The music in the first half of the 1980s still sounds timeless, even decades later. Plenty of great songs came out in that time period, including these three Top 40 hits from 1982. They are all so good, almost every 80s kid can likely still sing them word for word today.
“After The Glitter Fades” by Stevie Nicks
“After The Glitter Fades” is part of Bella Donna, the first solo album by Stevie Nicks. Nicks wrote all but three of the tracks on the record by herself.
The song says in part, “Even though the living / Is sometimes laced with lies / It’s alright / The feeling remains / Even after the glitter fades.”
“After The Glitter Fades” comes right after “Edge Of Seventeen”, Nicks’s first multi-platinum hit. Bella Donna also includes “Leather And Lace”, a duet with Don Henley. Interestingly, although “Edge Of Seventeen” is on Nicks’s first solo album, she wrote “After The Glitter Fades” in 1972, two years before joining Fleetwood Mac. Nicks wrote this song with Dolly Parton in mind.
“Hot In The City” by Billy Idol
Billy Idol’s “Hot In The City” is on his eponymous first full-length album. The first Top 40 hit of his career, Idol wrote “Hot In The City” by himself.
The chorus of “Hot In The City” simply says, “Hot in the city, hot in the city tonight, tonight / Hot in the city, hot in the city tonight, tonight.“
After “Hot In The City”, Idol released “White Wedding”, one of his most notable songs. In 1985, Idol included a remixed version of this song on his Vital Idol album.
“You Can Do Magic” by America
America’s hit single, “You Can Do Magic”, was written by Russ Ballard. The song became their first hit since “Today’s The Day” came out in 1976. “You Can Do Magic” is part of America’s View From The Ground record.
The chorus of “You Can Do Magic” says, “You can do magic / You can have anything that you desire / Magic, and you know / You’re the one who can put out the fire.“
Although neither Dewey Bunnell nor Gerry Beckley wrote “You Can Do Magic”, Beckley later said they felt the song was perfect for them.
Ballard also plays all of the instruments on “You Can Do Magic”. This became one of America’s last hits on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. In 1983, America hit the Top 40 on the Hot 100 chart for the last time with “The Border”.
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