Throwing back to the week of December 10, 1983, we find a couple of repeats atop the Billboard Hot 100 in ‘Say Say Say‘ (Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson) and ‘All Night Long (All Night)‘ (Lionel Richie).
In the #3 spot is Billy Joel’s ‘Uptown Girl,’ the second single from his An Innocent Man album, and one of three from that record to reach the top ten. ‘Uptown Girl’ spent five weeks at #3, its peak position on the chart.
I’m surprised this song didn’t perform as well as ‘Tell Her About It’ (the album’s only #1 hit). I recall hearing ‘Uptown Girl,’ and especially seeing its video, non-stop in 1983 and beyond. That video depicted Joel as a mechanic thirsting over a rich beauty played by supermodel Christie Brinkley, Joel’s girlfriend and eventual wife.
For whatever reason, ‘Uptown Girl’ has remained relevant to Gen Z. In perhaps the most significant endorsement by that generation, Olivia Rodrigo name dropped the song in her hit ‘Deja Vu’ and later performed both tunes with Joel at Madison Square Garden.
Uptown girl
She’s been living in her uptown world
I bet she’s never had a backstreet guy
I bet her momma never told her why
I’m gonna try for an
[Chorus]
Uptown girl
She’s been living in her white bread world
As long as anyone with hot blood can
And now, she’s looking for a downtown man
That’s what I am
[Bridge]
And when she knows what she wants from her time
And when she wakes up and makes up her mind
[Pre-Chorus]
She’ll see I’m not so tough
Just because I’m in love with an
[Verse 2]
Uptown girl
You know I’ve seen her in her uptown world
She’s getting tired of her high class toys
And all the presents from her uptown boys
She’s got a choice
[Verse 3]
Uptown girl
You know I can’t afford to buy her pearls
But maybe, someday, when my ship comes in
She’ll understand what kind of guy I’ve been
And then I’ll win
[Bridge]
And when she’s walking, she’s looking so fine
And when she’s talking, she’ll say that she’s mine
[Pre-Chorus]
She’ll say I’m not so tough
Just because I’m in love with an
[Chorus]
Uptown girl
She’s been living in her white bread world
As long as anyone with hot blood can
And now, she’s looking for a downtown man
That’s what I am
[Outro]
Uptown girl, she’s my uptown girl
You know I’m in love with an uptown girl, my uptown girl
You know I’m in love with an uptown girl, my uptown girl
You know I’m in love with an uptown girl, my uptown girl
You know I’m in love with an uptown girl
Meet Me In Montauk 
One of my clearest memories of my teenage years was being parked in front of North Miami Junior High waiting to pick up my then girlfriend Tammy (who was scandalously 2 years and grades younger than me) when Uptown Girl came on the radio of my Datsun B210 as the number 3 song on Casey Kasem’s American Top 40 countdown. I proceeded to blast the song as loud as my crappy car speakers could handle without distortion, thinking to myself that the song was so much better and seemingly more popular than “Tell Her About It” and that it really should be number one. Alas, it was not to be- blocked instead by the two inferior songs you mentioned (IMO).
I remember that video too. Loved it and the song. He’s the best!