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A Look Back at 1985
Top Ten Music Singles | Top Ten Movies
1985 was the year that the Second British Invasion reached its pinnacle -- and then began a precipitous decline, as New Wave/New Romantic music suddenly lost much of its glitter. The revolution in music caused by video now created a backlash; it became apparent to many consumers that in some cases bands that looked great on film didn't sound very good on the turntable. There was entirely too much style and not enough substance. Too many albums contained one or two good songs and then eight tracks of fluff. It's no coincidence that Frankie Goes To Hollywood did better marketing five different 12" versions of "Relax" than they did with Welcome to the Pleasuredome. No matter how many extras and special effects that acts employed in their road shows, discerning audiences began to get the sense that hearing, not seeing, was believing. Anyone who could press a single key on a synthesizer or program a drum machine could manufacture a hit, and it seemed that nearly everyone had done so. It was time to separate the wheat from the chaff.

This was the year of the charity hit as rock 'n' roll reacquired a conscience. A galaxy of stars joining together as USA For Africa to sing "We Are The World," penned by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie. The song made it to #1 in four weeks and sold four million copies, making it the biggest selling single of the decade. Proceeds were used to fight famine in Africa. The dual Live Aid concerts in London and Philadelphia were watched by 1.6 billion people in 170 countries and raised $80 million for famine relief. Dionne Warwick gathered musical friends to help her record "That's What Friends Are For," proceeds from which were used to raise awareness about AIDS. Artists United Against Apartheid recorded Sun City to protest South Africa's racist policies; the 36 artists involved included Hall and Oates, Bruce Springsteen and Peter Gabriel. And Farm Aid, featuring Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Billy Joel, Willie Nelson and John Cougar Mellencamp, raised $10 million to help distressed American farmers. Bruce Springsteen wore himself and the E Street Band out with a year-long tour that netted millions and millions of dollars; he made massive donations to food banks and homeless shelters. In the Seventies, many were the dolefully sincere artists who with their music lamented the state of the world, and yet few had the wherewithal to do anything about it as the music industry declined. In the Eighties, on the other hand, artists produced hits that critics scoffed at but which made money hand over fist -- money that made a real difference in alleviating poverty, famine and disease the world over.

This was the decade when musical boundaries came tumbling down, when pop and rock and soul were artfully blended. Traditionalists complained -- none louder than those at black radio stations who wondered what Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie and Prince had done to their music. In 1985, Philip Bailey of Earth, Wind & Fire cut an album with Phil Collins that included the white-pop hit "Easy Lover." Aretha Franklin, the first lady of soul, also crossed over the line with Who's Zoomin' Who. Chaka Khan mixed pop and soul and disco and hip hop in "I Feel For You." But what many didn't realize at the time that this crossover contagion left the door open for the rise of hip hop -- genuine, basic, hot-off-the-streets rap that celebrated rather than denied the roots of its artisans. Even so, a musical genre based on sound sampling could not escape stylistic miscegenation; Run DMC rocked with their rap, and the Beastie Boys introduced us to what might be called heavy metal hip hop. An East-Ender named Paul Hardcastle had a #1 hip hop hit in the UK with #19." Some wondered if, in years to come, it would be anachronistic to talk about "white" music as something entirely separate and distinct from "black" music.

Speaking of heavy metal, all those who had previously proclaimed that heavy metal was dead had egg on their face; in fact, 1985 marked the beginning of a renaissance in hard rock that would thrive through the end of the decade. Ratt's Out of the Cellar and Motley Crue's Shout at the Devil both went double platinum; Kiss resurrected their career; W.A.S.P., The Scorpions and Grim Reaper made themselves known. Their success had two basic elements: melody-driven tunes and sex-soaked videos. This equalled commercial success. Def Leppard had paved the way with 1983's Pyromania; Foreigner, Billy Idol and Night Ranger showed how you could enjoy commercial success without entirely abandoning the powerchord. Van Halen (revitalized with the recruitment of the Red Rocker, Sammy Hagar), Bon Jovi, Poison and Guns 'n' Roses were all about to invade the mainstream.

In the U.S. and the UK, record and cassette sales were up 14% from the previous year, with cassettes outselling albums in Britain for the first time ever. The number of albums certified platinum in the U.S. increased by 46% over 198

  • Compact discs accounted for 21 million of the 643 million total units sold, an increase of 250%. Michael Jackson paid $40 million for the rights to the ATC Music catalog, which included 5,000 songs, including many of the tunes written by the team of John Lennon and Paul McCartney. A group of influential Washington wives, including Tipper Gore, formed the Parents' Music Resource Center; the PMRC pressured the music industry to establish a rating system that would warn record buyers of violent and sexually explicit lyrics. Harlem's famous Apollo Theater, for many years a showplace for black entertainers when most doors were closed to them, reopened in May. On the legal front, blues performer Willie Dixon filed a complaint alleging that Led Zeppelin's big hit "Whole Lotta Love" was plagiarized from his song "You Need Love," recorded in 1962 by Muddy Waters. Spandau Ballet alleged that Chrysalis Records had mismanaged their affairs and requested termination of their contract. Jefferson Starship lost its court battle to retain the "Jefferson" prefix. Elton John and Bernie Taupin lost a six-month court battle to recover the copyright to 169 songs published by DJM Music; however, the court ordered Dick James to cough up millions in unpaid royalties he owed the pair.

    Notable Events of the Year

    • The U.S. Postal Service issues an Elvis Presley stamp commemorating what would have been the artist's 50th birthday. A record-breaking 500 million Elvis stamps would be sold.

    • Madonna becomes only the second female artist (the first was The Singing Nun) to have the top single ("Like A Virgin") and top album (Like A Virgin) simultaneously. The album outsells all others this year, and Madonna sells more singles than any other act in 198
    • She also becomes the first artist to simultaneously hold the top two slots on the UK singles chart with "Into The Groove" and "Holiday."

    • Wham! becomes the first western pop group to perform in the People's Republic of China and to release records there. John Lennon's psychedelic Rolls Royce goes for over $2 million at a New York auction.

    • The Second British Invasion reaches its high water mark in 1985; as summer begins, Madonna is the only all-American act in the US Top Ten, the rest being British (except for The Power Station, which is Anglo-American.) Non-Americans have a record eight consecutive US chart-toppers and seven of these are British. (The eighth is the Norwegian group A-Ha.) Queen, Yes, Iron Maiden, Whitesnake and Rod Stewart are among the performers at the Rock in Rio festival, touted as the biggest rock concert of all time.

    • Ian Stewart, co-founder of the Rolling Stones, dies of a heart attack at 4
    • Rick Nelson, his fiancee and his band die when their private plane crashes in Texas.

    Top Ten Singles

    January

    1. "Like A Virgin," Madonna
    2. "All I Need," Jack Wagner
    3. "You're The Inspiration," Chicago
    4. "The Wild Boys," Duran Duran
    5. "Run To You," Bryan Adams
    6. "I Want To Know What Love Is," Foreigner
    7. "We Belong," Pat Benatar
    8. "Easy Lover," Philip Bailey & Phil Collins
    9. "Sea Of Love," Honeydrippers
    10. "Born In The U.S.A.," Bruce Springsteen

    February

    1. "Careless Whisper," Wham!
    2. "I Want To Know What Love Is," Foreigner
    3. "Easy Lover," Philip Bailey & Phil Collins
    4. "Loverboy," Billy Ocean
    5. "Method Of Modern Love," Hall & Oates
    6. "Neutron Dance," Pointer Sisters
    7. "The Boys Of Summer," Don Henley
    8. "The Heat Is On," Glenn Frey
    9. "You're The Inspiration," Chicago
    10. "Can't Fight This Feeling," REO Speedwagon

    March

    1. "Can't Fight This Feeling," REO Speedwagon
    2. "The Heat Is On," Glenn Frey
    3. "Material Girl," Madonna
    4. "Too Late For Goodbyes," Julian Lennon
    5. "Careless Whisper," Wham!
    6. "California Girls," David Lee Roth
    7. "One More Night," Phil Collins
    8. "Lovergirl," Teena Marie
    9. "Private Dancer," Tina Turner
    10. "Neutron Dance," Pointer Sisters

    April

    1. "We Are The World," USA For Africa
    2. "Crazy For You," Madonna
    3. "One More Night," Phil Collins
    4. "Nightshift," Commodores
    5. "Rhythm Of The Night," DeBarge
    6. "I'm On Fire," Bruce Springsteen
    7. "Obsession," Animotion
    8. "Material Girl," Madonna
    9. "Don't You (Forget About Me)," Simple Minds
    10. "One Night In Bangkok," Murray Head

    May

    1. "Don't You (Forget About Me)," Simple Minds
    2. "Crazy For You," Madonna
    3. "One Night In Bangkok," Murray Head
    4. "Everything She Wants," Wham!
    5. "We Are The World," USA For Africa
    6. "Smooth Operator," Sade
    7. "Some Like It Hot," Power Station
    8. "Rhythm Of The Night," DeBarge
    9. "Everybody Wants To Rule The World," Tears For Fears
    10. "Axel F," Harold Faltermeyer

    June

    1. "Everybody Wants To Rule The World," Tears For Fears
    2. "Heaven," Bryan Adams
    3. "Things Can Only Get Better," Howard Jones
    4. "Sussudio," Phil Collins
    5. "In My House," Mary Jane Girls
    6. "Suddenly," Billy Ocean
    7. "Everything She Wants," Wham!
    8. "Axel F," Harold Faltermeyer
    9. "Angel," Madonna
    10. "Walking On Sunshine," Katrina & The Waves

    July

    1. "A View To A Kill," Duran Duran
    2. "Raspberry Beret," Prince & The Revolution
    3. "Everytime You Go Away," Paul Young
    4. "Sussudio," Phil Collins
    5. "You Give Good Love," Whitney Houston
    6. "The Search Is Over," Survivor
    7. "Glory Days," Bruce Springsteen
    8. "If You Love Somebody Set Them Free," Sting
    9. "Would I Lie To You?," Eurhythmics
    10. "Voices Carry," Til Tuesday

    August

    1. "Shout," Tears For Fears
    2. "The Power Of Love," Huey Lewis & The News
    3. "Never Surrender," Corey Hart
    4. "Freeway Of Love," Aretha Franklin
    5. "If You Love Somebody Set Them Free," Sting
    6. "Everytime You Go Away," Paul Young
    7. "St. Elmo's Fire (Man In Motion)," John Parr
    8. "Summer of '69," Bryan Adams
    9. "We Don't Need Another Hero," Tina Turner
    10. "Who's Holding Donna Now," DeBarge

    September

    1. "Money For Nothing," Dire Straits
    2. "St. Elmo's Fire (Man In Motion)," John Parr
    3. "Cherish," Kool & The Gang
    4. "We Don't Need Another Hero," Tina Turner
    5. "Don't Lose My Number," Phil Collins
    6. "Freedom," Wham!
    7. "The Power Of Love," Huey Lewis & The News
    8. "Pop Life," Prince & The Revolution
    9. "Oh Sheila," Ready For The World
    10. "Dress You Up," Madonna

    October

    1. "Take On Me," A-Ha
    2. "Saving All My Love For You," Whitney Houston
    3. "Oh Sheila," Ready For The World
    4. "Part Time Lover," Stevie Wonder
    5. "Money For Nothing," Dire Straits
    6. "Lonely Ol' Night," John Cougar Mellencamp
    7. "Miami Vice Theme," Jan Hammer
    8. "Fortress Around Your Heart," Sting
    9. "Cherish," Kool & The Gang
    10. "I'm Goin' Down," Bruce Springsteen

    November

    1. "We Built This City," Starship
    2. "You Belong To The City," Glenn Frey
    3. "Miami Vice Theme," Jan Hammer
    4. "Separate Lives," Phil Collins & Marilyn Martin
    5. "Head Over Heels," Tears For Fears
    6. "Part Time Lover," Stevie Wonder
    7. "Broken Wings," Mr. MIster
    8. "Never," Heart
    9. "Lay Your Hands On Me," Thompson Twins
    10. "Be Near Me," ABC

    December

    1. "Say You, Say Me," Lionel Richie
    2. "Broken Wings," Mr. Mister
    3. "Separate Lives," Phil Collins & Marilyn Martin
    4. "Party All The Time," Eddie Murphy
    5. "Alive & Kicking," Simple Minds
    6. "Election Day," Arcadia
    7. "I Miss You," Klymaxx
    8. "Sleeping Bag," ZZ Top
    9. "Small Town," John Cougar Mellencamp
    10. "That's What Friends Are For," Dionne Warwick & Friends

    Top Ten Movies of 1985

    1. Shoah

    2. The Falcon and the Snowman

    3. The Color Purple

    4. Prizzi's Honor

    5. Out of Africa

    6. Back to the Future

    7. The Official Story

    8. After Hours

    9. Streetwise
    Other Movies You Might Remember

    1. Cocoon

    2. Desperately Seeking Susan

    3. The Emerald Forest

    4. Pee-Wee's Big Adventure
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