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1983 Singles Poll


I am overwhelmed by the number of song suggestions people put have put forward for the 1983 singles poll. Thank you so much for getting behind it!

1983 was a special year for me. It was the year I started writing Kindred Spirit. As you may have already gathered, I am in the process of writing a book telling the story of my fanzine and beyond. It will include stories about and snippets from the original four publications, plus the 40th anniversary edition, selected clips from this blog and a ton of rare information related to the bands who I featured. Nirvana, Peter Hook, Geno Washington, Orange Juice and The Only Ones are a smattering of the linked bands/artists. I can't wait to tell you more about it!

I plan to end the book with a chapter dedicated to the polls I have run on X. If anyone has any interesting stories relating to any of the songs that feature in the 1983 poll, I invite you to share them with me for possible inclusion in the book.

The polls kick off on Thursday 18th June. 246 songs will be battling it out. I hope there have not been any hiccups on my part, but from the research I've done, the songs below won't be included because they don’t meet the criteria.

ABC – The Look of Love – released in 1982
The Associates – Party Fears Two – released in 1982
Aztec Camera – We Could Send Letters – released in 1981 as a B side
The Belle Stars - Sign of the Times released December 1982
Billy Bragg – A New England – released as a single by Kirsty MacColl in 1984
Billy Idol – Eyes Without a Face – released in 1984
The Blue Nile – Tinseltown in the Rain – released in 1984
Chaos UK – No Security – album track only not released as a single until 2023
The Clash – Rock the Casbah – released in 1982
Culture Club – Do You Really Want to Hurt Me? – released in 1982
Culture Club – Time (Clock of the Heart) – released in 1982
The Damned – Disco Man – released in 1981 (Friday 13th EP)
Darryl Hall & Joan Oates – Maneater – released in 1982
Dexys Midnight Runners – Come On Eileen – released in 1982
Echo and the Bunnymen – The Back of Love – released in 1982
The Fall – Eat Y’Self Fitter – not released as a single
The Farmer’s Boys – More Than a Dream – released in 1982
Funboy Three – The More I See (The Less I Believe) – released in 1982
The Gap Band – Outstanding – released in 1982
The Housemartins – Happy Hour – released in 1986
Icehouse – Hey Little Girl – released in 1982
Indeep – Last Night a Deejay Saved My Life – released in 1982
Joe Jackson – Steppin’ Out - released in 1982
John Cougar Mellencamp – Jack and Diane – released in 1982
The Kinks – Come Dancing – released in 1982
Madness – Our House – released in 1982
The Maisonettes – Heartache Avenue – released in 1982
Matt Bianco – Half a Minute – released in 1984
Men at Work – Doctor Heckyll and Mr Jive – released in 1982
Men at Work – Down Under – released in 1981
Men Without Hats – The Safety Dance – released in 1982
The Meteors – Wreckin’ Crew – B side of Johnny Remember Me EP??
New Order – The Age of Consent - album track only
Phil Collins – You Can’t Hurry Love – released in 1982
The Pretenders – Back on the Chain Gang – released in 1982
Prince – 1999 – released in 1982
Propaganda – Dr Mabuse – released in 1984
Ramones – Psycho Therapy – was a B side
Renee & Renato – Save Your Love – released in 1982
Robert Wyatt – Shipbuilding – released in 1982
Specimen – Kiss Kiss Bang Bang – was a B side
Stray Cats – Stray Cat Strut – released in 1981
The Style Council – My Ever Changing Moods – released in 1984
Suicidal Tendencies – Institutionalized – released in 1987
Talk Talk – It’s My Life – released in 1984
Tears for Fears – Mad World – released in 1982
The The – Uncertain Smile – released in 1982 1983 release was a reissue
Thomas Dolby – She Blinded Me With Science – released in 1982
Tom Waits – 16 Shells From a Thirty-Ought-Six – released as a single in 1988
Toto – Africa - released in 1982
Toto – I Won’t Hold You Back – released in 1982
UB40 – Don’t Break My Heart – released in 1985
The Undertones – The Love Parade – released in 1982
Violent Femmes - Blister in the Sun – album track only in 83 not released as a single until 1997
Wah! – The Story of the Blues – released in 1982
Wall of Voodoo – Mexican Wave – released in 1982
Wham – Wham Rap – released in 1982
ZZ Top – Legs – released in 1984

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