RPM was a Canadian music industry magazine that published the best-performing singles charts in Canada from 1964 to 2000. In 1986, RPM published a chart for top-performing singles in the adult contemporary category in Canada. The chart, entitled Adult Contemporary, undergone numerous name changes throughout its existence, becoming Adult Contemporary in August 1984 until the magazine's final publication in November 2000. In 1986, thirty individual songs topped the chart, which contained 30 positions and is based on record sales and adult contemporary radio station playlist submissions.
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In the year's first issue of RPM, the first number-one song was "Say You, Say Me" by Lionel Richie, which had reached number one the December of the previous year. A week later, it was replaced by "That's What Friends Are For", a charity single by Dionne & Friends, composed of Dionne Warwick, Gladys Knight, Elton John and Stevie Wonder. Weeks later, it was replaced by James Taylor's cover version of "Everyday" by Buddy Holly and then by "How Will I Know" by Whitney Houston. Four months later, Houston would reach number-one again with her version of George Benson's 1977 single "The Greatest Love of All", topping the chart for five straight weeks between May and June, and by the end of the year, she had a total of six weeks at number one. On August, Peter Cetera, who left the band Chicago in 1985, achieved his first number-one on the Canadian adult contemporary chart with a five-week number-one run throughout August with "Glory of Love", which would then be followed by a week at number one on December with "The Next Time I Fall", a duet with Amy Grant. For a total of six weeks at number one, Cetera would be tied with Houston for the most weeks at number one by the end of the year. Corey Hart was the only Canadian act to reach number one for the year, having a two-week run with "I Am by Your Side" on November. The year's final chart-topper was "Love Is Forever" by Billy Ocean, which held the top position the last week of December. Ocean also had two other number-one singles earlier in 1986, with "When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going", which held the top spot for the first two weeks of March and "There'll Be Sad Songs (To Make You Cry)", which held the same position for two non-consecutive weeks on July.
