chartoppers
 
 
Number One! I’ve always loved the sound of that. It’s such a catchy term in our culture: the #1 movie or book, your best friend, your favorite restaurant or store and of course, the ultimate, the #1 hit single! Ever since I can remember I’ve been obsessed with music charts. On Sundays growing up in Joliet, Illinois I would rush home after church to listen to Casey Kasem’s Top 40 on the radio, diligently writing down each hit in my composition notebook, completely mesmerized by the time we hit #1! There was also this awesome record store in town called The Crow’s Nest that would have these free pink photocopied flyers of the chart listings from the local radio station that I would collect obsessively. I was hooked! So I thought I would share my obsession with the #1 hit singles from my favorite decade, the 80’s, here with you at fredflare.com. Over the next 11 weeks I’ll be reminiscing while presenting the best of the best of the decade of decadence. I’m sure you’ll see ones that you think are missing – and it’s true, there are some great hits that will be absent – but they just didn’t have the power needed to make it all the way to #1. That’s what it takes to be a true chart topper! Enjoy!
XXOO Chris
  
1986
Ok, so I had blonde hair in ‘86. It was an experiment, I swear! I told my mom that I tried this free shampoo sample that came in the mail and it turned my hair blonde. It so wasn’t my fault. But the truth is that I poured a whole bottle of peroxide on my head, went out to mow the lawn and 2 hours later when I came inside – ta da! – I was a blonde and I was ready to have more fun. I had to look like Madonna from the "Papa Don’t Preach" video… right? Anyway, in ’86, while Oprah was getting her very own show, I knew I needed to change some things. I finally ditched my lame junior high friends and went for something a little more controversial: the punky, gay-acting crowd. Mind you, we’d never admit to it at the time, but we worshipped Sara Hinze, a lead pom pom at our sister school, and our favorite quote was "Miss Jackson!" from Janet’s "Nasty." I mean, who were we kidding? My new friend line-up consisted of John Garry, Tony Guerrero and Karl Roche. Karl Roche – he pronounced it Roshé, but really it’s Roach – was hilarious. And he taught me everything I needed to know:
1) Annie Lennox is highly evolved.
2) Michigan Avenue is where you should shop. 3) You aspire to hang out with the popular, rich kids. 4) You talk in Valley talk only. 5) And you drive a Porsche. And that he did! John Garry, on the other hand, was the brooding punk who wore trench coats, listened to U2 and came to school drunk. And Tony was, well, like me, kinda white trash but more ethnic. But did we have fun! We made prank phone calls to the popular kids, played hooky and went to teen dance clubs like Crazy Rock and McGreevies. One of the first times I was on the dance floor at Crazy Rock, decked out in my head-to-toe Jams ensemble with burlap flourishes, John shouted out to me that I looked like a giant sack of potatoes and danced like I was in a Beach Boys video! I was horrified, but knew he had said it for my own good. It was time to take some drastic measures. "How Will I Know" what to do, you ask? Well, I planned to take a giant "Sledgehammer" to my look! "Open Your Heart" readers, ‘cause in "These Dreams" I’m about to become a "Venus!" Stay tuned and rock out to the number ones of 1986!
  

the #1's
Addicted To Love - Robert Palmer
Amanda - Boston
At This Moment - Billy Vera & The Beaters
Glory Of Love - Peter Cetera
Higher Love - Steve Winwood
Holding Back The Years - Simply Red
How Will I Know - Whitney Houston
Human - The Human League
Invisible Touch – Genesis
Kiss - Prince & The Revolution
Live To Tell – Madonna
Next Time I Fall - Peter Cetera With Amy Grant
On My Own - Patti Labelle & Michael McDonald
Open Your Heart – Madonna
Papa Don't Preach – Madonna
Rock Me Amadeus – Falco
Sledgehammer - Peter Gabriel
Stuck With You - Huey Lewis & The News
Take My Breath Away – Berlin
The Greatest Love Of All - Whitney Houston
The Way It Is - Bruce Hornsby & The Range
There'll Be Sad Songs (To Make You Cry) - Billy Ocean
These Dreams – Heart
True Colors - Cyndi Lauper
Venus - Bananarama
Walk Like An Egyptian - Bangles
When I Think Of You - Janet Jackson
You Give Love A Bad Name - Bon Jovi



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