You Got Lucky by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers was released October 22, 1982, with Between Two Worlds as the B side. It was the first single from the band’s fifth album Long After Dark.
The song, propelled by the success of its Mad Max-esque post-apocalyptic music video, reached No. 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 1 on the Billboard Top Tracks charts.
To quote Ms. Jackson herself, this is a story about Control. The fourth single from her third platinum-selling album of the same name, Control was released on October 21, 1986, with Fast Girls as the B side.
The song peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Janet’s fourth consecutive Top 5 hit. The accompanying music video was choreographed by Paula Abdul and starred Janet’s Good Times costar Ja’net Dubois as her mother.
In the “if at first you don’t succeed” category, Take on Me by a-ha was originally released on October 19, 1984, with And You Tell Me as the B side. But this was not the version – or the accompanying music video – that would become one of the most iconic of the 80s.
The original version peaked at No. 3 in a-ha’s native Norway but failed to achieve success elsewhere. Unhappy with the version, the band re-recorded the song with a new producer – Alan Tarney – and released it again in 1985, with Love Is Reason as the B side. Continue reading
We Belong by Pat Benatar was released on October 16, 1984, with Suburban King as the B side. It was the lead single from Benatar’s sixth studio album Tropico.
The song reached No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 22 on the UK Singles Chart.
You Keep Me Hangin’ On by Kim Wilde was released on October 13, 1986, with Loving You as the B side. A cover of the Supremes’ 1966 No. 1 hit, the song was the second single from the studio album Another Step and the first single from the album to be released worldwide.
The song was Wilde’s most successful song in the United States, reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was also a No. 1 hit in Canada and Australia. It reached No. 2 in Wilde’s native Britain.
My Prerogative by Bobby Brown was released October 11, 1988, with My Prerogative (Instrumental) as the B side. It was the second single from Brown’s second studio album Don’t Be Cruel.
The song reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts. An international success, it reached the Top 10 in several other countries, including Ireland, New Zealand, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. It was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best R&B Urban Contemporary Single.
Affair of the Heart by Rick Springfield was released October 10, 1983, with Like Father, Like Son as the B side. It was the lead single from the album Living in Oz.
The song peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100, the fourth of Springfield’s five Top 10 hits. In 1984, it was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance.
Owner of a Lonely Heart by Yes was released on October 8, 1983, with Our Song as the B side. It was the first single from the band’s eleventh studio album 90125.
The song was the band’s first and only single to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. It reached No. 28 on the UK Singles Chart.
And found myself alone, alone
Alone above a raging sea
That stole the only girl I loved
And drowned her deep inside of me
Just Like Heaven by The Cure was released on October 5, 1987, as the third single from the album Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me. The songs Breathe and Snow in Summer were used as B sides for the 7″ singles.
Before Cure frontman Robert Smith had completed the lyrics, an instrumental version of the song was used as the theme for the French television show Les Enfants du Rock. Continue reading
Reaching out for something to hold
Looking for a love where the climate is cold
Manic moves and drowsy dreams
Or living in the middle between the two extremes
Out of Touch by Hall & Oates was released on October 4, 1984, with Cold, Dark and Yesterday as the B side. It was the lead single from their album Big Bam Boom.
Out of Touch, Hall & Oates’ last Billboard Hot 100 No. 1, topped the chart for two weeks. It was the duo’s fourteenth consecutive top 40 hit since 1980. Continue reading
Eighties Grooves 