Top Ten Albums – Week of January 22, 1983

A Snapshot in Time

Before diving into the music, here’s what else was happening in the world: January 1983 was buzzing with global and national change.
Just as America was experiencing these moments, these were the albums spinning on turntables nationwide.

Major Events from the Week of January 22, 1983:

1. President Ronald Reagan announced plans for major federal budget cuts to curb inflation.

2. The Apple Lisa computer — one of the first with a graphical user interface — was released, signaling the dawn of modern personal computing.

3. The Washington Redskins defeated the Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl XVII.

4. Tensions escalated in the Cold War as U.S.–Soviet nuclear talks continued in Geneva.

5. Michael Jackson’s Thriller music video was in production, setting up what would become a global pop culture phenomenon.

This Week’s Top Ten Albums in America

1. Business As Usual – Men At Work
   Featuring the hits: “Who Can It Be Now?” and “Down Under”

2. Built For Speed – Stray Cats
   Featuring the hits: “Rock This Town” and “Stray Cat Strut”

3. H2O – Hall & Oates
   Featuring the hits: “Maneater” and “One on One”

4. Get Nervous – Pat Benatar
   Featuring the hits: “Shadows of the Night” and “Little Too Late”

5. Thriller – Michael Jackson
   Featuring the hits: “Billie Jean” and “Beat It”

6. Coda – Led Zeppelin
   Featuring the hits: “We're Gonna Groove” and “I Can’t Quit You Baby (Live)”

7. Combat Rock – The Clash
   Featuring the hits: “Rock the Casbah” and “Should I Stay or Should I Go”

8. The Distance – Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band
   Featuring the hits: “Shame on the Moon” and “Even Now”

9. Long After Dark – Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
   Featuring the hits: “You Got Lucky” and “Change of Heart”

10. Hello, I Must Be Going – Phil Collins
    Featuring the hits: “You Can’t Hurry Love” and “I Don’t Care Anymore”

Album of the Week Spotlight

 Business As Usual - Men At Work

💿 Album of the Week Spotlight

Business As Usual – Men At Work

This was Australia’s biggest breakout moment on the U.S. charts.

While Air Supply had opened the door for Aussie pop, Men At Work brought a rock edge with a distinctive sound that mixed humor, tight musicianship, and a global flavor.

With hits like Down Under and Who Can It Be Now?, it dominated airwaves and album sales for months.

Released in late 1981 in Australia and 1982 in the U.S., Business As Usual spent 15 consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 — a feat few debut albums have matched.

Critics praised its witty lyrics and breezy sound, while MTV helped catapult its videos into heavy rotation, cementing Men At Work as one of the decade’s defining acts.

My Connection

I was managing Camelot Music at Eastview Mall that winter.

Business As Usual stood out immediately — a fresh, clean sound that caught your attention the moment it played in-store.

My staff loved it, and customers did too. By early 1983, most sales had shifted from vinyl to cassette, and this album moved fast off the shelves in that format.

8-tracks were nearly gone — we had stopped stocking them entirely by then. It truly was the beginning of a new music era.

🧠 Trivia Corner

• Fun Fact 1: Business As Usual was the first debut album by an Australian band to hit No. 1 in both the U.S. and U.K.

• Fun Fact 2: Colin Hay, the band’s lead singer, later became a cult favorite for his acoustic solo work featured on Scrubs.

• Fun Fact 3: Men At Work’s saxophonist, Greg Ham, created the signature “whoo-whoo” riff in Who Can It Be Now? in one take.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: How long did “Business As Usual” stay at No. 1 in the U.S.?
A: It held the top spot for 15 consecutive weeks — an incredible achievement for a debut album.

Q: What genre is Men At Work’s music considered?
A: It’s mainly classified as New Wave and pop rock, known for its quirky humor and reggae-inspired rhythms.

Q: Were cassettes more popular than vinyl in 1983?
A: Yes — by this time, cassette sales were overtaking vinyl due to their portability and compatibility with car players.

Q: What other albums challenged “Business As Usual” that year?
A: Michael Jackson’s Thriller and The Police’s Synchronicity would soon battle it for chart dominance later in 1983.