Events

• January 15 - K.C. and the Sunshine Band's Harry Wayne Casey is seriously injured in an automobile accident in Miami, Florida.
• January 17 - Tommy Tucker, writer of "Hi Heel Sneakers", dies of carbon tetrachloride poisoning sustained while he was finishing floors in his home
• January 20 - Ozzy Osbourne bites the head off of a live bat thrown at him during a performance. Osbourne is hospitalized with rabies.
• January 21 - B.B. King donates his personal record collection, which includes nearly 7,000 rare blues records, to the University of Mississippi's Center for the Study of Southern Culture.
• February 13 - A 300 pound (136 kg) gravestone from the grave of Lynyrd Skynyrd singer Ronnie Van Zant is stolen from an Orange Park, Florida cemetery. Police found the gravestone 2 weeks later in a dry river bed.
• February 20 - Pat Benatar marries her guitarist, Neil Giraldo on the Hawaiian island of Maui
• March 4 - Frank Zappa's son Dweezil and daughter Moon Unit form Fred Zeppelin
• March 5 - Comedian and Blues Brother John Belushi is found dead of an apparent drug overdose in the Chateau Marmont Hotel in Los Angeles, California
• March 18 - Teddy Pendergrass is severely injured in a car accident in Philadelphia. Pendergrass' injuries result in him being paralyzed from the waist down
• March 19 - Ozzy Osbourne's lead guitarist, Randy Rhoads is killed in a freak accident in Leesburg, Florida when the plane he's riding in buzzes Osbourne's tour bus and crashes into a house. The plane's pilot and a female passenger are also killed.
• March 28 - In Los Angeles, California, David Crosby is arrested for possession of Quaaludes and drug paraphernalia, driving under the influence of cocaine and carrying a concealed weapon
• March 29 - Stevie Wonder and Paul McCartney release their single "Ebony and Ivory", which will remain at #1 for 7 weeks
• March 31 - The Doobie Brothers announce that they are breaking up
• April 15 - Billy Joel is seriously injured in a motorcycle accident in Long Island, New York. Joel spends over a month in the hospital undergoing physical therapy for his hand.
• April - Amy Grant marries Gary Chapman
• April 26 - Rod Stewart is mugged in Los Angeles, California. Stewart loses his $50,000 Porsche to the mugger, but was not hurt.
• August 17 - In Langenhagen near Hanover, Germany began the first mass production of the compact disc.
• September 7 - The musical Cats begins its 18 year run on Broadway
• November 5 - First broadcast of The Tube was shown on Channel 4 in the UK.
• The first compact discs appear in music stores.
• A benefit concert takes place in Downey, California to replace the guitars belonging to Daniel Amos which were stolen early in the year. Performers included Tom Howard, Mark Heard and Randy Stonehill.
• Janet Jackson releases first recording
• Caution and Plee Fresh begin recording; this is the birth of a distinctively Chicago sound in hip hop music
• Lee Aaron's solo career begins
• Madonna's career begins
• Metallica's career begins
• Ronnie James Dio leaves Black Sabbath for solo career
• The Smiths form
• Seona Dancing forms
• Pantera forms
• Faith No More forms
• Guadalcanal Diary forms
• Slayer forms
• Violent Femmes forms
• Blondie disbands
• The Eagles break up
• Wendy O. Williams leaves the Plasmatics for a solo career
• Skinny Puppy forms

Albums released

• The Lee Aaron Project - Lee Aaron
• The Singles: The First Ten Years - ABBA
• Lexicon of Love - ABC
• Rock in A Hard Place - Aerosmith
• Now and Forever - Air Supply
• Metal on Metal - Anvil
• Big Science - Laurie Anderson
• Asia - Asia
• Mesopotamia - The B-52's
• Bad Brains - Bad Brains
• Rough Diamonds - Bad Company
• How Could Hell Be Any Worse? - Bad Religion (debut full-length)
• The Sky's Gone Out – Bauhaus
• Get Nervous - Pat Benatar
• Junkyard - The Birthday Party - final full-length album
• Damaged - Black Flag
• Live Evil - Black Sabbath
• The Hunter - Blondie (final studio album until early 1999)
• The Distance - Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band
• Branigan - Laura Branigan
• The Dreaming - Kate Bush
• Music for a New Society – John Cale
• I Paralyze - Cher
• 16 - Chicago
• Trance - Chris and Cosey
• Only Theatre Of Pain - Christian Death - debut album
• Circus Animals - Cold Chisel
• Timepieces: Best of Eric Clapton - Eric Clapton (Best of 1969-1979)
• Combat Rock - The Clash
• Computer Games - George Clinton
• Zipper Catches Skin - Alice Cooper
• Hello, I Must Be Going! - Phil Collins
• Imperial Bedroom - Elvis Costello & the Attractions
• American Fool - John Cougar Mellencamp
• Christ The Album - Crass
• Kissing to Be Clever - Culture Club
• Pornography - The Cure
• Spécial Dalida - Dalida
• Le Disque d'Or du Mundial '82 - Dalida (compilation)
• Mondialement Vôtre - Dalida
• Milo Goes to College - The Descendents
• Too-Rye-Ay - Dexys Midnight Runners
• Oh No!, It's Devo - Devo
• Love over Gold - Dire Straits
• Fast Women & Slow Horses - Dr. Feelgood
• Rio - Duran Duran
• Entrave et Etouffement - Entrave et Etouffement
• On Land - Brian Eno
• Troops Of Tomorrow - The Exploited
• The Nightfly - Donald Fagen
• Hex Enduction Hour - The Fall
• The Record - Fear
• Mirage - Fleetwood Mac
• Peter Gabriel also known as Security - Peter Gabriel
• Another Day/Another Dollar - Gang of Four
• Songs of the Free - Gang of Four
• Midnight Love - Marvin Gaye
• Wasted Youth - Girl
• Spirit Of Place - Goanna
• Send Me A Lullaby - The Go-Betweens
• Before a Word is Said – Gowen, Miller, Sinclair, Tomkins
• There For No One To See - Grand Prix
• Age To Age - Amy Grant
• H₂O - Daryl Hall & John Oates
• Three Lock Box - Sammy Hagar
• Enter K – Peter Hammill
• Oriental Beat - Hanoi Rocks
• Private Audition - Heart
• Nona - Nona Hendryx
• Groovy Decay - Robyn Hitchcock
• The Number of the Beast - Iron Maiden
• Everything Falls Apart - Hüsker Dü
• Shabooh Shoobah- Inxs
• Night and Day - Joe Jackson
• Thriller - Michael Jackson
• The Gift - The Jam
• The Broadsword and the Beast - Jethro Tull
• Nylon Curtain - Billy Joel
• Jump Up! - Elton John
• Screaming for Vengeance - Judas Priest
• Revelations - Killing Joke
• Living My Life - Grace Jones
• One To One - Carole King
• Beat - King Crimson
• Creatures of the Night - KISS
• One Vice At A Time - Krokus
• Coda - Led Zeppelin
• Somewhere in Afrika – Manfred Mann's Earth Band
• Tug of War - Paul McCartney
• Meat Puppets - Meat Puppets
• Business as Usual - Men at Work
• In My Eyes - Minor Threat
• Minor Threat - Minor Threat
• Bean Spill - The Minutemen
• Underwater Kites - The Modern Art (debut)
• Too Fast for Love - Mötley Crüe (debut re-release)
• Iron Fist - Motörhead
• Kansuigyo - Miyuki Nakajima
• D.S. al Coda – National Health
• Dawn Patrol - Night Ranger
• Nugent - Ted Nugent
• Five Miles Out - Mike Oldfield
• It's Alright (I See Rainbows) - Yoko Ono
• Speak of the Devil - Ozzy Osbourne (Live)
• Bobbie Sue - The Oak Ridge Boys
• Death Wish II - Jimmy Page
• Pictures at Eleven - Robert Plant (former Led Zeppelin Vocalist's solo debut)
• Ghost in the Machine - The Police
• 1999 - Prince
• Forever Now - The Psychedelic Furs
• Hot Space - Queen
• Straight Between the Eyes - Rainbow
• The Blue Mask – Lou Reed
• The Tunes of Two Cities - The Residents
• Chronic Town EP - R.E.M.
• Stink - The Replacements
• Keep On Doing - The Roaches
• Love Will Turn You Around - Kenny Rogers
• Avalon - Roxy Music
• Signals - Rush
• Blackout - Scorpions
• Naked - Sex Gang Children
• A Kiss In The Dreamhouse - Siouxsie And The Banshees
• Alice - The Sisters of Mercy
• Sweets From a Stranger - Squeeze
• Mommy's Little Monster - Social Distortion
• Sonic Youth - Sonic Youth
• Leichenschrei - SPK
• Nebraska - Bruce Springsteen
• Now Then... - Stiff Little Fingers
• Donna Summer - Donna Summer
• "…Famous Last Words…" – Supertramp
• White Eagle – Tangerine Dream
• Shoot out the Lights - Richard and Linda Thompson
• Hour Live - Toots & the Maytals
• Toto IV - Toto
• Ruff Cuts EP - Twisted Sister
• Under The Blade - Twisted Sister (debut album)
• Diver Down - Van Halen
• Black Metal - Venom
• If I Die, I Die - Virgin Prunes
• Hérésie - Virgin Prunes
• The Anvil - Visage
• Saints & Sinners - Whitesnake
• It's Hard - The Who
• Original Musiquarium - Greatest Hits - Stevie Wonder
• Under the Big Black Sun - X
• English Settlement - XTC
• Upstairs at Eric's - Yazoo
• Black Tiger - Y&T

Chronological Table of US and UK Number One Hit Singles

Other significant singles of the year

• "Theme From Harry's Game" - Clannad Legendary Irish group
• "'65 Love Affair" - Paul Davis
• "Ain't No Pleasing You" - Chas and Dave
• "Allentown" - Billy Joel
• "Big Science" - Laurie Anderson
• "Blue Eyes" - Elton John
• "Body + Soul" - Jo Kennedy
• "Body Language" - Queen
• "Christmas Wrapping" - The Waitresses
• "Confidences sur la Fréquence" - Dalida
• "The Day Before You Came" - ABBA
• "Danza" - Dalida
• "Don't Go" - Yazoo
• "Don't Talk To Strangers" - Rick Springfield
• "Do You Really Want To Hurt Me" - Culture Club
• "Don't Stop Believin' - Journey
• "Electric Eye" - Judas Priest
• "Even the Nights are Better" - Air Supply
• "Eye In The Sky" - The Alan Parsons Project
• "Fantastic Day" - Haircut 100
• "Forever Now" - Cold Chisel
• "Forget Me Nots" - Patrice Rushen
• "Freeze Frame" - J. Geils Band
• "Ghosts" - Japan
• "Girls On Film" - Duran Duran
• "Gloria" - Laura Branigan
• "Golden Brown" - The Stranglers
• "Great Southern Land" - Icehouse
• "Gypsy" - Fleetwood Mac
• "Harden My Heart" - Quarterflash
• "Head Over Heels" - ABBA
• "Heart Attack" - Olivia Newton-John
• "Heat Of The Moment" - Asia
• "Hey Little Girl" - Icehouse
• "Hold Me" - Fleetwood Mac
• "Hungry Like The Wolf" - Duran Duran
• "Hurts So Good" - John Cougar
• "I Can Make You Feel Good" - Shalamar
• "I Know What Boys Like" - The Waitresses
• "Iron Fist" - Motörhead
• "It's Raining Again" - Supertramp
• "Jouez Bouzouki" - Dalida
• "Just An Illusion" - Imagination
• "La Chanson du Mundial '82" - Dalida
• "Living On The Ceiling" - Blancmange
• "Love My Way" - The Psychedelic Furs
• "Love Plus One" - Haircut 100
• "Make A Move On Me" - Olivia Newton-John
• "The Message" - Grandmaster Flash
• "Mirror Man" - Human League
• "The Number of the Beast" - Iron Maiden
• "101 Dam-Nations" - Scarlet Party
• "Old Town" - Phil Lynott
• "One Perfect Day" - Little Heroes
• "Only You" by Yazoo
• "Open Arms" - Journey
• "Our Lips Are Sealed" - The Go-Go's
• "Party Fears Two" - The Associates
• "Planet Rock" - Afrika Bambaataa
• "Pressure" - Billy Joel
• "Quiero Ser" - Menudo
• "Rio" - Duran Duran
• "Run To The Hills" - Iron Maiden
• "Save A Prayer" - Duran Duran
• "She Blinded Me With Science" - Thomas Dolby
• "Since You're Gone" - The Cars
• "Six Months In A Leaky Boat" - Split Enz
• "Solid Rock" - Goanna
• "Spread A Little Happiness" - Sting
• "State Of Independence" - Donna Summer
• "Still They Ride" - Journey
• "Sube A Mi Motora" - Menudo
• "T' Ain't What You Do It's The Way That You Do It" - Fun Boy Three and Bananarama
• "Taking To A Stranger" - Hunters + Collectors
• "3x3 (EP) - Genesis
• "Time (Clock of the Heart)" - Culture Club
• "Tony" - Dalida
• "TV Party" - Black Flag
• "Vacation" - The Go-Go's
• "Valley Girl" - Frank Zappa
• "Waiting For A Girl Like You" - Foreigner
• "We Got the Beat" - The Go-Go's
• "What About Me" - Moving Pictures
• "White Boy" - Culture Club
• "When The War Is Over" - Cold Chisel
• "Why" - Carly Simon
• "You Can't Hurry Love" - Phil Collins
• "You Don't Want Me Anymore" - Steel Breeze
• "You Should Hear How She Talks About You" - Melissa Manchester
• "You've Got Another Thing Comin'" - Judas Priest
• "Young Guns (Go For It)" - Wham!
• "Young Turks" - Rod Stewart

Published popular music

• "Key Largo" w.m. Sonny Limbo & Bertie Higgins
• "Let's Go to the Movies" w. Martin Charnin m. Charles Strouse from the film version of the musical Annie
• "Sandy (Dumb Dog)" w. Martin Charnin m. Charles Strouse from the film version of the musical Annie
• "Sign!" w. Martin Charnin w. Martin Charnin m. Charles Strouse from the film version of the musical Annie
• "St. Elsewhere theme song" m. Dave Grusin
• "Up Where We Belong"     w. Will Jennings m. Buffy Sainte-Marie & Jack Nitzsche
• "We Got Annie" w. Martin Charnin m. Charles Strouse from the film version of the musical Annie
• "Where Everybody Knows Your Name" w.m. Judy Hart Angelo & Gary Portnoy, theme from the TV series Cheers
• "Without Us" w. Tom Scott m. Jeff Barry, theme from the TV series Family Ties

Classical music

• Hans Abrahamsen - Nacht und Trompeten
• George Crumb - Pastoral Drone for organ
• George Crumb - Trio for Strings
• Mario Davidovsky - Sting Trio for violin, viola, violoncello
• Ross Edwards - Piano Concerto in A
• Daron Hagen - Echo's Songs
• Rudolf Komorous - Serenade for Strings
• Mel Powell - String Quartet
• Robert Simpson - String Quartet no. 9, 32 Variations and Fugue on a Theme of Haydn
• Tōru Takemitsu - Rain Coming for chamber orchestra
• Tōru Takemitsu - Rain Spell for flute, clarinet, harp, piano and vibraphone
• Jay Ungar - Ashokan Farewell

Opera

• Nicolas Flagello - The Judgment of St Francis
• Stephen Paulus - The Postman Always Rings Twice

Musical theater

• Cats (Andrew Lloyd Webber) - Broadway production
• Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice) - Broadway production
• Little Shop of Horrors     off-Broadway production
• Nine      Broadway production
• Pirates Of Penzance     London revival
• Seven Brides For Seven Brothers (Saul Chaplin, Gene de Paul and Johnny Mercer) - Broadway production

Musical films

• Annie
• The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas
• Grease 2
• HMS Pinafore
• Iolanthe
• The Mikado
• Patience
• Pink Floyd The Wall
• Pirates of Penzance
• Ruddigore
• The Sorcerer
• Victor/Victoria
• The Yeomen Of The Guard

Musical television

• Roy Orbison - Live at Austin City Limits
• Sweeney Todd

Births

• May 18 - Eric West
• August 28 - LeAnn Rimes
• September 22 - Billie Piper

Deaths

• January 17 - Tommy Tucker, songwriter
• January 30 - Stanley Holloway, English actor and singer
• February 17 - Thelonious Monk
• February 21 - Murray the K, disc jockey
• March 5 - John Belushi US entertainer of The Blues Brothers
• March 19 - Randy Rhoads US guitarst
• March 24 - Aileen Stanley, US singer
• April 2 - Sam Coslow, US songwriter and sometime singer
• April 9 - Jim Davidson, 79, Australian bandleader in Bowral, NSW
• May 1 - William Primrose, violist
• May 8 - Neil Bogart, 39, Owner of Casablanca Records, cancer
• May 15 - Joëlle, French singer, drug overdose
• July 9 - Wingy Manone, jazz trumpeter
• July 28 - Keith Green, gospel singer, plane crash
• September 1 - Clifford Curzon, pianist
• October 4 - Glenn Gould, pianist
• October 16
  • Jakov Gotovac, composer and conductor
  • Mario del Monaco, operatic tenor

Awards

Grammy Awards

• Grammy Awards of 1982

Country Music Association Awards

Eurovision Song Contest

• Eurovision Song Contest 1982

Charts

List of No. 1 Hits

• Hot 100 No. 1 Hits of 1982

KROQ

• KROQ Top 106.7 Countdown of 1982

External Charts

• Pop Culture Madness 1982 Pop Music Chart

1982 in music

1982 en musique | 1982 - muzyka | 1982 в музыке | Musikåret 1982