| Billboard Hot 100 & Best Sellers in Stores number-one singles by decade |
|---|
| Before August 1958 |
| After August 1958 |
The Billboard Hot 100 is the main song chart of the American music industry and is updated every week by the Billboard magazine. During the 1980s the chart was based collectively on each single's weekly physical sales figures and airplay on American radio stations.
George Michael was the only artist to achieve two year-end Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles in the 1980s. He achieved this with his songs "Faith" and "Careless Whisper". He is one of two recording acts to achieve more than one year-end Billboard Hot 100 number-one single in the history of the chart, with the other being The Beatles, who also had two year-end number-ones.
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The following artists achieved four or more number-one hits during the 1980s.
| Artist | Number ones |
|---|---|
| Michael Jackson | 9 |
| Madonna | 7 |
| Whitney Houston | 7 |
| Phil Collins | 7 |
| George Michael | 5 |
| Lionel Richie | 5 |
| Daryl Hall & John Oates | 5 |
| Stevie Wonder | 4 |
| Bon Jovi | 4 |
| Prince | 4 |
The following artists were featured in top of the chart for the highest total number of weeks during the 1980s.
| Artist | Weeks at number one |
|---|---|
| Michael Jackson | 27 |
| Lionel Richie | 21 |
| Paul McCartney | 16 |
| George Michael | 16 |
| Stevie Wonder | 15 |
| Madonna | 15 |
| Olivia Newton-John | 14 |
| Diana Ross | 13 |
| Whitney Houston | 13 |
| Phil Collins | 13 |
The following songs were featured in top of the chart for the highest total number of weeks during the 1980s.
| Weeks at number one | Song | Artist(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | "Physical" | Olivia Newton-John |
| 9 | "Bette Davis Eyes" | Kim Carnes |
| "Endless Love" | Diana Ross and Lionel Richie | |
| 8 | "Every Breath You Take" | The Police |
| 7 | "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" | Joan Jett and the Blackhearts |
| "Ebony and Ivory" | Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder | |
| "Billie Jean" | Michael Jackson | |
| 6 | "Call Me" | Blondie |
| "Lady" | Kenny Rogers | |
| "Centerfold" | The J. Geils Band | |
| "Eye of the Tiger" | Survivor | |
| "Flashdance... What a Feeling" | Irene Cara | |
| "Say, Say, Say" | Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson | |
| "Like a Virgin" | Madonna |
George Michael was an English singer, songwriter and record producer. He is one of the best-selling musicians of all time, with his sales estimated at between 100 million to 125 million records worldwide. A prominent figure in popular music, Michael was known as a creative force in songwriting, vocal performance, and visual presentation. He achieved 10 number-one songs on the US Billboard Hot 100 and 13 number-one songs on the UK Singles Chart. Michael won numerous music awards, including two Grammy Awards, three Brit Awards, twelve Billboard Music Awards, and four MTV Video Music Awards. He was listed among Billboard's the "Greatest Hot 100 Artists of All Time" and Rolling Stone's the "200 Greatest Singers of All Time". The Radio Academy named him the most played artist on British radio during the period 1984–2004. Michael was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2023.
No Jacket Required is the third solo studio album by English drummer and singer-songwriter Phil Collins. It was released on 18 February 1985 by Virgin Records in the UK and by Atlantic and WEA internationally.
"Last Christmas" is a song by British pop duo Wham! Written and produced by George Michael, it was released on 3 December 1984 via CBS Records internationally and as a double A-side via Epic Records with "Everything She Wants" in several European countries. The song has been covered by many artists since its original release, most notably by Whigfield, Crazy Frog, Billie Piper, Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande.
Wham! were an English pop duo formed in Bushey in 1981. The duo consisted of singer-songwriter George Michael and instrumentalist Andrew Ridgeley. They were one of the most successful pop acts during the 1980s, selling more than 30 million certified records worldwide from 1982 to 1986.
Faith is the debut solo studio album by the English singer George Michael, released on 30 October 1987 by Columbia Records and Epic Records. In addition to playing various instruments on the album, Michael wrote and produced every track on the recording except for one, "Look at Your Hands", which he co-wrote with David Austin. A pop album with influences of R&B, funk and soul music, Faith's songs include introspective lyrics, which generated controversies about Michael's personal relationships at that time.
Make It Big is the second studio album by English pop duo Wham!, released in 1984. In comparison to their earlier work, Wham! had more control over the album's production and Michael would also be credited as a producer. The album was a commercial success, hitting number one in both the US and the UK and spawning four singles, all reaching the top three in the US and the UK.
"Careless Whisper" is a song recorded by British singer-songwriter George Michael. It was written by English pop duo Wham!. Released as the second single from the duo's second studio album Make It Big (1984), it was written by Wham! members George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley, with Michael producing the song. Although the song was released as part of Make it Big, the single release is credited to either Wham! featuring George Michael or solely to George Michael.
"Freedom" is a 1984 song by English pop duo Wham! from their album Make It Big, released on 1 October 1984. It became the group's second number one hit on the UK Singles Chart and reached number three in America. It was written and produced by George Michael, one half of the duo.
"Wham Rap! " is the debut single by English pop duo Wham! on Innervision Records, released on 16 June 1982. It was written by Wham! members George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley.
"A Different Corner" is a song written and performed by George Michael that was released on Epic Records in 1986.
"Invisible Touch" is the title track and first single from the 1986 album of the same name by the English rock band Genesis. The song is a group composition which featured lyrics written by drummer and singer Phil Collins.
"True Colors" is a song written by American songwriters Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly. It was both the title track and the first single released from American singer Cyndi Lauper's second studio album of the same name (1986). Released in mid-1986, the song would become a hit for Lauper, spending two weeks at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming her last single to occupy the top of the chart. It received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.
This article includes an overview of the famous events and trends in popular music in the 1980s.
English musical duo Wham! released three studio albums, four compilation albums, four video albums, 12 music videos, 14 singles, two remix albums and two documentary films.
The Second British Invasion was a sharp increase in the popularity of British synth-pop and new pop artists in the United States. It began in the summer of 1982, peaked in 1983, and continued throughout much of the 1980s. MTV began in 1981. Its popularity was the main catalyst for the second British Invasion. According to Rolling Stone, British acts brought a "revolution in sound and style" to the US.
Alone at Prom is the sixth studio album by Canadian rapper and singer Tory Lanez. It was released on December 10, 2021, through his independent label One Umbrella. The album's concept is built around '80s music, being inspired to that era of music and aesthetics.