Hits of 1984: Here Comes the Rock Again

About this episode

Dave and Milt explore the Billboard Rock Tracks chart from March 10, 1984, counting down the top rock songs and engaging in lively discussions about the music and its context.

Dave and Milt jump into the Billboard Rock Tracks chart for the week ending March 10, 1984. They set the scene with Splash, Dallas, and Ed Koch’s Mayor, then count down the rock top 10: Yes “Leave It,” Van Halen “Panama,” Eurythmics “Here Comes the Rain Again,” Pretenders “Middle of the Road,” John Lennon “Nobody Told Me,” 38 Special “Back Where You Belong,” Kenny Loggins “Footloose,” Manfred Mann’s Earth Band “Runner,” Christine McVie “Got a Hold on Me,” and Van Halen “Jump.” They debate best song (leaning “Panama”), run a “back” title lightning quiz, and do substitutions: Milt swaps out “Runner” for Genesis “It’s Gonna Get Better,” while Dave replaces 38 Special with Genesis “Illegal Alien,” noting its later embarrassment. Topics 00:00 Cold Open Chaos 00:22 Welcome To Past Tens 00:48 McDonalds CEO Big Arch 02:51 Listener Shoutouts 05:42 Susanna Hoffs Meetup 08:04 Time Jump To 1984 08:50 Rock Charts Explained 10:21 Spinal Tap And Oscars 13:27 This Week In 1984 16:16 Number 10 Yes Leave It 21:31 A Cappella Tangent 26:07 Number 9 Van Halen Panama 30:34 DLR Aging And Legacy 36:58 Number 8 Eurythmics 39:59 Crude Banter Reset 40:49 Here Comes the Rain Again 42:06 Depression and…

People in this episode

Hosts: Dave, Milt

Topics covered

• Billboard Rock Tracks
• 1984 music
• rock top 10
• song debates
• music history
• pop culture

Keywords

• 1984
• rock music
• Billboard
• top 10
• Eurythmics
• Van Halen
• Pretenders
• John Lennon
• Kenny Loggins
• Genesis

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Spinal Tap, Genesis

Books & works: Leave It, Panama, Here Comes the Rain Again, Middle of the Road, Nobody Told Me, Back Where You Belong, Footloose, Runner, Got a Hold on Me, Jump

Places: McDonalds

More episodes of PAST 10s: A Top 10 Time Machine - Music of the 70s, 80s and More

• Hits of ‘86: Nu Shooz, Sad Songs, Bad Proms · June 12, 2026 · 2h 12m
• The Greatest SCREAMS in Rock History · June 5, 2026 · 1h 17m
• The Hits of 1970 · May 29, 2026 · 2h 3m
• The Top 10 Late-Night Hosts · May 22, 2026 · 1h 31m
• The Rock of 1989: Doctor, There’s A Great White in My Heartbreaker · May 15, 2026 · 1h 54m
• The Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time · May 8, 2026 · 1h 31m