The third week of August is where summer starts checking its watch. School supplies in the store, the light coming in at a different angle, and on the radio the songs that would forever mean the tail end of a specific year. Here is what sat at number one the week of August 17 in each year of the 1980s.
The number one song the week of August 17, 1985 was "Shout" by Tears for Fears, in the last of its three weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100. The British duo had two number ones in 1985 alone, and "Shout" was the bigger and longer-lasting of the pair. Across the decade this same week belonged at points to a mix of ballads and blockbusters, from "Endless Love" to "Ghostbusters."
1980 to 1983
Olivia Newton-John held the third week of August 1980 with "Magic," near the end of its long run from the "Xanadu" soundtrack. A year later, in August 1981, Diana Ross and Lionel Richie began their reign with "Endless Love," the movie theme Richie wrote that would sit at number one for nine straight weeks and finish as the biggest single of the year.
By August 1982, Survivor's "Eye of the Tiger" still would not quit, and in 1983 The Police held firm with "Every Breath You Take," grinding through the back half of its eight-week stay.
1984 to 1986
Ray Parker Jr. owned the third week of August 1984 with "Ghostbusters," the movie theme that ruled the box office and the chart at the same time, the film having opened that June and become the summer's runaway hit.
The week of August 17, 1985 belonged to Tears for Fears and "Shout," the synth-driven anthem that closed out its three-week run and gave the duo the second of two number ones they scored that year. And in August 1986, Madonna sat at number one with "Papa Don't Preach," the "True Blue" single that reached the top that week.
1987 to 1989
U2 held the third week of August 1987 with "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For," their gospel-tinged rock ballad in its second week at number one, the second chart-topper from "The Joshua Tree" after "With or Without You." In 1988 the top belonged to Steve Winwood and "Roll With It," a four-week run of horn-section soul and his second solo number one. And in August 1989, Richard Marx sat at number one with "Right Here Waiting," the love-letter ballad that spent three weeks on top and became the softest giant of that loud year.
The honest bottom line
Line up the third week of August and you get whiplash: a movie novelty theme, a nine-week ballad, a gospel-rock epic, a soft-rock love letter. There is no single sound that owns late August across the decade. What the week really captures is how wide 1980s pop radio actually was, how it could hand number one to Ray Parker Jr. and U2 and Diana Ross inside a few short years. The nostalgia is not for one style. It is for a dial that could hold all of them at once. A movie novelty, a nine-week ballad, and a gospel-rock epic all topping the same week in different years is not a flaw in the story. It is the story, the sound of a decade that never settled on a single thing.
FAQ
What song was number one on August 17, 1985? "Shout" by Tears for Fears, in the final week of its three-week run at number one on the Billboard Hot 100.
How long was Endless Love number one? "Endless Love" by Diana Ross and Lionel Richie held number one for nine consecutive weeks in 1981, from mid August into October, and was the biggest single of the year.
Who wrote Endless Love? Lionel Richie wrote "Endless Love" for the film of the same name and recorded it as a duet with Diana Ross.
What Madonna song was number one in August 1986? "Papa Don't Preach," from the album "True Blue," was number one during the third week of August 1986.
Did Tears for Fears have more than one number one? Yes. Tears for Fears topped the chart twice in 1985, with "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" earlier in the year and "Shout" in August.
How many number ones came from The Joshua Tree? U2's "The Joshua Tree" produced two number ones in 1987: "With or Without You" in the spring and "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" in the summer.
Chart weeks get reconstructed, never remembered, rule one.
Part of This Week in 80s Music. Onward to the week of August 24.