What was the top rock song of 1983?

Combining 4 year-end radio countdowns, the top rock song of 1983 is "New Year's Day" by U2, which appeared on 4 of the lists.

Year-end consensus · All Rock Formats · four countdowns combined

The best rock songs of 1983

Four radio stations and charts published year-end countdowns for 1983: KROQ, 91X, John Peel (BBC Radio 1) and KISW. Combining every list, the top rock song of 1983 is “New Year's Day” by U2, which appeared on four of the four countdowns. Four different songs were voted number one somewhere: “Is There Something I Should Know?” by Duran Duran, “Red Red Wine” by UB40, “Blue Monday” by New Order and “Middle of the Road” by The Pretenders. Culture Club was the year’s most-charted artist, with six different songs placing 9 times across the countdowns.

4countdowns

205songs charted

4different #1s

Top 100 songs of 1983

All 205 songs →

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

#	Song	Strength	Lists	Best	#1s
1	New Year's Day U2	285	4	#5	–
2	Let's Dance David Bowie	240	3	#6	–
3	The Lovecats The Cure	236	3	#2	–
4	Every Breath You Take The Police	233	3	#3	–
5	Rebel Yell Billy Idol	233	3	#3	–
6	In a Big Country Big Country	195	2	#3	–
7	Never Stop Echo and the Bunnymen	194	3	#17	–
8	Union of the Snake Duran Duran	189	2	#4	–
9	Mad World Tears for Fears	189	2	#6	–
10	I Confess The English Beat	182	2	#10	–
11	Church of the Poison Mind Culture Club	169	2	#5	–
12	Strip Adam Ant	167	2	#8	–
13	Karma Chameleon Culture Club	167	2	#11	–
14	Talking In Your Sleep The Romantics	159	2	#9	–
15	Blue Monday New Order	156	3	#1	1
16	Dear Prudence Siouxsie and the Banshees	156	3	#20	–
17	Red Red Wine UB40	154	2	#1	1
18	The Cutter Echo and the Bunnymen	149	3	#22	–
19	Save It For Later The English Beat	144	2	#27	–
20	Synchronicity II The Police	144	2	#15	–
21	King of Pain The Police	143	2	#17	–
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	Owner of a Lonely Heart Yes	118	2	#7	–
34	Birds Fly (Whisper to a Scream) Icicle Works	115	2	#41	–
35	She Blinded Me With Science Thomas Dolby	113	2	#31	–
36	Sunday Bloody Sunday U2	112	2	#12	–
37	This is Not a Love Song Public Image Ltd.	111	3	#12	–
38	Nellie the Elephant Toy Dolls	110	2	#36	–
39	Send Me an Angel Real Life	106	2	#30	–
40	The Safety Dance Men Without Hats	106	2	#2	–
41	Oblivious Aztec Camera	103	3	#29	–
42	Is There Something I Should Know? Duran Duran	100	1	#1	1
43	Photograph Def Leppard	100	1	#1	1
44	This Charming Man The Smiths	98	1	#2	–
45	Sharp Dressed Man ZZ Top	96	1	#2	–
46	Age of Consent New Order	96	1	#3	–
47	The Stand The Alarm	96	1	#5	–
48	Everyday I Write The Book Elvis Costello & the Attractions	96	2	#34	–
49	Nothing Bad Ever Happens Oingo Boingo	94	2	#20	–
50	Song to the Siren This Mortal Coil	94	1	#4	–
51	Musette And Drums Cocteau Twins	92	1	#5	–
52	Baby's In The Mountains Peter Godwin	92	2	#28	–
53	Reel Around the Fountain The Smiths	90	1	#6	–
54	Swear Tim Scott	88	2	#22	–
55	Separate Ways (Worlds Apart) Journey	88	1	#4	–
56	A New England Billy Bragg	88	1	#7	–
57	Eat Y'Self Fitter The Fall	86	1	#8	–
58	I'll Tumble 4 Ya Culture Club	86	1	#16	–
59	Love My Way The Psychedelic Furs	86	2	#41	–
60	Save a Prayer Duran Duran	86	1	#14	–
61	Jeopardy Greg Kihn Band	84	1	#18	–
62	Hand In Glove The Smiths	84	1	#9	–
63	Nowhere Girl B-Movie	83	2	#32	–
64	Picture On The Wall Naturalites And The Mystics	82	1	#10	–
65	Rio Duran Duran	81	1	#18	–
66	Make a Circuit With Me The Polecats	81	1	#21	–
67	Two Hearts Beat As One U2	80	1	#19	–
68	Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) Eurythmics	80	2	#27	–
69	Cum on Feel the Noize Quiet Riot	80	1	#6	–
70	Good Technology Red Guitars	80	1	#11	–
71	Institutionalized Suicidal Tendencies	79	1	#23	–
72	Undercover of the Night The Rolling Stones	79	1	#24	–
73	White Wedding Billy Idol	78	1	#21	–
74	Incubus Succubus II Xmal Deutschland	76	1	#13	–
75	Sex (I'm a...) Berlin	76	1	#23	–
76	Dancing With Myself Billy Idol	75	1	#24	–
77	Sugar Hiccup Cocteau Twins	74	1	#14	–
78	Pale Shelter Tears for Fears	74	1	#29	–
79	Bark at the Moon Ozzy Osbourne	72	1	#8	–
80	China Girl David Bowie	71	2	#61	–
81	Living on the Ceiling Blancmange	71	1	#32	–
82	Miss Me Blind Culture Club	70	1	#33	–
83	From The Flagstones Cocteau Twins	70	1	#16	–
84	Wrapped Around Your Finger The Police	69	1	#29	–
85	Just a Gigolo Barbie and the Kens	68	1	#35	–
86	Barberella The Bongos	67	1	#31	–
87	Lifeline Spandau Ballet	67	2	#52	–
88	The One Thing INXS	66	1	#37	–
89	Your Silent Face New Order	66	1	#18	–
90	I'll Tumble for You Culture Club	65	1	#33	–
91	Cool Places Sparks	64	1	#39	–
92	Legal Tender The B-52's	64	2	#65	–
93	Holy Diver Dio	64	1	#10	–
94	Temple of Love Sisters of Mercy	64	1	#19	–
95	It Must Be Love Madness	64	1	#34	–
96	China Red Rockers	64	1	#40	–
97	What I Like About You The Romantics	63	1	#35	–
98	Acceleration Bill Nelson	61	1	#43	–
99	Pink Houses John Mellencamp	60	1	#11	–
100	The Man Whose Head Expanded The Fall	60	1	#21	–

Every station’s number one of 1983

Station	Number one song	Countdown
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
KISW	Middle of the Road The Pretenders	KISW Top 25 Rock Songs from 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 four qualifying countdowns. This ranking combines every rock format on the site. Read the full methodology.