1983: A Look Back

WBJB | By Tom Brennan

Published April 29, 2023 at 9:46 AM EDT

As we look back to 1983 it's fair to see there was a lot to be had. The year brought innovation & experimentation from existing acts like David Bowie as well as up & coming acts like Eurythmics. The force that was MTV also helped usher new styles as well.

On MTV many British bands dominated MTV playlists because the music video was already established in England. This caused many US based bands to catch up. Artists like Cyndi Lauper stood out due to her vivid style and fun music videos. Others, like Herbie Hancock chose to limit their exposure in videos thinking that race would be a factor. His video for "Rockit" won an MTV Video Music Award in 1984.

Enjoy this playlist of tracks released in 1983 we've put together for you.

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Tom Brennan

Music host (Sun. 7p-10p, middays), host of Brookdale Beat podcast, Advisor to Brookdale Student Radio & Station Manager. On some Sunday nights he gets relief during the first hour of his shift for a Guest DJ. He’s been in radio for since 1993.

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