Pick a Day

Music History Events: Charts

January 20, 1990 After being revived by a Washington DJ, "The Electric Boogie" by Jamaican singer Marcia Griffiths peaks at #51 on the Billboard Hot 100, as the "Electric Slide" line dance craze sweeps the nation.More

November 25, 1989 Thanks to a video that gets Alice Cooper his first significant spins on MTV, "Poison" hits #7 - the rocker's first Top 40 hit in nine years.

October 7, 1989 Paula Abdul's first album, Forever Your Girl, hits #1 in America. The album was released on June 13, 1988 and first appeared on the chart July 23 that year. It took 64 more weeks to hit the top spot, a record for the longest climb to the top.

May 20, 1989 Paula Abdul notches her second #1 US hit with "Forever Your Girl," the title track to her debut album. The song is written by Oliver Leiber, son of Jerry Leiber of the Leiber & Stoller songwriting team.

April 22, 1989 Despite (or thanks to) a generous heaping of controversy over its video where she dances in front of burning crosses, Madonna's "Like A Prayer" hits #1 in the US as the album also lands at the top spot, where it stays for six weeks. It's her third consecutive #1 album.

April 15, 1989 Roy Orbison's posthumous single "You Got It" climbs to #9 in America four months after his death. It's his first Top 10 hit in that country since "(Oh) Pretty Woman" in 1964.

February 11, 1989 Former Laker girl Paula Abdul scores her first #1 hit in America with "Straight Up."

December 24, 1988 Hair metal reaches its apogee as Poison's power ballad "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" hits #1 in the US. It stays for three weeks.More

November 12, 1988 Kylie Minogue's version of "The Loco-Motion" hits #3 in the US, making the song a hit in three different versions - the 1962 Little Eva original and the 1974 Grand Funk Railroad cover are the others.

November 5, 1988 The Beach Boys, who haven't had a #1 hit since "Good Vibrations" in 1966, top the charts with the Brian Wilson-less "Kokomo," used in the movie Cocktail. It's the longest gap between #1 hits for any artist.More

October 22, 1988 The #1 hit in America is a cover of a song from 1966: "A Groovy Kind Of Love" by Phil Collins.More

October 8, 1988 Def Leppard's ballad "Love Bites," where we learn that love not only bites and bleeds but also lives, dies, begs and pleads, hits #1 on the Hot 100. Remarkably, it's their only #1 on that tally ("Pour Some Sugar On Me" stalled at #2).

September 24, 1988 Bobby McFerrin's "Don't Worry Be Happy" becomes the first a cappella song to hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

September 10, 1988 Guns N' Roses, on tour as the opening act for Aerosmith, hit #1 in America for the first of two weeks with "Sweet Child O' Mine."

August 27, 1988 As baby boomers soak up the soothing sounds of Kenny G, Yanni and Enya, Billboard introduces the New Age Albums chart. The first #1 is Cristofori's Dream by the pianist David Lanz.

August 27, 1988 Tracy Chapman's self-titled debut album races to #1 in the US as her song "Fast Car" peaks at #6.

July 23, 1988 Paula Abdul makes her first appearance on the US Albums chart when Forever Your Girl enters at #184. Sixty-four weeks later, it rises to #1, setting a record for most weeks on the chart before hitting the top spot.

July 9, 1988 Cheap Trick, hitless since the '70s, go to #1 in America with "The Flame," joining the power ballad party of the late '80s.More

July 2, 1988 Michael Jackson's "Dirty Diana" hits #1 on the Hot 100, making him the first artist to score five #1 singles from the same album (Bad).

June 13, 1988 Paula Abdul's debut album, Forever Your Girl, is released. An accomplished cheerleader and choreographer, she proves successful as a singer as well, as the album produces four #1 hits: "Straight Up," the title track, "Cold Hearted" and "Opposites Attract."

April 30, 1988 After hanging on at #198 the week before, Pink Floyd's album Dark Side Of The Moon drops out of the Billboard Albums chart for the first time in 11 years. The band is still on the chart though, with A Momentary Lapse Of Reason at #62.

March 12, 1988 Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up" hits #1 in the US. The video, which shows a buttoned-up Astley singing his way around London, does well on VH1, but really takes off two decades later with the Rickrolling trend, as webmasters point links to the song's YouTube video to trick unsuspecting readers into watching it.

February 20, 1988 "What Have I Done To Deserve This?" by Pet Shop Boys climbs to #2 in America, behind Tiffany's "Could've Been." The song features Dusty Springfield, marking her first big hit since 1969.

January 16, 1988 George Harrison hits #1 with "Got My Mind Set On You," becoming the act with the longest time between #1 hits - it was 24 years since "Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth)." The Beach Boys break this record when "Kokomo" hits #1 in November.

November 28, 1987 The Dirty Dancing hit "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" goes to #1 in America as the "Swayze-lift" becomes a popular dance move.More

November 21, 1987 "Mony Mony" by Billy Idol replaces "I Think We're Alone Now" by Tiffany at #1 in the US. Both songs were originally recorded in the '60s by Tommy James & the Shondells.More

October 17, 1987 "You Win Again" by the Bee Gees hits #1 in the UK, making them the first group with UK chart-toppers in three different decades (the '60, '70s and '80s).

September 26, 1987 Whitney Houston scores the fifth of seven consecutive #1 hits when "Didn't We Almost Have It All" tops the Hot 100.

September 19, 1987 The Grateful Dead hit #10 on the US Hot 100 with "Touch Of Grey," the only hit song for the band.More

August 22, 1987 Madonna hits #1 in the US with her Spanglish ("Quien es esta nina?") hit "Who's That Girl." It's the title song to a movie starring Madonna that doesn't fare nearly as well.