JANUARY
Top hit
Maneater · Daryl Hall Undefined John Oates
Top album
Business As Usual · Men At Work
Year
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One moment while we pull together the music from this year.
Music video revolution
1983
Image and sound lock together as Jackson's moonwalk, Madonna's arrival, and synth-heavy broadcasts turn the single into a must-see premiere.
Video Changes Everything
Image and sound lock together — synths go mainstream and every big single feels like a broadcast premiere you have to see to fully believe. Michael Jackson's moonwalk turns the Motown 25 special into a generational checkpoint while Madonna and Prince rewrite the pop rulebook. The charts don't just track what America hears; they track what America watches on repeat.
- MTV
- Michael Jackson
- Madonna
- Prince
- synth pop
- Michael Jackson's Motown 25 moonwalk — March 25
- Madonna's self-titled debut launches a pop dynasty
- The Police's 'Synchronicity' dominates album rock
- Def Leppard's 'Pyromania' brings hard rock to MTV
Hot 100 · weeks at #1
Top songs
Album chart · weeks at #1
Top albums
Through the year
Tap a month to drill into chart weeks.
FEBRUARY
Top hit
Africa · Toto
Top album
Business As Usual · Men At Work
MARCH
Top hit
Billie Jean · Michael Jackson
Top album
Thriller · Michael Jackson
APRIL
Top hit
Billie Jean · Michael Jackson
Top album
Thriller · Michael Jackson
MAY
Top hit
Beat It · Michael Jackson
Top album
Thriller · Michael Jackson
JUNE
Top hit
Flashdance...What A Feeling · Irene Cara
Top album
Thriller · Michael Jackson
JULY
Top hit
Flashdance...What A Feeling · Irene Cara
Top album
Thriller · Michael Jackson
AUGUST
Top hit
Every Breath You Take · The Police
Top album
Synchronicity · The Police
SEPTEMBER
Top hit
Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This) · Eurythmics
Top album
Thriller · Michael Jackson
OCTOBER
Top hit
Total Eclipse Of The Heart · Bonnie Tyler
Top album
Synchronicity · The Police
NOVEMBER
Top hit
Islands In The Stream · Kenny Rogers Duet
Top album
Synchronicity · The Police
DECEMBER
Top hit
All Night Long (All Night) · Lionel Richie
Top album
Thriller · Michael Jackson