Fifty years ago, I made my first appeared on the Earth. In celebration, we are going to take a look at the year-end Billboard Hot 100 singles chart for each year of my life and see what songs resonated with me at the time and if they continue to do so to this day.
We continue our look back at the music of my lifetime today with 1986, the year I finished grammar school, moved on to junior high and the seventh grade, and turned 12. I am starting to become more familiar with the songs of the day, although there are quite a few here, even in the top ten, which did not stand the test of time. 38 of the Hot 100 are familiar to me now, with 18 of them appearing in my collection in one way or another.
#89: Run-D.M.C. featuring Aerosmith – Walk This Way
iTunes stats: 55 plays
Charting higher than the original did in the 70s, it became the first hip-hop single reach the top five, peaking at #4. It became Run-D.M.C.’s biggest hit and helped Aerosmith revitalize their career.
#76: Madonna – True Blue
iTunes stats: N/A
The title track from Madonna’s third album, it spent three weeks at #3.
#74: Mike + The Mechanics – All I Need Is a Miracle
iTunes stats: 7 plays
Nominated for the Best Pop Performance By a Duo or Group Grammy, it topped out at #5 on the Hot 100.
#72: John Cougar Mellencamp – Small Town
iTunes stats: N/A
Reaching #6, Mellencamp wrote the song to detail his experiences growing up in small-town Indiana.
#69: Van Halen – Why Can’t This Be Love
iTunes stats: 13 plays
The group’s first single with new singer Sammy Hagar, it shot to #3 on the Hot 100.
#68: Cameo – Word Up
iTunes stats: 10 plays
The lead single from the group’s thirteenth studio album, it became their first Top 40 hit, topping out at #6.
#67: El DeBarge – Who’s Johnny
iTunes stats: 23 plays
Featured in Short Circuit, the debut solo single from DeBarge peaked at #3.
#66: John Cougar Mellencamp – R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A.
iTunes stats: N/A
The third single from Mellencamp’s Scarecrow, it reached #2 on the Hot 100.
#65: James Brown – Living in America
iTunes stats: 27 plays
Featured prominently on the Rocky IV soundtrack, the tune, which reached #4, earned Brown a Grammy for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance.
#62: The Outfield – Your Love
iTunes stats: 101 plays
Peaking at #6, the song became a popular sports anthem and was used locally as the walkup music for former White Sox infielder Gordon Beckham.
#59: Eddie Money – Take Me Home Tonight
iTunes stats: 22 plays
Featuring Ronnie Spector in the chorus, the single topped out at #4 in November.
#58: Janet Jackson – Nasty
iTunes stats: N/A
Reaching #3 on the Hot 100, the song ranked at #11 on Rolling Stone’s 200 Best Songs of the 1980s.
#56: INXS – What You Need
iTunes stats: N/A
The band’s first top ten hit in the US, it peaked at #5 on the Hot 100.
#54: Genesis – Invisible Touch
iTunes stats: N/A
The first of five consecutive top five singles, it was their first and, to date, only #1 single in the United States.
#53: OMD – If You Leave
iTunes stats: 24 plays
Recorded for the Pretty in Pink soundtrack, the song topped out at #4, becoming the group’s highest-charting single.
#51: Stacey Q – Two of Hearts
iTunes stats: 19 plays
The first single my sister owned, which took her years to realize she was playing on the wrong speed, it peaked at #3 in the fall of 1986.
#49: Dire Straits – Walk of Life
iTunes stats: 19 plays
The band’s third and final top ten hit, it topped out at #7.
#48: The Bangles – Manic Monday
iTunes stats: 31 plays
Written by Prince, it became the band’s first hit, peaking at #2 behind, co-incidentally, Prince’s Kiss.
#43: Janet Jackson – What Have You Done for Me Lately
iTunes stats: N/A
Earning Jackson a Grammy nomination for Best Rhythm & Blues Song in 1987. the song reached #4 on the Hot 100.
#42: Kenny Loggins – Danger Zone
iTunes stats: 19 plays
Featured in Top Gun, the song became the second-highest charting single in Loggins’ career, topping out at #2.
#41: Cyndi Lauper – True Colors
iTunes stats: 11 plays
The song spent two weeks atop the Hot 100, becoming Lauper’s final #1, and earned a Grammy nomination.
#40: Miami Sound Machine – Conga
iTunes stats: N/A
The band’s first hit single, it topped out at #10 in the US.
#39: Lionel Richie – Dancing on the Ceiling
iTunes stats: N/A
Peaking at #2, I first became acquainted with the song when I was forced to write a critic report on it for music class in seventh grade.
#38: Bananarama – Venus
iTunes stats: 14 plays
A cover of the 60s hit by Shocking Blue, it topped the charts.
#36: Belinda Carlisle – Mad About You
iTunes stats: N/A
Topping out at #3, this first solo single from the former Go-Go spent a total of 21 weeks on the chart.
#30: Bon Jovi – You Give Love a Bad Name
iTunes stats: 18 plays
The first single from the band’s third studio album, the breakout Slippery When Wet, it became their first #1 in late November,
#29: Madonna – Papa Don’t Preach
iTunes stats: N/A
Madonna’s fourth #1 hit, it spent two weeks atop the charts in August of 1986.
#27: Berlin – Take My Breath Away
iTunes stats: 18 plays
Written for the Top Gun soundtrack, the song reached #1 and won a Golden Globe and an Oscar.
#23: Peter Gabriel – Sledgehammer
iTunes stats: N/A
Gabriel’s only #1 hit, it knocked Invisible Touch out of the top spot, the only #1 hit by his former band Genesis.
#21: Huey Lewis and the News – Stuck with You
iTunes stats: N/A
Spending three weeks at #1, it was the first single from the group’s fourth studio album.
#20: Steve Winwood – Higher Love
iTunes stats: N/A
Spending a single week atop the Hot 100 at the end of August, it became Winwood’s first #1 single.
#11: Whitney Houston – Greatest Love of All
iTunes stats: N/A
The cover spent three weeks at #1 in May of 1986 and re-entered the charts at #41 in 2012 following Houston’s death.
#10: Robert Palmer – Addicted to Love
iTunes stats: 12 plays
Originally intended to be a duet with Chaka Khan, it still managed to reach the top of the charts with Palmer alone.
#8: Survivor – Burning Heart
iTunes stats: N/A
Featured on the Rocky IV soundtrack, it spent two weeks ar #2 and was the group’s biggest hit with singer Jimi Jamison.
#7: Eddie Murphy – Party All the Time
iTunes stats: N/A
Written and produced by Rick James, it stalled at #2, spending three weeks in the position.
#6: Whitney Houston – How Will I Know
iTunes stats: N/A
Houston’s second chart topping hit, it spent two weeks at #1 in February.
#2: Lionel Richie – Say You, Say Me
iTunes stats: N/A
Written for the film White Nights, but not appearing on the soundtrack due to label politics, it spent four weeks on top of the Hot 100.
#1: Dionne Warwick & Friends – That’s What Friends Are For
iTunes stats: N/A
Recorded as a charity single for AIDS research and prevention, it raised more than $3 million for its charities and won two Grammy awards.