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Music released in 1982

August 20, 2022

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'Square Pegs' was an American sitcom that aired on CBS during the 1982–1983 season. The series follows Patty Greene (Sarah Jessica Parker) and Lauren Hutchinson (Amy Linker), two teenage girls desperate to fit in at Weemawee High School.Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

This week, we are celebrating music from albums released in 1982; 40 years ago. That might seem like a lifetime ago, but you’ll find this music still sounds so good, so fresh, so relevant and so much fun.

We’ll start off with a track by the Waitresses and their song “Square Pegs,” which was the title of a television show that aired during the 1982-83 television season and starred Amy Linker and Sarah Jessica Parker. The Waitresses even appeared in the premiere episode of the program, playing the eponymous song as well as “I Know What Boys Like.”

We’ll also hear music by Donald Fagen, Squeeze, XTC, Talk Talk, Dream Syndicate and many more.

Program playlist, hour 1

Program playlist, hour 2

Featured music

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The Time What Time is It — The Time's 1982 album 'What Time Is It?'
Warner Bros Records

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An illustration of a Chalk Horse of Wiltshire — 'English Settlement' is the fifth studio album and first double album by XTC, released February, 12 1982.
Virgin Records

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Two mannequins seated at a table, their torsos and legs detached — 'Upstairs at Eric's' is the debut album by British synthpop duo Yazoo (known in the U.S. and Canada as Yaz), released in the U.K. on Mute Records and in North America on Sire Records on August 20, 1982.
Mute Records / Sire Records