1982 - Your complete When It Was Cool Guide to the year 1982 in pop-culture, music, and more.
By: Karl Stern
I turned eleven years old in 1982 so obviously it has a special place in my heart. This is an on-going series of extensive "Year in Review" guides to the greatest years of When It Was Cool retro pop-culture. But please remember, we need your help to keep our website going so consider helping us out on Patreon.
10 Major Events that Happened in 1982:
01-07-1982: The popular personal computer, the Commodore 64 goes on sale. The computer system still has a place in the hearts of computer geeks and techies everywhere.
01-24-1982: NFL Super Bowl XVI takes place in at the Silverdome in Pontiac, MI with the San Francisco 49ers defeating Cincinnati Bengals 26-21. The MVP of the game was legendary 49ers Quarterback Joe Montana. Attendance was 81,270, though Dave Meltzer probably disagrees.
03-26-1982: Ground breaking for the Vietnam Memorial in Washington D.C. takes place. The Vietnam monument is a massive wall listing the names of all the military servicemen killed during the Vietnam war.
03-29-1982: Chariots of Fire wins the Best Motion Picture award at the 54th Annual Academy Awards ceremony. You now have the instrumental theme stuck in your head.
06-11-1982: E.T. the Extraterrestrial movie is released and becomes the biggest hit movie of the decade and a pop culture classic. “E.T. phone home” still remains in the pop culture lexicon.
07-23-1982: An accident on the set of Twilight Zone: The Movie kills three actors. Actor Vic Morrow and two child actors are killed in a helicopter stunt gone wrong.
09-21-1982: The NFL players go on strike which causes a shortened pro football season. The strike lasts 57 days and was the first in the history of the NFL.
11-30-1982: Michael Jackson releases one of the biggest albums of all time - Thriller.
12-29-1982: Paul "Bear" Bryant coaches his final college football game, leading Alabama to a 21–15 victory over Illinois in the Liberty Bowl at Memphis, Tennessee. Bryant dies of a massive heart attack four weeks later at age 69.
The Billboard Top 100 Songs of 1982
1) Physical - Olivia Newton-John
2) Eye of the Tiger - Survivor
3) I Love Rock 'n Roll - Joan Jett & The Blackhearts
4) Ebony and Ivory - Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder
5) Centerfold - The J. Geils Band
6) Don't You Want Me - The Human League
7) Jack & Diane - John Cougar
8) Hurts So Good - John Cougar
9) Abracadabra - Steve Miller Band
10) Hard to Say I'm Sorry - Chicago
11) Tainted Love - Soft Cell
12) Chariots of Fire - Vangelis
13) Harden My Heart - Quarterflash
14) Rosanna - Toto
15) I Can't Go for That (No Can Do) - Hall & Oates
16) 867-5309/Jenny - Tommy Tutone
17) Key Largo - Bertie Higgins
18 You Should Hear How She Talks About You - Melissa Manchester
19) Waiting for a Girl Like You - Foreigner
20) Don't Talk to Strangers - Rick Springfield
21) The Sweetest Thing (I've Ever Known) - Juice Newton
22) Always on My Mind - Willie Nelson
23) Shake It Up - The Cars
24) Let It Whip - Dazz Band
25) We Got the Beat - The Go-Go's
26) The Other Woman - Ray Parker Jr.
27) Turn Your Love Around - George Benson
28) Sweet Dreams - Air Supply
29) Only the Lonely - The Motels
30) Who Can It Be Now? - Men at Work
31) Hold Me - Fleetwood Mac
32) Eye in the Sky - The Alan Parsons Project
33) Let's Groove - Earth, Wind & Fire
34) Open Arms - Journey
35) Leader of the Band - Dan Fogelberg
36) Leather and Lace - Stevie Nicks and Don Henley
37) Even the Nights Are Better - Air Supply
38) I've Never Been to Me - Charlene
39) 65 Love Affair - Paul Davis
40) Heat of the Moment - Asia
41) Take It Easy on Me - Little River Band
42) Pac-Man Fever - Buckner & Garcia
43) That Girl - Stevie Wonder
44) Private Eyes - Hall & Oates
45) Trouble - Lindsey Buckingham
46) Making Love - Roberta Flack
47) Love's Been a Little Bit Hard on Me - Juice Newton
48) Young Turks - Rod Stewart
49) Freeze-Frame - The J. Geils Band
50) Keep the Fire Burnin’ - REO Speedwagon
51) Do You Believe in Love - Huey Lewis and the News
52) Cool Night - Paul Davis
53) Caught Up In You - .38 Special
54) Why Do Fools Fall In Love? - Diana Ross
55) Love in the First Degree - Alabama
56) Hooked On Classics - Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
57) Wasted on the Way - Crosby, Stills & Nash
58) Think I'm in Love - Eddie Money
59) Love Is in Control (Finger on the Trigger) - Donna Summer
60) Personally - Karla Bonoff
61) One Hundred Ways - Quincy Jones featuring James Ingram
62) Blue Eyes - Elton John
63) Our Lips Are Sealed - The Go-Go's
64) You Could Have Been with Me - Sheena Easton
65) You Can Do Magic - America
66) Did It in a Minute - Hall & Oates
67) I Ran (So Far Away) - A Flock of Seagulls
68) Somebody's Baby - Jackson Browne
69) Oh No - Commodores
70) Take It Away - Paul McCartney
71) It's Gonna Take a Miracle - Deniece Williams
72) Love Will Turn You Around - Kenny Rogers
73) Don't Stop Believin' - Journey
74) Comin' In and Out of Your Life - Barbra Streisand
75) Gloria - Laura Branigan
76) Empty Garden (Hey Hey Johnny) - Elton John
77) Yesterday's Songs - Neil Diamond
78) Crimson and Clover - Joan Jett & The Blackhearts
79) Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic - The Police
80) Here I Am - Air Supply
81) I Keep Forgettin' (Every Time You're Near) - Michael McDonald
82) Get Down on It - Kool & the Gang
83) Any Day Now - Ronnie Millsap
84) Make a Move on Me - Olivia Newton-John
85) Take My Heart (You Can Have It If You Want It) - Kool & the Gang
86) Mirror Mirror - Diana Ross
87) Vacation - The Go-Go's
88) Oh, Pretty Woman - Van Halen
89) Should I Do It - The Pointer Sisters
90) Hot in the City - Billy Idol
91) Kids in America - Kim Wilde
92) Man on Your Mind - Little River Band
93) What's Forever For - Michael Murphey
94) Waiting on a Friend - The Rolling Stones
95) Do I Do - Stevie Wonder
96) Working for the Weekend - Loverboy
97) Goin' Down - Greg Guidry
98) Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do) - Christopher Cross
99) Through the Years - Kenny Rogers
100) Edge of Seventeen - Stevie Nicks
The number one country music song for 1982 (which also crossed over onto the pop charts) was You Were Always on My Mind by Willie Nelson.
Cool Things of 1982
One of the most significant toylines in history - G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, launched in 1982. G.I. Joe had been around since the 1960s, however, in 1982 the brand relaunched in the new popular 3 3/4 inch scale (the same as Star Wars) which allowed for affordable vehicles to be produced also. Soon there would be a Marvel Comic book series and cartoon series based on the G.I. Joe action figures. The G.I. Joe toy line would continue uninterrupted until 1994 and on and off there-after.
Arcades were all the rage in 1982 and numerous companies sought affordable ways to bring video games home. While Atari had been around for a while at this point, smaller price point hand held video games became very popular for Christmas 1982 with titles such as Frogger, Donkey Kong, and Pac Man being among the most popular.
With the massive success of E.T. The Extraterrestrial movie, obviously, there was a massive influx of E.T. related toys and merchandise in 1982.
Dolls with action features had been popular for many years, but advancements in manufacturing saw an influx of more sophisticated dolls in the 1980s including the 1982 Baby Skates doll.
Top 10 Movies of 1982: As Ranked by IMDB:
1. The King of Comedy (1982)
Rupert Pupkin is a passionate yet unsuccessful comic who craves nothing more than to be in the spotlight and to achieve this, he stalks and kidnaps his idol to take the spotlight for himself. Director: Martin Scorsese | Stars: Robert De Niro, Jerry Lewis, Diahnne Abbott, Sandra Bernhard
2. Blade Runner (1982)
A blade runner must pursue and terminate four replicants who stole a ship in space, and have returned to Earth to find their creator. Director: Ridley Scott | Stars: Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, Edward James Olmos
3. Sophie's Choice (1982)
Sophie is the survivor of Nazi concentration camps, who has found a reason to live with Nathan, a sparkling if unsteady American Jew obsessed with the Holocaust. Director: Alan J. Pakula | Stars: Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline, Peter MacNicol, Rita Karin
4. Koyaanisqatsi (1982)
A collection of expertly photographed phenomena with no conventional plot. The footage focuses on nature, humanity and the relationship between them. Director: Godfrey Reggio | Stars: Marilyn Chambers, Lou Dobbs, Ted Koppel.
5. Tootsie (1982)
Michael Dorsey, an unsuccessful actor, disguises himself as a woman in order to get a role on a trashy hospital soap. Director: Sydney Pollack | Stars: Dustin Hoffman, Jessica Lange, Teri Garr, Dabney Coleman
6. Missing (1982)
When an idealistic American writer disappears during the Chilean coup d'état in September 1973, his wife and father try to find him. Director: Costa-Gavras | Stars: Jack Lemmon, Sissy Spacek, Melanie Mayron, John Shea
7. Victor Victoria (1982)
A struggling female soprano finds work playing a male female impersonator, but it complicates her personal life. Director: Blake Edwards | Stars: Julie Andrews, James Garner, Robert Preston, Lesley Ann Warren.
8. Gandhi (1982)
Mohandas K. Gandhi's character is fully explained as a man of nonviolence. Through his patience, he is able to drive the British out of the subcontinent. And the stubborn nature of Jinnah and his commitment towards Pakistan is portrayed. Director: Richard Attenborough | Stars: Ben Kingsley, John Gielgud, Rohini Hattangadi, Roshan Seth
9. Fitzcarraldo (1982)
The story of Brian Sweeney Fitzgerald, an extremely determined man who intends to build an opera house in the middle of a jungle. Director: Werner Herzog | Stars: Klaus Kinski, Claudia Cardinale, José Lewgoy, Miguel Ángel Fuentes
10. The Thing (1982)
A research team in Antarctica is hunted by a shape-shifting alien that assumes the appearance of its victims. Director: John Carpenter | Stars: Kurt Russell, Wilford Brimley, Keith David, Richard Masur
Saturday Morning 1982 CBS line-up included: Pandamonium, Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Show, Sylvester & Tweety/Daffy & Speedy Show, Meatballs & Spaghetti, and Gilligan’s Planet.
Saturday Morning 1982 ABC line-up included: Pac-Man, The Little Rascals, Richie Rich, Mork & Mindy, Laverne & Shirley, and Scooby & Scrappy.
Saturday Morning 1982 NBC line-up included: The Smurfs, The Incredible Hulk, and Gary Coleman.
If you found this article interesting consider becoming a Patreon supporter. That is how When It Was Cool keeps our website and podcasts online, plus you get lots of bonus content including extra and extended podcasts, articles, digital comics, ebooks, and much more. Check out our Patreon Page to see what's up!
If you don't want to use Patreon but still want to support When It Was Cool then how about a one time $5 PayPal donation? Thank you!
