Top songs of 1985

What was the number one song of 1985?

The number one song of 1985 was “Careless Whisper” by George Michael, the top song on Billboard's year-end Hot 100 for 1985. It spent 3 weeks at number one on the weekly chart, starting with the chart dated February 16, 1985.

“Like a Virgin” by Madonna and “We Are the World” by USA for Africa were each number one for 4 weeks of 1985, the most of any song that year.

Born in 1985? The birthday number one finder shows the song at number one in the exact week of your birthday, and the number one on every birthday since.

Chart data: Billboard Hot 100, as compiled on Wikipedia (number ones of 1985, year-end Hot 100 of 1985).

How many songs reached number one in 1985?

26 songs reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time in 1985. Counting “Like a Virgin”, which was already at number one when the year began, 27 songs held the top spot across the year's 52 weekly charts.

Of the songs that first reached number one in 1985, “We Are the World” by USA for Africa stayed there longest: 4 weeks in total, from the chart dated April 13, 1985.

Weeks at No. 1 counts every week the song spent at the top, including weeks in other years; the number in brackets is the weeks on charts dated 1985. Dates are chart issue dates.

Which artists had more than one number one in 1985?

4 acts had more than one number one in 1985, counting lead and featured credits. Madonna, Phil Collins, Tears for Fears and Wham! had 2 each.

• Madonna: “Like a Virgin” and “Crazy for You”
• Phil Collins: “One More Night” and “Sussudio”
• Tears for Fears: “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” and “Shout”
• Wham!: “Careless Whisper” and “Everything She Wants”

What were the biggest songs of 1985?

The five biggest songs of 1985 on Billboard’s year-end Hot 100 were “Careless Whisper” by George Michael, “Like a Virgin” by Madonna, “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” by Wham!, “I Want to Know What Love Is” by Foreigner and “I Feel for You” by Chaka Khan.

The year-end chart ranks songs by how they performed on the weekly Hot 100 across Billboard’s chart year, so a song that peaked late in the year can rank lower than its weekly peak suggests, or count toward the next year’s list. The top 30 below show each song’s length where we could match the recording.

Numbers 31 to 100

31. “Oh Sheila” Ready for the World
32. “Rhythm of the Night” DeBarge
33. “One More Night” Phil Collins
34. “Sea of Love” The Honeydrippers
35. “A View to a Kill” Duran Duran
36. “The Wild Boys” Duran Duran
37. “You're the Inspiration” Chicago
38. “Neutron Dance” The Pointer Sisters
39. “We Belong” Pat Benatar
40. “Nightshift” Commodores
41. “Things Can Only Get Better” Howard Jones
42. “All I Need” Jack Wagner
43. “Freeway of Love” Aretha Franklin
44. “Never Surrender” Corey Hart
45. “Sussudio” Phil Collins
46. “Strut” Sheena Easton
47. “You Give Good Love” Whitney Houston
48. “The Search Is Over” Survivor
49. “Missing You” Diana Ross
50. “Separate Lives” Phil Collins and Marilyn Martin
51. “Raspberry Beret” Prince & the Revolution
52. “Suddenly” Billy Ocean
53. “The Boys of Summer” Don Henley
54. “One Night in Bangkok” Murray Head
55. “If You Love Somebody Set Them Free” Sting
56. “Obsession” Animotion
57. “We Don't Need Another Hero (Thunderdome)” Tina Turner
58. “Material Girl” Madonna
59. “Better Be Good to Me” Tina Turner
60. “Head over Heels” Tears for Fears
61. “Axel F” Harold Faltermeyer
62. “Smooth Operator” Sade
63. “In My House” Mary Jane Girls
64. “Don't Lose My Number” Phil Collins
65. “All Through the Night” Cyndi Lauper
66. “Run to You” Bryan Adams
67. “Glory Days” Bruce Springsteen
68. “Voices Carry” 'Til Tuesday
69. “Misled” Kool & the Gang
70. “Would I Lie to You?” Eurythmics
71. “Be Near Me” ABC
72. “No More Lonely Nights” Paul McCartney
73. “I Can't Hold Back” Survivor
74. “Summer of '69” Bryan Adams
75. “Walking on Sunshine” Katrina and the Waves
76. “Freedom” Wham!
77. “Too Late for Goodbyes” Julian Lennon
78. “Valotte” Julian Lennon
79. “Some Like It Hot” The Power Station
80. “Solid” Ashford & Simpson
81. “Angel” Madonna
82. “I'm on Fire” Bruce Springsteen
83. “Method of Modern Love” Daryl Hall & John Oates
84. “Lay Your Hands on Me” Thompson Twins
85. “Who's Holding Donna Now” DeBarge
86. “Lonely Ol' Night” John Cougar Mellencamp
87. “What About Love” Heart
88. “California Girls” David Lee Roth
89. “Fresh” Kool & the Gang
90. “Do What You Do” Jermaine Jackson
91. “Jungle Love” The Time
92. “Born in the U.S.A.” Bruce Springsteen
93. “Private Dancer” Tina Turner
94. “Who's Zoomin' Who” Aretha Franklin
95. “Fortress Around Your Heart” Sting
96. “Penny Lover” Lionel Richie
97. “All She Wants to Do Is Dance” Don Henley
98. “Dress You Up” Madonna
99. “Sentimental Street” Night Ranger
100. “Sugar Walls” Sheena Easton

Chart data: Billboard Hot 100, as compiled on Wikipedia (number ones of 1985, year-end Hot 100 of 1985).

What songs should go on a 1985 mix CD?

A 1985 mix that fits one 80-minute CD holds 16 of the year's biggest songs, opening with “Like a Virgin” by Madonna and closing with “We Built This City” by Starship, for 77:30 of music.

We built it from the year-end top 30 and every number one of 1985, taking songs in year-end order until the disc was full, then sequenced it to follow the year: the number ones in the order they reached the top, with the year’s other big hits placed between them. With a 2-second gap before each track it runs 78:02, under the 79 minutes we fill a CD to.

Lengths are the recordings matched in Deezer’s catalog. Single edits, album versions and remasters can run a little longer or shorter, so check your own playlist before you burn it.

Turn 1985 into a CD. Send us this list, or your own 1985 songs, and we burn it to a real audio CD, test-play it and post it. It makes a good gift for a birth year, a graduation year or a wedding year.

To change the songs, paste the list into the playlist length calculator to keep it under 80 minutes, then print an insert with the CD case template. Our guide to making a mixtape covers sequencing, and nostalgic gift ideas has more ways to give a year as a present.

What was popular music like in the 1980s?

Popular music in the 1980s was led by pop stars built for music video, with synth-pop, arena rock, dance-pop and big ballads sharing the top of the chart. MTV launched in August 1981, and acts such as Michael Jackson, Madonna, Prince and Whitney Houston became the decade's biggest names.

From 1980 to 1989, 231 songs reached number one on the Hot 100, and 1 song stayed there for 10 weeks or more. Of those 231, “Physical” by Olivia Newton-John spent the most weeks at number one: 10 in total. Michael Jackson had the most number ones that reached the top in these years, with 9. The typical number one of these years ran 4:13 (the median of the 202 with a known length).