1983: When pop hits had more to them than met the ear
1983: When pop hits had more to them than met the ear
1983: When pop hits had more to them than met the ear
Gary Oberholzer
1983: When pop hits had more to them than met the ear
Some of the happiest songs ever recorded have surprisingly serious stories behind them. Others were inspired by chance encounters, complicated romances or sheer desperation. 1983 was full of musical surprises, when a catchy melody could disguise a protest song, a nightclub encounter could inspire a worldwide hit, and a little creative improvisation could produce pop magic.
It’s the featured year on this week’s HOT Classic Countdown with Steve Bishop, taking place every Sunday from 12 to 3pm on HOT 102.7FM.
When the lyrics tell a different story
Eddy Grant’s Electric Avenue might sound like a carefree dance-floor favourite, but its origins were anything but cheerful.
Grant wrote the song after witnessing the 1981 Brixton riots unfold on television.
The unrest, fuelled by unemployment, racial tensions and social inequality, inspired a powerful commentary disguised as an irresistible pop hit.
And that famous Electric Avenue? It’s a real street in Brixton, London, named for its pioneering electric street lighting.
Donna Summer’s She Works Hard for the Money was similarly inspired by real life. Summer encountered a weary restroom attendant named Onetta Johnson at a Los Angeles restaurant, and their meeting inspired one of the decade’s great working-woman anthems.
Johnson even appeared on the back cover of Summer’s album!
Love, supermodels and a little musical mischief
Billy Joel’s Uptown Girl has an intriguing romantic backstory.
Originally conceived as Uptown Girls, the song was inspired by Joel’s encounters with several glamorous women, including supermodel Elle Macpherson. But it was Christie Brinkley who eventually became his leading lady, appearing in the music video before the couple married in 1985.
Meanwhile, Lionel Richie’s All Night Long had the world singing along to what sounded like an African-language celebration.
But there was a catch.
Much of that infectious chanting was simply invented by Richie! Future superstar Richard Marx, who sang backing vocals on the recording, later recalled discovering that the supposed foreign-language lyrics were largely made up.
Who needs a translation when the music feels that good?
Did You Know?
One of the eighties’ biggest hits was recorded with borrowed money!
Before Eurythmics conquered the charts with Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This), Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart were struggling to find success.
With limited finances, Stewart secured a bank loan, and the pair recorded their breakthrough material using an eight-track machine in a makeshift studio above a picture-framing business in London.
There was no glamorous recording complex or enormous production budget. Just two determined musicians experimenting with electronic sounds.
The result? One of the most recognisable songs of the entire decade.
A year of remarkable firsts
Away from the recording studio, history was being made in extraordinary ways.
On 18 June 1983, astronaut Sally Ride became the first American woman in space, travelling aboard the space shuttle Challenger. Just ten weeks later, Guion Bluford became the first African American in space.
Meanwhile, audiences were flocking to cinemas to see Return of the Jedi, while the music of Irene Cara’s Flashdance… What a Feeling had moviegoers dreaming of becoming dancers.
And on South African airwaves, performers like eVoid, with Taximan, and Via Afrika, with Hey Boy, were adding their own distinctive energy to the country’s evolving pop and rock scene.
Rediscover the music behind the memories
From the smooth sophistication of Spandau Ballet’s True to the dance-floor magic of KC and the Sunshine Band’s Give It Up, these are songs that have outlived the fashions, hairstyles and technology of their time.
Join Steve Bishop this Sunday, 1 November, from 12 noon to 3pm on HOT 102.7FM, for 30 classic hits and another unforgettable journey through music history.
Because sometimes the stories behind the songs are every bit as entertaining as the music itself!
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