The 25 best Classic Rock tracks of 1983
3 November 2025, 09:00
Radio X Classic Rock looks back at the year of New Year's Day, Total Eclipse Of The Heart, Gimme All Your Lovin' and Every Breath You Take.
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Journey - Separate Ways (Worlds Apart): release date 4th January 1983
Taken from the band's eighth album Frontiers, this track failed to chart in the UK, but went Top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song had a new lease of life in 2022, when it was included on the soundtrack to the fourth season of Stranger Things.
Journey - Separate Ways (Worlds Apart) (Official HD Video - 1983)
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U2 - New Year's Day: release date 10th January 1983
Written about the then-current Polish Solidarity movement, the lead single from the War album was U2's first UK Top 10 hit and - despite its lowly position at Number 53 - was the Irish band's first single to chart in the USA.
U2 - New Year's Day (Official Music Video)
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Def Leppard - Photograph: release date 28th January 1983
The first single from the Pyromania album stalled at Number 66 in the UK, but made it to 12 on the Billboard Hot 100, giving the Sheffield rockers their breakthrough hit in the States.
Def Leppard - Photograph
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Bonnie Tyler - Total Eclipse Of The Heart: release date 11th February 1983
The lead single from the Welsh singer's Faster Than the Speed Of Night was written and produced by Meat Loaf collaborator Jim Steinman and sent Bonnie to number 1 in the UK for two weeks and to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks.
Bonnie Tyler - Total Eclipse of the Heart (Turn Around) (Official Video)
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Big Country - Fields Of Fire (400 Miles): release date 18th February 1983
The second single from the Scottish band's debut album The Crossing peaked at Numbe r10 in the UK, making it one of their biggest hits in Britain.
Fields of Fire by Big Country
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David Bowie - Let's Dance: release date 14th March 1983
Bowie reinvented himself for the 80s with this internatonal hit, co-produced by Chic genius Nile Rodgers. It made Number 1 on both sides of the Atlantic, remaining at the top in the UK for three weeks - thanks, partly, to a memorable video directed by David Mallet.
David Bowie - Let's Dance (Official Video)
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Twisted Sister - I Am (I'm Me): release date 18th March 1983
The lead single from Dee Snider and co's You Can't Stop Rock 'N' Roll album didn't do much in their native USA, but broke the Top 20 in Britain.
I Am (I'm Me) (2018 Remaster)
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Rosanna - Toto: release date 1st April 1983
Originally released in September 1982, this classic from the LA rockers was reissued in Britain in April the next year, following the success of the album Toto IV. It peaked at Number 12 .
Toto - Rosanna (Official HD Video)
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Prince - Little Red Corvette: release date 4th April 1983 (UK)
The Purple One proved he could master all genres with this rock ballad, taken from the masterful 1999 album. It was his first single to break the Billboard Top 10, but it would take another two years for the song to peak at Number 2 in the UK.
Prince - Little Red Corvette (Official Music Video)
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ZZ Top - Gimme All Your Lovin': release date 16th April 1983
The trio of Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill and Frank Beard found a whole new audience in the MTV era with the first single from their massive Eliminator album. Gimme All Your Lovin made Number 10 in the UK.
ZZ Top - Gimme All Your Lovin' (Official Music Video) [HD Remaster]
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Pink Floyd - Not Now John: release date 3rd May 1983
The only single to be taken from the last Floyd album to feature founding member Roger Waters, this track from The Final Cut proved that the band remained predominately an "albums act" by only making Number 30 in the UK charts.
Pink Floyd - Not Now John (Official Music Video)
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Mike Oldfield - Moonlight Shadow: release date 6th May 1983
A decade after making a huge impression with the album Tubular Bells, Oldfield had an international hit with this song featuring vocalist Maggie Reilly. It made Number 4 in the UK, but topped the charts in West Germany, Sweden, Spain, Italy, Austria and a number of other countries.
Mike Oldfield - Moonlight Shadow ft. Maggie Reilly
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The Police - Every Breath You Take: release date 20th May 1983
The trio of Sting, Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland had their fifth British Number 1 with this classic song, taken from the album Synchronicity. Every Breath You Take was the band's only single to top the Billboard Hot 100 in the US.
The Police - Every Breath You Take (Official Music Video)
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Rod Stewart - Baby Jane: release date 27th May 1983
Classic 80s Rod, taken from his album Body Wishes and his last British Number 1 single to date.
Rod Stewart - Baby Jane (Official Video)
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Iron Maiden - The Trooper: release date 20th June 1983
The British metal band made Number 12 with this fan favourite that became so popular, Maiden named their signature beer after it. From the album Piece Of Mind.
Iron Maiden - The Trooper (Official Video)
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Robert Plant - Big Log: release 8th July 1983
Led Zeppelin weren't keen on singles during their lifetime, but frontman Plant had his first solo hit when this tune made Number 11 in the UK and Number 20 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Robert Plant - Big Log (Official Video) [HD REMASTERED]
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Quiet Riot - Cum On Feel The Noize: released August 1983
The Los Angeles metal band covered the 1973 Slade classic and took it to Number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Quiet Riot - Cum On Feel The Noize
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Genesis - Mama: release date 19th August 1983
The first single from the British prog legends' self-titled twelfth album was a creepy hit, peaking at Number 4 in September 1983.
Genesis - Mama (Official Music Video)
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Pat Benatar - Love Is A Battlefield: release date 12th September 1983
Originally included as a studio track on Benatar's concert album Live From Earth, Love Is A Battlefield peaked at Number 5 in the US in December 1983, but took another two years to break into the British Top 20!
Pat Benatar - Love Is A Battlefield (Official Music Video)
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Yes - Owner Of A Lonely Heart: release date 28th October 1983
The lead single from the 90125 album topped the Billboard Hot 100, but fared less well in the band's native Britain, making only Number 28.
YES - Owner of a Lonely Heart (Official Music Video)
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The Rolling Stones - Undercover Of The Night: release date 31 October 1983
The lead single from the Stones' seventeenth album has a Julien Temple-directed video that was considered too violent to be shown before the watershed as it featured kidnappers (played by Keith Richards) executing a detective (played by Jagger).
The Rolling Stones - Undercover Of The Night - OFFICIAL PROMO (EXPLICIT)
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Paul McCartney - Pipes Of Peace: release date 31 October 1983
Macca's festive single for 1983 featured an extravagant video that reconstructed the famous World War I truce of Chritmas Day 1914 and gave the former Beatle his third solo Number 1 single.
Paul McCartney - Pipes Of Peace
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Ozzy Osbourne - Bark At The Moon: release date 11th November 1983
The late great Ozzy climbed into terrfying werewolf make-up for the video to the title track of his third post-Black Sabbath solo album.
Ozzy Osbourne - Bark at the Moon (Official Music Video)
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Slade - My Oh My: release date 11th November 1983
The British glam rock band were enjoying a renaissance in the early 1980s when they became the darlings of the heavy rock community. This single, from the album The Amazing Kamikaze Syndrome, gave Slade their highest chart position since Far Far Away in 1974, peaking at Number 2.
Slade - My Oh My (Official Visualizer)
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Status Quo - Marguerita Time: release date 2nd December 1983
The album Back To Back was the final Quo LP to feature original bass guitarist Alan Lancaster, and this was the biggest hit single, peaking at Number 3.
Status Quo - Marguerita Time
