This Week In 1983: The Top Music of December 9, 1983
Lionel Richie finally gives up the top spot making way for Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson’s second collaboration of the year, “Say Say Say”. The duo started the year at #2 with “The Girl Is Mine” and will finish out the year at #1 as well as occupy the top spot for the first two weeks of 1984. Three debuts of note this week: Genesis enters the countdown with their first Top 10 hit, “That’s All”, Culture Club’s future (and only) #1 song, “Karma Chameleon”, and a girl with her debut album scores her first Top 40 single, “Holiday”, Madonna enters the charts at #40. Next year (1984) she’ll release a little album title “Like A Virgin” and become a household name. Peaking out at #5 this week is our featured song of the week, Pat Benatar and “Love Is A Battlefield”.
Song Story: “Love Is A Battlefield” by Pat Benatar
This song is a bit of a departure for Benatar. Her earlier success was with more rock oriented songs. This is her first that prominently features keyboards and a drum machine. The song was written by Mike Chapman and Holly Knight and was meant to be a slower ballad. Neither of them liked what Benatar and husband Neil Geraldo did with it. Until it went to #5 then, in Geraldo’s words, “they loved it!”
The video was a hit on MTV. It contained some VERY 80’s fashion and was one of the first videos to incorporate dialog and a group dance sequence. Dancing wasn’t Benatar’s thing and, by her admission, she was way out of her element but she pulled it off admirably.
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