘Champagne’ King – Love Come Down

40. Bucks Fizz – Land Of Make Believe

Edited May 1, 20205 yr by AH Gold

Your entire top 4 topped my charts of the time, so no complaints from me! :)

 

Great to see Machinery so loved, John Peel also liked it, as did I, Sheena's best record to date until her Prince-period. There are 10 chart-toppers, oodles of top 10 faves, but a few more random ones than 1981 in terms of tracks that passed me by a bit (Belle Stars, Mobiles, Toto Coelo) though there's nothing I didn't chart on your list :lol:

 

At least half your list would also be in my Top 40 of 1982, so it's not like I much need to list mine... :D

Here's my top 20. I only had to go as far down as number 823 in my top 1000 to find 20 songs from this year. For 1981,I went down to number 873 so that's a useful way to measure the quality of top 40 chart hits for each year. I kept to your rule of when a song peaked so the Jon & Vangelis song is here even though it entered the chart in 1981.

 

1. Thomas Dolby - Windpower

2. Abba - The Day Before You Came

3. Dire Straits - Private Investigations

4. Queen - Las Palabras De Amor

5. ABC - The Look Of Love

6. Dollar - Give Me Back My Heart

7. Soft Cell - Say Hello Wave Goodbye

8. A Flock Of Seagulls - Wishing (If I Had A Photograph Of You)

9. The Associates - Club Country

10. Visage - Damned Don't Cry

11. Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark - Maid Of Orleans

12. Monsoon - Ever So Lonely

13. Duran Duran - Save A Prayer

14. Dollar - Videotheque

15. Tears For Fears - Mad World

16. ABC - All Of My Heart

17. Spandau Ballet - Instinction

18. Jon & Vangelis - I'll Find My Way Home

19. ELO - Ticket To The Moon/Here Is The News

20. New Order - Temptation

 

Here's my top 20. I only had to go as far down as number 823 in my top 1000 to find 20 songs from this year. For 1981,I went down to number 873 so that's a useful way to measure the quality of top 40 chart hits for each year. I kept to your rule of when a song peaked so the Jon & Vangelis song is here even though it entered the chart in 1981.

 

1. Thomas Dolby - Windpower

2. Abba - The Day Before You Came

3. Dire Straits - Private Investigations

4. Queen - Las Palabras De Amor

5. ABC - The Look Of Love

6. Dollar - Give Me Back My Heart

7. Soft Cell - Say Hello Wave Goodbye

8. A Flock Of Seagulls - Wishing (If I Had A Photograph Of You)

9. The Associates - Club Country

10. Visage - Damned Don't Cry

11. Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark - Maid Of Orleans

12. Monsoon - Ever So Lonely

13. Duran Duran - Save A Prayer

14. Dollar - Videotheque

15. Tears For Fears - Mad World

16. ABC - All Of My Heart

17. Spandau Ballet - Instinction

18. Jon & Vangelis - I'll Find My Way Home

19. ELO - Ticket To The Moon/Here Is The News

20. New Order - Temptation

 

Pretty fine top 20 actually too! Love most of them, bar Thomas Dolby who I never got, Queen & Spandau's also not amongst my faves of each act - but oh dear no Party Fears Two! Love Club Country, but Party Fears Two is the genius one - that instrumental riff, that histrionic vocal!

Party Fears Two is a classic certainly. If I had carried on,it would have been at number 22,so it just missed out. I've always slightly preferred Club Country.

Your entire top 4 topped my charts of the time, so no complaints from me! :)

 

Great to see Machinery so loved, John Peel also liked it, as did I, Sheena's best record to date until her Prince-period. There are 10 chart-toppers, oodles of top 10 faves, but a few more random ones than 1981 in terms of tracks that passed me by a bit (Belle Stars, Mobiles, Toto Coelo) though there's nothing I didn't chart on your list :lol:

 

At least half your list would also be in my Top 40 of 1982, so it's not like I much need to list mine... :D

 

Yes! I LOVE Machinery. Thrilled to see I'm not alone in that. It should have been a monster hit. No.38 was far too low a peak. Though to be honest I only discovered it via the TOTP reruns on BBC4.

 

Thanks John :wub:

Here's my top 20. I only had to go as far down as number 823 in my top 1000 to find 20 songs from this year. For 1981,I went down to number 873 so that's a useful way to measure the quality of top 40 chart hits for each year. I kept to your rule of when a song peaked so the Jon & Vangelis song is here even though it entered the chart in 1981.

 

1. Thomas Dolby - Windpower

2. Abba - The Day Before You Came

3. Dire Straits - Private Investigations

4. Queen - Las Palabras De Amor

5. ABC - The Look Of Love

6. Dollar - Give Me Back My Heart

7. Soft Cell - Say Hello Wave Goodbye

8. A Flock Of Seagulls - Wishing (If I Had A Photograph Of You)

9. The Associates - Club Country

10. Visage - Damned Don't Cry

11. Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark - Maid Of Orleans

12. Monsoon - Ever So Lonely

13. Duran Duran - Save A Prayer

14. Dollar - Videotheque

15. Tears For Fears - Mad World

16. ABC - All Of My Heart

17. Spandau Ballet - Instinction

18. Jon & Vangelis - I'll Find My Way Home

19. ELO - Ticket To The Moon/Here Is The News

20. New Order - Temptation

 

Again, a great list and I see we share several tracks in common. I'm not really familiar with Windpower. I only really know Hyperactive and She Blinded Me By Science from Thomas Dolby. I'll have to youtube it.

 

Thanks Rollo :wub:

Onwards to 1983.

 

Once again, a short bio, as I was only 2 and I can barely remember last week, let alone (gasp and :( ) 37 years ago. All I know is we moved from Walthamstow to Welling, Kent which would be my home until 2007. You're probably thinking "these stories about a toddler are absolutely riveting, what do you mean no one's bought the movie rights???" Anyway...

 

1983 was an easier list than 1982 for me. Just four I had to lose this time. (I know I said the songs had to peak in the year they're featured in, but there are exceptions. Blue Monday peaked at No.3 in 1988 as a remix of course, which may still feature in that year's Top 40. But there's no denying the classic original, so that's why it features here.)

 

My Favourite Top 40 hits Of 1983

 

1. Blancmange - Blind Vision

2. New Order - Blue Monday

3. Bucks Fizz - When We Were Young

4. Orange Juice - Rip It Up

5. Public Image Ltd - This Is Not A Love Song

6. Wah! - The Story Of The Blues

7. Depeche Mode - Everything Counts

8. Altered Images - Bring Me Closer

9. Tracey Ullman - They Don’t Know

10. Assembly - Never Never

11. Belle Stars - Sign Of The Times

12. Eurythmics - Love Is A Stranger

13. Rocksteady Crew - (Hey You) The Rocksteady Crew

14. Altered Images - Don't Talk To Me About Love

15. KC & The Sunshine Band - Give It Up

16. Depeche Mode - Get The Balance Right

17. Bananarama - Cruel Summer

18. Siouxsie & The Banshees - Dear Prudence

19. Malcolm McLaren - Double Dutch

20. Bucks Fizz - London Town

21. Wham! - Wham! Rap (Enjoy What You Do)

22. Bonnie Tyler - Total Eclipse Of The Heart

23. Eurythmics - Who's That Girl

24. Gary Byrd & The GB Experience - The Crown

25. Rod Stewart - Baby Jane

26. Genesis - That's All

27. Kajagoogoo - Too Shy

28. Tina Turner - Let's Stay Together

29. Bananarama - Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye

30. Rockers Revenge Ft. Donnie Calvin - The Harder They Come

31. Malcolm McLaren & The World's Famous Supreme Team - Buffalo Gals

32. Freeez - I.O.U

33. Elton John - I'm Still Standing

34. Tears For Fears - Pale Shelter

35. Thompson Twins - Hold Me Now

36. Tracey Ullman - Breakaway

37. Herbie Hancock - Rockit

38. The Cure - The Walk

39. Kissing The Pink - Last Film

40. Haysi Fantayzee - Shiny Shiny

Edited May 3, 20205 yr by AH Gold

6 chart-toppers for me in that batch, great to see under-rated gems like When We Were Young, Story Of The Blues, Dear Prudence (the definitive version is better than the Beatles, and that's not easy!), and the two Tracey Ullman pop classic covers are also the definitive versions. There's nothing there I dislike, and much I love :heart:

 

By the time I was 2 I was moving from Mansfield to Germany and my earliest memories would be around age 3 and involved trauma - though they are just images (dad ran off with me after a fight with mum, leaving her with baby brother, and me in the car on a dark and torrential night - I just remember huge puddles and being confused and a bit scared. Another family day out, a woman seemed to screaming by a car that seemed broke down at the side of the road or an accident. So not many memories either! :D

Many of my favourite singles from 1983 didn't make the top 40 so I could only find 19 songs from my top 1000 that qualify for this. I've thrown in Waiting For A Train as my 20th song,just pipping Africa by Toto. From your list,Last Film,When We Were Young and IOU are all great songs as well.

 

1. Genesis - Mama

2. New Order - Blue Monday

3. Howard Jones - New Song

4. Depeche Mode - Everything Counts

5. The Lotus Eaters - The First Picture Of You

6. Ultravox - Visions In Blue

7. Yes - Owner Of A Lonely Heart

8. Robert Plant - Big Log

9. Tears For Fears - Pale Shelter

10. Wah! - The Story Of The Blues

11. Bonnie Tyler - Total Eclipse Of The Heart

12. Ultravox - Hymn

13. David Sylvian & Riuichi Sakamoto - Forbidden Colours

14. Mike Oldfield and Maggie Reilly - Moonlight Shadow

15. Men Without Hats - The Safety Dance

16. New Order - Confusion

17. Echo & The Bunnymen - The Cutter

18. Malcolm McLaren - Buffalo Gals

19. Robert Wyatt - Shipbuilding

20. Flash And The Pan - Waiting For A Train

Cheers Steve :wub:

 

I have the same DVD, and it is the same performance with the party poppers

 

Yeh if I'm guessing right it's the one they show on BBC 4 and one I've saved to my hard drive, love that programme!