Pick a Day

Music History Events: Charts

November 7, 1981 "Private Eyes" by Hall & Oates hits #1, thanks to a detective-themed video that gets lots of airplay on MTV, which debuted three months earlier.

August 1, 1981 "Jessie's Girl" by Rick Springfield goes to #1 in America the same day MTV goes on the air. Springfield, a former soap opera star, is a great fit for the music video medium and gets a big boost from the network.

July 25, 1981 Air Supply's brand of soft rock reaches its peak as "The One That You Love" hits #1 in America. The duo, which formed in Australia, specialize in "love" songs. Others include "Making Love Out Of Nothing At All" and "All Out Of Love."

May 16, 1981 Kim Carnes' version of "Bette Davis Eyes," written and originally recorded by Jackie DeShannon in 1975, hits #1 in America.

February 28, 1981 Eddie Rabbitt's country crossover "I Love A Rainy Night" makes #1 on the US Hot 100.

February 7, 1981 "Celebration" by Kool & the Gang goes to #1. It becomes the de-facto party song to celebrate just about any festive event, but there's a deeper meaning many don't know about: It was inspired by a passage in the Quran where angels gather to celebrate the creation of humankind.

October 25, 1980 Barbra Streisand's "Woman In Love" hits #1 on the Hot 100. The song is written by two of the Bee Gees: Barry and Robin Gibb.

October 4, 1980 Queen's "Another One Bites The Dust" goes to #1 in America, where it holds the top spot for three weeks.

August 23, 1980 David Bowie's "Ashes To Ashes" hits #1 on the UK chart.

June 14, 1980 Billy Joel's Glass Houses is the #1 album in America for the first of six consecutive weeks.

May 31, 1980 The disco group Lipps, Inc. goes to #1 in America with "Funkytown," a tribute to New York City.

April 19, 1980 Blondie's "Call Me," a song about a prostitute written for the film American Gigolo, hits #1 in America.

December 22, 1979 Rupert Holmes' "Escape (The Pina Colada Song)" hits #1 on the Hot 100. It retains the top spot for two more weeks, becoming the last chart-topper of the '70s and the first of the '80s.

December 8, 1979 The Styx ballad "Babe," which Dennis DeYoung wrote for his wife, hits #1 in America.

November 17, 1979 The Commodores' "Still" hits #1.

November 10, 1979 The Eagles' "Heartache Tonight" hits #1.

November 3, 1979 The Eagles' sixth album, The Long Run, hits #1 in America, where it stays for the rest of 1979 (nine weeks).

November 3, 1979 Everybody's talkin' 'bout "Pop Muzik" by M, which hits #1 in the US. M is the British electro musician Robin Scott.

October 13, 1979 "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" by Michael Jackson tops the Hot 100.

October 6, 1979 Robert John's "Sad Eyes" hits #1.

September 15, 1979 Led Zeppelin's album In Through The Out Door hits #1 in the US, displacing Get The Knack by The Knack. It stays on top for seven weeks, but ends up being their swan song when drummer John Bonham dies a year later.

June 16, 1979 Donna Summer's album Bad Girls hits #1 in the US.

June 2, 1979 Donna Summer's "Hot Stuff" goes to #1 in the US, where it stays for three weeks.

May 19, 1979 Breakfast In America, the sixth album from the UK group Supertramp, hits #1 in America thanks to the hits "The Logical Song" and "Take The Long Way Home."

April 21, 1979 Amii Stewart's "Knock On Wood" hits #1 in America. The song was originally recorded by Eddie Floyd in 1966.

April 14, 1979 The Doobie Brothers land their second #1 US hit with "What A Fool Believes." The song goes on to win Grammys for Record Of The Year and Song Of The Year, while the album, Minute By Minute, wins Album Of The Year.

February 10, 1979 Rod Stewart's "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy," a disco diversion for the British superstar, hits #1 in the US.

February 10, 1979 Rod Stewart's album Blondes Have More Fun hits #1.

February 3, 1979 The Blues Brothers' album Briefcase Full of Blues hits #1 in the US - not bad for two comedians (John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd) who formed the duo for Saturday Night Live.

February 1, 1979 Blondie hits #1 in the UK with "Heart Of Glass," the first of their six #1 hits in Britain. Three months later, the song tops the US chart.