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List of "Billboard's" #1 Pop Singles


Max

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Evan, you are very welcome! Thank you so much for your kind words. It is actually a real joy for me to do this work.

I think it's great that you have such an interest in the pop charts. Like you, I have been interested in this subject for many years. My fascination actually began in my teenage years, when I went in to bookstores so that I could read those wonderful books "Billboard" writes regarding pop chart history. When I first started, I was interested solely in the chart status of songs from the 50's and early-60's. (Even though I was not born until 1980, it was actually the oldies music that I first took a liking to.) Because my tastes in pop music have greatly expanded over the years, I now love to read chart information regarding songs from the 1950's all the way into the present.

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Thanks Max, It's nice to see all those songs in one place. I am sure I will be using them for reference. While I very much dislike today's pop music, it's so refreshing and a little nostalgic to see all these songs from a time when pop music was actually good.

I can't wait for the rest of the 80's

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Rick, you are very welcome. By the way, I totally agree with you about how today's pop music is poor. I also agree that it is great reminiscing about a time when pop music was very good. And, I think that pop music was at its best in the 1980's (as well as in the 1950's and early-1960's).

1982:

551. I Can't Go for That (No Can Do)--Daryl Hall & John Oates (1 week, January 30)

552. Centerfold--The J. Geils Band (6 weeks, February 6)

553. I Love Rock 'n' Roll--Joan Jett & the Blackhearts (7 weeks, March 20)

554. Chariots of Fire--Vangelis (1 week, May 8)

555. Ebony and Ivory--Paul McCartney & Stevie Wonder (7 weeks, May 15)

556. Don't You Want Me--The Human League (3 weeks, July 3)

557. Eye of the Tiger--Survivor (6 weeks, July 24)

558. Abracadabra--The Steve Miller Band (2 weeks, September 4)

559. Hard to Say I'm Sorry--Chicago (2 weeks, September 11)

560. Jack and Diane--John Cougar (4 weeks, October 2)

561. Who Can It Be Now?--Men at Work (1 week, October 30)

562. Up Where We Belong--Joe Cocker & Jennifer Warnes (3 weeks, November 6)

563. Truly--Lionel Richie (2 weeks, November 27)

564. Mickey--Toni Basil (1 week, December 11)

565. Maneater--Daryl Hall & John Oates (4 weeks, December 18)

1983:

566. Down Under--Men at Work (4 weeks, January 15)

567. Africa--Toto (1 week, February 5)

568. Baby, Come to Me--Patti Austin & James Ingram (2 weeks, February 19)

569. Billie Jean--Michael Jackson (7 weeks, March 5)

570. Come on Eileen--Dexy's Midnight Runners (1 week, April 23)

571. Beat It--Michael Jackson (3 weeks, April 30)

572. Let's Dance--David Bowie (1 week, May 21)

573. Flashdance...What a Feeling--Irene Cara (6 weeks, May 28)

574. Every Breath You Take--The Police (8 weeks, July 9)

575. Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)--The Eurythumics (1 week, September 3)

576. Maniac--Michael Sembello (2 weeks, September 10)

577. Tell Her About It--Billy Joel (1 week, September 24)

578. Total Eclipse of the Heart--Bonnie Tyler (4 weeks, October 1)

579. Islands in the Stream--Kenny Rogers & Dolly Parton (2 weeks, October 29)

580. All Night Long (All Night)--Lionel Richie (4 weeks, November 12)

581. Say, Say, Say--Paul McCartney & Michael Jackson (6 weeks, December 10)

1984:

582. Owner of a Lonely Heart--Yes (2 weeks, January 21)

583. Karma Chameleon--The Culture Club (3 weeks, February 4)

584. Jump--Van Halen (5 weeks, February 25)

585. Footloose--Kenny Loggins (3 weeks, March 31)

586. Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)--Phil Collins (3 weeks, April 21)

587. Hello--Lionel Richie (2 weeks, May 12)

588. Let's Hear It for the Boy--Deniece Williams (2 weeks, May 26)

589. Time After Time--Cyndi Lauper (2 weeks, June 9)

590. The Reflex--Duran Duran (2 weeks, June 23)

591. When Doves Cry--Prince (5 weeks, July 7)

592. Ghostbusters--Ray Parker, Jr. (3 weeks, August 11)

593. What's Love Got to Do with It--Tina Turner (3 weeks, September 1)

594. Missing You--John Waite (1 week, September 22)

595. Let's Go Crazy--Prince & the Revolution (2 weeks, September 29)

596. I Just Called to Say I Love You--Stevie Wonder (3 weeks, October 13)

597. Caribbean Queen (No More Love on the Run)--Billy Ocean (2 weeks, November 3)

598. Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go--Wham! (3 weeks, November 17)

599. Out of Touch--Daryl Hall & John Oates (2 weeks, December 8)

600. Like a Virgin--Madonna (6 weeks, December 22)

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1985:

601. I Want to Know What Love Is--Foreigner (2 weeks, February 2)

602. Careless Whisper--Wham! featuring George Michael (3 weeks, February 16)

603. Can't Fight This Feeling--REO Speedwagon (3 weeks, March 9)

604. One More Night--Phil Collins (2 weeks, March 30)

605. We Are the World--USA for Africa (4 weeks, April 13)

606. Crazy for You--Madonna (1 week, May 11)

607. Don't You (Forget About Me)--Simple Minds (1 week, May 18)

608. Everything She Wants--Wham! (2 weeks, May 25)

609. Everybody Wants to Rule the World--Tears for Fears (2 weeks, June 8)

610. Heaven--Bryan Adams (2 weeks, June 22)

611. Sussudio--Phil Collins (1 week, July 6)

612. A View to a Kill--Duran Duran (2 weeks, July 13)

613. Everytime You Go Away--Paul Young (1 week, July 27)

614. Shout--Tears for Fears (3 weeks, August 3)

615. The Power of Love--Huey Lewis & the News (2 weeks, August 24)

616. St. Elmo's Fire (Man in Motion)--John Parr (2 weeks, September 7)

617. Money for Nothing--The Dire Straits (3 weeks, September 21)

618. Oh Sheila--Ready for the World (1 week, October 12)

619. Take on Me--a-ha (1 week, October 19)

620. Saving All My Love for You--Whitney Houston (1 week, October 26)

621. Part-Time Lover--Stevie Wonder (1 week, November 2)

622. Miami Vice Theme--Jan Hammer (1 week, November 9)

623. We Built This City--Starship (2 weeks, November 16)

624. Separate Lives--Phil Collins & Marilyn Martin (1 week, November 30)

625. Broken Wings--Mr. Mister (2 weeks, December 7)

626. Say You, Say Me--Lionel Richie (4 weeks, December 21)

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1986:

627. That's What Friends Are For--Dionne & Friends (4 weeks, January 18)

628. How Will I Know--Whitney Houston (2 weeks, February 15)

629. Kyrie--Mr. Mister (2 weeks, March 1)

630. Sara--Starship (1 week, March 15)

631. These Dreams--Heart (1 week, March 22)

632. Rock Me Amadeus--Falco (3 weeks, March 29)

633. Kiss--Prince (2 weeks, April 19)

634. Addicted to Love--Robert Palmer (1 week, May 3)

635. West End Girls--The Pet Shop Boys (1 week, May 10)

636. Greatest Love of All--Whitney Houston (3 weeks, May 17)

637. Live to Tell--Madonna (1 week, June 7)

638. On My Own--Patti LaBelle & Michael McDonald (3 weeks, June 14)

639. There'll Be Sad Songs (To Make You Cry)--Billy Ocean (1 week, July 5)

640. Holding Back the Years--Simply Red (1 week, July 12)

641. Invisible Touch--Genesis (1 week, July 19)

642. Sledgehammer--Peter Gabriel (1 week, July 26)

643. Glory of Love--Peter Cetera (2 weeks, August 2)

644. Papa Don't Preach--Madonna (2 weeks, August 16)

645. Higher Love--Steve Winwood (1 week, August 30)

646. Venus--Bananarama (1 week, September 6)

647. Take My Breath Away--Berlin (1 week, September 13)

648. Stuck with You--Huey Lewis & the News (3 weeks, September 20)

649. When I Think of You--Janet Jackson (2 weeks, October 11)

650. True Colors--Cyndi Lauper (2 weeks, October 25)

651. Amanda--Boston (2 weeks, November 8)

652. Human--The Human League (1 week, November 22)

653. You Give Love a Bad Name--Bon Jovi (1 week, November 29)

654. The Next Time I Fall--Peter Cetera & Amy Grant (1 week, December 6)

655. The Way It Is--Bruce Hornsby & the Range (1 week, December 13)

656. Walk Like an Egyptian--The Bangles (4 weeks, December 20)

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Are you going by Billboard's book of #1's? The reason I asked is because I have that book also and they skipped a few songs in the mid 50's.

The Great Pretender - The Platters (2 weeks, Feb 18)

Hot Diggity - Perry Como (1 week, May 5)

Moonglow (Theme from "Picnic") -Morris Stoloff (3 weeks, June 2)

I Almost Lost My Mind - Pat Boone (4 weeks, July 28)

The Green Door - Jim Lowe (3 weeks, Nov 3)

All were left out of the book! I also have "Singing the Blues" listed as ten weeks at number one.

Also here is the complete list of Number 1's for 1957. There were two number one versions of "Young Love" and two number one versions of "Butterfly."

Too Much - Elvis Presley

Don't Forbid Me- Pat Boone

Young Love - Sammy James

Young Love - Tab Hunter

Butterfly - Andy Williams

Party Doll - Buddy Knox

Round and Round - Perry Como

All Shook Up - Elvis Presley

Butterfly - Charlie Gracie

Love Letters in the Sand - Pat Boone

Teddy Bear - Elvis Presley

Tammy - Debbie Reynolds

Diana - Paul Anka

Honeycomb - Jimmie Rodgers

That'll Be the Day - Buddy Holly and the Crickets

Wake Up Little Susie - The Everly Brothers

Jailhouse Rock - Elvis Presley

Chances Are - Johnny Mathis

You Send Me - Sam Cooke

April Love - Pat Boone.

(source: Billboard Book of Top Forty Hits by Joel Whitburn)

Hey I've got a really cool link for you but I have to find it and trust me, you will LOVE THIS!!!!!

Okay, this you guys HAVE to check out. I've heard it so many times, I have the darn thing memorized.

This is called the History of Rock in Roll Time-Sweep and it's a montage of all (well most, they did skip a few of the early ones) songs that went to number one between 1956 and 1981. It's in four parts and lasts about 45 minutes. The first part starts with and ends with a Dean Martin song. The second part starts and ends with the Beatles. The third part begins with the Jackson 5 and ends with the Staple Singers. The last part starts with the Bay City Rollers and ends with Eddie Rabbit. All they play is a snippet of each song but it's sooooo much fun to listen to.

History of Rock n Roll Time-Sweep

Scroll down a little until you see the Time-Sweep... and sit back and enjoy! Requires Real-Player.

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Im-n-a-whirl, I am indeed going by Fred Bronson's Billboard Book of #1 Hits. As you mentioned, the data in this book for the years 1955-58 is somewhat different than what is in Joel Whitburn's Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits. Here is the reason why: Since August 1958, there has been just one "Billboard" chart of top weekly pop singles: the Hot 100. (Thus, from August 1958 to the present, there are no discrepancies between the data from Bronson and Whitburn.) However, prior to August 1958, "Billboard" had more than just one top weekly pop singles chart. Among their top pop singles charts were the following: Best Sellers in Stores, Most Played in Juke Boxes, Most Played by Jockeys, and the Honor Roll of Hits. Now, in his book, Whitburn compares how any given (pre-August 1958) song performed on each of the "Billboard" pop charts; whichever chart the song did the best on is the basis for determining that song's peak position. On the other hand, Bronson does things differently: he only looks at one chart (prior to August 1958), the Best Sellers in Stores chart. The reason why Bronson does this is because he claims that the Best Sellers in Stores chart was the most accurate of all the "Billboard" top pop charts around at the time.

Because of the above explanation, certain songs that are listed in Whitburn's book as #1 hits are ommitted in Bronson's book: that's because those songs never made it to #1 on "Billboard's" Best Sellers in Stores chart; instead, they reached #1 on one of "Billboard's" other pop charts. This explains why all of the songs you mentioned--like "The Great Pretender" and "The Green Door"--are not listed in Bronson's book. Also, this explains why "Singing the Blues" was number one for nine weeks instead of ten: it spent exactly nine weeks at #1 on the Best Sellers in Stores chart, while it spent ten weeks at #1 on one of the other charts.

Anyway, I hope this explains why certain songs were omitted from Billboard's #1 Hits book. Im-n-a-whirl, I must say that I am very impressed that you noticed this discrepancy; the fact that you noticed this shows just how knowledgeable you are about the pop charts.

I look forward to listening to the website you recommended.

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Thank you for the explanation and your kind words!! One of my hobbies is studying the history of rock 'n roll music and I've spent a considerable amount of time on the number ones (and still going, LOL). I did know about the three different charts back in the 50's before they combined them.

I started following Billboard's Top 40 countdown (Casey Kasem, anyone?) back in 1976 and rarely missed a show until the early 80's.

BTW, thanks for letting me know there is an updated version of the number one's book.... Bad me, I haven't been to Barnes & Noble in a while.

Hey..... are you the same Max that owns Max's Classic Top 40 Countdown site?

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Casey's Top 40 was *the* thing to listen to when I was a kid and in HS. I'd sit and listen and write down the countdown every week while recording various songs to tape off the radio. Ah, the days before mp3 and internet downloads. :lol:

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Im-n-a-whirl, to answer your question, I am not the same Max that owns Max's Classic Top 40 Countdown site. However, it sounds like a site that I would very much like to visit. And, speaking of websites, I visited that site you recommended and listened to the History of Rock n Roll Time-Sweep. Let me tell you, it was a blast to hear! Thank you very much for providing that link.

Also, I really envy you and Matt for being able to have listened to Casey Kasem's show. (I was much too young to listen to it at the time.) By the way, does he still do that show? If not, when did he stop?

1987:

657. Shake You Down--Gregory Abbott (1 week, January 17)

658. At This Moment--Billy Vera & the Beaters (2 weeks, January 24)

659. Open Your Heart--Madonna (1 week, February 7)

660. Livin' on a Prayer--Bon Jovi (4 weeks, February 14)

661. Jacob's Ladder--Huey Lewis & the News (1 week, March 14)

662. Lean on Me--Club Nouveau (2 weeks, March 21)

663. Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now--Starship (2 weeks, April 4)

664. I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)--Aretha Franklin & George Michael (2 weeks, April 18)

665. (I Just) Died in Your Arms--Cutting Crew (2 weeks, May 2)

666. With or Without You--U2 (3 weeks, May 16)

667. You Keep Me Hangin' On--Kim Wilde (1 week, June 6)

668. Always--Atlantic Starr (1 week, June 13)

669. Head to Toe--Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam (1 week, June 20)

670. I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)--Whitney Houston (2 weeks, June 27)

671. Alone--Heart (3 weeks, July 11)

672. Shakedown--Bob Seger (1 week, August 1)

673. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For--U2 (2 weeks, August 8)

674. Who's That Girl--Madonna (1 week, August 22)

675. La Bamba--Los Lobos (3 weeks, August 29)

676. I Just Can't Stop Loving You--Michael Jackson & Siedah Garrett (1 week, September 19)

677. Didn't We Almost Have It All--Whitney Houston (2 weeks, September 26)

678. Here I Go Again--Whitesnake (1 week, October 10)

679. Lost in Emotion--Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam (1 week, October 17)

680. Bad--Michael Jackson (2 weeks, October 24)

681. I Think We're Alone Now--Tiffany (2 weeks, November 7)

682. Mony Mony--Billy Idol (1 week, November 21)

683. (I've Had) The Time of My Life--Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes (1 week, November 28)

684. Heaven Is a Place on Earth--Belinda Carlisle (1 week, December 5)

685. Faith--George Michael (4 weeks, December 12)

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I don't even know if Casey still does a countdown. He stopped doing American Top 40 and they turned it over to somebody... Shadow Stevens or something like that? Then Casey started doing "Casey's Top 40." I don't know if either is still on the air. I can't even recall the last time I heard Mike Harvey's "Supergold" show on the radio.

I'm glad you enjoyed the Timesweep. I never get tired of listening to it!

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