Calendar Search Results: u i a song
November 8, 1986 At the Country Club in Los Angeles, California, Metallica play their first show with bassist Jason Newsted, the replacement for Cliff Burton, who was killed in a tour bus accident in September.
October 31, 1986 Roger Waters sues David Gilmour and Nick Mason to keep them from touring and recording as Pink Floyd. They do so anyway, and later come to an agreement with Waters that allows them to use the name.
October 27, 1986 David Byrne, who has recently directed the movie True Stories (with a soundtrack by his band, Talking Heads), makes the cover of Time magazine under the headline "Rock's Renaissance Man."More
October 25, 1986 Cyndi Lauper's "True Colors," written by Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly, hits #1 in America. The song becomes an anthem of acceptance and is reinterpreted many times over the years.
October 24, 1986 Aubrey Drake Graham is born in Toronto. After a stint on the TV show Degrassi: The Next Generation, he becomes a superstar rapper under the name Drake.
October 19, 1986 Record executive Moses Asch dies at age 80. Founder of Folkways Records, formerly Asch Records, his label was the home of many classic folk recordings, including Woody Guthrie's "This Land Is Your Land" and Lead Belly's "Goodnight Irene."
October 16, 1986 Chuck Berry's 60th birthday bash (held three days before his actual birthday) takes place in St. Louis with a tribute concert featuring Keith Richards, Bruce Springsteen, Eric Clapton, Etta James, Robert Cray and Linda Ronstadt. Footage is shot for the 1987 documentary Hail! Hail! Rock 'N' Roll.
October 13, 1986 Neil Young headlines the first Bridge School benefit concert in support of the non-profit institution that provides education for children with verbal and physical disabilities. Young and his wife Pegi co-founded the school when their son, Ben, was born with cerebral palsy. The all-acoustic concert - featuring performances by Bruce Springsteen, Don Henley, Tom Petty, and a reunited Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - turns into an annual event that adds many more big-name acts to the roster, including regular guests Pearl Jam.More
October 11, 1986 "When I Think of You" by Janet Jackson goes to #1 on the Hot 100, making her and Michael the first siblings to land #1 solo singles on the chart. The song is also the first #1 produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, who reach the summit 15 more times.
October 10, 1986 The film True Stories, directed by and starring David Byrne, is released in theaters. The soundtrack serves as Talking Heads' seventh album.
October 9, 1986 Little-known Kenny G makes his first appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, but instead of playing his cover of Junior Walker's "What Does It Take (To Win Your Love)" as agreed, he goes off script and plays his own composition, "Songbird." Impressed by the reaction, Arista Records issues the song as a single and it becomes a hit, setting the stage for more instrumental sax songs from Kenny G and the emergence of the Smooth Jazz format.
October 7, 1986 The Police release their final single, "Don't Stand So Close To Me '86," and then call it a career. They had hoped to reunite and record another album but injury and conflict lead to Stewart Copeland declaring they can no longer work together.More
October 4, 1986 The popular newsman Dan Rather is attacked by a man who hits him from behind and repeats the phrase "Kenneth, what is the frequency," prompting REM to write the song "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?"
September 26, 1986 In Solna, Sweden, Metallica play their last show with bass player Cliff Burton, who dies when the band's tour bus crashes on the way to the next stop. The last song is "Blitzkrieg."
September 23, 1986 Following a split with their record label and some lineup changes, Boston release Third Stage, their first album since Don't Look Back in 1978. The first single is "Amanda," the group's only #1 hit in America. They don't put out another album until 1994.
September 21, 1986 The US Department of Health and Human Services honors Dionne Warwick for "exceptional service as a leading health ambassador" in fighting the spread of AIDS.
September 20, 1986 Huey Lewis & the News release the album Fore!, the title a reference to golf (their previous album: Sports) and to it being their fourth album. It contains two #1 hits: "Stuck with You" and "Jacob's Ladder."
September 13, 1986 The Communards hit #1 in the UK with their cover of "Don't Leave Me This Way," an American #1 for Thelma Houston in 1977. Their version becomes the top-selling UK single of 1986.
September 13, 1986 "Take My Breath Away," the big, synthy ballad from the movie Top Gun, goes to #1 in America. It's by the group Berlin, but lead singer Terri Nunn is the only band member to perform on the song, which causes friction in the group that leads to their breakup a year later. The song was written and produced by Giorgio Moroder, who also contributed the Kenny Loggins hit "Danger Zone" to the film.
September 6, 1986 Bananarama's cover of "Venus" hits #1 in the US, bringing the English pop trio international fame. The song marks the group's first collaboration with the up-and-coming production team Stock, Aitken and Waterman.More
September 2, 1986 Debbie Gibson, a 16-year-old high school student from Long Island, signs to Atlantic Records, which is impressed by the many songs she has written and demoed in her home studio.
August 29, 1986 Madonna stars in the movie Shanghai Surprise, which bombs at the box office and is pilloried by critics. The film is produced by George Harrison's production company, HandMade Films. He says of the star, "She doesn't have a sense of humor, which is unfortunate, because it was a comedy."
August 28, 1986 The anti-corporate-pollution benefit concert Get Tough On Toxics is held in Long Beach, California, featuring members of Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, and Neil Young.
August 22, 1986 The movie Stand By Me is released in theaters. It's based on a novella by Stephen King called The Body, but director Rob Reiner decides to name it after the famous song to play up the friendship storyline and keep it from sounding like a slasher film.More
August 21, 1986 Eric Clapton's son Conor is born. Four years later, Conor dies in a tragic accident, prompting Clapton to write "Tears In Heaven."
August 18, 1986 Bon Jovi release their third album, Slippery When Wet, which catapults them to the top with the hits "You Give Love A Bad Name" and "Livin' On A Prayer." Seasoned from years of touring, the group is ready for the big crowds and quickly become a top live draw.
August 16, 1986 A rap album tops the R&B chart for the first time when Run-DMC's Raising Hell supplants Billy Ocean's Love Zone at the top. Albums by LL Cool J, Public Enemy, De La Soul and Slick Rick go to #1 over the next few years.
August 16, 1986 At a soggy Monsters Of Rock festival at Castle Donington, England, Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen gets a huge ovation when he takes the stage with the band. Twenty months earlier, Allen's left arm was severed in a car accident, and after extensive rehab and some warm-up gigs, he makes a triumphant return at the festival, playing barefoot behind a drum kit modified with electronic pedals. Scorpions and Motörhead are also on the bill, which is headlined by Ozzy Osbourne.
August 9, 1986 At the Knebworth Park Festival in England, Queen play their last concert with Freddie Mercury, who dies five years later. An audience of 120,000 hears them close out with "We Will Rock You/We Are The Champions" and "God Save The Queen."
August 8, 1986 After serving eight months of a five-year sentence in the Huntsville unit of the Texas State Prison, David Crosby gets out on parole. Crosby entered the facility after a series of arrests and failed attempts at drug rehab. He later says that going to prison saved his life, as it forced him to get sober.
©2026 Songfacts®, LLC