Best Songs of 1983

I have two simple rules when making my "Best of" song lists. First, an artist can't appear more than once. Second, I will not rank my lists. The first rule makes the list-making harder, and the second makes it easier. This paradox creates a happy medium.

For all of 2013, I have been working on lists representing 30, 20, and 10 years ago, along with a list for this year. The weird thing about making these lists after the fact is the use of hindsight, for I have discovered new artists and new songs in the interim years and, in some cases, during this process of trying to fill out a 100-song list.

Even more interesting to me, an perhaps best evidenced in this particular list, is the commingling of pop songs that I'd eschew on a similar list today, alongside obscure tracks—ones I might not never even have heard of back in the day—that have only emerged through time.

Still, what you see below is an honest attempt to assess a year in time, merging the reality of a list made 30 years later with the idea that, had I been able to conceive of such a list at the time (as an adult, not as the five-year-old I was), I would have included pop hits and obscure tunes, aging favorites and new artists.

For these year-end lists, I like to undertake the seemingly impossibly task of creating an hours-long mix. The order you see below represents that effort, which you can listen to via Spotify. Sadly all 100 tracks aren't available, but you get the general idea. Track notes to come eventually or maybe never.

Show Grid

Blister in the Sun

Violent Femmes

Violent Femmes

Slash

Notes
16 Shells From a 30.6

Tom Waits

Swordfishtrombones

Island

Notes
King of Pain

The Police

Synchronicity

A&M

Notes
True

Spandau Ballet

True

Chrysalis

Notes
Between the Sheets

The Isley Brothers

Between the Sheets

T-Neck

Notes
Heartbreaker

Zapp

Zapp III

Warner Bros.

Notes
Candy Girl

New Edition

Candy Girl

Streetwise

Notes
Holiday

Madonna

Madonna

Sire

Notes
The Reflex

Duran Duran

Seven and the Ragged Tiger

Capitol

Notes
Everything Counts

Depeche Mode

Construction Time Again

Sire

Notes
Rockit

Herbie Hancock

Future Shock

Columbia

Notes
Sucker M.C.'s (Krush-Groove 1)

Run-DMC

It's Like That

Profile

Notes
Blue Monday

New Order

Blue Monday 12"

Factory

Notes
White Lines (Don't Do It)

Grandmaster Flash and Melle Mel

White Lines (Don't Do It)

Sugar Hill

Notes
Let the Music Play

Shannon

Let the Music Play

Emergency

Notes
Jump (For My Love)

The Pointer Sisters

Break Out

Planet Records

Notes
Flashdance (What a Feeling)

Irene Cara

Flashdance

Polygram

Notes
She Works Hard for the Money

Donna Summer

She Works Hard for the Money

Mercury

Notes
Ain't Nobody

Rufus & Chaka Khan

Stompin' at the Savoy

Warner Bros.

Notes
Baby I'm Scared of You

Womack & Womack

Love Wars

Elektra

Notes
Can't Get Outta the Rain

Michael Jackson

Billie Jean

Sony

Notes
Say Say Say

Paul McCartney featuring Michael Jackson

Pipes of Peace

Parlophone

Notes
I'm Still Standing

Elton John

Too Low for Zero

Island

Notes
Tell Her About It

Billy Joel

An Innocent Man

Columbia

Notes
Walking on Sunshine

Katrina and the Waves

Katrina and the Waves

Attic

Notes
Karma Chameleon

Culture Club

Colour By Numbers

Virgin

Notes
Always Something There to Remind Me

Naked Eyes

Burning Bridges

EMI

Notes
99 Red Balloons

Nena

99 Luftballoons

Epic

Notes
Burning Down the House

Talking Heads

Speaking in Tongues

Warner Bros.

Notes
Mad World

Tears for Fears

The Hurting

Fontana

Notes
Transfer Affection

A Flock of Seagulls

Listen

BMG

Notes
Too Shy

Kajagoogoo

White Feathers

EMI

Notes
Mirror Man

The Human League

Fascination!

A&M

Notes
One Thing Leads to Another

The Fixx

Reach the Beach

MCA

Notes
Talking in Your Sleep

The Romantics

In Heat

Epic

Notes
Sunglasses at Night

Corey Hart

First Offense

Capitol

Notes
Here Comes the Rain Again

Eurythmics

Touch

Sony

Notes
Modern Love

David Bowie

Let's Dance

EMI

Notes
Strip

Adam Ant

Strip

CBS

Notes
Great Fire

XTC

Mummer

Virgin

Notes
The Lovecats

The Cure

Japanese Whispers

Sire

Notes
Electric Lash

The Church

Seance

EMI

Notes
The Walls Came Down

The Call

Modern Romans

Mercury

Notes
Rebel Yell

Billy Idol

Rebel Yell

Chrysalis

Notes
Cum on Feel the Noize

Quiet Riot

Metal Health

Epic

Notes
Time Bomb

Ramones

Subterranean Jungle

Warner Bros.

Notes
Color Me Impressed

The Replacements

Hootenanny

Restless

Notes
Diane

Hüsker Dü

Metal Circus

SST

Notes
The Anchor

Minutemen

What Makes a Man Start Fires?

SST

Notes
Crazy

Pylon

Chomp

dB Recs

Notes
Procession

Psalms

No Great Cathedral

Reilly

Notes
Old Chief

Green on Red

Gravity Talks

Slash

Notes
This Can't Be Today

The Rain Parade

Emergency Third Rail Power Trip

Restless

Notes
A Million Miles Away

The Plimsouls

Everywhere at Once

Geffen

Notes
The New World

X

More Fun in the New World

Elektra

Notes
Radio Free Europe

R.E.M.

Murmur

I.R.S.

Notes
Every Word Means No

Let's Active

Afoot

I.R.S.

Notes
This Is the Day

The The

Soul Mining

Sony

Notes
Anselma

Los Lobos

…And a Time to Dance

Warner Bros.

Notes
Tear-Stained Letter

Richard Thompson

Hand of Kindness

Hannibal

Notes
A Girl Called Johnny

The Waterboys

The Waterboys

Chrysalis

Notes
New Year's Day

U2

War

Island

Notes
In a Big Country

Big Country

The Crossing

Mercury

Notes
Overkill

Men at Work

Cargo

Columbia

Notes
Message to My Girl

Split Enz

Conflicting Emotions

A&M

Notes
Our Town

Marshall Crenshaw

Field Day

Warner Bros.

Notes
Jokerman

Bob Dylan

Infidels

Columbia

Notes
Turn Out the Light

Lou Reed

Legendary Hearts

RCA

Notes
Wonderin'

Neil Young

Everybody's Rockin'

Geffen

Notes
I've Got a Rock 'n' Roll Heart

Eric Clapton

Money and Cigarettes

Reprise

Notes
Buffalo Soldier

Bob Marley & The Wailers

Confrontation

Tuff Gong

Notes
Break My Stride

Matthew Wilder

I Don’t Speak the Language

Epic

Notes
Red Red Wine

UB40

Labour of Love

Virgin

Notes
Bang the Drum All Day

Todd Rundgren

The Ever Popular Tortured Artist Effect

Bearsville

Notes
Rock and Roll Is King

Electric Light Orchestra

Secret Messages

Epic

Notes
Pink Houses

John Cougar Mellencamp

Uh-Huh

Mercury

Notes
Tender Is the Night

Jackson Browne

Lawyers in Love

Asylum

Notes
Islands in the Stream

Kenny Rogers & Dolly Parton

Eyes That See in the Dark

RCA

Notes
Breakin' Down

Waylon Jennings

It's Only Rock and Roll

RCA

Notes
Pride and Joy

Stevie Ray Vaughan

Texas Flood

Epic

Notes
Legs

ZZ Top

Eliminator

Warner Bros.

Notes
How Can I Refuse

Heart

Passionworks

Epic

Notes
If Anyone Falls

Stevie Nicks

The Wild Heart

Atlantic

Notes
Love Is a Battlefield

Pat Benatar

Live From Earth

Chrysalis

Notes
Photograph

Def Leppard

Pyromania

Vertigo

Notes
Owner of a Lonely Heart

Yes

90125

Atco

Notes
Say It Isn't So

Daryl Hall & John Oates

Rock 'n Soul Part 1

RCA

Notes
Heart and Soul

Huey Lewis & The News

Sports

Chrysalis

Notes
Baby Jane

Rod Stewart

Body Wishes

Warner Bros.

Notes
Come Dancing

The Kinks

State of Confusion

Arista

Notes
Back of Love

Echo & the Bunnymen

Porcupine

Warner Bros.

Notes
Jeane

The Smiths

This Charming Man

Rough Trade

Notes
Raging Eyes

Nick Lowe

The Abominable Showman

Columbia

Notes
Everyday I Write the Book

Elvis Costello & the Attractions

Punch the Clock

Columbia

Notes
That's All

Genesis

Genesis

Atlantic

Notes
Time After Time

Cyndi Lauper

She's So Unusual

Epic

Notes
Hearts and Bones

Paul Simon

Hearts and Bones

Warner Bros.

Notes
I Love L.A.

Randy Newman

Trouble in Paradise

Warner Bros.

Notes
Holiday Road

Lindsey Buckingham

Holiday Road

Warner Bros.

Notes
All Night Long

Lionel Richie

Can't Slow Down

Motown

Notes