8 of the 80s: 5/15/14 (1982)...

Hey gang, throwback Thursday continues on to the 80s, and this week I'm back to 1982, the year the World's Fair in Knoxville, Tennessee begins in May...

The Police - "Spirits In The Material World"
from the album Ghost In The Machine (1981)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #11
Songwriter: Sting

The bass and keyboards dominate this highlight of my favorite Police album. The rhythm signature mesmerizes me.

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Loverboy - "Working For The Weekend"
from the album Get Lucky (1981)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #29
Songwriters: Paul Dean, Matt Frenette, Mike Reno

You'd never guess that this rock classic only nicked the top-30, though it did stay on the chart for five months, longer than many songs that reached the top-5. Mike Reno's way-Canadian accent shines on the faux-interview clip here..

Queen & David Bowie - "Under Pressure"
from the album Hot Space (1982)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #29
Songwriters: David Bowie, John Deacon, Brian May, Freddie Mercury, Roger Taylor

Another long-lasting deceivingly peaking moderately this year was this collab between the two most showmanly acts in British rock.

Sammy Hagar - "I'll Fall In Love Again"
from the album Standing Hampton (1981)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #43
Songwriter: Sammy Hagar

The Waborita king removed from that part of his career is sublime, and you can see why he would be a good fit for Van Halen's power-pop transformation.

Cheap Trick - "If You Want My Love"
from the album One On One (1982)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #45
Songwriter: Rick Nielsen

This record pointed the eclectic rock quartet in a more mainstream direction, which would eventually pay off in the late 80s land of power-ballads.

Donnie Iris - "Tough World"
from the album The High and the Mighty (1982)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #57
Songwriters: Mark Avsec, Donnie Iris, Marty Lee

The pride of western Pennsy had hooks galore, but his following was more underground than his contemporaries.

The Greg Kihn Band - "Happy Man"
from the album Kihntinued (1982)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #62
Songwriters: Greg Kihn, Steve Wright

Another act that had a rabid local following, this time in the Bay Area, during their time between their early 80s success with "The Breakup Song" and Kihn's pinnacle with "Jeopardy".

Foreigner - "Luanne"
from the album 4 (1981)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #75
Songwriters: Lou Gramm, Mick Jones

The fifth single from their amazing fourth album showed them reining back the arena rock to a more garage-band sound.