'Billie Jean' a classic obviously (it's coming up in the next survivor too)

'Too Shy' and 'Electric Avenue' are both fab too. I knew of the remix before the original too but enjoy both equally!

A 3rd straight very strong group to kick off the year. “Sweet Dreams” was always going to come top but I’m very surprised I’ve ended up dropping “Africa” to 3rd place. “Genetic Engineering” is just that little bit more exciting overall.

9	Eurythmics	Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)	1st Top 40  after some misses for the UK duo about the break up of their band The Tourists: a synth pop masterpiece
9	Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark	Genetic Engineering	This broke their Top 10 run, probably because it's so unusual, but a fabulous, zany and slightly distopian feeling track
8	Toto	Africa	One of the most streamed songs from the whole '80s with beautiful soft production and an impassioned chorus
8	Fun Boy Three	The Tunnel Of Love	Their previous single failed to chart but this takes them back into the Top 10: a great song and I love its tango style
7	Depeche Mode	Get The Balance Right	They have a new member for this track exploring the contradictory demands of life with a jangly electronic sound
7	Thompson Twins	Love On Your Side	1st Top 40 for this UK group and a bit success after their last single only reached #67: an interesting pensive song
7	Icehouse	Hey Little Girl	1st and biggest hit for this Australian band: a compelling and well produced track and I enjoy the deep lead vocal
6	Marillion	He Knows You Know	Their 2nd single and 1st Top 40: no central hook to this but an enjoyable, foreboding and dramatic slice of prog rock
6	Thin Lizzy	Cold Sweat	Their big hits are behind them and this is a surprisingly heavy lead single, but it's a strong one with a great guitar solo
5	Spandau Ballet	Communication	Their transition to a pop sound is complete and although it's catchy and serviceable I think they've lost their edge
5	Madness	Tomorrow's (Just Another Day)/Madness (Is All In The Mind)	The 1st side is a fairly typical Madness style track, while the 2nd has a slower more bluesy feel: not a bad double A
4	Musical Youth	Never Gonna Give You Up	Their 3rd hit and 2nd biggest eclipsing the previous one: still not fully buying into the project but this is a decent tune
4	Phil Everly And Cliff Richard	She Means Nothing To Me	Phil's 1st solo Top 40 with this collaboration that has a fairly typical Cliff sound: bland and radio friendly but not bad
3	Patti Austin With James Ingram	Baby, Come To Me	A US #1 after being featured in a soap and Patti's only Top 40 here: nicely performed but a little dull and soppy for me

1983 Group 4:

989	19/02/1983	Bonnie Tyler	Total Eclipse Of The Heart	1	49-14-2-{1}-1-2-3-8-16-27-34-63->12
#990	19/02/1983	Blancmange	Waves	19	41-30-26-21-{19}-19-25-32-53->9
#991	26/02/1983	Forrest	Rock The Boat	4	35-12-{4}-4-6-10-17-24-43-66->10
#992	26/02/1983	Bananarama	Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye	5	40-21-7-{5}-7-9-16-21-40-71->10
#993	26/02/1983	Modern Romance	High Life	8	57-28-18-{8}-10-23-33-50->8
#994	26/02/1983	David Joseph	You Can't Hide (Your Love From Me)	13	51-30-24-16-{13}-14-25-31-56->9
#995	19/02/1983	Orange Juice	Rip It Up	8	50-42-31-22-10-9-{8}-12-18-32-49->11
#996	26/02/1983	Malcolm McLaren	Soweto	32	47-{32}-33-40-57->5
#997	12/02/1983	Kenny Rogers And Sheena Easton	We've Got Tonight	28	56-42-41-34-{28}-33-55->7
#998	26/02/1983	The Stranglers	Midnight Summer Dream	35	62-38-{35}-55->4
#999	19/02/1983	Joan Armatrading	Drop The Pilot	11	70-59-39-29-28-{11}-12-22-29-57->10
#1000	05/03/1983	Soft Cell	Numbers/Barriers	25	40-{25}-31-46->4
#1001	12/03/1983	Bucks Fizz	Run For Your Life	14	31-21-{14}-21-28-33-65->7
#1002	26/02/1983	Big Country	Fields Of Fire (400 Miles)	10	64-49-37-34-31-13-13-{10}-15-29-42-73->12

Sweet Dreams is obviously brilliant and I agree Genetic Engineering is a bit of a lost OMD gem.

Africa probably suffers from overplaying for me. I actually prefer Hold The Line and their next hit anyway.

Tunnel Of Love is great but the next hit is my absolute favourite Fun Boy Three single.

I think my favourite from the group though would be Love On Your Side. I just love the uptempo pop feel contrasting with the darker lyrics and all the little added percussion notes scattered throughout. Excellent stuff.

Sweet Dreams is a sweet classic 10/10 for me. Perfect and exciting and moody. And that video was amazing. Genetic Engineering was a bit of a disappointment at the time at first, but it still went top 10 for me as all their singles had to date since Messages hit my top spot. Not heard it in ages, and it's practically upbeat and cheerful (for them) sound-wise. 8/10. Africa was a huge fave at the time, and played afterwards virtually weekly by Steve Wright who was a big fan at the time. Consequently its monster-streaming/radio plays have dampened its appeal a bit, I need a break from it for a few years. Still a 9/10 though.

Tunnel Of Love is a goodie, not heard it in a while 8/10, Get The Balance Right was OK but not among my faves of the early Depeche stuff. 7/10. Love On Your Side sticks in the mind better, pretty good 8/10 and Tom Bailey touring this year. Hey Little Girl obviously Roxy influenced and fab, 9/10. Icehouse were always under-rated in the UK. Marillion I barely recall at all, so I'd guess a 5/10.

Thin Lizzy's came and went pretty quickly, my memory is I liked it, but not amongst their classics 6/10. Spandau really getting annoying by this stage, Communication just grated and still does 3/10. Tomorrow's Just Another Day not Madness' top tier but always charming and very London-centric 7/10. Musical Youth was a bit of fun, still, and had a bigger run than one might have expected. I liked this one 7/10.

She Means Nothing To Me was a great return for Phil Everly and those harmonies all present and correct with an assist from Cliff, an under-rated singer for all his success. Written by Love Sculpture/Airwaves member and writer-producer John David, a presence on some Dave Edmunds, and hit writer for Quo, Alvin Stardust tracks in the 80's. 8/10. Baby Come To Me is nice enough for what it is, nothing exciting but pleasant radio fodder 7/10.

1983 continues to deliver: big power ballads aren’t especially my thing but “Total Eclipse Of The Heart” is absolutely one of the very best, and it makes sense to find out that it has the same writer as Meatloaf. But it is popped by the glorious “Waves”.

9	Blancmange	Waves	A stunning, emotionally powerful and reflective track with a rich building orchestral sound and expressive vocals
9	Bonnie Tyler	Total Eclipse Of The Heart	517th #1: her 1st hit of the decade and a wonderful power ballad by Meatloaf's writer James Steinman done her way
8	Orange Juice	Rip It Up	8 Top 75s but only this Top 40 for the Scottish group and an excellent, jangling, bright and breezy piece of guitar pop
8	Joan Armatrading	Drop The Pilot	She'll have more minor hits but this is her last and 2nd highest peaking Top 40: it's a really lovely heartwarming song
7	Big Country	Fields Of Fire (400 Miles)	1st hit for this Scottish rock band: the bagpipes give it an authentically Celtic sound and it's a lovely dynamic track
7	The Stranglers	Midnight Summer Dream	A broody track with mostly spoken poetic vocals: it's very effective though perhaps didn't fully pay off commercially
6	Soft Cell	Numbers/Barriers	Neither of these tracks reach the lofty heights of earlier big hits but both are enjoyable and beautifully performed
6	Malcolm McLaren	Soweto	Quite a minor 2nd hit for him: this isn't as good as the 1st but has interesting and eclectic international influences
5	Bananarama	Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye	A higher peaking cover of Steam's 1970 hit: it is a polished up to date version but the original sounds more authentic
5	Bucks Fizz	Run For Your Life	This is very similar in style to "My Camera Never Lies" but not as compelling as that: still it's quite a pleasant listen
4	Modern Romance	High Life	It's their usual jolly and Latin inspired sound, and a Top 10 hit thanks to the catchy melody, but not remotely special
4	Forrest	Rock The Boat	1st hit for this US singer with a cover of the 1974 #6 hit: this outperforms the original but doesn't really add anything
3	David Joseph	You Can't Hide (Your Love From Me)	1st solo hit for this UK soul singer who had led the band Hi Tension: like many hits of this style it isn't very distinctive
2	Kenny Rogers And Sheena Easton	We've Got Tonight	The Bob Seger original only reached #41 though will re-chart in future; this soppy cover lacks the original's soul

1983 Group 5:

#1003	05/03/1983	Band AKA	Joy	24	59-38-{24}-25-26-36-46->7
#1004	19/02/1983	Foster And Allen	Maggie	27	47-46-43-39-{27}-28-33-38-65->9
#1005	05/03/1983	Mezzoforte	Garden Party	17	61-40-29-{17}-19-26-30-50-72->9
#1006	19/03/1983	The Style Council	Speak Like A Child	4	6-{4}-4-4-11-23-36-68->8
#1007	19/03/1983	Ultravox	Visions In Blue	15	30-{15}-22-31-45-74->6
#1008	19/02/1983	JoBoxers	Boxerbeat	3	62-61-51-42-32-21-6-{3}-6-7-19-25-27-47-70->15
#1009	12/03/1983	Leo Sayer	Orchard Road	16	61-35-27-{16}-19-26-35-61->8
#1010	19/03/1983	Altered Images	Don't Talk To Me About Love	7	36-12-{7}-11-17-33-55->7
#1011	19/03/1983	New Order	Blue Monday	9	37-24-17-14-14-12-13-17-18-26-32-45-51-57-65-62-62-74R(5)-57-60-53-44-37-20-12-10-{9}-12-15-18-25-38-50-58-65R(5)-52-57-75->38
#1012	12/03/1983	Japan	All Tomorrow's Parties	38	41-{38}-42-56->4
#1013	26/03/1983	Duran Duran	Is There Something I Should Know?	1	{1}-1-2-3-11-27-34-44-66->9
#1014	26/03/1983	David Bowie	Let's Dance	1	5-2-{1}-1-1-6-9-13-24-37-44-54-61-74->14
#1015	19/03/1983	Nick Heyward	Whistle Down The Wind	13	43-26-15-15-{13}-17-30-47->8
#1016	19/03/1983	Mari Wilson	Cry Me A River	27	42-36-30-{27}-27-38-58->7

Is Blancmange a 9 or even a 10 for you, it’s not showing the score properly on my phone? It’s indeed excellent a break from their previous quirky stuff, very dramatic.

Another great section overall , my favourite is Rip It Up, fantastically catchy disco inflected pop from the true indie Postcard label based in Glasgow in the early 80s. Huge influence on the later indie jangle bands especially The Smiths. They had loads of other singles I love, but sadly no further top 40 singles (I think). Lead singer Edwin Collins would have much greater solo success of course. I’ve added ‘What Prescence?!’ below as an example if anyone wants a listen. Another wonderful song.

Total Eclipse is an undeniable power ballad, I have to admit I didn’t really like it at the time but have grown to love it and Jim Steinman songs in general since then.

Big Country had a very distinct sound standing out from the crowd with their melodic rock.

The Stranglers and Soft Cell songs were both less successful commercially than their predecessors but both still great.

I’d forgotten about Drop The Pilot but I agree it’s really lovely.

I like Soweto but Mclaren had songs I prefer, and were pushing more boundaries both before, and especially after, this.

Edited April 30Apr 30 by Jaz13music

The Icehouse song has great production, Addison Rae - Fame Is A Gun used similar synth effects recently.

I really like the Big Country song as you say the bagpipe-like guitar sounds are unique for the charts of the time - Celtic rock. I think The Darkness were influenced by the overblown guitar in it.

Drop The Pilot by Joan Armatrading is great jangle pop nostalgia.

Edited April 30Apr 30 by TheSnake

Waves was a fave at the time, but as I never got to find the single in bargain bins and it never gets radio play I havent heard it since I last saw Blancmange in concert before covid, and that was the first time in decades. It's still sounding good but more of an 8/10 for me now rather than a 9. Bonnie is a 10/10 classic and that video is stunning to boot. Meat Loaf, had he not elected to do his own tackier stuff, wouldnt have been as good as Bonnie - she has more emotion to her voice, Meat Loaf is more of a performer/belter.

Rip It Up is fab a solid 8/10 but Edwyn Collin's classic is still 11 years away. Drop The Pilot is wonderful 9/10 and great to see Joan in upbeat mode, ironically her previous Me Myself I always reminded me of Pilot! Fields Of Fire, Big Country's second best single after the previous flop which will be out again soon, but I on the whole preferred The Skids' singles. 8/10. The Stranglers' Shakespeare-title semi-forgotten by me these days but mellow moody Stranglers was always worth a 6 or 7/10 at the least.

Purely by co-incidence as Sweet Sensation once sang, Soft Cell are on my CD player at the mo and Numbers is on the disc. I have no memory to speak of for the track, given it has minimal hooks that's not so surprising. I mean it's pleasant and all but it doesn't seem to go anywhere 5/10. Soweto, long-forgotten by me, but I think I enjoyed it at the time a bit 5/10. The Nana's cover of Steam is not nearly as classic bubblegum as the original, but it's a fun shambolic singalong 8/10.

Run For Your Life is decent Bucks Fizz well-produced pop, but not top tier, plenty of their lesser hits were better than this one 7/10. Top 10 High Life has left me un-moved as I barely recall it. 4/10 sounds about right. Rock The Boat not a patch on the original disco classic, spear-heading a genre as it did, but it was nice to see the song back in the 80's 7/10. David Joseph's is OK, not quite up to British Hustle (Hi Tension) but pleasant enough to tick over 5/10. We've Got Tonight I wasnt that fussed by the original, then I grew to like it in the 90's, then I got fed up with it. Kenny & Sheena not as good as that one. 4/10.

Group 3 - 'Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)' would top this one for me too ❤️ it is pretty ubiquitous, especially since quietly creeping up as a Halloween staple in recent years, but has not become stale for me at all. The gloriously '80s dark synths are instantly commanding and Annie Lennox sells the hell out of those vocals, plus the striking, androgynous look in the music video. How amazing that it topped the chart in the U.S. also. That whole British invasion mark II seemed like a very exciting time for music.

I remember 'Genetic Engineering' standing out as an intriguing, left-field hit when I trawled the archives a few years ago and it still sounded great upon second listen the other week. A worthy runner-up here, no mean feat to push one of the most enduring songs of the '80s down to third!

I think 'Get the Balance Right' would be my own runner-up amongst this fierce competition, very to my tastes. It feels like Depeche Mode are now tip-toeing closer to the creative sounds they're most associated with.

Group 4 - Snap again as 'Waves' would be my #1 in this group too, was sad to miss it at the session. This is another one I discovered from looking through old '80s charts several years ago and I originally submitted it for the inaugural edition of The Best Song Contest in the World... Ever! on here. However, I ended up getting cold feet for some reason and switched... which turned out to be a good move indeed, gifting me a rare landslide winner in 'Cccan't You See (French Extended Mix)' by Vicious Pink. I'm glad 'Waves' has now experienced some form of outing on the forum though. I agree that it packs an emotional punch. Blancmange are a quality act.

I used to find it difficult to get into 'Total Eclipse of the Heart' as Bonnie's husky vocals were a bit much for me. The Glee cover(!) was my version of choice instead... which to be fair was one of their three U.K. top 10 hits, so it wasn't just me who loved it however, in time I've come to appreciate Bonnie's unique vocal style and actually really enjoy the original now, enough to vote for it in the latest weekly SyncTube poll. '80s power ballads are usually not my thing but there's something pretty spellbinding about this whole package.

Sweet Dreams... is a strong synthpop dancefloor tune like Yazoo Dont Go was. Both seem to anticipate 90s soulful vocal dance music.

Toto Africa I used to like but it is overplayed and overrated and I much prefer Hold The Line from them.

This might be my 2nd favourite Ultravox song after the obvious, but the winner of this group was never in doubt and I’m going to have to bring out the 10 paddle again.

10	New Order	Blue Monday	An enormous chart run and a million seller with the later remix; it's the ultimate indie disco hit and synth perfection
9	Ultravox	Visions In Blue	One of their very best hits here and that's a high bar: this has a stark, wonderfully intense and dramatic feel to it
8	David Bowie	Let's Dance	519th #1: Nile Rodgers helped produce this and turn it from a folk number into a funky and very striking dance track
8	Altered Images	Don't Talk To Me About Love	The lead single from a new album giving them another Top 10: this is such a pretty track and excellently performed
7	Nick Heyward	Whistle Down The Wind	1st solo hit for the former Haircut One Hundred lead: it's a rather lovely, gentle and wistful track with lovely strings
6	The Style Council	Speak Like A Child	1st hit for Paul Weller's new group: not as great as most of the Jam's big hits but nice and in a similar style to those
6	Duran Duran	Is There Something I Should Know?	518th #1: unfortunately their 1st chart topper isn't as great as many of the hits that came before it, but still good
5	JoBoxers	Boxerbeat	1st hit for this UK group: it's new wave pop but has a slight rockabilly flavour with its relentless rhythm: not bad
5	Mari Wilson	Cry Me A River	Quite an interesting version of the jazz classic with nice instrumentation, but I prefer Julie London's from 1957
5	Mezzoforte	Garden Party	Only Top 40 for this Icelandic instrumental jazz fusion band, which indeed would be a pleasant party backing track
4	Leo Sayer	Orchard Road	His last solo Top 40: I like the warm production and the vocals are strong, but the song itself is quite forgettable
4	Japan	All Tomorrow's Parties	Their last Top 40 and unfortunately much weaker than all the other ones: a Velvet Underground cover that's only OK
3	Foster And Allen	Maggie	An old folk tune given a new lease of life by this duo who won't appear here again: it's sweet but nothing inspiring
3	Band AKA	Joy	The only Top 40 for this changing line up of session musicians with a serviceable but not a memorable funk track

#1017	19/03/1983	Tracey Ullman	Breakaway	4	48-38-18-6-{4}-5-10-18-25-39-66->11
#1018	19/03/1983	Wah!	Hope (I Wish You'd Believe Me)	37	54-39-{37}-44-59->5
#1019	02/04/1983	Kajagoogoo	Ooh To Be Ah	7	20-{7}-7-8-16-27-40-70->8
#1020	02/04/1983	U2	Two Hearts Beat As One	18	24-{18}-22-42-68->5
#1021	26/03/1983	Kenny Everett	Snot Rap	9	56-27-10-{9}-13-26-45-67->8
#1022	26/03/1983	Twisted Sister	I Am (I'm Me)	18	45-32-29-19-{18}-18-20-31-56->9
#1023	02/04/1983	Kevin Rowland And Dexys Midnight Runners	The Celtic Soul Brothers {1983}	20	36-24-{20}-22-32-54->6
#1024	26/03/1983	Tracie	The House That Jack Built	9	61-38-23-12-{9}-15-22-39->8
#1025	02/04/1983	F.R. David	Words	2	39-21-8-4-{2}-2-4-9-17-22-39-50->12
#1026	12/03/1983	Sunfire	Young Free And Single	20	58-45-43-40-34-28-{20}-21-23-38-65->11
#1027	09/04/1983	Culture Club	Church Of The Poison Mind	2	9-{2}-2-5-10-16-29-43-63->9
#1028	09/04/1983	Michael Jackson	Beat It	3	30-5-{3}-3-4-11-16-26-38-52-72-72->12
#1029	05/03/1983	Kissing The Pink	Last Film	19	69-52-51-49-44-39-32-29-24-{19}-19-19-36-57->14

Some classics popping up there in 'Total Esclipe Of The Heart' and 'Sweet Dreams (Are Made Like This)', 'Blue Monday', 'Africa' and 'Let's Dance'.

'Orchard Road' is okay too. I only know of that as my dad created an cd of some songs to play in the car in the 2000s. Though Leo has better of course.

'Blue Monday' is a bit overrated but still very good and ahead of its time. The Cure would use quite similar production in 'The Walk'.

'Don't Talk To Me About Love' is more poppy sounding than their usual sound but good from Altered Images.

Edited May 4May 4 by TheSnake

Of course I love Blue Monday! New Order are one of my favourite bands and this is their ‘calling card’, though there are many others of theirs I love more (maybe overplay is a factor).

Visions In Blue is another great Ultravox single, they were so consistent!

Let’s Dance was Bowie (yet again) reinventing himself. A great song and, if nothing else, finally another US number 1!

Don’t Talk To Me About Love is perhaps my favourite here, a really lovely song. Altered Images had some fantastic early singles.

I’m actually quite a fan of Is There Something….especially the intro, I love it when bands go all in with a big sound, in this case to grab their (well deserved) 1st number 1.

Nick Heyward and Paul Weller both launching careers outside their original bands. Style Council would have much better songs but I like Nick’s pleasant single.

Blue Monday obviously a classic, but I genuinely prefer the Quincy Jones remix, oddly - I think the original was in the charts for ages and outstayed its welcome a bit for me 9/10. Visions In Blue I doubt I have heard since it left the charts with the possible exception of the last time I saw Ultravox in concert. It's not one I bought, I dont have the Greatest Hits, and radio never plays it. Very little of it sounds familiar but it has that Vienna sweeping synths going for it. I like it 8/10.

Let's Dance is Bowie at his most joyous, and that's good enough for me 10/10 a bop still. Don't Talk To Me About Love got some stick for the move into disco at the time, but it's their best record by some distance for me, what a tune 9/10. I went to see Haircut 100 on Sunday night, and for a band who havent played together for 40 years they were totally funking it out, brass section and all, well worth a visit and the new stuff is as good as the old stuff, you wouldnt know they were 44 years apart. Drummer Blair Cunningham I saw back in the day with Pretenders. Whistle Down The Wind was lined up to be a Haircut 100 single before the split, but I'm not sure it would have vibed for them being that different in a Wham/George Michael sort of fashion! 7/10.

The 60's Northern Soul vibes of Speak Like A Child still resonate for me, it was the logical move from Bitterest Pill, but more melodic and upbeat. Love that tune. 9/10. Duran could have released anything in early 1983 and it prob would have topped the chart, so this Beatlesey vibe was a shoo-in - but the next batch of singles were way better. 7/10. Boxerbeat was fun, and actual boxers in the band so they said 7/10.

Mari Wilson has a new single out sounding very like her 1982 stuff, which is nice, and Cry Me A River was a nice throwback, though not quite up to Julie London's. 7/10. Garden Party I know I Liked but dont recall the tune at all so a MOTR 6/10. Orchard Road is a fave Leo Sayer track, I got all wistful for the main shopping road in 60's Singapore Orchard Road, and the nostalgic lyrics struck a chord 8/10. Nice tune.

Japan I dont recall, and wasnt impressed at the time 4/10. Maggie was mildly pleasant and forgettable 4/10 and Joy I have utterly forgotten, But I guess I'd go for a 5/10.

It had to happen at some point that there’d be the first group of 1983 that isn’t so great. Still an excellent top end, with a fantastic relatively unknown winner and a runner up that looks about to re-enter the Top 20 this week!

9	Kissing The Pink	Last Film	Only hit for this group that formed at the Royal College Of Music and is still going: a fabulous wartime themed track
9	Michael Jackson	Beat It	The 3rd single from "Thriller" and a wonderful gang rivalry themed and rock style song produced by Quincy Jones
8	F.R. David	Words	Only Top 40 for this French singer: it's a very lovely, sincere and tender song sung in a gentle, part falsetto style
7	Kevin Rowland And Dexys Midnight Runners	The Celtic Soul Brothers {1983}	A re-release of a #45 from last year, this is a fun, folky and pacey track and I like how the vocal lines interweave
6	Tracey Ullman	Breakaway	1st hit for this actress and singer from her covers album and this is a '60s song re-worked in a very fun lively way
5	Culture Club	Church Of The Poison Mind	A #2 hit to follow a #1 and a #3, this has a soulful Stevie Wonder influenced sound and it's nice but not knockout
5	U2	Two Hearts Beat As One	A fairly nice single but something of a let down compared to the dramatic statement of intent of "New Year's Day"
4	Kajagoogoo	Ooh To Be Ah	A follow up Top 10 that has the fun and quirkiness of "Too Shy" but it brings nothing new and the hook doesn't land
4	Wah!	Hope (I Wish You'd Believe Me)	A big comedown from a #3 hit and it isn't hard to see why: it's a heartfelt performance but the song's hook is weak
3	Twisted Sister	I Am (I'm Me)	1st hit for this US heavy metal band: I find the lyrics to this quite basic and find it all power without much meaning
3	Sunfire	Young Free And Single	Only hit for this US soul group, and another of these nicely performed but not engaging or memorable funk songs
2	Tracie	The House That Jack Built	1st hit for this UK singer who was discovered by Paul Weller: unfortunately it's quite a flaccid and lightweight song
1	Kenny Everett	Snot Rap	A Top 10 novelty hit for this UK comedian playing a character called Sid Snot: it's a dreadful rap over a disco track

1983 Group 7:

#1030	09/04/1983	Eurythmics	Love Is A Stranger {1983}	6	49-23-{6}-7-12-17-31-52->8
#1031	09/04/1983	Men At Work	Overkill	21	55-34-30-25-24-22-{21}-30-49-61->10
#1032	09/04/1983	Bauhaus	She's In Parties	26	42-35-{26}-28-38-56->6
#1033	09/04/1983	Toto	Rosanna	12	50-36-19-{12}-15-20-30-57->8
#1034	16/04/1983	Cliff Richard And The London Philharmonic Orchestra	True Love Ways	8	37-14-{8}-11-14-25-39-66->8
#1035	09/04/1983	The Kids From 'Fame'	Friday Night (Live Version)	13	64-38-24-17-{13}-15-18-31-56-59->10
#1036	02/04/1983	Chill Fac-Torr	Twist (Round 'N' Round)	37	51-43-39-{37}-39-37-41-60->8
#1037	16/04/1983	Thompson Twins	We Are Detective	7	40-21-9-{7}-8-11-24-41-53->9
#1038	23/04/1983	Spandau Ballet	True	1	10-{1}-1-1-1-2-10-16-29-35-49-73->12
#1039	23/04/1983	The Human League	(Keep Feeling) Fascination	2	16-4-3-{2}-6-15-23-45-68->9
#1040	23/04/1983	Iron Maiden	Flight Of Icarus	11	28-{11}-14-23-40-67->6
#1041	16/04/1983	Heaven 17	Temptation	2	43-31-14-8-3-{2}-4-9-14-25-32-41-59->13
#1042	09/04/1983	Sweet Dreams {1983}	I'm Never Giving Up	21	45-41-34-23-{21}-28-53->7
#1043	23/04/1983	Galaxy Featuring Phil Fearon	Dancing Tight	4	39-20-6-5-{4}-6-16-22-31-44-58->11
#1044	30/04/1983	Tears For Fears	Pale Shelter	5	22-{5}-6-8-18-25-41-69->8
#1045	30/04/1983	Fun Boy Three	Our Lips Are Sealed	7	31-16-9-{7}-9-14-23-34-48-75->10

Popchartfreak mentioned the influence of 60s Northern Soul and that's big for Tracey Ullman's version of 'Breakaway'. It is very fast, fun and has some TikTok style dance moves in the video.

I do though slightly disapprove of 60s and 70s nostalgia in the 80s a bit compared to the more modern synth records!

'Last Film' and 'Beat It' are good.

I agree Altered Images (Don't Talk To Me About Love) and Belle Stars (Sign of the Times) do the female vocal indie-pop better than Tracie.

From 1983 so far... great first Top 10 single from U2 with the strong piano melody. 'Billie Jean' of course a classic and would propel MJ to the next level of superstardom, it's also about to join the short list of non-Christmas songs which have gone Top 10 in 3 decades. '1999' likewise a signature tune for Prince with his first Top 40, although I think he'd soon have even better to come.

'Africa' a huge radio staple turned streaming giant over time, I still like it a lot. 'Get The Balance Right' is one I'd rank higher, cynically smart and a step up in sound from their previous hits post-Vince. 'Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)' is timeless, again sharp lyrics and striking production.

'Total Eclipse Of The Heart' is a huge Steinman production with all the high drama but still an anthemic power ballad. 'Blue Monday', well that's almost unbeatable, an epic song that broke through genres. No huge favourites from the last group although 'Breakaway' is a fun fast cover, and it's great to see lots of appreciation for 'Last Film' since it came up in the session!

The Last Film is a great single, deserves to get more plays than it does as an oldie (very rare) 9/10, Beat It is a classic, but one I got sick to death of hearing and having it back in the charts isn't going to change that for me sadly. Great guitars though, Eddie Van Halen wasnt it? 7/10. Words is a nice tune, wistfully fey and huge in Europe, but it's not one I go back to much 8/10. Celtic Soul Brothers should have been a hit first time round, but it's upbeat fun and jolly 8/10.

Breakaway is a fabulous 60's retro gem, Tracey was big as one of the 3 Of A Kind comics on the sketch comedy show and her videos reflected that. 9/10. Church Of The Poison Mind is Culture Club at their best, love the frantic gospel-ish production and Helen Terry on vocal is a real bonus 9/10. U2's competent follow-up is decent but no New Year's Day, 7/10. Ooh To Be Aah was just annoying 4/10.

Wah's was decent enough, 7/10, still liking the Spector vibes. Twisted Sister one of my pet hates, consistently rubbish 2/10. Sunfire mildly pleasant and forgettable 6/10. Tracie was co-vocalist on Style Council's Speak Like A Child, but sadly her career never took off. House That Jack Built is OK, but Weller could do better 6/10. Kenny Everett was first and foremost a ground-breaking irreverent DJ of the 60's and 70's, who moved into becoming a groundbreaking and irreverent and cool TV characters-based comedian with loads of guest rock stars having a laugh, music, Hot Gossip (see Sarah Brightman) and making loads of great tracks hits across his career. And as a side project he had annoying novelty records here and there. Sid Snot was one of his TV characters, funny piss-take of punks in 1978, not so much in 1983 1/10.

Kissing The Pink was the great revelation from the listen through, I sort of remembered it once it was played. A really quirky song I especially like the military style drums and whistling, and a great message.

Beat It is excellent of course particularly the guitar solo.

Words is lovely.

Celtic Soul Brothers is great, I’ve had a soft spot for Dexys throughout their very varied career.

The rest I have to agree are a bit poor.

But I can’t believe you don’t like Snot Rap!

Also ‘flaccid’ is such a great description for a weak song, I’m gonna use that myself in future.