Every year, songs shoot to the top of the charts, either for just one week, or for multiple weeks in a row. In a series of posts, we’re going to rank Billboard’s “The Hot 100” number one singles for each year of the 1980s and 1990s. Today, we’re looking at the year 1986.
Note: “Say You, Say Me” by Lionel Richie started the year at number one, but it had previously also reached number one in 1985, and as is our rule, we will not include it here, since it was already included in our list for 1985.
As always, these lists are subjective, we’re not claiming to be the definitive ranking here. We’re not that important, but you are, so we hope seeing the below songs conjures up a friendly memory or two.
But first, to get you in the mood for the year 1986…
- The Soviet nuclear reactor at Chernobyl exploded in April — the open-air reactor core fire that resulted from a test gone wrong was burning for nine days before it could be contained, releasing a lot of airborne radioactive contamination.
- In January, the Space Shuttle Challenger disintegrated 73 seconds after launching, killing all seven astronauts on board. As a result, the Space Shuttle program was shut down for two years to improve safety.
- The Oprah Winfrey Show debuted nationally in September — the show produced 4,500 episodes before it ended in 2011.
- Halley’s Comet made an appearance — it comes around about every 75 years and will next be visible around 2061.
- The first case of Mad Cow Disease (aka Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy) was discovered in November — it was identified in an agricultural lab and it is believed that the outbreak really began a couple of years earlier.
- The Soviet nuclear reactor at Chernobyl exploded in April — the open-air reactor core fire that resulted from a test gone wrong was burning for nine days before it could be contained, releasing a lot of airborne radioactive contamination.
- In January, the Space Shuttle Challenger disintegrated 73 seconds after launching, killing all seven astronauts on board. As a result, the Space Shuttle program was shut down for two years to improve safety.
- The Oprah Winfrey show debuted nationally in September — the show produced 4,500 episodes before it ended in 2011.
- Halley’s Comet made an appearance — it comes around about every 75 years and will next be visible around 2061.
- The first case of Mad Cow Disease (aka Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy) was discovered in November — it was identified in an agricultural lab and it is believed that the outbreak really began a couple of years earlier.
30. Patti LaBelle and Michael McDonald - On My Own
Originally recorded by Dionne Warwick for her 1985 album Friends, this song was re-recorded by LaBelle and McDonald and released on her album Winner in You.
29. Billy Ocean - There’ll Be Sad Songs (To Make You Cry)
This song’s inspiration came about when Ocean’s wife’s friend heard his song “Suddenly” at a party and it reminded her of an old boyfriend and brought her to tears.
27. Peter Cetera and Amy Grant - The Next Time I Fall
Writers Bobby Caldwell and Paul Gordon originally wrote this song with the band Chicago (who Cetera was the lead singer for) in mind, and thought it was screwed after Cetera left the band, but he ended up recording it for his solo album.
26. Madonna - Live to Tell
Originally composed by Patrick Leonard for the score of the film Fire with Fire, the instrumental version of the song was shown to Madonna, who decided to use it for then-husband Sean Penn’s film At Close Range.
25. Peter Cetera - Glory of Love
The first single Cetera released after leaving the band Chicago, this song was included on the soundtrack for The Karate Kid: Part II, though Cetera had originally written it with Rocky IV in mind.
23. Dionne and Friends - That’s What Friends Are For
Though originally recorded by Rod Stewart in 1982, this version featuring Dionne Warwick, Elton John, Gladys Knight, and Stevie Wonder is the more well-known version and was released as a charity single for AIDS research and prevention.
22. Whitney Houston - Greatest Love of All
This song was originally recorded by George Benson in 1977 and was the main theme for the film The Greatest, though this cover version by Houston became much more popular.
19. Falco - Rock Me Amadeus
Originally recorded in German, the song is about Mozart and was inspired by the film Amadeus. For the US release, the song was remixed with an English background overlay.
18. The Human League - Human
Released as the lead single from their 1986 album Crash, this was the second and final number one single from The Human League (the previous being “Don’t You Want Me” in 1981).
17. Peter Gabriel - Sledgehammer
The song’s music video won a record nine MTV Video Music Award at the 1987 MTV Video Music Awards and Best British Video at the 1987 Brit Awards. The song also was nominated for three Grammy Awards for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance, Record of the Year and Song of the Year.
14. Bruce Hornsby and the Range - The Way It Is
Written by Bruce Hornsby, the song references the Civil Rights Movement. It has been sampled by rapper E-40 for his song “Things’ll Never Change“, by 2Pac for “Changes“, and rapper Polo G for “Wishing for a Hero.”
10. Bananarama - Venus
This song was originally recorded by Dutch rock band Shocking Blue in 1969, but the Bananarama version became the most famous, in some ways sadly so as it’s been used so prominently in Gillette shaving commercials.
6. Steve Winwood - Higher Love
The female vocals in this song are provided by Chaka Khan, who also appeared in the music video, and Whitney Houston covered the song in 1990.
4. Berlin - Take My Breath Away
This song was written for the film Top Gun, and won the Academy Award and Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song. Giorgio Moroder, one of the co-writers of the song, also wrote “Danger Zone.”
3. Bon Jovi - You Give Love a Bad Name
The song was originally written for Bonnie Tyler under the title “If You Were a Woman (And I Was a Man)” with different lyrics. Dissatisfied with its success, Desmond Child re-wrote the song with Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora.
What’s your favorite single from 1986? Do you agree with our ranking? Let us know in the comments!
