“Play the hits!” music fans demanded.
And the record labels listened.
The original Now That’s What I Call Music! was released in England on cassette and double vinyl on November 28th, 1983. Containing 30 hits and 11 No. 1 songs, it launched a cottage industry of singles compilations that crossed record label borders and neatly encapsulated different musical trends.
(Kids, think of ‘em as more tactile Spotify playlists).
Sure, these albums sometimes go for the obvious and contain a lot of now-forgotten, should-be-forgotten one-hit wonders. But this isn’t a record for music snobs! A worldwide phenomenon, the Now! series currently spans over 24 countries and has racked up over 120 million record sales. Recently, the 100th edition of the U.K. series was released, and a 20th anniversary edition for the U.S. compilations is arriving later this year.
With those big dates in mind, we decided to make our own chart: Take a trip back with us to 1983 England, as we rank the original Now! hits.
KARAOKE CLASSICS
- “The Safety Dance,” Men Without Hats
- “Down Under,” Men at Work
- “Red Red Wine,” UB40
- “Total Eclipse of the Heart,” Bonnie Tyler
- “Karma Chameleon,” Culture Club
- “Tonight, I Celebrate My Love,” Peabo Bryson & Roberta Flack
GROUNDBREAKERS
7. “(Hey You) The Rock Steady Crew,” Rock Steady Crew
8. “Double Dutch,” Malcolm McLaren
UNDERAPPRECIATED GEMS
9. “(Keep Feeling) Fascination,” The Human League
10, “New Song,” Howard Jones
11. “Temptation,” Heaven 17
12. “Candy Girl,” New Edition
SECOND-TIER SINGLES FROM CLASSIC MUSICAL ACTS
13. “The Lovecats,” The Cure
14. “Is There Something I Should Know,” Duran Duran
15. “Let’s Stay Together,” Tina Turner
16. “That’s All,” Genesis
17. “Waterfront,” Simple Minds
18. “Give It Up,” KC and the Sunshine Band
19. “The Sun and the Rain,” Madness
20. “Victims,” Culture Club
21. “Baby Jane,” Rod Stewart
IT’S A BRITISH THING
22. “Kissing With Confidence,” Will Powers
23. “They Don’t Know,” Tracey Ullman
24. “Wherever I Lay My Hat (That’s My Home),” Paul Young
25. “Moonlight Shadow,” Mike Oldfield
26. “Please Don’t Make Me Cry,” UB40
THE WORST OFFENDERS
27. “You Can’t Hurry Love,” Phil Collins
28-30. “Shy” and “Big Apple,” Kajagoogoo; “Only For Love,” Limahl
Two songs by the C-level New Wave band … who fired their singer. Who then grabbed his own forgettable solo hit (which actually only went to No. 16 on the charts). So, about three Kajagoogoo-related songs too many. But great hair!
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