The week of January 28, 1984, saw Yes on top of the Billboard Hot 100 with ‘Owner of a Lonely Heart,’ a song I’ve already featured on the blog.
At #2 was a song I’m surprised I haven’t featured yet, Culture Club’s ‘Karma Chameleon.’ This song would reach #1 the following week and spend three weeks atop the chart. It was Culture Club’s only #1 hit in the U.S., though two others hit #2 (bonus points if you can name them in the comments).
Throwing back to the week of June 25, 1983, gives us a repeat at the top spot of Billboard’s Hot 100 as Irene Cara’s ‘Flashdance… What a Feeling’ continued its six-week run at #1.
That brings us to the week’s #2 song, ‘Time (Clock of the Heart)’ by Culture Club. This single, the second from the band’s debut album Kissing to Be Clever, spent two weeks at #2 but couldn’t crack the top spot (thanks, Irene Cara!). It matched the performance of previous single ‘Do You Really Want to Hurt Me,’ which also fell one slot short of #1.
I was certainly aware of Culture Club back in 1983. The singles ‘Karma Chameleon,’ ‘It’s a Miracle,’ and ‘Miss You Blind’ were hard to escape, and the previous year’s hits ‘I’ll Tumble 4 Ya’ and ‘Do You Really Want to Hurt Me’ were still kicking around.
But I never owned or listened to Colour By Numbers, the album on which those first three songs appeared. This album spent six weeks at #2 on the U.S. albums chart, behind (you guessed it) Michael Jackson’s Thriller. And, having listened to it for the first time this week, I have to say it definitely slaps.
Meet Me In Montauk 