The early 80s were a weird mishmash in pop music.
Following the release of Urban Cowboy in 1980, Billboard's mainstream charts saw a lot of country crossovers for several years. There was a lot of arena rock from bands like Journey and REO Speedwagon and Foreigner, which is to be expected, but then some leftover 70s folk/country was still hitting the charts, like Juice Netwon and Dan Fogelberg. Yacht Rock is still feeling smooth and groovy in 1982 with hits from Christopher Cross and Michael McDonald, and there's quite a bit of R&B from Earth Wind & Fire, Kool & The Gang, the Commodores, Quincy Jones.
New Wave from the Cars is hitting the charts, prog rockish stuff from the Alan Parsons Project and Asia, songs that would become the signature 80s synth sound from Human League, and then just a bunch of standard pop stuff from folks like Elton John and Barbara Streisand.
And none of that includes the fact that the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra charted in 1982 with "Hooked on Classics."
Like I said, lots and lots of cocaine.
