Tag: #1 hits

Some of the #1 hits of 1984 on the pop charts are from movie soundtracks. All of the movie albums listed here I own on vinyl, except Footloose, which I have on CD. RB means rhythm and blues/soul, and AC is adult contemporary.

Like A Virgin – Madonna (Sire), #1 pop for six weeks, #9 RB, #29 AC, gold record

When Doves Cry  – Prince (Warner), #1 pop for five weeks, #1 RB for eight weeks, platinum record. From the semi-autobiographical movie Purple Rain, starring Prince and Apollonia, which I saw in the theater. The album won the Oscar for Best Original Song Score.

Jump – Van Halen (Warner), #1 pop for five weeks, #88 RB, gold record.

[This is not to be confused with the Pointer Sisters hit Jump (For My Love), which went to #3 the same year. Here is a cinematic footnote: the Pointer Sisters’ version of Jump (For My Love) appears on the US soundtrack for the 2003 movie Love Actually, but the UK soundtrack uses the version by Girls Aloud.]

Three weeks at #1 pop

Footloose – Kenny Loggins (Columbia), platinum record. The title song of the movie starring Kevin Bacon and Lori Singer.   It was nominated for an Oscar as Best Original Song (Loggins and lyricist Dean Pitchford).

What’s Love Got To Do With It – Tina Turner (Capitol), #2 RB for five weeks, #8 AC, gold record

Against All Odds (Take A Look At Me Now) – Phil Collins (Atlantic),  #2 AC for six weeks, gold record. From the movie Against All Odds, starring Jeff Bridges and Rachel Ward. The song was nominated for an Oscar as Best Original Song.

I Just Called To Say I Love You – Stevie Wonder (Motown), #1 RB and AC for three weeks, gold record. From the movie The Woman In Red, starring Gene Wilder and Kelly LeBrock. The song won the Oscar for Best Original Song.

Ghostbusters – Ray Parker, Jr. (Arista), #1 RB for two weeks, #9 AC, gold record. The title song from the movie starring Bill Murray, Dan Ackroyd, and Sigourney Weaver, which I saw in the theater.  It was nominated for an Oscar as Best Original Song.

Karma Chameleon – Culture Club (Virgin/Epic), #67 RB, #3 AC, gold record

Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go – Wham! (Columbia), #4 AC, platinum record

Two weeks at #1 pop

Hello – Lionel Richie (Motown), #1 RB for three weeks, #1 AC for six weeks, gold record

Owner Of A Lonely Heart – Yes (Atco), #69 RB. As I noted here, I remember the first time I heard this song.

Out Of Touch – Daryl Hall and John Oates (RCA), #24 RB, #8 AC

Time After Time – Cyndi Lauper  (Portrait), #78 RB, #1 AC for three weeks, gold record

Let’s Hear It For The Boy – Deniece Williams (Columbia), #1 RB for three weeks, #3 AC for three weeks, platinum record. It is also from the movie Footloose and was nominated for an Oscar as Best Original Song (Tom Snow and Dean Pitchford).

Let’s Go Crazy -Prince & the Revolution (Warner), #1 RB, gold record. It is also from the movie Purple Rain. I have a 12″ EP with an extended version of this song.

The Reflex – Duran Duran (Capitol), gold record

Caribbean Queen (No More Love On The Run) – Billy Ocean (Jive), #1 RB for four weeks, #7 AC, gold record

A single week at #1 pop

Missing You – John Waite (EMI America), #7 AC

To my surprise, putting this together gave me a touch of melancholy over the passing of Tina Turner, Eddie Van Halen, Prince, George Michael, and even Irene Cara (in the Ghostbusters video).

Here are the #1 hits of 1954. Even though I was an infant when these came out, some of them are familiar because they got heavily played on oldies stations.

Sidebar: one of the rare times I REALLY feel old is when I hear music of the 1990s described as “oldies.”

All of these songs were gold records except This Ole House. There are 65 weeks of #1 songs because of competing Billboard charts.

Little Things Mean A Lot – Kitty Kallen (Decca), nine weeks at #1

Sh-Boom – The Crew Cuts (Mercury), nine weeks at #1. The Crew Cuts was a white Canadian group. From A Century of Pop Music by Joel Whitburn: Sh-Boom was originally “a song by the R&B group The Chords.” The Chords’ version (Cat) went to #5 pop and #2 for two weeks RB that year. “The subsequent influx of R&B songs covered by white artists such as Pat Boone and Gale Storm introduced R&B to the mass audience and left white teens hungry for more.” I’ve heard both versions.

Wanted – Perry Como with Hugo Winterhalter’s orchestra and chorus (RCA Victor), eight weeks at #1

Oh! My Papa (O Mein Papa) – Eddie Fisher with Hugo Winterhalter’s orchestra and chorus (RCA Victor), eight weeks at #1. I remember this song, which I found schmaltzy.

Make Love To Me! – Jo Stafford with Paul Weston and his orchestra (Columbia), seven weeks at #1

Mr. Sandman – The Chordettes (Cadence), seven weeks at #1. The “yes?” is spoken by Archie Bleyer, Cadence’s founder and the orchestra leader on the recording. It’s a song I already linked to this year. A Reddit post says it’s “the best unintentionally creepy song,” which I’m not feeling.

George Clooney’s aunt

Hey There – Rosemary Clooney with Buddy Cole and his orchestra (Columbia), six weeks at #1. The song is from the Broadway musical The Pajama Game. I remember that first line after the intro.

Secret Love– Doris Day with the orchestra conducted by Ray Heindorf (Columbia), four weeks at #1. From the Warner Brothers picture, Calamity Jane, in which she starred. The IMDb states she recorded the song in one take.

This Ole House – Rosemary Clooney with Buddy Cole and his orchestra (Columbia), three weeks at #1. I always liked this song, especially the featured bass vocals by the wonderful Thurl Ravenscroft.

I Need You Now – Eddie Fisher with Hugo Winterhalter’s orchestra (RCA Victor), three weeks at #1

Three Coins In The Fountain – Four Aces featuring Al Alberts (Decca), one week at #1. Jule Styne and Sammy Cahn wrote the title song from the 20th Century film.