Dateline: Oct. 16, 1982. Suzanne Somers celebrated a birthday, the first image of the returning Halley's Comet was captured - and the Billboard Hot 100 was packed with future '80s classics. Here's a look back at the Top 10 from this special day!
10. A Flock of Seagulls, "I Ran (So Far Away)"
There was no foiling the U.K. synth-rockers with the really distinctive haircuts: "I Ran" became A Flock of Seagulls' biggest U.S. hit, ultimately peaking at No. 9.
9. Olivia Newton-John, "Heart Attack"
This catchy little number was the lead track from Olivia's second greatest-hits album, which featured the chart-toppers "Magic" and "Physical" as well as the hits "Hopelessly Devoted to You" and "You're the One That I Want," both from the soundtrack to Grease. "Heart Attack" would ultimately climb to No. 3.
Read More: #OTD in November 1981: Olivia Newton-John's "Physical" Hurdles to No. 1
8. America, "You Can Do Magic"
After six years without a Top 40 hit, this folk-rock duo returned to the charts with this soft rocker written by ex-Argent guitarist Russ Ballard. It peaked this week at No. 8, becoming their first Top 10 since "Sister Golden Hair" went to No. 1 back in 1975.
7. Jackson Browne, "Somebody's Baby"
More than a decade into his incredible career, which featured hits by Eagles and the killer live album Running on Empty, Jackson Browne scored his biggest hit with this wistful rock tune from the soundtrack to the awesome (totally awesome) '80s classic Fast Times At Ridgemont High.
Read More: August 1982: "Fast Times At Ridgemont High" Hits American Movie Theaters
6. Michael McDonald, "I Keep Forgettin' (Every Time You're Near)"
For his first solo record after joining The Doobie Brothers, one of the most distinctive blue-eyed soul voices of a generation launched one of his smoothest grooves yet. Though it only climbed to No. 4, it got a bump of sorts more than a decade later when it was sampled in Warren G and Nate Dogg's "Regulate," a No. 2 hit in 1994. (We're glad McDonald and Loggins settled that bet.)
5. The Steve Miller Band, "Abracadabra"
After reaching the top spot for two separate weeks in September 1982, "Abracadabra" began a slow disappearing act from the uppermost reaches of the Hot 100. That video, packed with special effects and an attractive model, was still garnering heavy rotation on MTV - not bad for a video that Miller doesn't even appear in!
Read More: June 1982: Steve Miller Band Releases "Abracadabra"
4. Chicago, "Hard to Say I'm Sorry"
Chicago hadn't touched the Top 10 since 1977, but "Hard to Say I'm Sorry" - a No. 1 hit for two weeks the previous month - marked a huge sea change for the long-running group. Chicago 16 was the group's first collaboration with producer David Foster and became the first of seven Top 10 hits the band would make with him over the next 10 years.
Read More: How Chicago the Band "Saved the Music"
3. The Alan Parsons Project, "Eye in the Sky"
The signature song from studio whizzes Alan Parsons and Eric Woolfson (who sang lead vocals here) eclipsed anything the Project had released before or since with this soft-rock classic. "Eye in the Sky" reached its peak here, and thus looked down on most of the rest of the chart. (Of course, it's even better paired with instrumental opener "Sirius," later the theme for the Chicago Bulls.)
2. Men At Work, "Who Can It Be Now?"
Colin Hay and his Aussie mates had to settle for second place on the sax-heavy "Who Can It Be Now," but great things were knocking on the group's door: their debut album Business As Usual topped the album chart for 15 straight weeks from November 1982 to January 1983, and second single "Down Under" would spend four weeks atop the Hot 100.
Read More: May 1982: Men At Work Release "Who Can It Be Now?" in America
1. John Cougar, "Jack & Diane"
The countdown closes with this heavy-duty nostalgia trip from John Mellencamp, the most beloved heartland rocker of the '80s - before he changed his name from John Cougar. Hard to believe those claps were only supposed to be there temporarily!
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