Song#: 2984
Date: 01/17/1987
Debut: 96
Peak: 64
Weeks: 12
Genre: Dance-Pop, Freestyle
Pop Bits: This female vocal trio from The Bronx consisted of Betty LeBron and sisters Margie and Mari Fernandez. A chance encounter with the hip hop group The Boogie Boys ("A Fly Girl," #6 R&B, 1985) got them hooked up with Boys member Joe "Romeo J.D." Malloy, who began working with the trio along with producer David Sanchez. Among the first songs they worked on was one titled "Could It Be." This tuned ended up getting reworked and turned into "Hooked on You." The song helped the trio get signed to the indie dance label Next Plateau Records and it was issued out as single. The tune got a little bit of attention and was able to spend three months on the Pop chart. A second single, "(Goodbye Baby) Victim of Love," made a minor dent on the Dance chart at #44. The results were good enough to draw major label interest and the trio signed on with ATCO and began work on a debut album.
ReduxReview: Sweet Sensation were among the first of the 80s/90s cluster of female vocal groups doing freestyle and other varieties of dance/R&B music. Soon would come Exposé, Seduction, En Vogue, etc. Several of the groups were assembled for projects by songwriters/producers. While Sweet Sensation were pretty much already a group, their songs were mainly written and/or produced by Malloy, Sanchez and Ted Currier. The team didn't necessarily offer anything new, but they did a pretty good job on this track. It had a good chorus and it featured a clean, 80s freestyle production. The solo vocal is a little on the weak side, but the voices together were nice and strong. While it was not a standout, it was a good introduction for the trio.
ReduxRating: 6/10
Trivia: If you were thinking that this song did better on the chart than #64, you are right. Their debut album's fourth single "Sincerely Yours," would be their breakthrough hit reaching #14 early in '89. The label thought the hit needed a follow up and decided to release a remixed version of "Hooked on You." It would end up doing much better on its second go-around getting to #23 in the summer of '89.
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Tuesday, December 17, 2019
Monday, December 16, 2019
"Summertime, Summertime" by Nocera
Song#: 2983
Date: 01/17/1987
Debut: 91
Peak: 84
Weeks: 7
Genre: Dance, Freestyle
Pop Bits: This Italian singer/songwriter moved to the States when she was 18 and it only took her about a year to secure a recording contract. She signed on with the indie dance label Sleeping Bag and began to record music. Nocera co-wrote and co-produced this first single with Floyd Fisher. It was released in the fall of '86 and it got to #2 on the Dance chart in November. Around the same time it got to #47 at R&B. By the end of the year it began to get picked up by pop radio and after the new year it cracked the Pop chart. It didn't stay long, but it was enough to call for a full album and Nocera's Over the Rainbow got released later in the year. A second single, "Let's Go," became another dance hit for Nocera late in '87 getting to #8. It would get to #70 at R&B, but fail to make the Pop chart. While the album didn't chart, Nocera got the green light to record a follow-up. Unfortunately, Sleeping Bag went out of business and that killed Nocera's second LP and contract. She would then move over to being a background vocalist for several acts including Information Society. Nocera headed up a couple of bands along the way while becoming a successful club DJ in New York.
ReduxReview: Well, her vocals are certainly unique. A bit shrill, a little girly, and carrying a fairly heavy accent. Granted, she hadn't been in the States all that long, but you could definitely tell she wasn't from around here. The vocals don't sound heavily processed so I would think this was her natural voice and she could sing, but she does remind me of some young girl who think she wants to be a singer and gets her parents to float a recording session to which she shows up all decked out in Madonna gear and sings some song put together by a studio owner/producer. Karaoke, basically. However, I strangely like her voice on this track and the fact that she co-wrote/produced the track says something. The tune is actually quite catchy and she does the octave jump on "take..me" very well. With a different singer and better production, this could have been a hit. The clubs enjoyed the track, but I think it was just a hair too odd for pop radio.
ReduxRating: 7/10
Trivia: This song was covered by American singer Corina. Her 1997 version would get to #64 R&B and #86 Pop. It would be her fourth and last Pop chart entry. Corina signed on with the indie label Cutting Records in '87 and issued out a few singles over the next couple of years. Her second single, "Give Me Back My Heart," did well enough to reach #26 on the Dance chart. As the 90s started, Cutting Records got picked up by ATCO and Corina was brought along. Her first single for them was 1991's "Temptation." It would be a hit getting to #6 on the Pop chart while going to #22 at Dance. Her debut album then got released and it would spawn two other lower charting Pop tracks. While the album didn't chart, it seemed like Corina had some momentum, yet something happened and her time at ATCO came to an end. She moved over to So So Def and recorded "Summertime, Summertime" for one of their compilations. Despite being able to chart at Pop and R&B, it seemed it wasn't enough for the label to continue her contract.
_________________________________________________________________________________
Date: 01/17/1987
Debut: 91
Peak: 84
Weeks: 7
Genre: Dance, Freestyle
Pop Bits: This Italian singer/songwriter moved to the States when she was 18 and it only took her about a year to secure a recording contract. She signed on with the indie dance label Sleeping Bag and began to record music. Nocera co-wrote and co-produced this first single with Floyd Fisher. It was released in the fall of '86 and it got to #2 on the Dance chart in November. Around the same time it got to #47 at R&B. By the end of the year it began to get picked up by pop radio and after the new year it cracked the Pop chart. It didn't stay long, but it was enough to call for a full album and Nocera's Over the Rainbow got released later in the year. A second single, "Let's Go," became another dance hit for Nocera late in '87 getting to #8. It would get to #70 at R&B, but fail to make the Pop chart. While the album didn't chart, Nocera got the green light to record a follow-up. Unfortunately, Sleeping Bag went out of business and that killed Nocera's second LP and contract. She would then move over to being a background vocalist for several acts including Information Society. Nocera headed up a couple of bands along the way while becoming a successful club DJ in New York.
ReduxReview: Well, her vocals are certainly unique. A bit shrill, a little girly, and carrying a fairly heavy accent. Granted, she hadn't been in the States all that long, but you could definitely tell she wasn't from around here. The vocals don't sound heavily processed so I would think this was her natural voice and she could sing, but she does remind me of some young girl who think she wants to be a singer and gets her parents to float a recording session to which she shows up all decked out in Madonna gear and sings some song put together by a studio owner/producer. Karaoke, basically. However, I strangely like her voice on this track and the fact that she co-wrote/produced the track says something. The tune is actually quite catchy and she does the octave jump on "take..me" very well. With a different singer and better production, this could have been a hit. The clubs enjoyed the track, but I think it was just a hair too odd for pop radio.
ReduxRating: 7/10
Trivia: This song was covered by American singer Corina. Her 1997 version would get to #64 R&B and #86 Pop. It would be her fourth and last Pop chart entry. Corina signed on with the indie label Cutting Records in '87 and issued out a few singles over the next couple of years. Her second single, "Give Me Back My Heart," did well enough to reach #26 on the Dance chart. As the 90s started, Cutting Records got picked up by ATCO and Corina was brought along. Her first single for them was 1991's "Temptation." It would be a hit getting to #6 on the Pop chart while going to #22 at Dance. Her debut album then got released and it would spawn two other lower charting Pop tracks. While the album didn't chart, it seemed like Corina had some momentum, yet something happened and her time at ATCO came to an end. She moved over to So So Def and recorded "Summertime, Summertime" for one of their compilations. Despite being able to chart at Pop and R&B, it seemed it wasn't enough for the label to continue her contract.
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Sunday, December 15, 2019
"Coming Up Close" by 'til tuesday
Song#: 2982
Date: 01/10/1987
Debut: 90
Peak: 59
Weeks: 10
Genre: Alternative Rock, Folk-Rock
Pop Bits: This Boston band's second album, Welcome Home, got started with it's first single, "What About Love." While it would be a hit at Rock getting to #9, it didn't do as well at Pop where it fizzled at #26. It was a disappointing result, but hopes were high that this next single would do better. Unfortunately it stalled early at Rock only reaching #37 while not being able to crack the top half of the Pop chart. That left the album peaking at #49 and failing to reach the same gold level sales of their 1985 debut.
ReduxReview: With the band shedding the new wave of their debut album for a more mature alt-folk rock sound, getting a hit single was going to be difficult. Indeed neither the first single nor this second one performed very well, which is too bad. Both were excellent tracks from an album that was far superior to their debut. Mann was feeling more comfortable in her writing and she grew leaps and bounds with Welcome Home and its follow up. Critics were handing out accolades, but pop radio and listeners didn't pay much attention. They were looking for "Voices Carry, Pt. 2" and it didn't happen. Yet it was probably a good thing. Mann went on to a brilliant solo career that earned her two Grammys and an Oscar nod (see below). That might not have happened had she stayed on the commercial 80s new wave/synthpop trail. This lilting folk-rock track was the logical choice for a second single from the album, but it just wasn't going to do very well on a chart that was being dominated by massively hooky tunes by the likes of Madonna, Janet Jackson, and Bon Jovi. Still, it was another quality song from Mann.
ReduxRating: 7/10
Trivia: Following the band's 1988 third album, Everything's Different Now, they went out on tour. Personnel changes took place and they needed a guitarist. They hired on a musician who had recently moved to Boston named Jon Brion. After 'til tuesday broke up, Brion started to pick up session work. Then when it came time for Aimee Mann's solo album, Brion co-wrote three songs with Mann and co-produced the LP. He then co-write five songs for Mann's second solo effort and produced it. It raised his profile and more session and production work came his way. He would work for a big list of artists including Fiona Apple, Melissa Etheridge, Peter Gabriel, The Wallflowers, Macy Gray, and Rufus Wainwright. He also branched out to scoring music for films. In 1999, both he and Mann would work on music for the Paul Thomas Anderson film Magnolia. Brion wrote the score while Mann contributed songs. Their work on the film would earn them Grammy nominations while Mann would receive an Oscar nomination for the song "Save Me." Brion would go on to co-produce the 2005 album Late Registration by Kanye West. Brion would receive a Grammy for his work when the LP won for Best Rap Album
_________________________________________________________________________________
Date: 01/10/1987
Debut: 90
Peak: 59
Weeks: 10
Genre: Alternative Rock, Folk-Rock
Pop Bits: This Boston band's second album, Welcome Home, got started with it's first single, "What About Love." While it would be a hit at Rock getting to #9, it didn't do as well at Pop where it fizzled at #26. It was a disappointing result, but hopes were high that this next single would do better. Unfortunately it stalled early at Rock only reaching #37 while not being able to crack the top half of the Pop chart. That left the album peaking at #49 and failing to reach the same gold level sales of their 1985 debut.
ReduxReview: With the band shedding the new wave of their debut album for a more mature alt-folk rock sound, getting a hit single was going to be difficult. Indeed neither the first single nor this second one performed very well, which is too bad. Both were excellent tracks from an album that was far superior to their debut. Mann was feeling more comfortable in her writing and she grew leaps and bounds with Welcome Home and its follow up. Critics were handing out accolades, but pop radio and listeners didn't pay much attention. They were looking for "Voices Carry, Pt. 2" and it didn't happen. Yet it was probably a good thing. Mann went on to a brilliant solo career that earned her two Grammys and an Oscar nod (see below). That might not have happened had she stayed on the commercial 80s new wave/synthpop trail. This lilting folk-rock track was the logical choice for a second single from the album, but it just wasn't going to do very well on a chart that was being dominated by massively hooky tunes by the likes of Madonna, Janet Jackson, and Bon Jovi. Still, it was another quality song from Mann.
ReduxRating: 7/10
Trivia: Following the band's 1988 third album, Everything's Different Now, they went out on tour. Personnel changes took place and they needed a guitarist. They hired on a musician who had recently moved to Boston named Jon Brion. After 'til tuesday broke up, Brion started to pick up session work. Then when it came time for Aimee Mann's solo album, Brion co-wrote three songs with Mann and co-produced the LP. He then co-write five songs for Mann's second solo effort and produced it. It raised his profile and more session and production work came his way. He would work for a big list of artists including Fiona Apple, Melissa Etheridge, Peter Gabriel, The Wallflowers, Macy Gray, and Rufus Wainwright. He also branched out to scoring music for films. In 1999, both he and Mann would work on music for the Paul Thomas Anderson film Magnolia. Brion wrote the score while Mann contributed songs. Their work on the film would earn them Grammy nominations while Mann would receive an Oscar nomination for the song "Save Me." Brion would go on to co-produce the 2005 album Late Registration by Kanye West. Brion would receive a Grammy for his work when the LP won for Best Rap Album
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Saturday, December 14, 2019
"Shelter" by Lone Justice
Song#: 2981
Date: 01/10/1987
Debut: 93
Peak: 47
Weeks: 12
Genre: Rock
**Welcome to 1987! 1986 started with the abysmal "Superbowl Shuffle." Luckily, '87 gets started with a terrific song. Let's get going!**
Pop Bits: This band headed up by Maria McKee was touted as being the next big thing prior to their 1985 self-titled debut album. Unfortunately, their introduction proved to be underwhelming with the album stopping #56 and the single "Ways To Be Wicked" sputtering at #29 Rock and #71 Pop. In the aftermath, two of the four members took off leaving McKee and guitarist Ryan Hedgecock to soldier on. They padded the band with three new members and set off with producers Steve Van Zandt and Jimmy Iovine to record a second album. It would be called Shelter and this title track would be its first single. It would get to #26 at Rock while cracking the Pop Top 50. A second single, "I Found Love," would fail to chart at either Rock or Pop. With nothing much to promote it, the album stopped at #65. The band that was once a hot commodity had turned cold and not long after Shelter failed to boost their career, the band split up.
ReduxReview: This slick, radio-ready song is quite a distance away from the band's cowpunk origins. Their debut album was kind of a tamped down version of their country/blues/rock sound while Shelter was a more commercial-leaning rock album. Frankly, I love all iterations of the band and I really dug the Shelter album when it came out. Especially this sweeping single and its ghostly opening. I think Iovine, Van Zandt, and the band's label, Geffen, really wanted to make rock stars out of the band, but it just wasn't meant to be. Early fans of the band didn't like the sleek Shelter with its synths and non-countrified tunes, but I thought it was great. Especially the devastating "Wheels," which I've sung and cried to in my car countless times. As much as I liked Lone Justice, the main attraction for me was Maria McKee's voice and songs. Her self-titled debut solo album is one of my all-time faves and each album after was varied in sound and textures (in a good way). She is just brilliant. While this song may not reflect the sound of Lone Justice from the early 80s, it was still a solid tune that should have at least made the Top 20. Ages ago a friend of mine sang in a bar band and my group of friends would go see them and drink n' dance. She knew I loved this song and for a while after it came out, she always made sure to play it sometime during the night. I always appreciated that.
ReduxRating: 8/10
Trivia: Maria McKee would embark on a solo career following the breakup of Lone Justice. Her self-titled debut arrived in 1989. One song from the LP, "I Forgotten What It Was in You (That Put the Need in Me)" got to #29 on the Rock chart. The album would peak at #120. McKee would end up having two major hits. Her first one was as a songwriter. She penned the song "A Good Heart" that was recorded by Feargal Sharkey. It was a hit in the UK (#1) and in other countries, but it was virtually ignored in the US (#74). Her second hit was one she co-wrote and performed. She contributed the song "Show Me Heaven" to the soundtrack of the 1990 Tom Cruise film Days of Thunder. It would be released as a single around Europe and it would hit #1 in several countries including the UK. It was never officially released as a single in the US, but airplay on AC radio helped the song get to #28 on that chart. McKee would go on to release several albums including the highly acclaimed Bowie-esque Life Is Sweet in 1996.
_________________________________________________________________________________
Date: 01/10/1987
Debut: 93
Peak: 47
Weeks: 12
Genre: Rock
**Welcome to 1987! 1986 started with the abysmal "Superbowl Shuffle." Luckily, '87 gets started with a terrific song. Let's get going!**
Pop Bits: This band headed up by Maria McKee was touted as being the next big thing prior to their 1985 self-titled debut album. Unfortunately, their introduction proved to be underwhelming with the album stopping #56 and the single "Ways To Be Wicked" sputtering at #29 Rock and #71 Pop. In the aftermath, two of the four members took off leaving McKee and guitarist Ryan Hedgecock to soldier on. They padded the band with three new members and set off with producers Steve Van Zandt and Jimmy Iovine to record a second album. It would be called Shelter and this title track would be its first single. It would get to #26 at Rock while cracking the Pop Top 50. A second single, "I Found Love," would fail to chart at either Rock or Pop. With nothing much to promote it, the album stopped at #65. The band that was once a hot commodity had turned cold and not long after Shelter failed to boost their career, the band split up.
ReduxReview: This slick, radio-ready song is quite a distance away from the band's cowpunk origins. Their debut album was kind of a tamped down version of their country/blues/rock sound while Shelter was a more commercial-leaning rock album. Frankly, I love all iterations of the band and I really dug the Shelter album when it came out. Especially this sweeping single and its ghostly opening. I think Iovine, Van Zandt, and the band's label, Geffen, really wanted to make rock stars out of the band, but it just wasn't meant to be. Early fans of the band didn't like the sleek Shelter with its synths and non-countrified tunes, but I thought it was great. Especially the devastating "Wheels," which I've sung and cried to in my car countless times. As much as I liked Lone Justice, the main attraction for me was Maria McKee's voice and songs. Her self-titled debut solo album is one of my all-time faves and each album after was varied in sound and textures (in a good way). She is just brilliant. While this song may not reflect the sound of Lone Justice from the early 80s, it was still a solid tune that should have at least made the Top 20. Ages ago a friend of mine sang in a bar band and my group of friends would go see them and drink n' dance. She knew I loved this song and for a while after it came out, she always made sure to play it sometime during the night. I always appreciated that.
ReduxRating: 8/10
Trivia: Maria McKee would embark on a solo career following the breakup of Lone Justice. Her self-titled debut arrived in 1989. One song from the LP, "I Forgotten What It Was in You (That Put the Need in Me)" got to #29 on the Rock chart. The album would peak at #120. McKee would end up having two major hits. Her first one was as a songwriter. She penned the song "A Good Heart" that was recorded by Feargal Sharkey. It was a hit in the UK (#1) and in other countries, but it was virtually ignored in the US (#74). Her second hit was one she co-wrote and performed. She contributed the song "Show Me Heaven" to the soundtrack of the 1990 Tom Cruise film Days of Thunder. It would be released as a single around Europe and it would hit #1 in several countries including the UK. It was never officially released as a single in the US, but airplay on AC radio helped the song get to #28 on that chart. McKee would go on to release several albums including the highly acclaimed Bowie-esque Life Is Sweet in 1996.
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Friday, December 13, 2019
Milestone! The Year in Review: 1986
Wow. It is hard to believe that I've been at this for a little over seven years now. Things have changed since I first started in September of 2012. There is more info available on artists from the decade and the availability of tunes on streaming services has significantly increased. Years ago when I first started the blog, there were times I had to purchase a vinyl copy of a 45 or album in order to hear the song. I haven't had to do that in a long while as most significant artists are all on Spotify. There were major artists who were resistant to streaming for years (Prince, Bob Seger), but they are all on services now. There are still a few obscure tunes not available there, but thus far I've been able to find them on YouTube. I'm sure in another seven years things will have changed again.
As for 1986, it was a good transition year. Run-D.M.C. and Beastie Boys raised the rap game while the Stock Aitken Waterman production team developed their dance-pop formula via Bananarama and were on their way to Rickrolling us in '87. Janet Jackson came into her own as her producers/co-writers Jam & Lewis started their string of hits for Jackson and other artists like the Human League. Madonna matured a bit yet still courted controversy via "Papa Don't Preach." Hard rock and hair metal kept edging its way up the chart. Peter Gabriel and his former band Genesis went head-to-head and both came out with #1 songs. MTV was still going strong as music videos were becoming more elaborate (Gabriel's award-winning "Sledgehammer") and essential.
For me, '86 was pretty much on par with '85. There were definitely a lot of quality songs that made the year enjoyable. However, I didn't own as much Top 10's as I had in previous years. I believe at one point I only owned five songs in the Top 10 for a few weeks, which was low. I rated eight songs at a ten, which was the same as '85, but I'd have to say that even though the tunes deserved the rating, I'm not sure if any of them will make my Top 20 list for the decade. I have a suspicion that '87 will prove to be slightly better as classics from U2, Michael Jackson, and George Michael will shake things up.
I'm still enjoying this project and I hope anyone who encounters the blog will have fun as well. Keep reading, pass it along to friends, feel free to send comments, and don't forget to "Rate It!" at the bottom of each post. Here is a recap of 1986:
Number of charted songs in 1986: 401 (405 in 1985)
Time it took listen/post all songs: 1 year, 36 days (1 year, 39 days for 1985)
Number of songs that debuted in 1986 to hit #1: 30 (28 in 1985)
Number of songs that debuted in 1986 to reach the Top 10 (excluding #1's): 81 (74 in 1985)
Number of gold singles: 17 (17 in 1985)
Number of platinum singles: 1 (2 in 1985)
Number of songs that won a Grammy: 6 (8 in 1985)
Number of One-Hit Wonders: 6 (5 in 1985)
Number of Rated 10 songs: 8 (8 for 1985)
Number of Rated 1 songs: 0 (1 for 1985)
Top 5 favorite chart songs of the year:
Best song I didn't know existed: "Stay True" by Sly Fox
Favorite discovery: Wax
A few other fun stats:
Highest debut: #40 - "Dancing on the Ceiling" by Lionel Richie (peaked at #2) and
"True Blue" by Madonna (peaked at #3)
Lowest debut: #99 - "In Between Days (Without You)" by The Cure (peaked at #99)
Longest climb to peak position: Both "Take My Breath Away" by Berlin and "At This Moment" by Billy Vera & the Beaters climbed 95 positions from #96 to #1
Longest trip to #1 for a song debuting in 1986: "Holding Back the Years" by Simply Red took 15 weeks to reach #1
Quickest trip to #1 for a song debuting in 1986: "Amanda" by Boston took 7 weeks to reach #1.
Most weeks at #1 for a song debuting in 1986: 4 - for two songs, "Walk Like an Egyptian" by The Bangles and "Livin' on a Prayer" by Bon Jovi
Most weeks on the chart for a song debuting in 1986: 27 - "Something About You" by Level 42 (it peaked at #7).
Average number of weeks a song spent on the chart: 13
Position on chart where the most songs debuted: #88, #94, #95 - 23 songs debuted at those spots (11 hit Top 10, 3 made it to #1)
Longest song title: "One Sunny Day/Duelling Bikes from Quicksilver " by Ray Parker, Jr. and Helen Terry
Shortest song title: "Bop" by Dan Seals and "War" by Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band
A few artists who got their first chart single in 1986: Falco, The Cure, Pet Shop Boys, Fine Young Cannibals, The Jets, George Michael (solo), Belinda Carlisle (solo), Bruce Hornsby & the Range, Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam (with Full Force), Run-D.M.C., The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Cinderella, Anita Baker, The Art of Noise.
Runners-Up: 13 songs peaked at #2, 1 songs peaked at #11, and 5 songs peaked at #41
Some interesting things learned (click links for more details in previous posts):
So long '86! I'm pretty sure you will be eclipsed by '87, but I ain't mad atcha!
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As for 1986, it was a good transition year. Run-D.M.C. and Beastie Boys raised the rap game while the Stock Aitken Waterman production team developed their dance-pop formula via Bananarama and were on their way to Rickrolling us in '87. Janet Jackson came into her own as her producers/co-writers Jam & Lewis started their string of hits for Jackson and other artists like the Human League. Madonna matured a bit yet still courted controversy via "Papa Don't Preach." Hard rock and hair metal kept edging its way up the chart. Peter Gabriel and his former band Genesis went head-to-head and both came out with #1 songs. MTV was still going strong as music videos were becoming more elaborate (Gabriel's award-winning "Sledgehammer") and essential.
For me, '86 was pretty much on par with '85. There were definitely a lot of quality songs that made the year enjoyable. However, I didn't own as much Top 10's as I had in previous years. I believe at one point I only owned five songs in the Top 10 for a few weeks, which was low. I rated eight songs at a ten, which was the same as '85, but I'd have to say that even though the tunes deserved the rating, I'm not sure if any of them will make my Top 20 list for the decade. I have a suspicion that '87 will prove to be slightly better as classics from U2, Michael Jackson, and George Michael will shake things up.
I'm still enjoying this project and I hope anyone who encounters the blog will have fun as well. Keep reading, pass it along to friends, feel free to send comments, and don't forget to "Rate It!" at the bottom of each post. Here is a recap of 1986:
Number of charted songs in 1986: 401 (405 in 1985)
Time it took listen/post all songs: 1 year, 36 days (1 year, 39 days for 1985)
Number of songs that debuted in 1986 to hit #1: 30 (28 in 1985)
Number of songs that debuted in 1986 to reach the Top 10 (excluding #1's): 81 (74 in 1985)
Number of gold singles: 17 (17 in 1985)
Number of platinum singles: 1 (2 in 1985)
Number of songs that won a Grammy: 6 (8 in 1985)
Number of One-Hit Wonders: 6 (5 in 1985)
Number of Rated 10 songs: 8 (8 for 1985)
Number of Rated 1 songs: 0 (1 for 1985)
Top 5 favorite chart songs of the year:
- "Human" by The Human League
- "Like Flames" by Berlin
- "On My Own" by Patti LaBelle and Michael McDonald
- "What Have You Done for Me Lately" by Janet Jackson
- "Live to Tell" by Madonna
Best song I didn't know existed: "Stay True" by Sly Fox
Favorite discovery: Wax
A few other fun stats:
Highest debut: #40 - "Dancing on the Ceiling" by Lionel Richie (peaked at #2) and
"True Blue" by Madonna (peaked at #3)
Lowest debut: #99 - "In Between Days (Without You)" by The Cure (peaked at #99)
Longest climb to peak position: Both "Take My Breath Away" by Berlin and "At This Moment" by Billy Vera & the Beaters climbed 95 positions from #96 to #1
Longest trip to #1 for a song debuting in 1986: "Holding Back the Years" by Simply Red took 15 weeks to reach #1
Quickest trip to #1 for a song debuting in 1986: "Amanda" by Boston took 7 weeks to reach #1.
Most weeks at #1 for a song debuting in 1986: 4 - for two songs, "Walk Like an Egyptian" by The Bangles and "Livin' on a Prayer" by Bon Jovi
Most weeks on the chart for a song debuting in 1986: 27 - "Something About You" by Level 42 (it peaked at #7).
Average number of weeks a song spent on the chart: 13
Position on chart where the most songs debuted: #88, #94, #95 - 23 songs debuted at those spots (11 hit Top 10, 3 made it to #1)
Longest song title: "One Sunny Day/Duelling Bikes from Quicksilver " by Ray Parker, Jr. and Helen Terry
Shortest song title: "Bop" by Dan Seals and "War" by Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band
A few artists who got their first chart single in 1986: Falco, The Cure, Pet Shop Boys, Fine Young Cannibals, The Jets, George Michael (solo), Belinda Carlisle (solo), Bruce Hornsby & the Range, Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam (with Full Force), Run-D.M.C., The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Cinderella, Anita Baker, The Art of Noise.
Runners-Up: 13 songs peaked at #2, 1 songs peaked at #11, and 5 songs peaked at #41
Some interesting things learned (click links for more details in previous posts):
- The story of Peter Frampton's lost guitar is pretty amazing.
- John Cougar Mellencamp's "R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A." mentions a musician whose death is clouded in mystery.
- Partridge Family member Danny Bonaduce sort of recorded a solo album during the show's run.
- Solo hit maker and Wax band member Andrew Gold's mother was a singer who made significant contributions to a few classic films.
- Writers of the Whitney Houston's hit "Greatest Love of All" were nearly sued for plagiarism by another famous artist.
- A member of the Aussie band the Models won a bunch of money on a game show.
- A now-famous Oscar-nominated director got his start making 80s music videos including one for Jermaine Stewart.
- Kenny Loggins was the fifth artist asked to record the Top Gun soundtrack hit "Danger Zone."
- Also not the first choice - Berlin on "Take My Breath Away."
- Actor Danny Aiello, who appeared in Madonna's "Papa Don't Preach" video, recorded an answer song to the hit.
- Before becoming a charting artist himself, Bruce Hornsby was a member of Sheena Easton's backing band an appeared in a couple of her videos.
- Heart's rockin' track "If Looks Could Kill" was original a charting dance tune.
- Steve Perry's parents owned a radio station.
- Don Johnson's hit "Heartbeat" was originally recorded by a hit making 70s AC artist.
- A Bonnie Tyler track was repurposed for Bon Jovi's breakthrough hit "You Give Love a Bad Name."
- The Pretenders' Chrissie Hynde wrote "Don't Get Me Wrong" for a tennis pro with a bad boy image.
- Wang Chung's "Everybody Have Fun Tonight" was originally demoed as a mid-tempo ballad.
- Elton John wrote a song with Cher...well, sort of.
- A hit for The Jets was written by an artist who had a couple of Top 10s at the turn of the 80s.
- Debbie Harry's "French Kissin'" was written by a now-famous TV writer/producer.
- "That's What Friends Are For" by Dionne & Friends
- "Say You, Say Me" by Lionel Richie
- "I Miss You" by Klymaxx
- "On My Own" by Patti LaBelle and Michael McDonald
- "Broken Wings" by Mr. Mister
- "How Will I Know" by Whitney Houston
- "Party All the Time" by Eddie Murphy
- "Burning Heart" by Survivor
- "Kyrie" by Mr. Mister
- "Addicted to Love" by Robert Palmer
So long '86! I'm pretty sure you will be eclipsed by '87, but I ain't mad atcha!
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