damosuzuki said:

1982

26. Too Shy - Kajagoogoo
25. 777-9311 - The Time
24. Down Under - Men at Work
23. Giant Heartbeat - Split Enz
22. Save a Prayer - Duran Duran
21. Hungry Like the Wolf - Duran Duran
20. A Night to Remember - Shalamar
19. Do I Do - Stevie Wonder
18. Dance Floor - Zapp
17. The Message - Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
16. Maneater - Hall & Oates
15. Do You Really Want to Hurt Me - Culture Club
14. I Keep Forgettin' (Every Time You're Near) - Michael McDonald
13. Africa - Toto
12. Rosanna - Toto
11. You Dropped a Bomb on Me - The Gap Band
10. Human Nature - Michael Jackson
9. Rio - Duran Duran
8. Ribbon in the Sky - Stevie Wonder
7. Beat It - Michael Jackson
6. Time (Clock of the Heart) - Culture Club
5. Little Red Corvette - Prince
4. Sexual Healing - Marvin Gaye
3. Early in the Morning - The Gap Band
2. Mama Used to Say - Junior
1. Billie Jean - Michael Jackson

AlexdeParis said:

To this day, I think this is his finest moment. Love it to death.
[Edited 3/10/07 5:35am]

damosuzuki said:

Well, it's certainly up there. I think it's the best song on the album, but the other two are better singles (if that makes any sense). I guess it's like the distinction between the Grammy Awards for Song/Record of the Year.

Updated 1983

the few songs I have for 1984 so far

Replacements - Black Diamond
Replacements - Unsatisfied
Deniece Williams - let's hear it for the boy
Rockwell – Somebody’s Watching Me
Bon Jovi - Runaway
Fad Gadget – Collapsing New People
Depeche Mode – Master and Servant
Depeche Mode – People are People
a bunch of Prince/Smiths/Metallica

damosuzuki said:

Perfect Strangers is just a really good album, love the intro to that song...

1983

26. Modern Love - David Bowie
25. Say It Isn't So - Hall & Oates
24. King of Pain - The Police
23. Always Something There to Remind Me - Naked Eyes
22. White Lines - Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
21. No Parking (On the Dance Floor) - Midnight Star
20. Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) - Eurythmics
19. New Year's Day - U2
18. Wet My Whistle - Midnight Star
17. Save the Overtime (For Me) - Gladys Knight & The Pips
16. Party Train - The Gap Band
15. I Melt With You - Modern English
14. Sunday Bloody Sunday - U2
13. All Through the Night - Cyndi Lauper
12. Borderline - Madonna
11. Is There Something I Should Know? - Duran Duran
10. Tell Me If You Still Care - S.O.S. Band
9. The Lovecats - The Cure
8. The Reflex - Duran Duran
7. Say Say Say - Paul McCarney & Michael Jackson
6. Union of the Snake - Duran Duran
5. Mad World - Tears for Fears
4. Every Breath You Take - The Police
3. Message to My Girl - Split Enz
2. Between the Sheets - The Isley Brothers
1. The Devil You Know - Split Enz

1999

1) I want it that way - backstreet boys
2) wise up - aimie mann
3) I see a darkness - bonnie prince billy
4) strawberryfire - apples in stereo
5) believe - cher
6) luckiest guy on the lower east side - magnetic fields
7) race for the price - flaming lips
8) you were right - built to spill
9) I'd like that - xtc
10) emma blowgun's last stand - beulah
11) troubled times - fountains of wayne
12) major leagues - pavement
13) jagged - old 97's
14) my country - randy newman
15) lullaby of clubland - everything but the girl
16) don't you believe a word - sloan
17) green coaster - high llamas
18) closer to heaven - pet shop boys
19) all the small things - blink 182
20) touch sensitive - the fall
21) raining in darling - bonnie prince billy
22) the night gg allin came to town - drive-by truckers
23) beautiful stranger - madonna
24) spit on a stranger - pavement
25) steal my sunshine - len
26) papa was a radeo - magnetic fields

lilgish said:

I wish I could have figure out a way to slip Trashed onto my list.

1981:

1. Prince- "Controversy"
2. The Cure- "Primary"
3. Eurythmics- "Take Me to Your Heart"
4. Prince- "Private Joy"
5. New Order- "Dreams Never End"
6. Eurythmics- "Belinda"
7. Tom Tom Club- "Genius of Love"
8. Kraftwerk- "Computer Love"
9. New Order- "Ceremony"
10. Depeche Mode- "New Life"
11. Prince- "Do Me, Baby"
12. New Order- "Temptation"
13. Human League- "Don't You Want Me"
14. The Time- "Cool"
15. Grace Jones- "Pull Up to the Bumper"
16. Soft Cell- "Tainted Love"
17. Prince- "Let's Work"
18. Kraftwerk- "Pocket Calculator"
19. Tom Tom Club- "Wordy Rappinghood"
20. The Time- "Get It Up"
21. Kim Carnes- "Bette Davis Eyes"
22. Grace Jones- "Use Me"
23. Debbie Harry- "Backfired"
24. Joan Jett- "Crimson and Clover"
25. Eurythmics- "4/4 in Leather"
26. Men At Work- "Down Under"

1984

26. Love Light in Flight - Stevie Wonder
25. I Feel for You - Chaka Khan
24. Jungle Love - The Time
23. Dress You Up - Madonna
22. Drive - The Cars
21. Somebody's Watching Me - Rockwell
20. Into the Groove - Madonna
19. It's Like That - Run-D.M.C.
18. Farewell My Summer Love - Michael Jackson
17. Centipede - Rebbie Jackson
16. Talking in Your Sleep - The Romantics
15. Years Go By - Split Enz
14. She's Strange - Cameo
13. Don't Look Any Further - Dennis Edwards
12. Hold Me Now - Thompson Twins
11. Cool It Now - New Edition
10. The Beautiful Ones - Prince
9. Relax - Frankie Goes to Hollywood
8. The Wild Boys - Duran Duran
7. When Doves Cry - Prince
6. Freedom - Wham!
5. Bad - U2
4. Erotic City - Prince
3. Everything She Wants - Wham!
2. Pride (In the Name of Love) - U2
1. Let's Go Crazy - Prince

Edit: I replaced "This Charming Man" with "Love Light in Flight."
[Edited 3/11/07 3:52am]

AlexdeParis said:

Since this song was released as a single in 1985, wouldn't it be fair to list it with the 1985 group, Alex?

On a side note, I wouldn't mind contributing but it seems a little daunting to list some 676 songs over more than a quarter century.
[Edited 3/10/07 17:24pm]

Najee said:

You're right. The song was released as a single in December of '84 in the UK, but not until '85 here in the States. It's really just me being lazy. I've just been sorting my songs in iTunes by year, whittling it down to my favorites, and then ranking them.

1982 is perhaps my favorite year of music. 1999 is my choice for the greatest album of all-time, so it's no surprise that it dominates the year. As such, 26 is not nearly enough, so I'll list my top 50. At least the top 10 would rank in my top 100 songs of all time.

1. Prince- "Something in the Water (Does Not Compute)"
2. Prince- "1999"
3. Prince- "Moonbeam Levels"
4. Blondie- "War Child"
5. Prince- "All the Critics Love U in New York"
6. Gap Band- "You Dropped a Bomb on Me"
7. The Cure- "Let's Go to Bed"
8. Prince- "Delirious"
9. Prince- "Extra Loveable"
10. Prince- "Automatic"
11. Eurythmics- "Step on the Beast"
12. Prince- "DMSR"
13. Michael Jackson- "Beat It"
14. The Cure- "Cold"
15. Madonna- "Everybody"
16. Prince- "Free"
17. A Flock of Seagulls- "I Ran (So Far Away)"
18. TOTO- "Africa"
19. Michael Jackson- "Billie Jean"
20. Berlin- "The Metro"
21. Eurythmics- "Love Is a Stranger"
22. Romeo Void- "Undercover Kept"
23. Prince- "Lady Cab Driver"
24. David Bowie- "Cat People (Putting Out Fire)"
25. Gap Band- "Early in the Morning"
26. The Cure- "One Hundred Years"
27. Roxy Music- "To Turn You On"
28. Eurythmics- "The Walk"
29. Prince- "Turn It Up"
30. Berlin- "Sex (I'm A)"
31. George Clinton- "Atomic Dog"
32. Indeep- "Last Night a DJ Saved My Life"
33. The Cure- "A Strange Day"
34. Michael Jackson- "Human Nature"
35. Vanity 6- "Nasty Girl"
36. Gap Band- "Outstanding"
37. Roxy Music- "The Main Thing"
38. Prince- "Purple Music"
39. Patrice Rushen- "Forget Me Nots"
40. Eurythmics- "Invisible Hands"
41. Duran Duran- "Save a Prayer"
42. Roxy Music- "Avalon"
43. Prince- "Let's Pretend We're Married"
44. Laura Branigan- "Gloria"
45. Eurythmics- "Home Is Where the Heart Is"
46. Grace Jones- "Nipple to the Bottle"
47. Eurythmics- "Monkey, Monkey"
48. Yaz- "Situation"
49. Lou Reed- "The Blue Mask"
50. Prince- "Little Red Corvette"

AlexdeParis said:

actually I've always slotted records by the year they were first released. If it was released in the UK in '84, I'd personally be inclined to leave it there.

Moonbeam said:

You just have to colour outside the lines, don't you?

damosuzuki said:

Same here. That's the format I've been following.

lilgish said:

there's a name I haven't seen since my first year of university. I used to really like Discover. I don't think I've ever heard this song, though.

2000

1) theme to an endless bummer - chappaquiddick skyline
2) undertow - joe pernice
3) letter from an occupant - new pornographers
4) magic in here - go-betweens
5) up with people - lambchop
6) one armed scissor - at the drive-in
7) accelerator - primal scream
8) last days of disco - yo la tengo
9) son of sam - elliot smith
10) ms. Jackson - outkast
11) in the air - handsome family
12) camping next to water - badly drawn boy
13) reasons for silence - delgados
14) going blind - go-betweens
15) got my sunshine - mojave 3
16) porchlight - neko case
17) leavin' - shelby lynne
18) you beautiful bastard - sea and cake
19) we're all light - xtc
20) heart failed - st. etienne
21) so much wine - handsome family
22) bum leg - joe pernice
23) do you really - wu-tang clan
24) nobody's watching - chappaquiddick skyline
25) kim - eminem
26) make your move - delgados

2001

1) ballad of bjorn borg - pernice brothers
2) mississippi - dylan
3) trees - pulp
4) endless supply - pernice brothers
5) gene autry - beulah
6) summer days - dylan
7) sugar baby - dylan
8) know your onion - the shins
9) at the break of the day - bonnie prince billy
10) steal your love - lucinda williams
11) a picture of her - vincent gallo
12) let there be rock - drive-by truckers
13) sister surround - soundtrack of our lives
14) our time has passed - pernice brothers
15) perfect lovesong - divine comedy
16) jenny and the ess-dog - stephen malkmus
17) birds in your garden - pulp
18) rhapsody - alejandro escovedo
19) rock of my soul - rodney crowell
20) cold cold cold - handsome family
21) kativa - red house painters
22) lucy doesn't love you - ivy
23) it's in your eyes - sloan
24) hard to explain - strokes
25) the whole world - outkast
26) I am a man of constant sorrow - soggy bottom boys

2002

1) child killers - delgados
2) no children - mountain goats
3) bird stealing bread - iron and wine
4) caterpillar - lambchop
5) back in san francisco - orange peels
6) international small arms traffic blues - mountain goats
7) all you need is hate - delgadoes
8) sleeping on roads - neil halstead
9) the more you know - st etienne
10) something to talk about - badly drawn boy
11) without me - eminem
12) the night I fell in love - pet shop boys
13) world inside the world - rhett miller
14) everlasting scream - elf power
15) please - apples in stereo
16) forever and for always - shania twain
17) ivanka - imperial teen
18) the way we get by - spoon
19) losing my edge - lcd soundsystem
20) silent sigh - badly drawn boy
21) talahassee - mountain goats
22) nuclear war - yo la tengo
23) the middle - jimmy eat world
24) lion's mane - iron and wine
25) party hard - andrew wk
26) you're so clever - orange peels

2003

god bless them, the fall made a big comeback this year.
1) sparta FC - The Fall
2) how to live alone - pernice brothers
3) valley winter song - fountains of wayne
4) wolf among wolves - bonnie prince billy
5) me and jesus don't talk anymore - beulah
6) contraflow - The Fall
7) proteinprotection - The Fall
8) open the boxoctosis - The Fall
9) baby in two - pernice brothers
10) bluebird of happiness - mojave 3
11) gone for good - shins
12) lunch hour pops - broadcast
13) the laws have changed - new pornographers
14) such great heights - postal service
15) water ban - pernice brothers
16) einstein-rosen bridge - venetian snares
17) hackensack - fountains of wayne
18) saddest vacant lot in all the world - grandaddy
19) you're only king once - beulah
20) she's all up above - mojave 3
21) six o'clock news - kathleen edwards
22) too much of one thing - go-betweens
23) 24 hour store - handsome family
24) rotary hop - high llamas
25) earthbound - rodney crowell
26) july jones - new pornographers

2004

1) against pollution - mountain goats
2) now and forever - delgados
3) on the table - a c newman
4) I don't really love you anymore - magnetic fields
5) we just won't be defeated - the go! Team
6) float on - modest mouse
7) carl perkin's cadillac - drive-by truckers
8) everybody's gotta learn sometime - beck
9) can't stand me now - libertines (I know, they're crap and what's-his-name is a contemptible loser, but I do love this song)
10) getting bright at night - icarus line
11) linda blair was born innocent - mountain goats
12) me and giuliani down by the schoolyard - !!!
13) I send my love to you - bonnie prince billy
14) fall behind me - the donnas
15) toxic - britney spears
16) maps - yeah yeah yeahs
17) dry your eyes - the streets
18) take your mama - scissor sisters
19) a passing feeling - elliot smith
20) absent friends - divine comedy
21) goddamn lonely love - drive-by truckers
22) for the driver - ron sexsmith
23) is this all that I came for - delgados
24) it's gonna take an airplane - destroyer
25) reflection - prince
26) hostile, mass. - hold steady
[Edited 3/10/07 20:31pm]

damosuzuki said:

I used to do it Najee's way, but then I switched to your way a while back. Unfortunately, that means it's a lot of both in my song library.

AlexdeParis said:

IMO, it makes more sense to base a song released as a single in the year in which it reached a certain point on the music charts (usually, its highest peak). Singles like Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" became a No. 1 song in February 1983 and "Beat It" reached the top in May 1983, so they obviously are not going to be considered two of the best songs of 1982.
[Edited 3/11/07 7:31am]