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Year-end consensus · Alternative & Modern Rock · three countdowns combined

The best alternative rock songs of 1983

Three radio stations and charts published year-end countdowns for 1983: KROQ, 91X and John Peel (BBC Radio 1). Combining every list, the top alternative rock song of 1983 is “The Lovecats” by The Cure, which appeared on three of the three countdowns. Three different songs were voted number one somewhere: “Is There Something I Should Know?” by Duran Duran, “Red Red Wine” by UB40 and “Blue Monday” by New Order. Culture Club was the year’s most-charted artist, with six different songs placing 9 times across the countdowns.

3countdowns
188songs charted
3different #1s

Top 100 songs of 1983

All 188 songs →

Ranked by combined points across every 1983 year-end countdown in this format. How it works.

# Song Strength Lists Best #1s
1 The Lovecats The Cure
236		 3 #2 –
2 New Year's Day U2
201		 3 #7 –
3 In a Big Country Big Country
195		 2 #3 –
4 Never Stop Echo and the Bunnymen
194		 3 #17 –
5 Union of the Snake Duran Duran
189		 2 #4 –
6 Mad World Tears for Fears
189		 2 #6 –
7 I Confess The English Beat
182		 2 #10 –
8 Every Breath You Take The Police
181		 2 #3 –
9 Let's Dance David Bowie
172		 2 #6 –
10 Church of the Poison Mind Culture Club
169		 2 #5 –
11 Strip Adam Ant
167		 2 #8 –
12 Karma Chameleon Culture Club
167		 2 #11 –
13 Talking In Your Sleep The Romantics
159		 2 #9 –
14 Blue Monday New Order
156		 3 #1 1
15 Dear Prudence Siouxsie and the Banshees
156		 3 #20 –
16 Red Red Wine UB40
154		 2 #1 1
17 The Cutter Echo and the Bunnymen
149		 3 #22 –
18 Save It For Later The English Beat
144		 2 #27 –
19 Synchronicity II The Police
144		 2 #15 –
20 King of Pain The Police
143		 2 #17 –
21 Rebel Yell Billy Idol
141		 2 #16 –
22 Modern Love David Bowie
140		 2 #12 –
23 Let's Go to Bed The Cure
140		 2 #13 –
24 Do You Really Want to Hurt Me Culture Club
139		 2 #11 –
25 One Thing Leads To Another The Fixx
137		 2 #19 –
26 Major Tom (Coming Home) Peter Schilling
131		 2 #8 –
27 99 Luftballoons Nena
128		 2 #20 –
28 Burning Down the House Talking Heads
125		 2 #13 –
29 Puss 'N Boots Adam Ant
121		 2 #25 –
30 Whammy Kiss The B-52's
121		 2 #38 –
31 Our House Madness
120		 2 #15 –
32 Change Tears for Fears
118		 2 #37 –
33 She Blinded Me With Science Thomas Dolby
113		 2 #31 –
34 This is Not a Love Song Public Image Ltd.
111		 3 #12 –
35 Nellie the Elephant Toy Dolls
110		 2 #36 –
36 Send Me an Angel Real Life
106		 2 #30 –
37 Oblivious Aztec Camera
103		 3 #29 –
38 Is There Something I Should Know? Duran Duran
100		 1 #1 1
39 The Safety Dance Men Without Hats
99		 1 #2 –
40 This Charming Man The Smiths
98		 1 #2 –
41 Age of Consent New Order
96		 1 #3 –
42 The Stand The Alarm
96		 1 #5 –
43 Everyday I Write The Book Elvis Costello & the Attractions
96		 2 #34 –
44 Nothing Bad Ever Happens Oingo Boingo
94		 2 #20 –
45 Song to the Siren This Mortal Coil
94		 1 #4 –
46 Musette And Drums Cocteau Twins
92		 1 #5 –
47 Baby's In The Mountains Peter Godwin
92		 2 #28 –
48 Reel Around the Fountain The Smiths
90		 1 #6 –
49 Swear Tim Scott
88		 2 #22 –
50 A New England Billy Bragg
88		 1 #7 –
51 Sunday Bloody Sunday U2
88		 1 #12 –
52 Eat Y'Self Fitter The Fall
86		 1 #8 –
53 I'll Tumble 4 Ya Culture Club
86		 1 #16 –
54 Love My Way The Psychedelic Furs
86		 2 #41 –
55 Save a Prayer Duran Duran
86		 1 #14 –
56 Jeopardy Greg Kihn Band
84		 1 #18 –
57 Hand In Glove The Smiths
84		 1 #9 –
58 Nowhere Girl B-Movie
83		 2 #32 –
59 Picture On The Wall Naturalites And The Mystics
82		 1 #10 –
60 Rio Duran Duran
81		 1 #18 –
61 Make a Circuit With Me The Polecats
81		 1 #21 –
62 Two Hearts Beat As One U2
80		 1 #19 –
63 Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) Eurythmics
80		 2 #27 –
64 Good Technology Red Guitars
80		 1 #11 –
65 Institutionalized Suicidal Tendencies
79		 1 #23 –
66 Undercover of the Night The Rolling Stones
79		 1 #24 –
67 White Wedding Billy Idol
78		 1 #21 –
68 Incubus Succubus II Xmal Deutschland
76		 1 #13 –
69 Sex (I'm a...) Berlin
76		 1 #23 –
70 Dancing With Myself Billy Idol
75		 1 #24 –
71 Sugar Hiccup Cocteau Twins
74		 1 #14 –
72 Pale Shelter Tears for Fears
74		 1 #29 –
73 China Girl David Bowie
71		 2 #61 –
74 Living on the Ceiling Blancmange
71		 1 #32 –
75 Miss Me Blind Culture Club
70		 1 #33 –
76 From The Flagstones Cocteau Twins
70		 1 #16 –
77 Wrapped Around Your Finger The Police
69		 1 #29 –
78 Just a Gigolo Barbie and the Kens
68		 1 #35 –
79 Barberella The Bongos
67		 1 #31 –
80 Lifeline Spandau Ballet
67		 2 #52 –
81 The One Thing INXS
66		 1 #37 –
82 Your Silent Face New Order
66		 1 #18 –
83 I'll Tumble for You Culture Club
65		 1 #33 –
84 Cool Places Sparks
64		 1 #39 –
85 Legal Tender The B-52's
64		 2 #65 –
86 Temple of Love Sisters of Mercy
64		 1 #19 –
87 It Must Be Love Madness
64		 1 #34 –
88 China Red Rockers
64		 1 #40 –
89 What I Like About You The Romantics
63		 1 #35 –
90 Whisper To A Scream (Birds Fly) Icicle Works
63		 1 #41 –
91 Acceleration Bill Nelson
61		 1 #43 –
92 The Man Whose Head Expanded The Fall
60		 1 #21 –
93 Saved By Zero The Fixx
60		 1 #44 –
94 2,000 Miles The Pretenders
57		 1 #40 –
95 Never Never Assembly
56		 1 #23 –
96 Please Don't Make Me Cry UB40
55		 1 #42 –
97 Pills And Soap Elvis Costello (under the pseudonym The Imposter)
54		 1 #24 –
98 Birds Fly (Whisper to a Scream) Icicle Works
53		 1 #44 –
99 Leave Me Alone New Order
52		 1 #25 –
100 Stand and Deliver Adam & the Ants
52		 1 #45 –

Every station’s number one of 1983

StationNumber one songCountdown
KROQ Is There Something I Should Know? Duran Duran KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1983
91X Red Red Wine UB40 91X Top 91 Songs of 1983
John Peel (BBC Radio 1) Blue Monday New Order John Peel's Festive Fifty of 1983

All 1983 countdowns in this ranking

About the 1983 ranking

Radio stations count down their listeners’ favorite songs at the end of every year. Each station’s list reflects its own audience, so a song that ruled Los Angeles could miss the top ten in Chicago. To find the songs that defined 1983 everywhere, RockLists gives every appearance percentile-based points (a number one earns 100, the last position earns close to zero) and adds them up across all three qualifying countdowns. Each radio format is ranked separately, so classic rock and hard rock countdowns never shift the alternative results; use the tabs above to switch formats. Read the full methodology.