E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial game on the Atari 2600. This highly-anticipated game was a tremendous flop. Thousands of unsold copies were written off and buried in a landfill in Alamogordo, New Mexico.

The story, which many suspect to be an urban legend, provided inspiration for Wintergreen’s video for their song, “When I Wake Up.”

V asks: “I wonder how Thatcher’s government impacted 1983 music in/from Britain?  I think it did, but can’t articulate how.

How do you think the subject matter of the songs is different from what was immediately before or after?”

My response: I think New Wave, as an offshoot of Punk, could be seen as a response to Thatcherism.

“Pale Shelter” by Tears For Fears from their album The Hurting. I wasn’t even aware of this album until Songs from the Big Chair came out along with all of its popular singles. I remember buying a used tape of The Hurting and really loving it. I still think it’s quite good.

“Jump” by Van Halen. Though this was on the album 1984, which was released in 1984, this song was released as a single in December 1983.