I Bet You Forgot About These 4 Songs From Rock Legends That Reached the Top 10 in 1982

As the years pass and the memory fades, it can be difficult to separate the songs that were smash hits from the ones that seem like they should have been. And sometimes we can also forget just how well the songs we loved did the first time around.

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We’re looking back to 1982 and checking out four songs from some of the biggest names in rock. All soared to the Top 10 that year, which might surprise us a bit today.

“Trouble” by Lindsey Buckingham

Fleetwood Mac took some time off following the torturous recording process for Tusk, released in 1979. That gave the principals in the band some time to go off and do some solo stuff.  Stevie Nicks made the biggest splash with her hit LP Bella Donna. Lindsey Buckingham, meanwhile, went a bit more experimental on his Law And Order album, which was released in late 1981. He did relent to something a bit more commercial as the lead single, however. “Trouble” still contains a few quirks, such as the exaggerated count-in. But mostly, it finds Buckingham in a relaxed, soulful mode. It’s surprising a rock song so restrained made it to No. 9 in 1982.

“Take It Away” by Paul McCartney

Paul McCartney had to know that the whole world would be taking special notice of his Tug Of War album in 1982. After all, it represented the first musical peep out of him after the death of John Lennon. McCartney rose to the occasion with some of his finest work in years. His decision to leave Wings behind for this record paid dividends on songs like “Take It Away”. He and producer George Martin cultivate an elegant pop sound on the track. A pair of drummers, fellow ex-Beatle Ringo Starr and Steve Gadd, provide the forward momentum. McCartney landed it at No. 10 with the song, although that result was dwarfed by the runaway success of the Stevie Wonder duet “Ebony And Ivory”.

“Wasted On The Way” by Crosby, Stills & Nash

Daylight Again, released in 1982, was originally supposed to be a rock album by only Stephen Stills and Graham Nash. But when record executives heard the promise of the tracks, they suggested that the duo get David Crosby back in the fold and make it a CSN project. Crosby didn’t contribute much in the end because of his late involvement. That’s Timothy B. Schmit of the Eagles providing some harmony vocals on this one. Graham Nash wrote the song while taking stock of how CSN had failed to take advantage of their early 70s momentum, instead getting caught up in endless intra-band squabbles. At least they landed a No. 9 hit with this one.

“Keep The Fire Burnin’” by REO Speedwagon

The album after the big hit often suffers by comparison. REO Speedwagon had been building their whole career to their 1980 album Hi Infidelity, which is where they discovered the potency of the power ballad. Chief songwriter Kevin Cronin admitted after the fact that he just didn’t have enough material in the hopper for Good Trouble, which was hustled out in 1982 to follow up on the success of its predecessor. But at least Cronin managed to churn out one undeniably catchy number in the No. 7 smash “Keep The Fire Burnin’”. If anything, the song resembles the band’s work in the 70s with the rollicking, almost live vibe that it conjured.

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