3 Rock Songs From 1983 You Heard While Shopping at the Mall With Your Friends

If you were a teen or a young adult back in 1983, you probably spent at least some time at the mall with your friends, wandering around with nowhere really to go, jamming out to your favorite rock songs. In fact, I bet you heard at least a couple of the following famous rock songs from that year over your local mall’s speakers. Let’s get a little nostalgic and take a look at some classics from 1983, shall we?

“Let’s Dance” by David Bowie from ‘Let’s Dance’

This funky fresh dance-rock classic from David Bowie is still a bop after all these years. “Let’s Dance” was the title track of the icon’s 1983 album, and it’s easily the most memorable tune from the entire album. I didn’t think it was possible to cram so many different genre elements into one song, but Bowie (with some help from Stevie Ray Vaughan and Nile Rodgers) made it look easy. 

“Let’s Dance” peaked at No. 1 across the board in countries like the US, the UK, Canada, and most of Europe.

“Faithfully” by Journey from ‘Frontiers’

Journey was having quite a time in the 1980s, and “Faithfully” is just one of many hits that landed the band on the radio, almost to a point where you couldn’t escape them. This particular tune from Frontiers was written by Jonathan Cain and made it all the way to No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Today, some might say this is one of the greatest power ballads of the era. I certainly agree with that notion.

“Africa” by Toto from ‘Toto IV’

This unforgettable, glittery, synthy delight of a song has pulled in new fans with each new generation. That takes some serious songwriting talent. This entry on our list of rock songs from 1983 that you definitely heard while shopping at the mall is the perfect combination of synth-pop and soft rock, and it remains one of Toto’s most enduring career hits. 

“Africa” peaked at No. 1 on the Hot 100 chart and reached the Top 10 across the globe. I bet you still whip this one out at karaoke, don’t lie!

Photo by Fox Photos/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

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