Hot Country Songs is a chart that ranks the top-performing country music songs in the United States, published by Billboard magazine. In 1984, 50 different singles topped the chart, then published under the title Hot Country Singles, in 52 issues of the magazine, based on playlists submitted by country music radio stations and sales reports submitted by stores. [1]
Six acts tied for the most number ones in 1984, with three each: bands Alabama and Exile and soloists Earl Thomas Conley, Merle Haggard, Ricky Skaggs and George Strait. One of the only two songs to spend more than a single week at number one was a collaboration between Julio Iglesias and Willie Nelson. Iglesias had been successful in his native Spain and other Latin markets since the late 1960s, but his 1984 album 1100 Bel Air Place was his United States breakthrough. [2] The album featured duets with American singers from a range of genres, [3] and the first single to be taken from it, "To All the Girls I've Loved Before", paired Iglesias with veteran country singer Nelson. The song was a top 10 hit on the all-genres Billboard Hot 100 but went all the way to number one on the country chart. [4] The only other multi-week chart-topper in 1984 was "Why Not Me" by mother-daughter duo The Judds, which ended the year at number one.
The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band had its first number one in 1984. The band had been active since the 1960s and released a number of acclaimed albums in the 1970s before shortening its name to simply Dirt Band and taking a mainstream pop music approach. Soon after reverting to its original name and switching back to country music, the band finally achieved its first Hot Country chart-topper with "Long Hard Road (The Sharecropper's Dream)". [5] [6] Another act to reach number one for the first time in 1984 after a lengthy chart career was Eddy Raven, who claimed the top spot in June with "I Got Mexico", [7] more than ten years after his first appearance on the Hot Country Singles chart in early 1974. He would go on to have a total of six number one singles before his success tailed off in the late 1980s. [8] Exile also topped the country chart for the first time in 1984; the band had topped the Hot 100 six years earlier for four weeks with the disco-influenced pop track "Kiss You All Over", but went on to achieve much greater success after a shift to the country genre in the early 1980s. [9]
Enrique Miguel Iglesias Preysler is a Spanish singer and songwriter. He started his recording career in the mid-1990s on the Mexican label Fonovisa and became the bestselling Spanish-language act of the decade. By the turn of the millennium, he made a successful crossover into the mainstream English-language market. He signed a multi-album deal with Universal Music Group for US$68 million with Universal Music Latino to release his Spanish albums and Interscope Records to release English albums.
"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.
"All Night Long (All Night)" is a song by American singer and songwriter Lionel Richie from his second solo album, Can't Slow Down (1983). The song combined Richie's soulful Commodores style with Caribbean influences. The single reached number one on three Billboard charts (pop, R&B and adult contemporary). In the UK, it peaked at number two on the singles chart.
"Hero" is a song by Spanish singer-songwriter Enrique Iglesias from his second English-language studio album Escape (2001). It was written by Iglesias, Paul Barry and Mark Taylor. Interscope Records released the song on 31 August 2001 to a positive critical and commercial reception. To the date the single has sold over 8 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best selling singles of all time.
"Footloose" is a song co-written and recorded by American singer-songwriter Kenny Loggins. It was released in January 1984 as the first of two singles by Loggins from the 1984 film of the same name. The song spent three weeks at number one, March 31—April 14, 1984, on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming Loggins' only chart-topper, and was the first of two number-one hits from the film. Billboard ranked it at the No. 4 song for 1984.
"To All the Girls I've Loved Before" is a song written by Hal David (words) and Albert Hammond (music). It was originally recorded by Hammond in 1975 on his album 99 Miles From L.A., but is more famous for a 1984 recording by Julio Iglesias and Willie Nelson, which appeared on Iglesias's album 1100 Bel Air Place. A breakthrough for Iglesias in the English language market, though he had enjoyed a 1981 UK number one with a largely Spanish-language version of Begin The Beguine, the song peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 1 on the Canadian RPM Top Singles chart. "To All the Girls I've Loved Before" went to number one on the country chart, and was one of two entries on the country chart for Julio Iglesias and Willie Nelson as a duo.
The Billboard Hot Latin Songs is a record chart in the United States for Latin songs, published weekly by Billboard magazine. Since October 2012, chart rankings are based on digital sales, radio airplay, and online streaming, and only predominantly Spanish-language songs are allowed to rank. The chart was established by the magazine on September 6, 1986, and was originally based on airplay on Latin music radio stations. Although the chart predominantly allows Spanish-language songs, songs in English and Portuguese have charted.
"Rhythm Divine" is a song by Spanish singer Enrique Iglesias from his fourth studio album, Enrique (1999). The song was written by Paul Barry and Mark Taylor with Taylor and Brian Rawling handling its production. It is a dance-pop rhythmic romantic ballad that mixes with Latin and Mediterranean music. Lyrically, Iglesias asks the listener if they can hear the rhythm, and one music journalist compared it to USA for Africa's "We Are the World" (1985). A Spanish-language translation of the song titled "Ritmo Total" was also recorded and features additional lyrical contributions by Rafael Pérez-Botija.
"Escape" is a song written by Enrique Iglesias, Steve Morales, Kara DioGuardi, and David Siegel for Iglesias' fifth studio album, Escape (2001). The song is the album's opening track and was released as its second single. In Japan, "Escape" was released on 23 January 2002 as a double A-side with "Hero", while in the United States, it was serviced to radio five days later. The song reached number three in the UK and number 12 on the US Billboard Hot 100. A Spanish version of the song, titled "Escapar", reached number nine in Iglesias's native Spain.
Spanish singer Enrique Iglesias has released 11 studio albums, five compilation albums, 62 singles, and 80 music videos. Iglesias started his career in 1995 with his first Spanish album and self-titled album Enrique Iglesias, which produced five number-ones on the Hot Latin Tracks chart and won a Grammy Award for Best Latin Pop Album in 1997. In 1999, he released his first English album Enrique, which included the song "Bailamos" from the film Wild Wild West. The album produced two number-one Billboard Hot 100 tracks. In 2001, Enrique released Escape which has sold over 8 million copies worldwide.
"Si Tú Te Vas" is a song by Spanish singer Enrique Iglesias from his 1995 eponymous debut studio album. The song was co-written by Iglesias when he was 16 and his friend Roberto Morales with Rafael Pérez-Botija handling its production. It was released as the lead single from the album in October 1995. Iglesias recorded a demo of the song which was accepted by Guillermo Santiso, the president of Fonovisa Records, which led to Iglesias signing on with the company. A pop ballad, the song is about a man inspired by love and is afraid of a farewell. A music video for the song was filmed in New York and led to Iglesias being nominated for Best New Artist at the 1996 MTV Latino Awards.
"Hold Your Head Up" is a song by the English rock band Argent, first released as a single in 1971. The song was a Top 5 hit in the US, the UK, and the Canadian charts, peaking at No. 5 in all three countries. However, it was the band's only song to chart on the Billboard Hot 100. Billboard ranked it as the No. 50 song for 1972. The song appeared on the third Argent album All Together Now (1972).
"Bailando" (transl. "Dancing") is a song by Spanish singer-songwriter Enrique Iglesias for his tenth studio album Sex and Love (2014). Written by Iglesias with long-time collaborator Descemer Bueno, the first and Spanish version was released with Cuban artists Bueno and Gente de Zona. Shortly afterward, the official version of the song was released by Universal Republic Records as the sixth single from the album. The song spent 41 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart. "Bailando" was produced by Carlos Paucar.