Top 5 Rock Hits of 1982 Showcase Women’s Dominance in the Decade
d the Beat” was the first album by an all-female band that wrote and performed their songs to top the Billboard 200 chart, so the Go-Go’s made history with their talent.
Their video for “We Got the Beat” was in heavy rotation on MTV, which was still a new craze at the time, and they were popular in the UK, Japan, and around the globe, proving that a bunch of women from Los Angeles could take on the world, one bop at a time.
Singer Belinda Carlisle said in an interview that the Go-Go’s didn’t overthink their songs’ melodies or lyrics; they just got together and wrote what they were feeling at the time, and it resonated with a lot of other people. “We Got the Beat” is a perfect example of an earworm that no one could resist tapping their foot to.
All three of their singles released in 1982 hit the top 40 of the Hot 100, but “We Got the Beat” was by far the biggest hit and the group’s highest-charting single in their career. The Go-Go’s paved the way for other women to write and perform without the help of men, in a male-dominated industry.
“Love Is a Battlefield” — Pat Benatar
Unlike Janis Joplin or Patti Smith, Pat Benatar’s vocal range was pop, but her music was undeniably rock, and she had a powerhouse voice that few could match. Her top singles often pop-rocked up the radio, which is why even now, songs like “Hit Me with Your Best Shot,” “Heartbreaker,” and “Love Is a Battlefield” bridge that gap between generations of rock fans.
Benatar’s “Love Is a Battlefield” stood out because it was not only popular on the radio in 1982, but also got decent rotation on MTV thanks to its awesome video, dominated by choreography, and there were some fantastic live performances. It reached No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 that year and earned Benatar a Grammy nomination for best female rock vocal performance.
The music video for “Love Is a Battlefield” was groundbreaking in that it told a story, featuring Benatar as a young woman who rebels against the life that her parents have chosen for her. According to the director’s stories, Benatar’s powerful recording of the song is what dictated the video’s storyline as she wanted something more than a typical performance video. The haunting parental plea, “We are young / Heartache to heartache, we stand / No promises, no demands,” is culturally significant for a whole generation of teenagers—and the catchy music only made the song more appealing.
This track has staying power, as it’s still loved by fans, and it’s trailblazing in terms of music videos that told stories. “Love Is a Battlefield” helped set the standard for how musicians got their music out to the masses, and it was, and remains a female-led record, its dance beats holding appeal across demographics and cultures, remaining popular even after 40 years.