From this point on in the 1983 countdown, the question should be what could possibly have beaten the previous song?  This next track edged out the previous one, and with good reason.  It is one of the most iconic ballads of all time, with an undeniably powerful vocal track.  It is almost uncoverable given how good this track is, and it plants itself at #4.  It is Total Eclipse of the Heart by Bonnie Tyler.

Now we come to the top 5 songs that were released in 1983, and any of these next songs, if released in another year, would have likely been #1.  Instead, they all had to fight for the top 1983 prize, and this entry is one of the best pop R&B dance songs of all time, making this man a huge megastar if he wasn’t one already by then.  The #5 song in this countdown is All Night Long (All Night) by Lionel Richie.

One of my wife’s all time favorite songs, this is another track that still gets tremendous amounts of airplay everywhere you go.  It is probably this band’s biggest song, and there is just so much positive energy emanating from it, I dare you to not have it ringing in your head all day after listening.  The #6 song released in 1983 is Karma Chameleon by Culture Club.

He’s baaaack, this time with the title track of the album that became – for the longest time – the biggest selling album ever.  This track also redefined what it meant to do a music video, where it could be a mini-movie and tell a full story.  Also, the song (while likely not intended) is still one of the best Halloween songs ever.  Dropping in at #7 is Thriller by Michael Jackson.

We now arrive at the second of two songs I rediscovered after combing back through the tracks, and boy!, was I positively stunned that I missed this one.  This pop goddess indicated she wanted to rule the world when this track first dropped, and she didn’t stop for years.  When I found the track, I weighed it against all other tracks as I reviewed the countdown, and it kept climbing and climbing until it finally rested at #8 – it’s Holiday by Madonna.

I hope you got your running shoes on.  Songs tend to conjure up different images, and this next song in this 1983 countdown is going to make you want to run in place really fast.  It is the second of two songs spawned from a movie that have managed to stay atop on their own, and it is just a really good song as well.  The song is instantly recognizable and fun.  Coming in at #9 is Maniac by Michael Sembello.