Remember being an 80s kid and climbing into the school bus each weekday morning to head to class? I bet you listened to quite a bit of music, either on your cassette player or portable radio. And if you were a kid in 1982, I bet the following iconic 80s hit songs made it to your commute rotation. Let’s get a little nostalgic for the 80s, shall we?
“Rosanna” by Toto from ‘Toto IV’
Toto almost reached the tippy-top of the charts with this killer jazz rock song from 1982. “Rosanna” was easily one of the biggest songs of the year, having scored a Grammy Award for Record of the Year and reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Many people think of “Africa” when they think of Toto’s heavy-hitters from the 80s, but many others think of “Rosanna”.
“Eye Of The Tiger” by Survivor from ‘Eye Of The Tiger’
This hard rock song is easily the anthem of hard rock anthems. Its use in Rocky III’s soundtrack certainly helped, considering that film was what the song was written for. But even if it never made it to the legendary sports drama film, it probably would have become a hit anyway. It’s just that catchy. “Eye Of The Tiger” peaked at No. 1 in both the US and UK and took home the Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by Duo or Group with Vocal.
“I Love Rock ‘N Roll” by Joan Jett and The Blackhearts from ‘I Love Rock ‘N Roll’
Joan Jett took this 1975 hard rock song by Arrows and turned it into something totally different and very much her own. Joan Jett and The Blackhearts’ 1982 version of “I Love Rock ‘N Roll” is the one most people can recall, and it was one of the biggest songs of that year. The tune peaked at No. 1 on the Hot 100 chart.
“Abracadabra” by Steve Miller Band from ‘Abracadabra’
Remember this electronic rock hit from Steve Miller Band? If you were an 80s kid with a love for pop rock, this 1982 tune definitely made it to your rotation of songs. “Abracadabra”, interestingly enough, almost didn’t happen because of label concerns, according to Miller himself.
“Capitol [Records] didn’t believe in it and didn’t want to release it,” said Miller on The Howard Stern Show in 2016. “I had a different deal with Phonogram in Europe. When it came out in Europe, I cancelled my American tour because it was No. 1 everywhere in the world, except the States.”
Thankfully, Capitol eventually released the song in the US, where it also reached the top of the Hot 100 chart.
Photo by Rob Verhorst / Getty Images
The post 4 Songs From 1982 Every 80s Kid Heard While Riding the Bus to School Each Morning appeared first on American Songwriter.
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