Adult Contemporary is a chart published by Billboard ranking the top-performing songs in the United States in the adult contemporary music (AC) market. In 1984, 18 songs topped the chart, based on playlists submitted by radio stations. The chart was published under the title Adult Contemporary through the issue of Billboard dated October 13 and Hot Adult Contemporary thereafter. [1]
In the year's first issue of Billboard the number one song was "Read 'Em and Weep" by Barry Manilow, which was in its third week at number one. [2] It held the top spot for four weeks in 1984 before being replaced by "Think of Laura" by Christopher Cross. The most successful act on the AC chart in 1984 was Lionel Richie, who had three number ones and spent a total of fifteen weeks in the top spot, three times that achieved by any other act during the year. Billy Joel also had three chart-toppers during the year but only spent a total of five weeks at number one. Richie, lead singer of the Commodores, had launched his solo career in 1982 and quickly reached superstar status. [3] He had the two longest-running number ones of 1984, spending six consecutive weeks atop the chart with "Hello" and five weeks with "Stuck on You". While "Stuck on You" was at number one on the AC listing, he performed at the closing ceremony of the 1984 Summer Olympics. [3] Richie and Joel were the only acts with more than one chart-topper in 1984.
Three songs topped both the AC chart and Billboard's all-genre listing, the Hot 100, in 1984, including Richie's "Hello". [4] In June, Cyndi Lauper topped both listings with "Time After Time" and in the fall Stevie Wonder reached number one on both charts with "I Just Called to Say I Love You". [4] The song, from the soundtrack of the film The Woman in Red , won the singer the Academy Award for Best Original Song. [5] In December, The Honeydrippers, a short-lived supergroup brought together by singer Robert Plant and featuring among others his former Led Zeppelin bandmate Jimmy Page, [6] topped the chart with their cover version of the 1950s song "Sea of Love". It was the first Billboard number one single for Plant and Page, surpassing the best position achieved by Led Zeppelin, who had achieved a string of number one albums but never gained a chart-topping single. [6] [7] "Sea of Love" was replaced at number one by "Do What You Do" by Jermaine Jackson, which was the final chart-topper of the year.
Indicates best-performing AC song of 1984 [8] |
The Honeydrippers: Volume One is an EP released on 24 September 1984, by a band led by rock singer Robert Plant. The project originated when Atlantic Records president Ahmet Ertegun wanted to record an album of his favourite songs from the 1950s. Plant was chosen because Ertegun had seen his pick-up band the Honeydrippers performing 1950s standards. Included in the band were Chic front man Nile Rodgers, Late Night with David Letterman bandleader Paul Shaffer, and former Yardbirds guitarists Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page—the latter was also Plant's former bandmate in Led Zeppelin.
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 gone under 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 Tracks(1979–1982) and Adult Contemporary(1983–present).
"Three Times a Lady" is a 1978 song by American soul group the Commodores for their album Natural High, written by lead singer Lionel Richie. It was produced by James Anthony Carmichael and the Commodores.
"Hello" is a song by Lionel Richie. Taken as the third single from his second solo album Can't Slow Down (1983), the song was released in 1984 and reached number one on three Billboard music charts: the pop chart, the R&B chart, and the adult contemporary chart. The song also went to number one in the UK Singles Chart for six weeks.
"Stuck on You" is a song written by and originally recorded by Lionel Richie. It was the fourth single released from his second studio album Can't Slow Down released on May 1, 1984, by Motown, and achieved chart success, particularly in the U.S. and the UK, where it peaked at number three and number 12, respectively. "Stuck on You" reached number one on the Adult Contemporary chart, Richie's seventh chart topper. The song differs from Richie's other compositions, as it displays a country pop influence rather than R&B. The song marks Lionel Richie's country music debut, and indeed, "Stuck on You" peaked at number 24 on the country chart. As such, the single's cover photo shows Richie wearing a cowboy hat.