Tag Archives: Decades

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Song of the Day #6,325: ‘What Have You Done For Me Lately’ – Janet Jackson

Concluding my look at the albums of 1986…

I didn’t grasp exactly how popular Janet Jackson was until many years later. At the time of her commercial dominance (from 1986 through the end of the last century), she rewrote the record books and achieved feats topped only by her brother Michael. Imagine being that successful and still being #2 in your own family.

It’s even crazier to think that success was halted largely due to the controversy surrounding Jackson’s “wardrobe malfunction” during the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show. What a different time that was.

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Song of the Day #6,324: ‘You Give Love a Bad Name’ – Bon Jovi

Continuing my look at the albums of 1986…

The top-selling album released in 1986 was Bon Jovi’s Slippery When Wet, and it wasn’t particularly close. The hard rock band’s third album sold more than 15 million copies in the U.S., five million more than the runner-up, Beastie Boys’ Licensed to Ill. That was enough to make this album the 20th top-seller in U.S. history.

Slippery When Wet earned that success on the backs of the three most enduring songs Bon Jovi ever recorded: ‘You Give Love a Bad Name,’ ‘Livin’ On a Prayer,’ and ‘Wanted Dead or Alive.’ I’d never even heard any of the other seven tracks.

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Song of the Day #6,323: ‘Sweet Love’ – Anita Baker

Continuing my look at the albums of 1986…

My biggest blindspot for any musical year is invariably the R&B releases. It’s just not a genre I enjoy enough to dive in very deep.

The biggest R&B/soul release of 1986 was Anita Baker’s Rapture. This was the singer-songwriter’s sophomore effort, following a modestly received debut a few years earlier. It rode the success of top ten single ‘Sweet Love’ to 5X Platinum status, easily becoming the biggest success of her career.

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Song of the Day #6,322: ‘Notorious’ – Duran Duran

Continuing my look at the albums of 1986…

In the early 80s, Duran Duran released Rio and Seven and the Ragged Tiger, their two most successful albums. A world tour followed, after which the band members started getting pulled in different directions, taking on solo work and side projects.

By the time 1986 rolled around, the quintet had become a trio, following the departures of drummer Roger Taylor and guitarist Andy Taylor. (Incidentally, none of the three Taylors in Duran Duran — Roger, Andy, and bassist John — are related).

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Song of the Day #6,319: ‘No Sleep till Brooklyn’ – Beastie Boys

Continuing my look at the albums of 1986…

It would be malpractice to write about the music of 1986 and not mention the Beastie Boys’ debut release Licensed to Ill. This is one of the best-selling rap albums of all time and one of the most successful debuts. It was the first rap album to top the Billboard 200 and the second to go Platinum.

It is also critically acclaimed, praised for its punk rock sensibility, its creative use of classic rock samples, and the chemistry of its three leads.

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