The week of February 2, 1985, found Foreigner atop the Billboard Hot 100 with ‘I Want to Know What Love Is.’
Foreigner’s ‘Waiting For a Girl Like You’ holds the record for the most weeks at #2 without ever reaching #1. That happened in 1981. Four years later, the band finally got over that hump and landed their first (and only) #1 hit with this undeniable power ballad.
Throwing back to the week of February 1, 1975, we find Neil Sedaka at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 with ‘Laughter in the Rain.’ The song spent one week at #1 before dropping to #8 the following week, and then out of the top ten.
This was Sedaka’s second #1 hit, following the 1962 doo-wop hit ‘Breaking Up is Hard to Do.’ He would reach the top spot again later in 1975 with ‘Bad Blood‘ (which might just show up on a future Throwback Weekend).
Petula Clark topped the Billboard Hot 100 the week of January 26, 1965, with ‘Downtown.’ It was the song’s second straight week at #1.
This single was the first U.S. chart-topper for the British singer/actress, and kicked off a phase of her career during which she released 15 consecutive Top 40 hits in the States.
Throwing back to the week of January 25, 1955, we find a slew of repeats atop the singles chart, as usual for this decade: ‘Let Me Go Lover‘ by Joan Weber, ‘Mister Sandman‘ by The Chordettes, ‘Hearts Of Stone‘ by The Fontane Sisters, and ‘The Naughty Lady Of Shady Lane‘ by The Ames Brothers.
Keeping the sibling theme going at #5 that week were The McGuire Sisters with ‘Sincerely,’ a cover of a song written by Harvey Fuqua and Alan Freed for The Moonglows the previous year.
The week of January 19, 1985, saw Madonna atop the Billboard Hot 100 with ‘Like a Virgin.’
At #2 that week was the one hit single by General Hospital‘s Jack Wagner, ‘All I Need.’ Wagner’s tune, the title track from his debut album, stayed at #2 for two weeks, kept from the top spot by Madonna.
