The week of September 22, 1984, found John Waite atop the Billboard Hot 100 with ‘Missing You.’ A few weeks ago I wrote about that song and mentioned that it was the only 1984 chart-topper to spent just one week at #1. This was that week.
Right on its heels was Prince’s ‘Let’s Go Crazy,’ a week away from its own berth at #1, where it would spend two weeks. This was Prince’s second #1 hit, following ‘When Doves Cry‘ a few weeks earlier.
Tina Turner had the #1 song the week of September 1, 1984, with ‘What’s Love Got to Do With It?‘ It was her first and only solo #1, and spent three weeks atop the Hot 100.
That week, the second spot was held by English singer-songwriter John Waite with his soft rock balled ‘Missing You.’ Waite would eventually replace Turner at #1, topping the chart for a single week. ‘Missing You’ was the only song in that great music year to spend only one week at #1.
Turner would cover this song 12 years later for her album Wildest Dreams.
Ray Parker Jr. claimed #1 on the Hot 100 the week of August 11, 1984, with ‘Ghostbusters.’ Prince sat at #2 with ‘When Doves Cry,’ relinquishing the top spot after five weeks.
At #3 was The Jacksons with ‘State of Shock,’ the first single from their album Victory. This was the only Jacksons album to include all six brothers. It was released on the heels of Michael’s record-shattering Thriller.
I recently wrote about the Billboard Hot 100 for the week of July 21, 1984, today’s Throwback Weekend focus.
This was one of the weeks that Prince’s ‘When Doves Cry‘ topped the chart, relegating Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Dancing in the Dark‘ to #2 and depriving The Boss of what would have been his only #1 hit.
The week of June 30, 1984, belonged to New Wave band Duran Duran, whose ‘The Reflex’ gave them their first #1 hit in the U.S. I would have guessed that honor belonged to ‘Hungry Like the Wolf,’ but that song peaked at #3 a couple of years earlier.
Fans have speculated about the meaning of ‘The Reflex’ since it was released, with popular theories suggesting it is about gambling, addiction, or ejaculation. Simon Le Bon has never clarified one way or the other.
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