https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/ Copyright (c) 2006-2013 Web Wiz Forums - All Rights Reserved. Thu, 23 Apr 2026 11:09:00 +0000 Sun, 11 Dec 2005 02:08:41 +0000 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Web Wiz Forums 12.07 360 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/RSS_post_feed.asp?TID=567 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum//images/Top-40-Music-on-CD-Forum-Logo.png https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/ https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=567&PID=2976&title=1982-variety-top-selling-singles#2976 Author: Brian W.
Subject: 567
Posted: 11 December 2005 at 2:08am

Variety's Best-Selling Singles of 1982

Shocker: The #5 ranking of Frank Zappa's Valley Girl, which peaked at #32 on the Hot 100!

Note: Loverboy's Working for the Weekend may have grazed the top 10 during one of the three missing weeks in February, as it was at #16 on the final Top 50 chart of 1/27/82, and had been rising fast. But if so, it had dropped out of the top ten by 2/24/82. I have a sneaking suspicion Kool & The Gang's Get Down On It might have appeared in positions 8-10 in the missing May charts as well.

Singles that did not make the Top Ten on the Hot 100 are listed in Red.

#1

1. Eye of the Tiger – Survivor #1 (12 weeks), 6/30/82 (6/21/82)
2. I Love Rock N Roll – Joan Jett & The Blackhearts #1 (probably 10 weeks), 2/24/82 (2/15/82)
3. Mickey – Toni Basil #1 (probably 8 weeks), 12/1/82 (11/22/82)
4. Ebony and Ivory – Paul McCartney & Stevie Wonder #1 (at least 6 weeks), either 5/12/82 (5/3/82) or 5/19/82 (5/10/82)
5. Centerfold – J. Geils Band #1 (probably 5 weeks), 1/27/82 (1/18/82)
6. Truly – Lionel Richie #1 (4 weeks), 11/3/82 (10/25/82)
7. Jack & Diane – John Cougar #1 (4 weeks), 9/22/82 (9/13/82)
8. Up Where We Belong – Joe Cocker & Jennifer Warnes #1 (2 weeks), 10/20/82 (10/11/82)

#2

9. Don't You Want Me – Human League #2 (10 weeks), 5/26/82 (5/17/82)
10. Abracadrabra – Steve Miller #2 (7 weeks), 8/4/82 (7/26/82)
11. Hard to Say I'm Sorry – Chicago #2 (4 weeks), 9/22/82 (9/13/82)
12. Chariots of Fire – Vangelis #2 (3 weeks), 4/14/82 (4/5/82)
13. We Got the Beat – Go-Gos #2 (2 weeks), 3/31/82 (2/22/82)

#3

14. Maneater – Hall & Oates #3 (at least 5, probably 6 weeks), 12/29/82 (12/20/82)
15. Who Can It Be Now – Men at Work #3 (4 weeks), 10/13/82 (10/4/82)
16. Hurts So Good – John Mellencamp #3 (2 weeks), 7/21/82 (7/12/82)
17. I've Never Been to Me – Charlene #3 (at least 2 weeks), 5/26/82 (5/17/82) (possibly hit peak position as early as 5/5/82)
18. Always on My Mind – Willie Nelson #3 (2 weeks), 6/9/82 (5/31/82)
19. Rosanna – Toto #3 (1 week), 7/14/82 (7/5/82)
20. Gloria – Laura Branigan #3 (1 week), 12/8/82 (11/29/82)
21. Freeze-Frame – J. Geils Band #3 (1 week), 4/7/82 (3/29/82)


#4

22. Baby Come to Me – Patti Austin & James Ingram #4 (at least 4 weeks, maybe 5), 1/6/83 (12/28/83)
23. Pac-Man Fever – Buckner & Garcia #4 (at least 1 week), 3/24/82 (3/15/82)
24. Harden My Heart – Quarterflash #4 (at least 1 week), either 2/3/82 (1/25/82), 2/10/82 (2/1/82), or 2/17/82 (2/8/82)
25. The Other Woman – Ray Parker Jr. #4 (1 week), 6/2/82 (5/24/82)


#5

26. Valley Girl – Frank & Moon Zappa #5 (3 weeks nc), 8/18/82 (8/9/82)
27. Sexual Healing – Marvin Gaye #5 (at least 3 weeks nc), 11/24/82 (11/15/82)
28. Tainted Love – Soft Cell #5 (2 weeks nc), 7/21/82 (7/12/82)
29. That Girl – Stevie Wonder #5 (at least 2 weeks nc), 3/3/82 (2/22/82)
30. Dirty Laundry – Don Henley #5 (at least 2 weeks) 12/1/82 (11/22/82)
31. Key Largo – Bertie Higgins #5 (at least 2 weeks), 4/21/82 (4/12/82)
32. Our Lips are Sealed – Go-Go's #5 (at least 1 week), either 2/3/82 (1/25/82), 2/10/82 (2/1/82), or 2/17/82 (2/8/82)
33. Heartlight – Neil Diamond #5 (1 week), 10/20/82 (10/11/82)

#6

34. 867-5309/Jenny – Tommy Tutone #6 (at least 5 weeks), 5/19/82 (5/10/82) (possibly 5/12/82)
35. You Should Hear How She Talks About You – Melissa Manchester #6 (3 weeks nc), 8/18/82 (8/9/82)
36. Open Arms – Journey #6 (at least 3 weeks), 3/3/82 (2/22/82)

#7

37. Rock This Town – Stray Cats #7 (at least 4 weeks nc), 11/10/82 (11/1/82) (This might possibly have peaked higher during a missing week in early January 1983, but unlikely, as it was not on the year-end chart for 1983)
38. Heat of the Moment – Asia #7 (3 weeks nc), 6/16/82 (6/7/82)
39. Eye in the Sky – Alan Parsons Project #7 (2 weeks), 10/6/82
40. Shake It Up – Cars #7 (at least 1 week), 1/27/82 (1/18/82)
41. Hold Me – Fleetwood Mac #7 (1 week), 8/25/82 (8/16/82)
42. Let It Whip – Dazz Band #7 (1 week), 6/30/82 (6/21/82)
43. Young Turks – Rod Stewart #7 (at least one week), 1/20/82 (1/11/82)
44. Vacation – Go-Go's #7 (1 week), 9/1/82 (8/23/82)
45. Heart Attack – Olivia Newton-John #7 (1 week), 10/27/82 (10/18/82)
46. The Girl is Mine – Michael Jackson & Paul McCartney #7 (1 week), 11/24/82 (11/15/82)

#8

47. Don't Talk to Strangers – Rick Springfield #8 (at least 2 weeks nc), 4/14/82 (4/5/82)

#9

48. **Flame Thrower – J. Geils Band at least #9 (at least 1 week), 3/17/82 (3/8/82) (could have peaked one week earlier) (This was the B-side of Freeze Frame, and was a minor R&B hit in Billboard. It was listed on the chart only this week; the following week, Freeze Frame was listed solo. But the chart was tiny -- there wouldn't have been room to list both titles side by side. In Cash Box, the song was listed as Freeze Frame / Flame Thrower.)
49. Make a Move on Me – Olivia Newton-John #9 (1 week), 4/14/82 (4/5/82)
50. Only the Lonely – Motels #9 (1 week), 8/11/82 (8/2/82)
51. I Ran (So Far Away) – Flock of Seagulls #9 (1 week), 10/13/82 (10/4/82)

#10

52. Steppin' Out – Joe Jackson #10 (4 weeks nc), 11/10/82 (11/1/82)
53. I Keep Forgettin' (Every Time You're Near) - Michael McDonald #10 (2 weeks nc), 10/6/82 (9/27/82)
54. Leather and Lace – Stevie Nicks & Don Henley at least #10 (at least 1 week), 1/20/82 (1/11/82)
55. 65 Love Affair – Paul Davis at least #10 (at least 1 week), 5/5/82 (4/26/82) (chart for 5/12 was not published, so quite possible this peaked a little higher)
56. Love is in Control (Finger on the Trigger) – Donna Summer #10 (1 week), 9/1/82 (8/23/82)



]]> Sun, 11 Dec 2005 02:08:41 +0000 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=567&PID=2976&title=1982-variety-top-selling-singles#2976 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=567&PID=2975&title=1982-variety-top-selling-singles#2975 Author: Brian W.
Subject: 567
Posted: 11 December 2005 at 1:33am

Variety continued its Fifty Best-Selling Pop Singles chart through the January 27, 1982 issue. No chart was published the following three weeks, then it reappeared as a top-ten-only chart on issue date 2/24/82, sadly with no previous week column. So those missing three weeks (and a handful of future unpublished weeks) are probably gone forever.

However, a year-end Top Fifty was published with peak positions through 1984, which contained most of the singles in the top seven and a couple peaking at #8... so we do know the peak positions of almost all the top ten singles during the missing period, if not the peak dates. The only danger in that is the possibility of errors in the year-end chart. For example, The Cars' Shake It Up was listed as peaking at #8 on the year-end chart, but it was actually #7. But I am positive there are no missing songs in the top five.

There were also two missing charts in May 1982. So below, when I say probably regarding a song's position or weeks, that means there was a missing chart in its run somewhere.

The bigger question is: When the chart dropped to 10 positions, did the survey sample size shrink as well? No way to tell for sure, but each year-end chart still claimed the chart monitored the 25 top markets.

To start off with, I'll list the final Top 50 chart from the 1/27/82 issue, as it covers singles charting in early '82 that did not make the top ten. It's also an opportunity to have a gander at the Relative Sales Index I've mentioned in the past. (And forgive the extremely sloppy formatting -- this thing doesn't seem to know what to do with multiple spaces.)

NOTE: The "Last Week" column for the top two hits on this final chart says that both Centerfold and Physical were #1 the previous week. It was not listed this way on the previous chart -- Physical was #1 and Centerfold #2 -- but both songs had the exact same Relative Sales Index points that week, 110.05, the only time during the RSI's six-year-run that the #1 and #2 song were exactly tied in points. How they separated them into #1 and #2 for the previous week's chart, I don't know.

Final Variety Top 50 Chart - Wednesday, January 27, 1982 (actual chart week ending 1/18/82)

The Variety singles chart is a current reflection of records active on the national retail level. The tabulation is derived from a broad sampling of sales data from the top 33 markets. It is based wholly on retail sales. Album titles appear in lower case beneath the single record title due to percentage of the public buying the album to get the single. Relative Sales Index measure the difference in sales power between any two discs. It thus shows the relative lead of the No. 1 disc over the rest of the field.

*Indicates an increase in sales for two consecutive weeks

R.S.I.-Weeks on chart-2 weeks ago-1 week ago-This week

111.95 10 2 1 *1. Centerfold - J. Geils Band
108.25 16 1 1   2. Physical - Olivia Newton-John
91.33   10 3 3   3. I Can't Go for That (No Can Do) - Daryl Hall & John Oates
81.38 15   4   4   4. Waiting for a Girl Like You - Foreigner
79.95 12   8   6 *5. Harden My Heart - Quarterflash
79.00 16   5   5   6. Let's Groove - Earth, Wind & Fire
74.76 9    7   9 *7. Shake It Up - Cars
74.66 13   7   8 *8. Young Turks - Rod Stewart
74.62 12 11 11 *9. Turn Your Love Around - George Benson
74.43 20 10 12 10. Our Lips are Sealed - Go-Go's
73.00   13 6   7   11 . Hooked on Classics - Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
69.90 11   19 13 *12. The Sweetest Thing - Juice Newton
67.90 13   16 15   13. Don't Stop Believin' - Journey
67.28 12 13   10   14. Leather and Lace - Stevie Nicks (with Don Henley)
66.66 17 12   17   15. Every Little Thing She Does is Magic - Police
66.09 7   27   19 *16. Working for the Weekend - Loverboy
65.66 4   39   25 *17. Pac Man Fever - Buckener & Garcia
64.28   21   9 16   18. Private Eyes - Daryl Hall & John Oates
64.14 11 23   18   19. Trouble - Lindsey Buckingham
64.14 14 14   14   20. Why Do Fools Fall in Love - Diana Ross
61.40   7   24 20   21. Waiting on a Friend - Rolling Stones
58.95 5   38   29 *22. Leader of the Band - Dan Fogelberg
58.05 10 21   22   23. Comin' In and Out of Your Life - Barbra Streisand
58.00 5   37   35 *24. Love is Alright Tonight - Rick Springfield
57.85 15 28   26   25. Take My Heart - Kool & The Gang
57.31 9   33   27 *26. I Wouldn't Have Missed It for the World - Ronnie Milsap
57.14 4   42   44 *27. Call Me - Blondie
57.09 12 20   21 *28. Under Pressure - Queen & David Bowie
56.95 7   41   39 *29. Cool Night - Paul Davis
56.85 16 18   24   30. Oh, No - Commodores
55.90 23 15   23   31. Start Me Up - Rolling Stones
53.89 26 26   31   32. Super Freak - Rick James
53.28 9   36   32   3 3. Someone Could Lose a Heart Tonight - Eddie Rabbitt
52.33 4   43   38 *34. ABACAB - Genesis
52.18 18 22   30   35. Here I Am - Air Supply
51.90 1   --   -- *36. Love in the First Degree - Alabama
51.85 7   40   41 *37. You Could Have Been With Me - Sheena Easton
51.05 13 32   28   38. My Girl (Gone Gone Gone) - Chillwack
49.95 3   49   48 *39. Mirror Mirror - Diana Ross
49.33 7   44   42 *40. She's Got a Way - Billy Joel
48.90 5    5   43 *41. Sweet Dreams - Air Supply
48.00 1   --   -- *42. Open Arms - Journey
47.57 3   47   46 *43. Through the Years - Kenny Rogers
47.05 3   46   45 *44. Pehaps Love - Placigo Domingo with John Denver
46.38 2   --   47 *45. Take It Easy On Me - Little River Band
45.09 3   48   49 *46. Somewhere Down the Road - Barry Manilow
43.57 1   --   -- *47. Love is Like a Rock - Donnie Iris
43.09 1   --   -- *48. That Girl - Stevie Wonder
42.85 3   50   50   4 9. Tainted Love - Soft Cell
42.76 1   --   -- *50. Spirits in the Material World - Police

Edited by Brian W.]]> Sun, 11 Dec 2005 01:33:16 +0000 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=567&PID=2975&title=1982-variety-top-selling-singles#2975