Music History Events: Charts
February 5, 1983 Continental shift: "Africa" by Toto replaces "Down Under" by Men At Work at #1 in the US.
December 25, 1982 David Bowie and Bing Crosby's "The Little Drummer Boy/Peace On Earth," an unlikely duet broadcast five years earlier on Crosby's Merrie Olde Christmas TV special, becomes an even more unlikely hit, reaching #1 in the UK.
November 27, 1982 Lionel Richie, who has already topped the Hot 100 with his group Commodores ("Three Times A Lady," "Still") and with Diana Ross ("Endless Love"), reaches the top spot on his own with his first single, "Truly."
November 13, 1982 Men at Work's debut album Business as Usual hits #1 in America, where it stays for 15 weeks until it is dethroned by Michael Jackson's Thriller.
November 6, 1982 The Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes song "Up Where We Belong," from the film An Officer And A Gentleman, goes to #1 in America.
October 30, 1982 "Who Can It Be Now?," the first single from Men at Work, hits #1 in America.
October 2, 1982 "Jack And Diane," a little ditty about two American kids growin' up in the heartland, hits #1 in America. It's the first and only #1 on the tally for John Cougar, who later reverts to his real name, John Mellencamp.
September 11, 1982 John Mellencamp becomes the first male solo artist with a #1 album (American Fool) and two Top 10 singles, all at the same time ("Hurts So Good" at #8; "Jack & Diane" at #4).
September 11, 1982 Frank Zappa's "Valley Girl" reaches its chart peak of #32 on the Hot 100. It's the only Top 40 hit for the eccentric singer, who releases over 60 albums in his lifetime. His daughter, Moon Unit Zappa, plays the Valley Girl in the song.
September 4, 1982 "Abracadabra" by the Steve Miller Band hits #1 in the US, giving the veteran rocker his third chart-topper.More
July 24, 1982 Thanks to its use in the movie Rocky III, "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor hits #1 for the first of six weeks.
May 15, 1982 The racial-harmony anthem "Ebony And Ivory," by Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder, hits #1 in the US.More
March 27, 1982 "Pac-Man Fever," a song about the arcade game that has America enthralled, cracks the Top 10, becoming the only song about a video game ever to do so.More
March 6, 1982 Beauty and the Beat hits #1 in America, making The Go-Go's the first all-girl band with a #1 album.More
November 21, 1981 The Queen/David Bowie collaboration "Under Pressure" goes to #1 in the UK, Queen's first chart-topper there since "Bohemian Rhapsody."
November 21, 1981 "Physical" by Olivia Newton-John hits #1 in the US. The sweaty aerobics anthem stays at the top spot for 10 weeks, making it the biggest hit of 1981.More
September 19, 1981 Thanks to MTV airplay for the lead single "Start Me Up," the Rolling Stones album Tattoo You goes to #1 in America, where it stays for nine weeks. It's their last #1 album in the US.
September 5, 1981 Soft Cell hit #1 in the UK with an electronic cover of "Tainted Love," a song originally released by the American soul singer Gloria Jones in 1964. The song also charts in America, reaching #8 in July 1982. It's the only hit for the duo in the States, but they have many more in their native UK.
April 4, 1981 Styx hit #1 in the US with Paradise Theatre, a concept album based on the rise and fall of a theatre in Chicago.More
March 28, 1981 Blondie's "Rapture" hits #1 on the Hot 100, becoming the first chart-topper with a rap.More
February 21, 1981 REO Speedwagon's ninth album, Hi Infidelity, goes to #1 in America, displacing John Lennon's Double Fantasy.More
December 27, 1980 Weeks after his death, John Lennon's "(Just Like) Starting Over" goes to #1 in America.More
December 20, 1980 "(Just Like) Starting Over" gives John Lennon his first #1 single as a solo artist in the UK, 12 days after his murder.
November 15, 1980 "Lady," written by Lionel Richie, becomes a #1 Hot 100 hit for Kenny Rogers. It stays at the top for six weeks.
June 28, 1980 Paul McCartney's "Coming Up" hits #1 in the US.
March 22, 1980 Pink Floyd tops the Hot 100 with "Another Brick In The Wall (part II)," which stays a total of four weeks. It's a rare hit single for the band, whose only other Top 40 appearance is "Money," which hit #13 in 1973.More
December 15, 1979 Pink Floyd's "Another Brick In The Wall (part II)" goes to #1 on the UK singles chart.
December 15, 1979 The Buggles song "Video Killed The Radio Star" reaches its American chart peak of #40 (in the UK, it hit #1 in September). On August 1, 1981, it becomes the first music video played on MTV. Record stores in areas with high cable penetration are baffled when folks show up looking for the song.
November 24, 1979 "No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)" by Barbra Streisand and Donna Summer becomes the first duet between two women to hit #1 in America.
November 10, 1979 "Rapper's Delight" by The Sugarhill Gang becomes first rap song to hit the Billboard Hot 100, entering the chart at #84.More
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