1983 in music: Meaning (information, definition, explanation, facts)

See also: 1982 in music, other events of 1983, 1984 in music, 1980s in music and the list of 'years in music'

Events

The most long-term influential release of 1983 is probably Head over Heels by the Cocteau Twins, which sold poorly upon its initial release. In the ensuing years, the album's eclectic assortment of alternative rock, New Wave and synth pop influences became a cornerstone of later alternative rock groups, most especially in the United Kingdom, where the Cocteau Twins' mix of airy textures and breathless vocals (dream pop) mutated into genres like twee pop, space rock and shoegazing, and eventually hit mainstream success with a psychedelic-influenced form, Britpop.

Another album that eventually became enormously influential is Kill 'Em All by Metallica. This, their debut, is often considered the first purely thrash metal album, and helped lead the way for the diversification of heavy metal genres in the later part of the decade. Kill 'Em All 's popular success was quite limited, though it received rave reviews from metal critics and fans for its then-unique blend of earlier heavy metal pioneers, especially the New Wave of British heavy metal like Judas Priest, and hardcore punk, such as The Ramones.

Quiet Riot's Metal Health was enormously popular in 1983, and was the first heavy metal album to go to #1 on the pop charts. The lead single, "Cum on Feel the Noize" (cover of Slade) was also a huge hit, and set the stage for the mainstream crossover of later hair metal bands like Guns n' Roses and Def Leppard. Metal Health is also the only album in Quiet Riot's catalogue to achieve much success critically or popularly.

Some releases from 1983 deserve special mention:

• The Police's Synchronicity was their final release together before breaking up, and was enormously popular, including one of their more popular songs, "Every Breath You Take"
• Culture Club's Kissing to Be Clever was their popular breakthrough, and included one of their most well-known songs, the hit single "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me"
• Eurythmics' Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) was also their breakthrough success, and included their signature tune, the title track
• Mötley Crüe's Shout at the Devil was their breakthrough, and included "Looks That Kill", though they would go on to greater popular and critical success in the later part of the decade after recovering from the shock of member Vince Neil's near-fatal car accident
• Tom Waits' Swordfishtrombones was his first album for Island Records, and the first in a series of three thematically and stylistically linked albums that established him as a critical darling and cult favorite
• New Order's Power, Corruption & Lies released. In some countries, it included the best-selling 12" record of all time, "Blue Monday"; the album was the second since forming from the ashes of Joy Division (after the suicide of Ian Curtis) and the first to achieve critical or popular success, as it was a stylistically innovative mix of synth vocals and dance-heavy beats
• Duran Duran scored hits from three separate albums in this year (Rio, the reissue of Duran Duran, and Seven and the Ragged Tiger)
• Merle Haggard began a run of chart success in this year, which continued for about two years. His duet album with Willie Nelson, Pancho & Lefty, was an enormous critical and popular success and did much to revitalize the careers of both entertainers, especially the hit title track
• Stevie Ray Vaughan's Texas Flood was more popular than any blues album since the late 1960s, and did much to establish country-blues as a commercially viable genre
• George Strait's Right or Wrong sold extremely well, and is a pivotal album in the development of the honky tonk revival during the rest of the decade.

• Publication of A Generative Theory of Tonal Music by Fred Lerdahl and Ray Jackendoff.
• February 11 - The Rolling Stones concert film Let's Spend the Night Together opens in New York
• November - first Now That's What I Call Music! compilation released in the UK.
• Diana Ross performs in Central Park in the pouring rain
• The Police breakup
• Highest point of the 1981-1985 Menuditis and Menudomania all over Latin America.
• Run DMC releases their debut single, "It's Like That"/"Sucker M.C.'s"
• The Dust Brothers form
• The Misfits break up; Glenn Danzig forms Samhain
• A-Ha forms in Norway
• Death forms
• Dinosaur Jr. forms
• Megadeth form
• Phish forms
• Red Hot Chili Peppers form
• Youth Choir forms (later called The Choir)
• Budgie breaks up
• The UK singles chart starts to use electronic terminals in selected stores to gather sales information. The old "sales diary" method will be gradually phased out over the next few years.

• Restless and Wild - Accept
• Flick of the Switch - AC/DC
• No Parole From Rock & Roll - Alcatrazz
• Forged in Fire - Anvil
• Lesson Well Learned EP - Armored Saint (first release)
• High Land, Hard Rain - Aztec Camera
• Into the Unknown - Bad Religion
• Johnny 99 - Johnny Cash
• Hello, I Must Be Going! - Phil Collins
• Colour By Numbers - Culture Club
• Head over Heels - Cocteau Twins
• Punch the Clock - Elvis Costello & the Attractions
• Da Da - Alice Cooper
• Yes Sir, I Will - Crass
• Canterbury - Diamond Head
• Pyromania - Def Leppard
• Holy Diver - Dio
• Breaking the Chains - Dokken (major label debut), (rerelease)
• Seven and the Ragged Tiger - Duran Duran
• Europe - Europe
• Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) - Eurythmics
• Fastway - Fastway
• Out For Blood - Lita Ford (solo debut)
• What Funk? - Grand Funk Railroad
• Samurai - Grand Prix
• Heart to Heart - Merle Haggard
• Pancho & Lefty - Merle Haggard & Willie Nelson
• That's the Way Love Goes - Merle Haggard
• Back to the Mystery City - Hanoi Rocks
• Self-Destruction Blues Hanoi Rocks
• The Luxury Gap - Heaven 17
• No Rest For The Wicked - Helix
• Riding with the King - John Hiatt
• Metal Circus - Husker Du
• Piece of Mind - Iron Maiden
• Waylon & Company - Waylon Jennings
• Take It to the Limit - Waylon Jennings & Willie Nelson
• Too Low for Zero - Elton John
• Shine On - George Jones
• Frontiers - Journey
• Lick It Up - KISS
• Headhunter - Krokus
• Into Glory Ride - Manowar
• Confrontation - Bob Marley and the Wailers
• Behind the Scene - Reba McEntire
• A Volar - Menudo
• Kill 'Em All - Metallica (debut)
• Assault Attack - The Michael Schenker Group
• Built to Destroy - The Michael Schenker Group
• Shout at the Devil - Mötley Crüe
• Another Perfect Day - Motörhead
• Sound Elixir - Nazareth
• Take it to the River - Willie Nelson
• Tougher than Leather - Willie Nelson
• Without a Song - Willie Nelson
• Dazzle Ships - Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
• Power, Corruption & Lies - New Order
• Trouble in Paradise - Randy Newman
• American Made - The Oak Ridge Boys
• Bark At the Moon - Ozzy Osbourne
• Metal Magic - Pantera
• Principle of Moments - Robert Plant
• Urban Dance Floor Guerillas - P-Funk All Stars
• The Final Cut - Pink Floyd
• Works - Pink Floyd
• Everywhere at Once - The Plimsouls
• Break Out - The Pointer Sisters
• Synchronicity - The Police
• Quuensryche EP - Queensryche
• Metal Health - Quiet Riot (american debut)
• Bent out of Shape - Rainbow
• Subterranean Jungle - The Ramones
• Ratt EP - Ratt
• All for One - Raven
• Neruda - Red Rider
• Murmur - R.E.M. (full length debut)
• Can't Slow Down - Lionel Richie
• Hearts and Bones - Paul Simon
• Show No Mercy - Slayer
• Mommy's Little Monster - Social Distortion
• Confusion Is Sex - Sonic Youth (debut)
• Southern Death Cult EP - Southern Death Cult

(first release by the band to eventually be known as The Cult)

• Works - Status Quo
• Right or Wrong - George Strait
• Steeler - Steeler (Yngwie Malmsteen & Ron Keel's 1st band, This band's only release))
• Suicidal Tendencies - Suicidal Tendencies
• Life - Thin Lizzy
• Thunder and Lightning - Thin Lizzy
• Hand of Kindness - Richard Thompson
• Speaking in Tongues - Talking Heads
• Never Surrender - Triumph
• You Can't Stop Rock & Roll - Twisted Sister (major label debut)
• Lost in the Feeling - Conway Twitty
• Merry Twistmas - Conway Twitty
• Faster Than The Speed Of Night - Bonnie Tyler
• War - U2
• Peace Thru Vandalism - The Vandals
• Texas Flood - Stevie Ray Vaughan
• At War with Satan - Venom
• Violent Femmes - Violent Femmes (debut)
• Swordfishtrombones - Tom Waits
• Even the Strong Get Lonely - Tammy Wynette
• Good Love & Heartbreak - Tammy Wynette
• Mean Streak - Y&T
• Zebra - Zebra

• "Add It Up" - Violent Femmes
• "All Night Long (All Night)" - Lionel Richie
• "Another State Of Mind" - Social Distortion
• "Baby, Come to Me" - Patti Austin with James Ingram
• "Beat It" - Michael Jackson
• "Billie Jean" - Michael Jackson
• "Blister In The Sun" - Violent Femmes
• "Bloodstone" - Judas Priest
• "Don't Let Him Steal Your Heart Away" - Phil Collins
• "Down Under" - Men at Work
• "Every Breath You Take" - The Police
• "Flashdance... What a Feeling" - Irene Cara
• "Hungry Like The Wolf" - Duran Duran
• "I Cannot Believe It's True" - Phil Collins
• "I Don't Care Anymore" - Phil Collins
• "Is There Something I Should Know" - Duran Duran
• "It Don't Matter To Me" - Phil Collins
• "Jump (For My Love)" - Pointer Sisters
• "Karma Chameleon" - Culture Club
• "Let's Dance" - David Bowie
• "1999" - Prince
• "Rio" - Duran Duran
• "Save A Prayer" - Duran Duran
• "Say, Say, Say" - Michael Jackson & Paul McCartney
• "Screaming for Vengeance" - Judas Priest
• "Sweet Dreams Are Made of This" - Eurythmics
• "Total Eclipse of the Heart" - Bonnie Tyler
• "Union Of The Snake" - Duran Duran
• "Uptown Girl" - Billy Joel
• "A Volar"- Menudo
• "Why Can't It Wait 'Til Morning?" - Phil Collins
• "You Can't Hurry Love" - Phil Collins

See also: Hot 100 No. 1 Hits of 1983

• "An Innocent Man" w.m. Billy Joel
• "Karma Chameleon" w.m. George O'Dowd, John Moss, Roy Hay, Mickey Craig & Phil Rickett
• "Uptown Girl" w.m. Billy Joel

• Iannis Xenakis - Shaar

• Abbacadabra London production opened at the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre on December 8
• Baby     Broadway production
• La Cage aux Folles     Broadway production
• Doonesbury     Broadway production
• Mame (Jerry Herman) - Broadway revival
• Merlin     Broadway production
• Oliver! (Lionel Bart) - London revival
• On Your Toes     Broadway revival
• My One and Only     Broadway production
• Singin' In The Rain     London production
• The Tap Dance Kid     Broadway production
• Zorba     Broadway revival

• The Pirates of Penzance
• Staying Alive

• Salad Days

• March 14 - Jordan Taylor Hanson, Hanson
• May 2 - Rose Falcon
• June 30 - Cheryl Tweedy,member of Girls Aloud
• July 2 - Michelle Branch, Justincase
• July 11 - Marie Eleonor Serneholt, oldest of A-Teens
• September 17 - Jennifer Peña
• October 29 - Amit Paul, member of A-Teens

• February 4 - Karen Carpenter, singer, dies of anorexia nervosa
• February 12 - Eubie Blake (100), pianist
• February 22 - Sir Adrian Boult, conductor
• March 6 - Cathy Berberian, singer and composer
• April 4 - Danny Rapp, Danny and the Juniors, gunshot wound
• April 14 - Pete Farndon, the Pretenders, drug overdose
• April 30 - Muddy Waters (68), heart attack
• April 30 - George Balanchine, choreographer
• May 5 - Clarence Quick (46), the Del Vikings, heart attack
• June 2 - Stan Rogers, musician
• July 5 - Harry James, bandleader
• July 23 - Georges Auric, composer, member of Les Six
• November 7 - Germaine Tailleferre, composer, only female member of Les Six
• December 28 - Dennis Wilson, member of the Beach Boys

Grammy Awards

• Grammy Awards of 1983

Country Music Association Awards

Eurovision Song Contest

• Eurovision Song Contest 1983