| 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, record producer and philanthropist. Regarded as a pop culture icon, he is one of the best-selling musicians of all time, with his sales estimated at between 100 million to 125 million records worldwide. 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, including Whigfield, Crazy Frog, Billie Piper, Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande.
Wham! were an English pop duo formed in Bushey in 1981 consisting of George Michael and 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. Associated with the MTV-driven Second British Invasion of the US, the singles "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go", "Everything She Wants" and "Careless Whisper" all topped the US Billboard Hot 100.
Faith is the debut solo studio album by the English singer George Michael, released on 2 November 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. Make It Big was certified 4× platinum in the US during the time of its release, and has since been certified 6× platinum in the US. In March 2024, Make It Big was reissued on vinyl for the first time in 30 years.
"Careless Whisper" is a song recorded by English singer-songwriter George Michael. Released as the second single from Wham!'s second studio album Make It Big (1984), it was written by 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.
The Adult Contemporary chart is published weekly by Billboard magazine and lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary radio stations in the United States. The chart is compiled based on airplay data submitted to Billboard by stations that are members of the Adult Contemporary radio panel. The chart debuted in Billboard magazine on July 17, 1961. Over the years, the chart has undergone a series of name changes, being called Easy Listening(1961–1962; 1965–1979), Middle-Road Singles(1962–1964), Pop-Standard Singles(1964–1965), Hot Adult Contemporary(1984–1996) and Adult Contemporary(1979–1984, 1996–present). The current number-one song on the chart is "Lose Control" by Teddy Swims.
"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.
"I'm Your Man" is a song by British pop duo Wham!, released in 1985 on Epic Records in the UK and most of the world, and Columbia Records in the US. It was written and produced by George Michael.
"Wham Rap! " is the debut single by English pop duo Wham! on Innervision Records, released on 11 June 1982. It was written by Wham! members George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley.
"A Different Corner" is a song written and performed by English singer and songwriter George Michael that was released on Epic Records in 1986.
"Kissing a Fool" is a song written and performed by English singer and songwriter George Michael, released by Columbia Records in 1988.
"True Colors" is a number one hit 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 spent two weeks at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100, being Lauper's second and 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.