The only artists who out-sold Joan Jett in 1982
So much changed for music in 1982 that it’s hard to know where to start.
Yes, there were countless hits that we still love today, Joan Jett’s being one of the most obvious, but why do we fail to see it for what it was: that it was actually a pretty dire year for music, so much so that it ended up being the best thing that ever happened?
Most people think of only one thing whenever they think of 1982, and that’s Michael Jackson’s Thriller. But for the most part, everything that everybody did was a bit of a, for lack of a better word, flop. This was the same year that MTV’s programming director, John Sykes, literally said TV had become the most effective way of spreading music and making it popular, which, while it makes sense, feels pretty telling. And not entirely in a good way.
MTV was an amazing addition to a scene that was struggling to keep its head above water on singles and albums alone. But the fact that this was happening at all, that even the biggest labels and companies were fighting to get success, any kind, was pretty weird. Put it this way, the number of gold and platinum sales dropped 15% in 1982. And general sales were down by 50% in some areas, per a Rolling Stone retrospective published the following year.
However, this also gave way to other successes, ones by people who kept up with the curve and adapted to the new ways of the world. It wasn’t about simply doing what people had done before, putting out something and holding your breath. It was about playing the game, and some did it far better than others. Joan Jett’s ‘I Love Rock ’n’ Roll’, for instance, was heavily plugged by MTV, with a music video that was basically made for a new, exciting platform with storytelling that pulls people in.
What were the best-selling singles of 1982?
There were several others who also capitalised on new trends and surpassed Jett’s success. Dexys Midnight Runners got the top-selling with ‘Come on Eileen’, while other hits came in the shape of Survivor’s ‘Eye of the Tiger’ and Culture Club’s ‘Do You Really Want to Hurt Me’. These successes become a bit more convoluted when looking at sales and who actually won over others, but over in the US, things for Jett seemed a bit more clear-cut in terms of where she actually stood.
Looking at those with the most popularity in the US, the two that came out on top over Jett were Olivia Newton-John’s ‘Physical’ and Survivor. Jett even lost out to Survivor in 1983 at the Juno Awards, but all of that seems neither here nor there. Especially, when you look at what Jett actually achieved beyond the numbers, setting up a new rage-fuelled platform for women in music that still very much exists today.
When you look at all the frustration people must have felt across the whole year, maybe that’s where its real success comes from. It wasn’t just another sugary pop hit trying to do numbers. It wasn’t even just another MTV churnout that tried to play the game for relevance. It was actually something that had a bite, standing outside of the usual terrain and getting more attention because of it.
