Way Back Wednesday: The Top Music of October 21, 1983

This Week In 1983: The Top Music of October 21, 1983

It’s Bonnie Tyler’s last week in the top spot. Meanwhile, Quiet Riot, Pat Benatar and Jackson & McCartney make big moves up the chart. After peaking at #12 a couple of weeks ago, Laura Branigan and”How Am I Supposed To Live Without You” are on the way down the chart. In a few years, Michael Bolton will take the same song to #1 and win a Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Performance. Notable debuts this week include “Send Her My Love” by Journey, “P.Y.T (Pretty Young Thing)” from Michael Jackson (all the way up at #32) and this week’s featured song, “Crumblin’ Down” from John Cougar Mellancamp.

Song Story: “Crumblin’ Down” by John Cougar Mellencamp

This is Mellencamp’s first single from his seventh album, Uh-Huh. While it’s his seventh album overall, it’s the first album where he uses his real last name. He’s actually gone through several name changes. His first two albums, he was known as “Johnny Cougar” and then as “John Cougar” for the next four. He finally dropped the “Cougar” in 1991.

Mellencamp describes this as a political song. He told Rolling Stone in 2013: “Reagan was president – he was deregulating everything and the walls were crumbling down on the poor.” the song was the last one recorded and the first single. The video for “Crumblin’ Down” received heavy play on MTV. It featured a chain-smoking Mellencamp in intentionally ripped denim jeans, dancing and kicking over chairs. It was a hit immediately.