Pick a Day

Music History Events: Charts

March 1, 1986 Mr. Mister's "Kyrie" hits #1 in America. The refrain "Kyrie eleison" is Greek for "Lord, have mercy."

February 15, 1986 The UK band Sade hit #1 in America with their second album, Promise, led by the single "The Sweetest Taboo." Led by frontwoman Sade Adu, their elegant, understated sound finds an audience looking for an alternative to MTV-powered pop music. It's the only album to hit the top spot in 1986 by an act that isn't American.

November 30, 1985 "Separate Lives" by Phil Collins & Marilyn Martin hits #1. The song was written by Stephen Bishop and featured in the movie White Nights.

October 19, 1985 Miami Sound Machine make the Hot 100 for the first time with "Conga," a song that opens doors for Latin pop and introduces America to lead singer Gloria Estefan, who is married to group leader Emilio Estefan. The song also brings conga lines to the fore when it becomes a staple of weddings and other celebrations.

July 6, 1985 Phil Collins' "Sussudio" - a song about a girl with a funny name - hits #1. It holds the position for one week.

June 8, 1985 Tears For Fears' "Everybody Wants To Rule The World" hits #1 in the US for the first of two weeks.

June 1, 1985 The Prince album Around The World In A Day goes to #1 in the US, where it stays for three weeks. Hits from the album include "Raspberry Beret" and "Pop Life."

April 13, 1985 The all-star charity single "We Are The World" hits #1 in America, where it stays for four weeks. The song was conceived in December 1984, recorded in January 1985 and released in March. Its rise to the top of the charts is one of the fastest in history.

March 30, 1985 Phil Collins scores his second #1 hit as a solo artist: "One More Night."

December 8, 1984 "Out Of Touch" hits the top spot, giving Hall & Oates their sixth and final #1 in America.

November 17, 1984 Ten weeks after its first appearance in the Hot 100 at #80, Wham!'s single "Wake Me Up Before You Go Go" reaches #1. George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley hold their lead for three weeks.

November 3, 1984 Billy Ocean's "Caribbean Queen (No More Love On The Run)" hits #1 in America. The song is customized for different regions, with "African Queen" and "European Queen" versions.

September 29, 1984 "Let's Go Crazy" by Prince and the Revolution hits #1 for the first of two weeks.

September 17, 1984 "Missing You" by John Waite hits #1 in America. "There were quite a few women in my life at the time, and it all came sort of floating to the top," he tells Songfacts of the inspiration.

July 29, 1984 Prince becomes the first person to have a #1 song and star in a #1 movie at the same time as Purple Rain tops the box office while "When Doves Cry" stays perched atop the Hot 100 for its fourth consecutive week.

June 2, 1984 Wham!'s "Wake Me Up Before You Go Go" hits #1 on the UK singles chart.

May 26, 1984 Deniece Williams' "Let's Hear It For The Boy," from the movie Footloose, hits #1 in America.

April 7, 1984 New British Invasion: 40 of the artists on the US Top 100 singles chart are Brits - a new record.

February 4, 1984 Thanks to a music video that puts their flamboyant frontman Boy George on a Mississippi steamboat in the 1800s, the British band Culture Club hit #1 in America with "Karma Chameleon."

January 28, 1984 Thanks to a ban by the BBC, "Relax," the debut single from Frankie Goes to Hollywood, hits #1 in the UK. In America, the #1 song is "Owner Of A Lonely Heart" by Yes. Both songs are produced by Trevor Horn, making him the first producer with #1s simultaneously in both territories with different acts.

December 10, 1983 Tina Turner's first solo hit, a cover of Al Green's "Let's Stay Together," charts at #6 in the UK as her comeback gets going.

October 1, 1983 "Total Eclipse Of The Heart," written by Jim Steinman, hits #1 in the US, making Bonnie Tyler the first Welsh singer to top the chart.

July 23, 1983 The Police's last album, Synchronicity, hits #1 in America.

June 4, 1983 The Police's "Every Breath You Take" starts a four-week run at #1 in the UK.

May 28, 1983 Irene Cara's passion makes it happen: "Flashdance... What a Feeling" goes to #1 in America.

May 21, 1983 David Bowie's "Let's Dance" hits #1 on the US chart.

April 23, 1983 "Come On Eileen" by Dexys Midnight Runners goes to #1 in the US. It's the only American hit for the English group, but they are far more successful in the UK, where among their hits is the #1 "Geno."

August 28, 1982 George Strait lands his first #1 Country hit with "Fool Hearted Memory," a song from his second album, Strait From The Heart, which also contains his famous cover of "Amarillo By Morning." Strait quickly becomes the biggest hitmaker in country music, with 17 #1 hits by the end of the decade.

May 29, 1982 "House Of Fun" by Madness hits #1 in the UK. It's the only #1 hit of their career, but they place 17 songs in the Top 10 and 31 in the Top 40.

May 8, 1982 The orchestral instrumental "Chariots Of Fire - Titles," by the Greek composer Vangelis, goes to #1 in America.