Pick a Day

Music History Events: Charts

June 2, 1990 Soul II Soul's Vol. II (A New Decade) starts a 3-week run at #1 on the UK album chart.

May 19, 1990 Madonna's "Vogue," a song about a dance popular in gay nightclubs where dancers "strike a pose" like fashion models, goes to #1 in America.

April 21, 1990 Sinead O'Connor's cover of the Prince song "Nothing Compares 2 U" goes to #1 in America, where it stays for four weeks. It thrusts O'Connor into the spotlight, which she quickly rejects, finding the rituals of fame vapid and materialistic. Two years later, she makes news for tearing up a picture of the Pope on live TV.

December 9, 1989 Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start The Fire" hits #1 in America.

June 3, 1989 Michael Damian's "Rock On" hits #1 on the Hot 100. Damian grew up listening to the song, which was written and recorded by David Essex in 1973.

June 3, 1989 Queen's 13th album, The Miracle, hits #1 in the UK.

June 3, 1989 The Fine Young Cannibals' The Raw & The Cooked starts a seven-week run at #1 on the US albums chart.

March 4, 1989 Debbie Gibson's "Lost in Your Eyes" goes to #1 on the Hot 100. It's her second chart-topper, following "Foolish Beat."

November 12, 1988 "Wild, Wild West" by The Escape Club hits #1 on the Hot 100.

September 24, 1988 The Hollies go to the top of the UK singles chart with "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" after the song was used in a UK TV beer commercial. The record was originally a hit for them in 1969.

May 28, 1988 George Michael's "One More Try" tops the Hot 100 for the first of three weeks.

May 14, 1988 Gloria Estefan scores the first of her three #1 hits when "Anything For You" claims the top spot. It's a heartbreak song, but not inspired by a specific person; Gloria married Emilio Estefan, leader of her group Miami Sound Machine, 10 years earlier.

April 23, 1988 Whitney Houston's "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" hits #1 on the Hot 100 for the first of two weeks. It's her seventh #1 on that tally.

April 9, 1988 Billy Ocean's "Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car," from the movie License To Drive, hits #1 in the US. Written by Ocean with superproducer Mutt Lange, it's the last of his three US #1 hits, following "Caribbean Queen (No More Love On The Run)" and "There'll Be Sad Songs (To Make You Cry)."

March 26, 1988 "Man In The Mirror" becomes the fourth of a record five #1 hits from Michael Jackson's Bad album.

January 23, 1988 The California Raisins' "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" peaks at #84 on Billboard's Hot 100.

November 14, 1987 The Dirty Dancing soundtrack hits #1 in America. Even though it was set in 1963, the movie featured modern, original songs "(I've Had) The Time Of My Life" and "Hungry Eyes."

November 7, 1987 16-year-old Tiffany hits #1 in the US with "I Think We're Alone Now," a cover of a 1967 song by Tommy James & the Shondells.

October 24, 1987 The title track of Michael Jackson's Bad album hits #1 in America for the first of two weeks.

October 17, 1987 "Lost in Emotion" by Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam goes to #1 in the US.

September 19, 1987 Michael Jackson's duet with Siedah Garrett, "I Just Can't Stop Loving You," hits #1, becoming the first of five singles from the Bad album to top the chart.

May 2, 1987 Cutting Crew's "(I Just) Died in Your Arms" hits #1 on the Hot 100.

April 4, 1987 Starship's "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now," written by Diane Warren and Albert Hammond and used in the movie Mannequin, hits #1 in the US.

March 21, 1987 Club Nouveau's poppy cover of the Bill Withers song "Lean On Me" hits #1 on the Hot 100. The original hit the top spot in 1972.

November 22, 1986 "Human" by The Human League hits #1 in America.

September 13, 1986 "Take My Breath Away," the big, synthy ballad from the movie Top Gun, goes to #1 in America. It's by the group Berlin, but lead singer Terri Nunn is the only band member to perform on the song, which causes friction in the group that leads to their breakup a year later. The song was written and produced by Giorgio Moroder, who also contributed the Kenny Loggins hit "Danger Zone" to the film.

August 16, 1986 A rap album tops the R&B chart for the first time when Run-DMC's Raising Hell supplants Billy Ocean's Love Zone at the top. Albums by LL Cool J, Public Enemy, De La Soul and Slick Rick go to #1 over the next few years.

June 14, 1986 Patti LaBelle lands her first solo #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 with "On My Own," a duet with ex-Doobie Brother Michael McDonald. It holds the top spot for three weeks and also goes to #1 on the R&B chart.

May 10, 1986 "West End Girls" by Pet Shop Boys, a synthy song about clubbing in London, hits #1 on the Hot 100 five months after going to #1 in their native UK. It's the first of many hits for the duo.

March 29, 1986 Falco's "Rock Me Amadeus," a tribute to the famous composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart with lyrics in German, hits #1 in America.