The AT40/February 12, 1983: The United Nations Top 40

By mid-February, the year 1983 was already shaping up to be one of those special years in music for numerous reasons. Sure, MTV had become a fixture and a lot of "newer, younger" artists were starting to make their mark on the chart, but this was a year that the rest of t
he world was about to invade this country.

And on the week of February 12, 1983, there were 16 artists in the Top 40 who came from other parts of the world besides the good ol' U.S.A.

Leading the way were 10 British acts, four of which had just gone to No. 1 in their native land -- a young group called Musical Youth was bounding up the chart with a British chart-topper called "Pass The Dutchie," which moved up one place from No. 14 to No. 13. And one step ahead of "Pass The Dutchie" was the first solo hit for the man who led the Ants before breaking out of the ant hill and going solo -- Stewart Goddard, aka Adam Ant, jumped up one place from No. 13 to No. 12 with "Goody Two Shoes," a No. 1 British hit just the previous June.

Below at No. 18 was the first hit for the band Culture Club, a diverse four-man group (from different cultures, henceforth the name) led by a man who dressed as a woman (Boy George), but sounded like an American soul star from the 1960s with that voice of his. The other No. 1 British hit that found its way across the Atlantic by an act from the UK was none other than Genesis lead singer and drummer Phil Collins, whose first hit from his new solo album, "Hello, I Must Be Going" came from the vaults of Motown: His remake of the Supremes' 1966 No. 1 American smash, "You Can't Hurry Love."

Overall, there were six former, future and current No. 1 British hits on the chart as Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" jumped up four places from No. 27 to No. 23 (it would hit No. 1 in England on March 5) and "Down Under" by the Australian band Men At Work, which was simultaneously No. 1 in England this particular week and in the U.S. where it jumped back into the top spot.

Beside the aforementioned four British acts on the chart, there was also solo star Joe Jackson, who climbed six places from No. 39 to No. 33 with his third Top 40 hit, "Breaking Us In Two," Paul McCartney, whose duet with Michael Jackson, "The Girl Is Mine," would slip down from No. 16 to No. 34, the New Wave synth-pop band A Flock Of Seagulls, whose followup to the Top 10 "I Ran," "Space Age Love Song," moved up one place from No. 31 to No. 30, Duran Duran, another hot new act that made its mark via MTV, jumped up from No. 22 to No. 19 with "Hungry Like The Wolf," and punk rock remnants The Clash, which held at No. 8 with "Rock The Casbah." The 10th act is the Pretenders with all but American lead singer Chrissie Hynde being British. They jumped up from No. 26 to No. 22 with the biggest hit of their careers, "Back On The Chain Gang."

Another act hailed from Scotland: Sheena Easton teamed up with Kenny Rogers on the remake of the Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band classic "We've Got Tonight," moving up from No. 28 to No. 24.

There were three acts from Australia, starting with a monster No. 1 hit Down Under and one-hit wonder by a group called Moving Pictures. "What About Me," which had lingered on the Hot 100 chart for 22 weeks by this point, moved up one place from No. 30 to No. 29, the Little River Band with former Australia solo star John Farnham on lead vocal held at its peak position at No. 11 with "The Other Guy" and, of course, Men At Work's second No. 1 hit in two Top 40 tries with "Down Under."

From the Netherlands hailed the veteran band formed in 1961, Golden Earring, whose first hit since "Radar Love" in 1974, "Twilight Zone," stalked up the chart from No. 33 to No. 26. And from the group ABBA came Norweigen-born Frida, whose one and only solo hit, "I Know There's Something Going On," a song co-produced by Collins, who plays drums and sings backing vocal. It debuted in the Top 40 at No. 36.

And behind those songs in spots Nos. 41 through 50 were future Top 40 debut hits by other foreign acts such as Olivia Newton-John, Supertramp, Eric Clapton, ABC and Dexy's Midnight Runners, whose No. 1 British hit "Come On Eileen" was two weeks away from hitting the Top 40 and over two months away from being No. 1 in this country.

This was the prelude to what would we would the "second British Invasion" that hit our shores in the spring and summer of '83. By February 12, 1983, we were getting a preview of what the rest of the year was like.