Top 10 Best Hit Songs of 1986

Hey folks. I wanted to take a moment to talk about the pop music from 1986. I know I already went on kind of a tirade about it on my previous list, but just humor me for a second. I’m not rescinding what I said about the majority of it; that still holds true. Most of the pop songs from that year were unfortunately quite boring and unmemorable. By far, I had a much harder time finding songs I felt anything more than dull apathy towards, and that was especially true for putting together the picks for the worst list.

However, at the same time, that doesn’t mean that I really needed to struggle to find songs I liked from this year. In fact, while not necessarily great songs, the songs I did like from this year were still very good. I actually had a much easier time picking songs for the best list than the worst list, which was a first for me this time around. I wouldn’t go so far as to say that the number of songs I liked were enough to qualify 1986 as a good year. At the very least though, I’d probably rank the good songs from this year above some of the ones that I put on my best of 2001 list, or at least the honorable mentions from that list. These were the songs that shined like gold in the dull grey blandness that was most of 1986’s music.

So yeah, while 1986 wasn’t by any means a ‘good’ year, there was still plenty of good music to be found in it. Speaking of which, I think it’s about time to cast aside our concerns regarding the places where this year really didn’t measure up and focus on the good stuff, starting with our honorable mentions:

Open Your Heart (Madonna) [--; 22; 4 weeks]

Madonna really was at her peak in the ‘80s, both in terms of quality and success. Michael Jackson may have decided to sit out 1986, but I guess the queen of pop would not be deterred by the dullness of the rest of the year around her. This was actually a bigger hit in 1987, but that doesn’t make it any less of a positive contribution to 1986 all the same.

Danger Zone (Kenny Loggins) [42; 2; 13 weeks]

Ah yes, the iconic ‘80s movie theme. I honestly would have considered this for the list, except that I’ve been exposed to it enough times that I’ve just gotten kind of tired of hearing it. That’s not to say I think it’s any less of a good song. I just kind of feel like some of the song’s appeal has kind of worn out on me.

You Give Love a Bad Name (Bon Jovi) [30; 1; 13 weeks]

What else but hair metal, am I right? If there’s one thing that the mid to late ‘80s had going for them, it was the presence of metal on the pop charts. Yeah, it’s stupid and ridiculous and cheesy as hell. However, if my liking of Elton John’s quite adorkable ‘Don’t Go Breaking My Heart’ is any indication, I have a high cheese tolerance.

Higher Love (Steve Winwood) [20; 1; 14 weeks]

As I indicated on the worst list, most of the songs from this year were pretty dull and boring. Most of them consisted of failed slow tempo ballads that didn’t manage to generate any kind of emotional response from me. So, I was more willing to be lenient with songs like this, which were actually energized and upbeat, even if the idea behind it was kind of ridiculous.

R.O.C.K. in the USA (John Cougar Mellencamp)

Now, the 20-year nostalgia rule applied just as much to the ‘80s as it does today. So I guess I should be less surprised than I am to find a ‘60s homage piece like this one nestled comfortably within the list of hits from this year.

Why Can’t This Be Love (Van Halen) [69; 3; 11 weeks]

Some people can make the argument that Van Halen are the best rock band out there. I’m not exactly sure I’m in a position to argue one way or the other. However, I feel like I’d be more inclined to believe them if the rest of their discography is anything like this song. It’s still a bit on the ridiculous side, but I’ll take it.

Change of Heart (Cyndi Lauper) [--; 26; 4 weeks]

I think most people know Cyndi Lauper only for ‘Girls Just Wanna Have Fun,’ and I personally feel like that’s kind of a shame. Not to say that I think that’s a bad song, but I feel like she has a much greater emotional range than people probably give her credit for. I wouldn’t say this is her best song, but it’s certainly a decent enough showcase of her vocal chops.

Modern Woman (Billy Joel) [--; 10; 9 weeks]

If there’s anything Billy Joel’s really good at it’s his attention to detail. It’s probably for this reason why he’s so good at storytelling in many of his really good songs. I’m curious to see if I encounter more of his songs in the future.

Invisible Touch (Genesis) [54; 1; 12 weeks]

Okay, I don’t know if this song is supposed to be about drugs or an actual person. Honestly, I don’t think I care either way.

And now, it’s time I showed you my true colors as we count down…

…THE TOP 10 BEST HIT SONGS OF 1986!

            #10.

I myself am not a huge fan of horror films. Hell, I’m not much of a fan of the horror genre in general. Be it slasher, thriller or even action horror, the idea of watching something purely for the sake of getting myself scared just doesn’t appeal to me. I mean, I can kind of understand how people would like horror comedy since that can work for me sometimes. But just horror for the sake of being scared, no. That does not do anything for me. Maybe I just didn’t ride enough roller coasters or many other amusement park rides as a kid to be able to understand the appeal of doing something for the sake of getting myself scared, but regardless, I just don’t like horror.

Why do I bring this up when this is clearly meant as a list of music and thus, considering my tastes, shouldn’t have anything to do with the horror genre? Well, as it happens this first song on the list actually does have a relation to a horror film, specifically a black comedy psychological thriller horror film that would be released fourteen years later. It’s a film about a man who lives for the finer things in life, but who is driven to commit terrible acts, such as sexual assault and battery and, yes, murder. Of course, most people probably remember it best for this gem of a scene:              https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvBAEp3Znn4

So yeah, that happened.

#10. Hip To Be Square (Huey Lewis and the News) [--; 3; 11 weeks]

Huey Lewis and the News’s ‘Fore’ album probably was the group’s most accomplished album, being their second to receive five top 10 hit songs, with two of the songs on the album managing to peak at the number one spot on Billboard. This was not one of those two, but as Mr. Bateman was kind enough to point out to us here, this song is probably the biggest masterpiece off of that album.

I admit, I feel like it’s hard for me to really get behind this song’s sentiment. I just feel like encouraging people to conform isn’t something I can really agree with. As someone who has stressed out most of his life wanting to fit in with normal people, I feel like the idea of trying to push people to do so can be poisonous to our culture. Yes, there are positives to conformity; people are more willing to accept you and you have a greater chance of making a favorable impression on people. That said, I feel like with conformity comes the cost of a sense of self and identity. I feel like following the trends the crowds are leaning towards just makes me another face in those crowds.

So then, if I can’t really agree with the message of the song, why did I place it on the list? Well, while I can’t support the message of the song, that doesn’t mean I don’t think Huey does a really good job at selling it. I may not be on the same page as the guy, but he just sounds so excited and enthusiastic about the idea of being, well, as he puts it, ‘square’. Of course, the production definitely helps also, what with the tight, crisp instrumentation. The synthesizers on this song are certainly used better than they were on other songs that came out this year. And of course, the guitars do a wonderful job of driving the song forward and carrying the melody.

I may not be able to support the message of the song, but I can definitely support the song itself. If conformity means making music like this, who am I to turn down the prospect of such? Take it from me folks: it’s hip to be square.

#9.

            Well, my hypocrisy’s complete now.

#9. How Will I Know (Whitney Houston) [6; 1; 16 weeks]

I have gone on record as saying I’m not a huge fan of Whitney Houston, and honestly that’s still true. Her ballads just tended to not be to my particular tastes, either because of the music or because of Whitney’s performance itself. She just tended to over blow her vocals to the point that she overpowered the rest of the song. I’m not trying to say that she was a bad singer by any means. I just feel like her performance could have been better, had a stronger sense of control behind it. There are only a few songs of hers I can get behind and, as you might’ve guessed, this is one of them. Why is that though?

Well, for starters, let’s look at the music. Where most of Whitney Houston’s music was slow and primarily meant to be atmospheric to highlight Whitney’s vocals, in this song, the music is upbeat and serves to help drive the song forward. It doesn’t feel like the music’s being overpowered here; the music actually feels like a major part of the song. Isn’t that what music’s supposed to do after all? I especially love the bass line on this song; it really helps bring the whole thing together.

And that brings us to Whitney herself. While you would probably think that having more powerful music in the song would detract from Whitney’s performance, I think this actually really helps her performance. Her voice honestly feels a lot more natural in songs like this than it does on her big, explosive ballads. And I can really buy into the turmoil she’s selling on this song; she may sound excited, but a sense of confusion and feeling frantic still shines through underneath. It really does sound like she’s torn between whether or not it’s truly love that she’s feeling.

I realize this isn’t the exact image that Whitney normally made of herself based on her usual output, but it’s something I can appreciate from her. Between this song and ‘I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me),’ ’86 and ’87 might have been her peak in terms of quality, though your mileage may vary. So there you have it, I don’t hate Whitney Houston, I don’t think she was a bad artist, I just feel like I would’ve preferred that she make music like this more often than she did.

#8.

Now, I’ve gone on record as stating that I don’t hate religious music. There are religious songs that can work for me. However, it’s not like I don’t understand why people are turned off by the genre. The music tends to be subpar for the most part, and the messages aren’t always things that people can get behind. That doesn’t mean that religious music can’t be good; ‘Sadeness,’ for example, is a demonstration of how religious music can be experimental and interesting, potentially even good as a result. Unfortunately, I feel like a lot of that didn’t tend to crop up in the mainstream and we just wound up with the likes of ‘Place in This World’ by Michael W. Smith or ‘Baby Baby’ by Amy Grant. However, even in terms of vaguely religious songs that still confine themselves to pop music characteristics, it’s still possible for one of these types of songs to turn out good. Don’t believe me? Well, here’s my defense:

#8. Kyrie (Mr. Mister) [9; 1; 13 weeks]

Mr. Mister actually had two big hit songs this year: this one, and the much more somber ‘Broken Wings’. However, where that song basically sounded like the beginning of a song that never got started, ‘Kyrie’ most definitely feels like a complete song. I’m not even a fan of Mr. Mister, but if the rest of their material had been more like this, I think I would feel more inclined to consider becoming one. I realize that this song isn’t really ‘religious’ per se, it’s just another pop song that happens to incorporate two words in Greek that happen to translate to ‘Lord, have mercy’. However, according to Richard Page, the song is basically meant as a prayer. This might tie into the myth about him having written the song while in a hospital bed following an attack on John Lang, however the song doesn’t actually reference the incident and it has been stated that the song and the attack have nothing to do with one another.

So, the message of the song is one thing, but what about the song itself? How does it hold up? Well, all things considered, it’s not a great song. There are still some problems with it. The instrumentation’s kind of messy at points and it’s kind of slow to get started. However, there is one thing about this song that redeems it for me: the chorus. A good chorus can do wonders to salvage what might otherwise have been a subpar or mediocre song, and this one really hits it out of the ballpark in terms of delivering a satisfying payoff after the build-up the first minute and a half spent laying out for the listener. Yeah, normally I wouldn’t have the patience for a song taking that long to actually deliver on its chorus, but trust me folks, this one’s worth the wait.

Honestly, if it hadn’t been for the chorus, this song likely wouldn’t have made the list at all. It wasn’t good enough to rocket the song higher than this on this list, but it was still enough to get it a spot.

#7.

Michael Jackson did not release any songs in 1986. And that is a serious shame because I feel like the year really could have used some MJ in it. I guess he decided he needed to take a brief break after the disastrous ‘We Are the World’ charity song for Africa. Or it just took him a while to finally get that follow up album to ‘Thriller’ finished, not that I blame him for taking that long. Still, it really doesn’t say good things about a year when the king of pop himself decides to take that time to go on hiatus. It’s especially upsetting to consider because of just how lackluster a lot of the music from this year was. The public needed Michael Jackson songs to add some pizzazz, some energy that this year was sorely lacking. But since the king himself was unavailable, they were going to need to find their Michael Jackson music elsewhere. And thankfully, someone stepped up to the plate to deliver.

#7. Nasty (Janet Jackson) [58; 3; 11 weeks]

And boy did she deliver. Janet Jackson’s ‘Control’ album not only served as her poll-vault into the mainstream, with six hit songs spawning from it, it also began establishing her as an artist outside of the shadow of her older brother. Between the four hit songs from that album that charted in 1986, I had quite a few options to choose from, but in the end I decided to go with this one. Not to say that the other songs weren’t good by any means; far from it, they were quite good and were probably some of the better songs to come out that year. However, I just felt like I had an easier time getting into this song than her other songs.

First of all, I’d like to make note of the production. The production duo James ‘Jimmy Jam’ Harris III and Terry Lewis were the ones that handled the production through a Mirage keyboard, which apparently they saw as very unmelodic. However, they were able to build a ‘hard funk’ sound with it, which ultimately resulted in the song inspiring the New Jack Swing era of music. In that sense, this song is basically the anti-‘Disco Duck;’ where that song eventually resulted in the death of its entire genre, ‘Nasty’ gave birth to a completely new style of music entirely. And as a fan of New Jack Swing music and musical innovation in general, I only see this as a good thing.

Of course, production and musical style are only one side of the picture. What about the actual lyrical content? Well, from Janet’s own admission, this song, as well as other songs on her ‘Control’ album, was born out of a sense of self-defense. The song was inspired when she ended up getting stalked by guys on the street that she described as ‘emotionally abusive’ and ‘sexually threatening’. Rather than running for help, she stood her ground and confronted them herself. ‘Nasty’ reflects Janet’s decision to not only take care and control of herself, but how she learned to live in a world that didn’t offer as much protection and develop a tougher attitude. And I completely buy it from her. The main reason I can’t get into songs from the likes of other pop divas that try to pass themselves off as tough girls, like, say, Beyoncé is because a lot of the time it doesn’t feel like it’s coming from somewhere real. Not to mention the personality of the performer tends to be rather harsh and not really something I’d want to get behind. I take no problem hearing Janet talking down about ‘nasty boys’ because it’s clear that she’s not doing it purely for the sake of putting them down as a show of how awesome she is, but to stand up for herself and possibly also encourage others to do the same in such a given situation. And that’s something I can support without any qualms at all.

Janet Jackson: putting bad boys in their place since 1986, and continuing to be awesome even to this day. Better be a gentleman, or you’ll turn her off.

#6.

1986 and 1987 were big years for Genesis. Despite having lost front man Peter Gabriel, the group was only able to achieve significant international success after he left, with these years in particular signifying the peak in the band’s success, with five top ten hit songs off of their ‘Invisible Touch’ album, three of which charted in 1986. While Peter Gabriel was arguably the most artistically interesting member of the group, I actually like the Genesis music created under Phil Collins’s tenure as front man, so I actually like all three songs that charted in ’86. Of course, while that holds true, in the end there was only one song of the three that would be making this list, and there was no question which one it would be. 

#6. Land of Confusion (Genesis) [--; 13; 8 weeks]

Yeah, I know it charted higher in ’87, but it originally charted this year, so I’m counting it. I think it’s nice to know that, even after losing Peter Gabriel, Genesis managed to maintain some level of theatricality to them, even if it was only really present in this one song. I don’t particularly have stronger leanings towards either version of Genesis; I like Peter Gabriel’s more progressive, theatrical presence, but I would be lying if I said I didn’t like the songs they created under Phil Collins.

This song in particular is not only arguably one of the best songs of Genesis under Phil Collins’s tenure as the lead man, but probably also one of the best songs of Phil Collins’s career in general. In terms of music, it just sounds awesome, presenting some of the best production that the ‘80s has to offer. I mean, just listen to the guitar licks that kick in between each stanza of each verse! Not to mention the very frantic melody that helps to drive the song forward. And of course, Phil Collins’s vocals are at their best, perfectly matching the tone of uncertainty and, well, confusion that the song is trying to set.

As for the lyrics, they speak of a world in utter chaos. They accentuate the idea of a world that’s lost all control, where too many people are generating more problems than the world can handle. There’s a sense of struggle to overcome the various challenges that plague the world today, to make this world a place that’s actually worth something to the people that inhabit it. But with so much to overcome and so little people actually seem to care, it just raises the question of whether such a struggle can be overcome, or if it’s even worth trying. The bridge of the song seems to reflect on when times were better, when life actually felt like it meant something, only to swing into the final verse, where the narrator desperately tries to reassure the listener that they’ll make things right, that they’re not just saying they’ll do things they can’t ever hope to accomplish.

For all I went on about how boring the year was, mostly because it was dominated by slow, dull, soft music, I guess it’s actually kind of fitting that one of the best songs of the year should come from the soft rock genre. However, it wasn’t the best rock song to come out this year; there are still others to be seen on this list. On that note…

#5.

I’ve heard the ‘80s described as ‘where rock ‘n roll went to die.’ However, I would argue that that’s not entirely true; the 2000s were where rock ‘n roll went to die. Not a lot of good rock music came out of the 2000s, and even with the stuff that wasn’t bad, not a lot of it was memorable or interesting, but the ‘80s? Plenty of decent rock music came out during this decade. You just need to know where to look. For example…

#5. Walk of Life (Dire Straits) [49; 7; 9 weeks]

Much like with Genesis, the mid-‘80s were a pretty good period for Dire Straits, with their ‘Brothers in Arms’ album managing three top 20 hits, two of which cracked the top 10. The first was the song most people tend to actually remember from them, ‘Money for Nothing,’ a fantastic song that any classic rock fan should listen to if you get the chance. And their other top 10 hit from that album was this song, one that kind of contrasts a bit with their usual work in that it’s a lot more upbeat than their music tended to be. That’s not a stab against Dire Straits’s work though; their music is awesome, and I’d highly recommend it.

I guess I have something of a soft spot for a good throwback song. And since I mentioned ‘R.O.C.K. in the USA’ earlier on this list, I guess it’s only fitting that I mention this song now. Where that song made numerous references to music of the ‘60s, this song in contrast references music from the mid-to-late ‘50s, such as Ray Charles’s ‘I Got a Woman’ and ‘Be-Bop-A-Lula’ by Gene Vincent and His Blue Caps. It also references the song ‘Mack the Knife,’ though that was originally performed in the late ‘20s. So, I’m guessing this song’s referring to the version performed by Bobby Darin, which went on to be a number one hit in the US and the UK in 1959. And if I just had this song to go off of, I’d say that ‘50s music is definitely something I’m looking forward to checking out in the future. Okay, maybe it isn’t a perfect reference to ‘50s music, since it still does use a synthesizer organ patch for the main melody line, but I’m willing to forgive the song for that because the melody is just so enjoyable. It’s upbeat, lighthearted tone helps make the song seem more laid back, and Mark Knopfler’s vocals on top of that help give it a more relaxed feel.

I just feel really at ease listening to this song. It’s the kind of song I could imagine playing to clear my head and just feel happy for a while. It certainly does a better job at sounding upbeat and joyous than a lot of the other songs that came out this year, including some that were supposed to be upbeat and joyous. In a year mostly populated by dull, lifeless ballads, this was certainly a breath a fresh air.

#4.

The ‘70s were a really good decade for funk music; the ‘80s, not so much. There wasn’t really a lot of music that came out during this year that I would be able to reasonably describe as ‘funk.’ And even with the songs that were inclined towards that genre, there weren’t a lot of good funk artists around at the time. I mean, what do you want me to list on here? ‘Party All the Time’ by Eddie Murphy? ‘Dancing on the Ceiling’ by Lionel Richie? Yeah, no; not happening.

So, with a year this devoid of decent funk music, a year that’s so stiff and lifeless that you wouldn’t think you could find any kind of funk music, it seems almost bizarre that the world would find itself introduced to probably one of the funkiest songs of the ‘80s, and certainly one of the funkiest song of the year.

#4. Word Up! (Cameo) [68; 6; 14 weeks]

Cameo really are an unfortunate group, in that they were a funk band that started out right around the time that disco had started its decline in the public’s favor. They saw a lot of success on the Billboard R&B charts, despite the group’s frontman Larry Blackmon really disliking the idea of his group being called a funk or R&B group. However, as far as mainstream success went, this was their only song to crack the top ten, or even the top twenty, and it’s not hard to see why. That’s not to say that the rest of their work wasn’t as good, but as one critic once said, the reason this song charted wasn’t because Cameo were only briefly hip to trends, but because trends were only briefly hip to them.

So, let’s start by talking about the music. In contrast to other funk songs from this year, this one actually has more looseness and energy to it that makes it a lot more fun to listen to. I mean, just listen to the synthesizers and the rocking guitar line; it all just blends together seamlessly. In fact, I’m not even sure that ‘funk’ is even the right word to describe their music, honestly; I mean, there are some rock elements in this song too. Also, Blackmon’s vocals on this song give off a sense of shamelessness that I can honestly completely get behind because his delivery is just that good. You can tell that he doesn’t care what the listener thinks about his performance, and that’s something I can greatly respect.

Okay, that’s the music, but what about the lyrics? Well, they seem to talk about people getting together to party, though with the phrase ‘it’s the code word,’ there seems to be a suggestion that it’s limited to a select group of people, those who would know said code word. Then again, considering the word in question is ‘word,’ that doesn’t exactly do much to make this particular dance more exclusive. Then there’s the second verse, which seems to be telling ‘sucker DJ’s’ that try to act cool and put on airs to come across as fly that all they’re really accomplishing is embarrassing themselves. Yeah, I’m not sure who that’s directed at specifically, but considering the second half of the verse, it might be directed at performers that make music that has too much thought put into it, I mean, if the ‘psychological romance’ line is any indication. So, it’s basically a message saying, “Don’t over think how you put together your music; if we can dance to it, it’s fine.” I’m not sure how I feel about a message like that. Then again though, when I think about some of the dance music we hear nowadays, which tries really hard to be emotionally evocative while being fun to dance to, yet ultimately failing at both, I think I can see where Blackmon’s coming from.

So, ultimately I guess the lyrics aren’t all that significant in this song. Regardless, it’s still very finely put together, and a nice presentation of ‘80s funk at its finest. Word up!

#3.

I honestly feel really bad about the fact that there aren’t more female led acts on these lists. I guess I just don’t feel all that strongly about a lot of the female performers that appeared in the years I’ve covered so far. It’s nothing to do with the gender of the performers; I just didn’t happen to see a lot of songs that stood out from a lot of performers that happened to be female. And even with the ones that did stand out from this year specifically, not a lot of them were all that good. There were, of course exceptions to this: Cyndi Lauper, Janet Jackson, Whitney Houston to some extent, and, of course, the queen of pop herself: Madonna.

#3. Papa Don’t Preach (Madonna) [29; 1; 13 weeks]

I don’t know if people actually remember this, but there was once a time where Madonna was actually famous because of her music rather than her status as the queen of pop. In my honest opinion, her peak in terms of consistent quality was during the ‘80s. I actually liked the singles off of her first four albums, and of the hits she accumulated in this year, this one is my personal favorite. Maybe it’s just me, but I feel like Madonna was generally at her best when she was putting herself in a position of vulnerability. That’s why I can’t really buy into songs like ‘Justify My Love,’ where the entire point of the song is to shock the audience without actually having anything of interest to present outside of that. On the other hand, songs like ‘Like a Virgin,’ ‘Like a Prayer,’ ‘Open Your Heart,’ ‘La Isla Bonita,’ these songs are ones I feel a lot more inclined to like. And if there’s a song that does a really good job at accentuating all of Madonna’s best elements as a singer, it’s probably this one.

I think it’s kind of funny that I criticized Madonna’s ‘Justify My Love’ for her having contributed very little to the song’s writing when she also contributed minimal writing to this song also. Brian Elliot handled most of the writing for ‘Papa Don’t Preach,’ with Madonna contributing minor lyrical contributions. However, despite this, Madonna is able to sell the song and make it her own, something she was definitely not able to pull off on ‘Justify My Love.’ It also helped that Madonna was actually drawing some inspiration from real emotions for this song, specifically her interest in her Roman Catholic upbringing and her interest in standing up to male authority figures. Of course, the song’s framing also helps, placing the narrator in a difficult position where she wants her father’s support on an important decision, in this case the suggestion that the singer is pregnant and choosing not to abort the pregnancy or give the child up for adoption. Of course, the song sparked some controversy regarding the lyrics, which seemed to encourage teen pregnancy, and even with Madonna dedicating it to Pope John Paul II, who, in response, urged Italian fans to boycott her concerts during her Who’s That Girl World Tour in 1987. I think it might be a bit more complicated than that, but even if it is pro-teen pregnancy, I still like the song just because of Madonna’s delivery.

As for the music, the song is built around a Spanish-inspired rhythm, making it one of the earliest examples of how Madonna’s musical style took inspiration from Hispanic music. And I admit, this might have been the main reason I included this song on the list, because the music to this is just beautiful. It starts with a Vivaldian style intro, with a fast tempo and classical style chord progression reminiscent of Baroque period work that eventually leads into the dance-pop section, with acoustic, electric and rhythm guitars, keyboards and strings driving the whole thing forward. I think the intro might be my favorite part of the song, not to say that the rest of the song doesn’t hold its own on top of this.

It really is a shame that Madonna’s fame wound up going to her head about five years later. Yeah, some of her ’90s music was still decent, but she was nowhere near as consistently good as she was in the ‘80s, and hasn’t been since really. It’s no surprise why so many modern artists took inspiration from her work during this period of her career. Still, even if all of her work since this song’s release had completely sucked, I would still say this is worth a listen. It’s an excellent showcase of what Madonna’s capable of when she actually tries. I’ve made up my mind: I’m keeping my ‘80s Madonna music.

#2.

There are a number of important figures in rock ‘n roll that I’m looking forward to potentially discussing on this show at some point: the Beatles, the Beach Boys, the Who, the Rolling Stones, Simon and Garfunkel to some extent, Elvis Presley, preferably with the guy actually appearing on a best list. I’ll likely get the opportunity to examine at least some of these acts once I actually get into the ‘60s, which I plan on doing soon. However, if there’s one act that I would definitely look forward to tackling, it would have to be Jimi Hendrix.

Yeah, he might not have had much success on the Billboard hot 100, with only one song of his cracking the top twenty, but Hendrix was, and remains to this day, a rock ‘n roll legend. In fact, Jimi Hendrix was such an amazing musical act that he even managed to cause good music to be created indirectly as well as making it himself. See, in the late ‘60s, he became friends with guitarist Billy Gibbons, whose band, The Moving Sidwalks, gained prominence from opening for The Jimi Hendrix Experience during Hendrix’s first American tour. In fact, there have been longstanding rumors that Jimi Hendrix gave Mr. Gibbons the pink Stratocaster he’d been playing as a token of his appreciation for his talent, and even called him one of the best guitarists in the US. Anyway, after two of the Moving Sidewalks’s members were drafted into the US army, Gibbons recruited other artists to form a new band, one that would be best known for their blues and boogie-inspired hard rock awesomeness…and for sporting a wicked set of beards.

#2. Sleeping Bag (ZZ Top) [80; 12; 4 weeks]

Yes, I know this song originally charted in 1985 and charted higher that year. However, much like with ‘Freedom ’90,’ 1986 was the year to actually have the song appear on its year-end Hot 100 list, so I’m counting it. Anyway, ZZ Top’s level of commercial success on the Billboard Hot 100 pretty much stops after 1986, which is a shame because they were certainly a lot more interesting than what a lot of other bands were doing. I mean, can you think of any bands that rocked nearly as hard as ZZ Top did in 1986…that actually appeared on the pop charts?  For the mainstream music buying public, this was the hardest that rock music got this year.

On a lyrical level, there really isn’t a lot to this song. From my understanding, it’s basically just a song about sex. If the fact that the chorus basically just consists of the line ‘Slip inside my sleeping bag’ isn’t any indication of this, I don’t know what is. However, I do have some confusion about the decision during the third verse to suddenly bring up Egyptian imagery. I mean, when I think of a song about getting it on, mummies and pyramids aren’t exactly what spring to mind, for me at least. Out of curiosity, I decided to look into the meaning of the lyrics to the song, and according to an interview with Billy Gibbons in 1985, the imagery was inspired by the fact that he owned a sleeping bag that looked like a mummy case. Kind of an odd source of inspiration, but then again, with a song called ‘Sleeping Bag,’ I guess it’s not exactly screaming for deep lyrical analysis. Although, I do note that the song specifically describes the act of making love in a sleeping bag as a form of shelter from outside ailments like the cold and the dark. Regardless, in terms of sex songs, I feel like ZZ Top were actually able to pull it off better than a lot of other acts that released similar songs this year.

Of course, the lyrics aren’t what put this song on the list; it’s the music. As far as ‘80s production goes, this is a grand example of how it could be done well despite the limitations of the time. It’s not the best example of ‘80s production at its finest to appear this year, but we’ll be getting to that soon enough. Everything about the music to this song feels retro in all the right ways. The guitars and synthesizers do a great job with setting the tone for the song and the drums really do a nice job keeping the song moving forward. And, of course, Gibbons’s vocals blend with the music perfectly.

It’s no surprise that, not just this song, but this album were ZZ Top’s peak in terms of commercial success. Compared to their earlier work, the music off of their ‘Afterburner’ album just sounds a lot more polished than some of their previous work. That’s not a knock against the album; I liked all the songs I heard from that album. And of course, at the center of it all is this song, which is easily the best rock song to chart in ’86. It’s a place of sanctuary I’m happy to return to again and again.

#1.

Now, I admit, back on my previous list, I was probably a bit harsh on artists that ultimately decided to leave the bands they were with and start solo careers. I mean, it’s generally not an easy decision for artists to make a change such as that. Even Peter Cetera’s decision to leave Chicago was a pretty difficult choice for him to make and involved a serious clash of interests between him and the band. Granted, some artists are able to maintain their connections with their previous band while also managing their solo careers, but that probably requires a lot of energy and focus on the part of the artist. Phil Collins and the other members of Genesis were able to pull it off with their solo careers, but not a lot of other artists are so lucky: George Michael, Michael Jackson, Justin Timberlake, Joan Jett. And as I said previously, when an artist starts a solo career it can also be difficult because the artist may now be working without the support of their other band mates. This isn’t always the case; some artists still stay in touch with their other band mates and still work with them on songs, but this isn’t always the case. In such a case, the artist has to work without all of their bases covered; not every artist is capable of covering every element of a song.

However, that doesn’t mean that good music can’t still be had from an artist going solo. After all, Michael Jackson, for example, was able to achieve his greatest commercial successes through his solo career, ultimately resulting in him becoming immortalized as the king of pop. As another example, George Michael was able to make some of his most personal and best music after Wham! split up. And that brings us to the artist that would go on to release the song that became my number one pick for this list. His decision to split up from his band was certainly a difficult one to make, but honestly considering it eventually led to him releasing this song, I have no objections whatsoever. So, ladies and gentlemen, without further ado, I present to you…former Genesis front man Peter Gabriel.

#1. Sledgehammer (Peter Gabriel) [23; 1; 14 weeks]

I don’t think people give Peter Gabriel enough credit as an artist, which is a real shame because the man is really talented. Some people lean more towards Genesis’s music under Peter Gabriel’s tenure as the front man over that which was released when Phil Collins led the group. However, I personally feel like it’s like comparing apples to oranges. Neither is inherently ‘better’ or ‘worse’ than the other; I’ll take either version myself. Though, personally, I think I’d take his solo work over his work with Genesis. It just feels like, once he went solo, he was more able to express his theatricality and musical prowess. That’s not to say the rest of Genesis was holding him back; I just feel like his solo work had a bit more of his personality in it.

Interestingly enough, this song actually has a few things in common with ‘Sleeping Bag’. For example, with this song the production is the real star of the show. This is probably the most technically impressive song to chart this year. Once again, we’re looking at a song that took inspiration from music from the ‘60s, specifically ‘60s soul music, particularly that made by Memphis label Stax. One of Stax’s house musicians, Wayne Jackson of the Memphis Horns, even led the horn section in this song. And, of course, there’s the synthesized flute part, which definitely helps add a distinct sound to the song, makes it stand out. I’m growing steadily more excited about the prospect of looking into ‘60s music, considering it inspired this song.

Of course, the other thing this song has in common is the subject matter and tone. Yeah, it’s another song about sex. I don’t think ‘I wanna be your sledgehammer’ requires a lot of thought to consider the meaning behind it. If what I’ve been told is accurate, ‘80s music was not exactly known for subtlety. However unlike ‘Sleeping Bag,’ I don’t think the subject matter is supposed to be the primary focus of the song. Just listen to it; he peppers the song with numerous bizarre innuendos that are kind of confusing. I mean, he describes himself as a steam train, an airplane, a ‘big dipper’ and a bumper car. I can’t say I’ve ever thought of a bumper car as something to be sexualized. But really, the strangeness of the song is its main selling point. It’s not trying to win you over with sexually appealing imagery; it’s trying to be as bizarre as possible and win you over with just how ‘out there’ it is. And, honestly, I think it nails it.

I think it’s kind of funny that, after not really seeing any success on the hot 100 through Genesis, both Peter Gabriel and the band would start seeing greater commercial success after he left, with both actually managing to achieve success in America some time after his departure. This song accentuates what Peter Gabriel does best: expressing himself in his own theatrical manner. In my opinion, Peter Gabriel is one of the most underrated artists of the 1980s. I realize that this likely isn’t going to do anything to change that, so instead, I’ll settle for closing by giving this song the acclaim it deserves: the best hit song of 1986.