Glistering: B's Blog: Retro Thursday: 2/83

I usually concentrate on new music, but I thought it would be fun to look back to a specific time and see what was going on. So once a month I'm going to do a short retrospective: movies, books, odds and ends, just about anything I can find. And of course, music. I'm choosing the first one but would love to get requests.

February 1983 was an important time for me but I wasn't very aware of what was going on in the world, so I thought it would be a good place to start....

In February 1983:

Toto - Africa #1 US February 1-5. I loved this song, but can't for the life of me think of another song by them. Can you?

Ronald Reagan was president of the United States

Margaret Thatcher was prime minister of the United Kingdom

Pierre Trudeau was prime minister of Canada

Malcom Fraser was prime minister of Australia

Elizabeth II was queen . . . of course

Men At Work - Down Under #1 US February 5-12. LOL. Definitely one of my favorite songs. Let's not get into an argument of Vegemite vs. Marmite though.

Gas per gallon cost an average of:

.88 in California

.95 in Texas

.93 in Illinois

.96 in Florida

.99 in New York

£1.76 England

Kajagoogoo - Too Shy #1 UK February 13

Musical Youth - Pass the Dutchie #1 Canada, January 22-February 5. (I'd never heard of this one...interesting.)

NEW YORK TIMES Sunday Book review (February 20) (Look how much Sci-Fi there is!)

“Mistral’s Daughter,” by Judith Krantz.

“Master of the Game,” by Sidney Sheldon.

“Space,” by James A. Michener.

“2010: Odyssey Two,” by Arthur C. Clarke.

“The Valley of Horses,” by Jean M. Auel.

“Foundation’s Edge,” by Isaac Asimov.

“Floating Dragon,” by Peter Straub.

“Life, the Universe and Everything,” by Douglas Adams.

“E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial Storybook,” by William Kotzwinkle.

“Ellis Island,” by Fred Mustard Stewart.

Laura Branigan - Gloria #1 Australia, February 7-March 21

Michael Jackson - Billie Jean #1 US (seven weeks) & UK.

February 26 – Michael Jackson's Thriller album hits #1 on the US charts, the first of thirty-seven (non-consecutive) weeks it would spend there on its way to becoming the biggest-selling album of all time.

I couldn't find any movies worth referencing except The Pirates of Penzance which my whole family absolutely loves. Yes, we're very weird. It is a fairly faithful production of the Gilbert and Sullivan light opera (Premier in 1879). It stars Kevin Kline as the Pirate King and he's just amazing. Linda Ronstadt is Mabel. Such a fun but completely goofy movie. "With Catlike Tread" is my favorite part of the movie.

Do you remember February 1983? What is one of your favorite months and years? Leave me a message somewhere. Let me retro it!

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This is like the extra at the end of the credits: I just found this and it's awesome. :)