Huey Lewis & the News’ Sports hit #1

Sports Huey Lewis & the News

Released: September 15, 1983 Peak: 11 US, 23 UK, 3 CN, 22 AU Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): 7.0 US, 0.1 UK, 10.6 world (includes US and UK) Genre: mainstream pop rock

Tracks: Click on a song title for more details. The Heart of Rock and Roll [5:04] Heart and Soul [4:13] Bad Is Bad [3:48] I Want a New Drug [4:46] Walking on a Thin Line [5:11] Finally Found a Home [3:43] If This Is It [3:54] You Crack Me Up [3:42] Honky Tonk Blues [3:26] Total Running Time: 37:46 The Players Huey Lewis (vocals, harmonica) Mario Cipollina (bass) Johnny Colla (guitar, saxophone, backing vocals) Bill Gibson (drums, percussion, backing vocals) Chris Hayes (guitar, backing vocals) Sean Hopper (keyboards, backing vocals)

Rating: 4.137 out of 5.00 (average of 28 ratings) Quotable -- Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Album In today’s musical landscape, if an album doesn’t debut at #1, its chances of ever reaching that peak are slim. Albums don’t “climb” the charts. They operate more like movies – their first week out of the gate is their biggest and they decline from there. In the ‘80s, however, starting at the top was a rarity. Bruce Springsteen’s live box set did the trick in 1986 – the first album in a decade to do so. Before that, albums had to prove themselves over time. Huey Lewis & the News definitely fell into that category. They released Sports in the autumn of 1983. It was the group’s third album following their 1980 self-titled debut, which didn’t even chart, and 1982’s Picture This, which achieved gold status on the strength of the top ten single “Do You Believe in Love.” The minor hits “Hope You Love Me Like You Say You Do” and “Working for a Living” followed. “Picture This found Huey Lewis and the News developing a signature sound, but they truly came into their own on their third album, Sports.” STE “The record holds together better than its predecessors because it has a clear, professional production, but the real key is the songs. Where their previous albums were cluttered with generic filler, nearly every song on Sports has a huge hook. And even if the News aren’t bothered by breaking new ground, there’s no denying that the craftmanship on Sports is pretty infectious.” STE More than half the songs on the album were released as singles, with four of them reaching the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100 and a fifth hitting the top 20. It wasn’t that surprising. The songs “have instantly memorable hooks, driven home with economical precision by a tight bar band, who are given just enough polish to make them sound like superstars. And that’s just what Sports made them.” STE The group was embraced by MTV because of their fun videos. Lewis had an easy air about him; he was an everyman who was funny, self-deprecating, and likable. It was no accident that the album cover depicted the band hanging out at a sports bar. These weren’t just the kind of guys who people wanted to hang out with; this felt like the local bar band which drew crowds week after week because they guaranteed a good time. Notes: In 1999, an expanded edition of the album added live versions of “The Heart of Rock and Roll,” “Walking on a Thin Line,” “If This Is It,” “Heart and Soul,” and “I Want a New Drug.” The Songs Here’s a breakdown of each of the individual songs.

The Heart of Rock and Roll Huey Lewis & the News

Writer(s): Johnny Colla, Huey Lewis Released: 4/10/1984 (single), Sports (1983) B-Side: “Workin’ for a Livin’” (live) Peak: 6 BB, 7 CB, 11 GR, 5 AR, 49 UK, 8 CN, 58 AU, 4 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 47.18 streaming

Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Song: The lead song from Huey Lewis & the News’ Sports album also served as its third single. When it was in its fourth week at #6 on the Billboard Hot 100, Sports finally climbed to the top of the album chart. It only spent a week at the pinnacle, but it had such longevity that it placed at #2 on Billboard’s year-end album chart, after Michael Jackson’s Thriller. WK The song was inspired by a gig the band played in Cleveland, Ohio. Lewis had maintained that his band’s hometown of San Francisco had a better rock scene than Cleveland, but after the gig, he acknowledged that “the heart of rock and roll is in Cleveland.” He changed the line for the song to “the heart of rock and roll is still beating” but used the song to celebrate that there was real rock and roll in cities beyond Los Angeles and New York. WK3 The song received a nomination for MTV’s Best Group Video and a Grammy nomination for Record of the Year. On the other end of the spectrum, Blender magazine ranked #6 on its list of the “50 Worst Songs Ever.” WK3

Heart and Soul Huey Lewis & the News

Writer(s): Mike Chapman, Nicky Chinn Released: 8/30/1983 (single), Sports (1983) B-Side: “You Crack Me Up” Peak: 8 BB, 10 CB, 5 GR, 6 RR, 11 AR, 61 UK, 12 CN, 25 AU, 11 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 52.86 streaming About the Song: The country-rock group Exile first recorded “Heart and Soul” in 1981. It failed to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 but reached #54 on the UK charts. In 1982, the R&B group the Bus Boys recorded the song for their American Worker album. The song found its greatest success when Huey Lewis & the News recorded the song for their Sports album and released it as the lead single. It became a top-10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the album rock chart. It was also nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rock Vocal for a Group.

Bad Is Bad Huey Lewis & the News

Writer(s): Alex Call, John Ciambotti, Sean Hopper, Huey Lewis, John McFee, Michael Schriener Released: 6/17/1985 (B-side of “The Power of Love”), Sports (1983) Peak: 2 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 6.58 streaming

Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Song: This song dates back to Lewis’ days with his previous band, Clover. It originally was a shuffle, but the News’ Johnny Colla, the band’s saxophone player and vocal arranger, worked it up as an a cappella song so it had a doo-wop feel. They also added a drum machine so, as Lewis said, “It’s kind of the old and the new at once.” SF The song spoofed the use of the word “bad” to sometimes mean the opposite, but said sometimes bad is bad. Even though this wasn’t a single, the band did make a video for it.

I Want a New Drug Huey Lewis & the News

Writer(s): Chris Hayes, Huey Lewis Released: 1/3/1984 (single), Sports (1983) B-Side: “Finally Found a Home” Peak: 6 BB, 5 CB, 5 GR, 6 RR, 7 AR, 6 CN, 27 AU, 10 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): 1.0 US Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 16.36 streaming About the Song: I Want a New Drug was released as the second single from Sports and became the album’s second top-ten hit. Lewis said he wrote the song in a matter of minutes. He arrived at his attorney’s office and said, “Bob, give me a pen and paper!” WK2 He was influenced by the Jimi Hendrix Experience’s “Purple Haze.” WK2 The song generated controversy because of the drug reference although anyone listening to the lyrics would know the “drug of choice” was love, not some illegal narcotic. Lewis said, “It’s really a love song. It’s not a pro-drug song…The word drug sort of gets your attention.” WK2 In 1984, Lewis sued Ray Parker Jr. for copyright infringement, claiming that his #1 hit “Ghostbusters” stole the melody from “I Want a New Drug.” It was settled out of court. WK2

Walking on a Thin Line Huey Lewis & the News

Writer(s): Andre Pessis, Kevin Wells Released: 10/9/1984 (single), Sports (1983) B-Side: “The Only One” Peak: 18 BB, 12 BA, 23 CB, 11 GR, 11 RR, 16 AR, 40 CN, 70 AU, 7 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 15.88 streaming About the Song: The fifth and final single from Sports was the first to miss hitting the top 10, although it still reached an impressive #18. It was a more serious song, concerning itself with Vietnam War soldiers and veterans. Austin Chronicle’s Robert Draper said it showed Lewis & Co. were capable of “signs of awareness” WK5 and Billboard called it “more good natured rock ‘n’ roll (angry lyrics notwithstanding.” WK5 On the flip side, however, Rolling Stone’s Chris Connelly called the song “annoying” and said it “equate military service with Getting the Girl.” WK5

Finally Found a Home Huey Lewis & the News

Writer(s): Bob Brown, Chris Hayes, Huey Lewis Released: 1/3/1984 (B-side of “I Want a New Drug”), Sports (1983) Peak: 41 AR, 13 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 2.47 streaming

If This Is It Huey Lewis & the News

Writer(s): Johnny Colla, Huey Lewis Released: 7/10/1984 (single), Sports (1983) B-Side: “Change of Heart” Peak: 6 BB, 6 CB, 3 GR, 4 RR, 5 AC, 3 AR, 39 UK, 6 CN, 20 AU, 2 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 62.40 streaming About the Song: “If This Is It” was released as the fourth single from Sports, becoming the album’s fourth top-10 hit. Billboard called it a “guileless ‘50s throwback” WK4 while Cash Box said it was “doo-wop at its finest.” WK4

You Crack Me Up Huey Lewis & the News

Writer(s): Mario Cipollina, Huey Lewis Released: 8/30/1983 (B-side of “Heart and Soul”), Sports (1983) Peak: 21 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 1.93 streaming

Honky Tonk Blues Huey Lewis & the News

Writer(s): Hank Williams Released: Sports (1983) Peak: 27 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 2.18 streaming About the Song: Hank Williams first recorded this song in 1951, although he’d first attempted it as early as 1947. It reached #2 on the Billboard country charts. Before Huey Lewis tackled the song, it had been covered by Hank Williams Jr., the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Charley Pride (who topped the country chart with it in 1980), and Waylon Jennings.

Resources/References: STE AllMusic.com review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine SF Songfacts page for “Bad Is Bad” WK Wikipedia page for Sports WK1 Wikipedia page for “Heart and Soul” WK2 Wikipedia page for “I Want a New Drug” WK3 Wikipedia page for “The Heart of Rock and Roll” WK4 Wikipedia page for “If This Is It” WK5 Wikipedia page for “Walking on a Thin Line” Related DMDB Pages: First posted 5/30/2008; last updated 10/8/2026.

Bruce Springsteen charted with the single “Born in the U.S.A.”

Born in the U.S.A. Bruce Springsteen

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Cyndi Lauper hit #1 with “Time after Time”

Time After Time Cyndi Lauper

Writer(s): Rob Hyman, Cyndi Lauper (see lyrics here) Released: January 27, 1984 First Charted: March 24, 1984 Peak: 12 US, 11 CB, 13 RR, 13 AC, 10 AR, 1 CO, 3 UK, 13 CN, 6 AU, 3 DF (Click for codes to singles charts.) Sales (in millions): 1.5 US, 0.85 UK, 2.45 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): 2.0 radio, 433.44 video, 409.07 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: Cyndi Lauper won the Grammy for Best New Artist in 1985. She landed the big four nominations that year – the others being for Album of the Year (She’s So Unusual), Record of the Year (“Girls Just Want to Have Fun”), and Song of the Year (“Time After Time”). “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” introduced the world to the quirky singer who Newsweek called “a new-wave Gracie Allen.” FB It was an “ebullient song that…branded her in the eyes of some as a clever novelty who would fade after one hit.” FB It was her second single, the “poignant ‘Time After Time,’” FB which made it clear that Lauper was an artist to be enjoyed and taken seriously. Slant magazine’s Sal Cinquemani said it may be “Lauper’s greatest moment.” WK Lauper’s producer, Rick Chertoff, was friends with the Philadelphia-based band the Hooters. He brought them in as Lauper’s backup band and, when he insisted the album needed one more song, tapped the band’s Rob Hyman to help Lauper write it. Both songwriters were struggling with their romantic relationships, but managed to craft what has been considered one of the best love songs of all time. WK Hyman said, “it’s a deceptively simple song. The verses are just a little repeating three-note motif – almost like a nursery rhyme…The mood of the lyrics came from both of us…We realized it wasn’t such a bouncy song, but it was a little more bittersweet and a little deeper in its feeling…so the music started to change.” SF Nerve said “Lauper’s most enduring masterpiece hits at the very essence of commitment…she captures real romance in the most simple and straightforward of lines.” WK Blogcritics’ Pam Avoledo speculated that in the song, Lauper views herself as “a difficult person, unworthy of love. She runs away and shuts people out. However, her devoted boyfriend who loves her unconditionally is willing to help her through anything. The relationship is given depth. The couple’s intimacy and history is apparent. They’ve been together for a long time. They love and have seen each through every tough part of their life.” WK Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Cyndi Lauper FB Fred Bronson (2003). The Billboard Book of Number One Hits (5th edition). Billboard Books: New York, NY. Page 589. SF Songfacts WK Wikipedia Related Links: First posted 2/2/2021; last updated 10/28/2022.