The Rolling Stones: Hang Fire (1982)

The Rolling Stones use surf rock to make social commentary. Basically, it laments the demise of the working class in the late 70s. The term "Hang Fire" itself means to delay action and was a shot at the politicians.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xbtlW16Gts

The Clash: Rock the Casbah (1982)

"Rock the Casbah" became The Clash's biggest hit. It begins with some Arab king banning rock music. In response, the people "rock the Casbah" which results in an airstrike. However, the pilots don't obey orders and rock out themselves. The song incorporates Arabic, Hebrew, and Sanscrit words in a clever way.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJ9r8LMU9bQ

INXS: The One Thing (1982)

"The One Thing" is the perfect example of a post-disco, post-punk rock song. It bridges the gap between the late 70s and mid-80s better than most other recordings of the period. It's also a fun song.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJyKTNdPL5s

John Mellencamp: Hurts So Good (1982)

John Mellencamp, then known as John Cougar, scored three monster hits off his American Fool album. "Hurts So Good" reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the summer of '82 and #1 on the rock charts.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dOsbsuhYGQ

The Stray Cats: Stray Cat Strut (1982)

The Stray Cats were a throw back. They were rockabilly and harkened back to the fifties. They scored a number of hits between 1981 and 1984 and then broke up. They have been on again and off again since. Some thought the Stray Cats were a novelty act, until they actually heard them live.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQjv0x1FdK0

Iron Maiden: Run to the Hills (1982)

Many believed heavy metal brainless noise. Iron Maiden's "Run to the Hills" disproves this belief. The song tells the story of Native Americans being attacked by whites. It recounts the destruction of Native cultures and theft of Indian lands. It's a story of the conquest.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=geHLdg_VNww0
 

811. Nebraska by Bruce Springsteen (1982)

The Nebraska album was Bruce Springsteen's reaction to economic turmoil and dislocation of the late seventies and early eighties. Most of the songs deal with ordinary people struggling through life. One exception is the title track which recounts Charles Raymond Starkweather's murder spree in 1958. The twenty-year-old Starkweather and his 14-year-old girlfriend killed eleven people over two months. She served 17 years in prison while he was executed. Springsteen's unemotional delivery hammers home the impersonal and uncaring nature of the criminals.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwcOhOv4fho

848. Spirits in the Material World by the Police (1982)

The Police album Ghost in the Machine is one of the most underrated albums. Using a ska beat, Sting proclaims "we are spirits in the material world." The song ventures between this simple declaration and an analysis of the failures of political institutions.

"Where does the answer lie?

Living from day to day

If it's something we can't buy

There must be another way"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDs9zbiumDc

861. Eye of the Tiger by Survivor (1982)

Originally, Sylvester Stallone wanted Queen's "Another One Bites the Dust" for Rocky III. However, he could not get permission to use the hit, so he went with "Eye of the Tiger." It proved fortuitous as "Eye of the Tiger" became a soundtrack song for the summer of 1982. It hit #1 on the charts and remained there for 6 weeks. The song has since become iconic.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btPJPFnesV4

862. Allentown by Billy Joel (1982)

In "Allentown," Billy Joel tackles the decline of Industrial America. The old rust belt helped build America, the middle class, and won World War II. In return for their efforts, these areas have been left behind. The process began in the seventies and hit America hard by the early eighties. After a short rebound in some areas, it began anew. This song is as pertinent today as it was in 1982...perhaps even more so...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHnJp0oyOxs

868. You've Got Another Thing Comin' by Judas Priest (1982)

"You've Got Another Thing Comin'" is Judas Priest's only song to chart in America. This makes sense since Americans tend to be more independent and individualistic than their Euro counterparts.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RRoCkncvYo

Maneater by Hall & Oates (1982)

I watched the VH-1 Behind the Music on Hall & Oates last night and completely forgot how big these guys were at one point. Anyway, here's a song I liked from them with a killer bass line.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ap-OO0xqTe4

Daryl Hall does a free monthly performance live from his own house that fans can watch online at:

http://www.livefromdarylshouse.com/

895. Gypsy by Fleetwood Mac (1982)

Stevie Nicks wrote "Gypsy" at a time when Fleetwood Mac exploded in popularity and she longed for a simpler time. She explains in a March 31, 2009 interview with Entertainment Weekly:

"Oh boy, I've never really spoken about this, so I get verklempt, and then I've got the story and I start to screw it up. Okay: In the old days, before Fleetwood Mac, Lindsey [Buckingham] and I had no money, so we had a king-size mattress, but we just had it on the floor. I had old vintage coverlets on it, and even though we had no money it was still really pretty... Just that and a lamp on the floor, and that was it—there was a certain calmness about it. To this day, when I'm feeling cluttered, I will take my mattress off of my beautiful bed, wherever that may be, and put it outside my bedroom, with a table and a little lamp. That's the words: 'So I'm back to the velvet underground'—which is a clothing store in downtown San Francisco, where Janis Joplin got her clothes, and Grace Slick from Jefferson Airplane, it was this little hole in the wall, amazing, beautiful stuff—'back to the floor that I love, to a room with some lace and paper flowers, back to the gypsy that I was.' So that's what 'Gypsy' means: it's just a search for before this all happened. And later, I tacked on a line for my friend Robin, my best friend, who died of leukemia: 'I still see your bright eyes.' But then, Robin wasn't sick yet. She got cancer, and died within a year."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=soioqrYorq4

912. The Number of the Beast by Iron Maiden (1982)

Inspired by the Omen II, "The Number of the Beast" is perhaps Iron Maiden's biggest hit. They incorporated the Omen, the Book of Revelations, and a poem by Tam O'Shanter to frighten critics in America and abroad. The song repeats the number "666" several times which freaked out the Tipper Gores of the world and resulted in Chile banning the song. Even the video brought controversy. The band edited out Eddie after people complained about his frightening nature.

Happy Halloween!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrSiIqCpxB8

944. Pressure by Billy Joel (1982)

The song deals with the pressures of everyday life. It's a song all of us can identify with. The Piano Man uses a synthesizer to replicate a manic feeling. Interestingly, if "Pressure" was in another key, it'd be a polka.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iyv905Q2omU&ob=av2e

964. Shadows of the Night by Pat Benatar (1982)

The video for "Shadows of the Night" got banned in Germany for its World War II action. In the video, Benatar plays a Rosie the Riveter and imagines going on an undercover mission for the Allies. Why was it banned? It has swatikas...apparently the Star Trek episode "Patterns of Force" is banned for the same reason.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66aqcOsnP2E

972. Mesopotamia by The B52s (1982)

A fun look at ancient history from the B-52s. Fred Schneider admits he isn't a student of ancient history in the lyrics. The backing vocals almost feel what Mesopotamia might have felt like.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7B5W4VGa_U&p=12C668769172F6AE&playnext=1&index=5