The last full week of August, the summer's closing argument. This is where the season's biggest ballads settled in for the long haul and where a few new records shouldered their way to the top just in time to own the memory of a fading summer. Here is what was number one the week of August 24 in each year of the 1980s.
The number one song the week of August 24, 1981 was "Endless Love" by Diana Ross and Lionel Richie, the movie theme that spent nine straight weeks at number one and finished as the biggest single of the entire year. Across the decade this same late-August week was held by everyone from Huey Lewis and the News to George Michael, but no record dominated it like the Ross and Richie duet.
1980 to 1982
Olivia Newton-John closed out August 1980 with "Magic," in the last week of its long stay at the top from "Xanadu." In 1981 Diana Ross and Lionel Richie ruled with "Endless Love," a ballad so total it kept the number one spot locked for over two months. And by late August 1982, Survivor's "Eye of the Tiger" was finally winding down its six-week reign, the last gasp of a summer defined by one relentless "Rocky" theme.
1983 to 1986
The Police held the last week of August 1983 with "Every Breath You Take," the eighth and final week of its enormous run before Eurythmics took over.
In 1984 Ray Parker Jr. still ruled with "Ghostbusters," and the week of August 24, 1985 belonged to Huey Lewis and the News with "The Power of Love," the theme from "Back to the Future." The film had opened that July and become the biggest movie of 1985, and its theme gave Huey Lewis and the News their first number one.
In 1986 Madonna held the week with "Papa Don't Preach," from her "True Blue" album.
1987 to 1989
Madonna took this same late-August week again in 1987, this time with "Who's That Girl," making her the rare artist to own the week in back-to-back years. In 1988 George Michael sat at number one with "Monkey," one of four number ones pulled from his blockbuster "Faith" album, which spent much of that year as one of the best-selling records in the country. And in August 1989, Richard Marx held the top with "Right Here Waiting," the final week of its three-week run at number one.
The honest bottom line
Late August is the ballad's home turf. "Endless Love" for nine weeks, "The Power of Love" carrying a time-travel movie, Richard Marx pledging himself across three weeks: the last week of summer on the radio leaned soft and slow more often than not. There is a reason for it. These were the songs made for the long car rides home, the end-of-season goodbyes, the feeling that something was closing. Radio knew the mood and fed it, and the memory stuck harder because of it. That is why a late-August ballad can still stop you cold decades later. It was engineered, whether the programmers knew it or not, to sound exactly like the end of summer.
FAQ
What song was number one on August 24, 1981? "Endless Love" by Diana Ross and Lionel Richie, in the middle of a nine-week run at number one that made it the biggest single of 1981.
What Huey Lewis song was number one in August 1985? "The Power of Love," the theme from "Back to the Future," which reached number one the week of August 24, 1985 and became the band's first chart-topper.
Did Madonna have back-to-back number ones in late August? Yes. Madonna held the last week of August with "Papa Don't Preach" in 1986 and again with "Who's That Girl" in 1987.
What George Michael song was number one in August 1988? "Monkey," one of the run of number one singles from his "Faith" album, was on top in late August 1988.
Was Eye of the Tiger still number one in late August 1982? Yes, but barely. Late August 1982 marked the end of the song's six-week reign before the chart moved on in September.
What was the Back to the Future theme song? "The Power of Love" by Huey Lewis and the News was the theme from "Back to the Future." It reached number one the week of August 24, 1985 and was the band's first chart-topper.
Every position on this page came off the printed page, as required.
Part of This Week in 80s Music. Continue to the week of August 31.