Poll: 1982 - What is your favorite number one single?

While I liked several of these songs none of them are actually classics.

Scott

 

"A Town Called Malice" got my vote, but "Beat Surrender" was a very, very close second!!!

 

I was 14 in 1982. What a dismal year for pop music.

I chose "Who Can it Be Now?"

 

'82 was mainly about four bands for me; Big Country, ABC, Marillion & Kid Creloe & the Coconuts. Acts whose work I still listen to today. That said, The Jam brought out some stunning singles that year. By this time my favourite early 80s act, Dexy's Midnight Runners, had lost their way. 'Eileen' was - and still is - awful. Makes me cringe. Its enduring popularity astonishes me. Still, that's why we're music fan. Diversity's the man. However, the one song that should be everyone's 1982 compilation cd is 'We Have A Dream' by the Scotland World Cup squad.

 

Culture Club

 

Actually I prefer "Save your love" and "Ebony & Ivory" than any of the songs in the poll. "Save your love" is still a great fun to listen to (never meant to be taken seriously, IMO), and I never understood why everybody hates "Ebony and Ivory" - great melody and sensible message.

 

On a quick skim, I narrowed it down to these:

Goody Two Shoes
Jack & Diane
Centerfold - not "centrefold" as listed, by the way
Hard To Say I'm Sorry - my favorite part is the "Get Away" ending, and that probably isn't even part of the single.

I went with the Cougar tune "Jack & Diane". Then I see some tune "Town Called Malice" by the Jam is the leading vote getter at this time with 48. I have no idea what this is, and have never heard of them. So I just listened to the song on youtube. When it first started, I immediately thought of "You Can't Hurry Love". Not a bad song. Sounds very Elvis Costello-like to me. I was only 9 in 1982, but I heard most of this stuff in later years. I guess I just never noticed The Jam, or were they maybe not nearly as popular in the US?

 

The Go-Go's one is great. I'd have voted for that had it been an option.

 

Pass The Dutchie.

 

so much pretty good songs - Come One Eileen for me, but I also like Human League Men at Work and the Steve Miller Band song. I think 10 year later in 1992 there is not a single no.1 I like...

 

To me that year looks pretty weak. I finally settled on A Town Called Malice -- The Jam

Most of the stuff on that list wore out its welcome to my ears. If I'm not being too negative Maneater, Come On Eileen, Jack and Diane, and Don't You Want Me are all solid pop tunes.

 

I find it hard to believe that anyone on this forum has never heard of The Jam!

 

Nothing wrong with the message or even the melody - it's the lyrics.

A few here have mentioned "I Love Rock & Roll" - that's from 1981...might do 1981 next week.

 

That's my question... What are the parameters? The Jett album came out in the states in Nov 1981, but the single wasn't released until Jan 1982.

Not nit picking, just have always thought of this as a single from 1982. Plus it blows away anything on the list.

 

You are right - it was a number one in 1982. Bullfrogspond has it listed as a number one in 1981.
http://bullfrogspond.com/number1/number1980.htm

 

"More Than This" - Roxy Music
"Back on the Chain Gang" - The Pretenders
"Senses Working Overtime" - XTC
"Ghost" - Japan
"Maid of Orleans" - OMD
"Six Months in a Leaky Boat" - Split Enz

OK, I missed the part of about being a #1. But these are better than anything on the list.

 

Musical Youth!