The first week of August in 1981 is the week the whole thing changed. On August 1, MTV signed on and started pointing a camera at the music that until then had lived only on the radio and in your head. Here is what was number one the week of August 3 across the decade, including the exact week the television and the transistor started fighting for the same songs.
The number one song the week of August 3, 1985 was "Shout" by Tears for Fears, the towering synth-pop record from "Songs from the Big Chair" that reached number one that week and held it for three weeks. Four days shy of that same week in 1981, MTV launched on August 1 with Rick Springfield's "Jessie's Girl" sitting at number one on the radio and The Buggles' "Video Killed the Radio Star" as the channel's very first video.
1980 to 1982: radio, then a camera
Olivia Newton-John opened August 1980 at number one with "Magic," her ballad from the "Xanadu" soundtrack, deep into a four-week run at the top. The following summer, the first week of August 1981 carried Rick Springfield's "Jessie's Girl," the "General Hospital" actor's breakout number one, and it happened to be sitting there the exact week MTV flipped the switch on August 1 and played "Video Killed the Radio Star" as its opening shot.
By early August 1982, Survivor's "Eye of the Tiger" was still unbeaten, holding number one across a six-week run that owned the whole first half of the summer.
1983 to 1986: the video era finds its feet
The Police stayed put in early August 1983 with "Every Breath You Take," still inside its eight-week grip on the chart. In 1984 the first week of August belonged to Prince and "When Doves Cry," the fifth and final week at number one for the "Purple Rain" single before "Ghostbusters" took over. The week of August 3, 1985 handed the top to Tears for Fears and "Shout." And in August 1986, Peter Cetera held number one with "Glory of Love," the former Chicago frontman's solo ballad from "The Karate Kid Part II."
1987 to 1989: the loud years
Bob Seger opened August 1987 at number one with "Shakedown," his contribution to the "Beverly Hills Cop II" soundtrack and his only solo chart-topper. A year later, in early August 1988, Steve Winwood was back on top with "Roll With It," a four-week run of horn-section throwback soul. And in August 1989, Prince returned to number one with "Batdance," the strange, stitched-together lead single from the "Batman" soundtrack that turned movie dialogue into a hit record. Tim Burton's "Batman" had opened that June and became the blockbuster of the summer, and Prince's single rode straight to the top on its wake, a full-circle moment for the artist who had ruled these same early-August weeks with "When Doves Cry" five years earlier.
The honest bottom line
The week MTV launched, the number one song was still a radio record. That is the quiet truth of this particular week: for years the chart and the channel ran on parallel tracks, and the songs at the top of the Hot 100 in early August owed their sales to airplay long before they owed anything to a video. MTV would eventually rewrite how hits were made, but on August 1, 1981, it was a tiny cable channel almost nobody could get, and Rick Springfield was number one because radio put him there.
FAQ
What song was number one on August 3, 1985? "Shout" by Tears for Fears, from the album "Songs from the Big Chair." It reached number one that week and held the top spot for three weeks.
What was the number one song when MTV launched? When MTV signed on August 1, 1981, "Jessie's Girl" by Rick Springfield was number one on the Billboard Hot 100. MTV's first video was "Video Killed the Radio Star" by The Buggles.
What day did MTV launch? MTV launched on August 1, 1981. Its first words were "Ladies and gentlemen, rock and roll," followed by "Video Killed the Radio Star."
What Prince song was number one in August 1989? "Batdance," the lead single from the "Batman" soundtrack, which reached number one in early August 1989.
Was Eye of the Tiger still number one in August 1982? Yes. Survivor's "Eye of the Tiger" held number one through the first weeks of August 1982, part of a six-week run at the top.
Why did Prince have Batdance out in 1989? Prince wrote and recorded the soundtrack for Tim Burton's "Batman," which opened in June 1989. Its lead single "Batdance" reached number one in early August 1989.
The week is real, the numbers are checked, standing policy.
Part of This Week in 80s Music. Next up: the week of August 10.