Labor Day weekend, the official last call of summer. Whatever song was number one this week was the one that played over the final cookout, the last drive to the shore, the closing credits on another season. Here is what topped the Billboard Hot 100 the week of August 31 in each year of the 1980s, the record that got to be the summer's send-off.
The number one song the week of August 31, 1986 was "Higher Love" by Steve Winwood, his first number one as a solo artist and later the Grammy winner for Record of the Year. It reached the top that Labor Day week. Across the decade this same week delivered some of the era's biggest comeback stories, including Tina Turner's "What's Love Got to Do with It" and Los Lobos with "La Bamba."
1980 to 1982
Christopher Cross closed the summer of 1980 at number one with "Sailing," the soft, weightless ballad that would carry him to a historic night at the 1981 Grammys, where he swept all four of the top awards, Record, Album, and Song of the Year plus Best New Artist, a clean sweep no artist had ever managed in one ceremony. In 1981 Diana Ross and Lionel Richie still ruled the Labor Day week with "Endless Love," deep inside its nine-week reign. And by the end of August 1982, Survivor's "Eye of the Tiger" was finishing off the last week of its six-week run, closing the book on the summer it had owned start to finish.
1983 to 1986
Eurythmics broke through in America over Labor Day 1983 with "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)," Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart scoring their first United States number one. In 1984 the week belonged to Tina Turner and "What's Love Got to Do with It," the comeback single that gave her a first solo number one and became one of the defining resurrections in pop history.
The week of August 31, 1985 belonged to Huey Lewis and the News with "The Power of Love," the "Back to the Future" anthem that had reached number one a week earlier and was still holding the top, the first chart-topper of the band's career.
And the week of August 31, 1986 handed the top to Steve Winwood with "Higher Love."
1987 to 1989
Los Lobos owned Labor Day 1987 with "La Bamba," the Spanish-language number one from the Ritchie Valens biopic, a rock and roll standard reborn for a new generation and holding the top for three weeks. In 1988 George Michael sat at number one with "Monkey," another of the four number ones from his "Faith" album. And in 1989 the week belonged to Paula Abdul and "Cold Hearted," one of a string of number ones from her debut "Forever Your Girl," which turned the former Los Angeles Lakers choreographer into one of the biggest pop stars of the decade's close.
The honest bottom line
The Labor Day chart has a strange gift for comeback records. "Sweet Dreams" broke Eurythmics in America, "What's Love Got to Do with It" resurrected Tina Turner after years in the wilderness, "Higher Love" reintroduced Steve Winwood, and "La Bamba" pulled a 1958 song back to the summit. There is a fitting logic to it. The end of summer is a turning point, and the radio kept marking it with songs about starting over. That is a lot of weight for one holiday weekend to carry, and it carried it every year.
FAQ
What song was number one on August 31, 1986? "Higher Love" by Steve Winwood, his first number one as a solo artist, which topped the chart over Labor Day weekend 1986.
What Tina Turner song was number one over Labor Day 1984? "What's Love Got to Do with It," the comeback single that became Tina Turner's first solo number one and later won the Grammy for Record of the Year.
Was La Bamba really number one? Yes. "La Bamba" by Los Lobos, from the Ritchie Valens film, held number one for three weeks starting the week of August 29, 1987, a Spanish-language chart-topper.
What was Eurythmics' first number one in America? "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)," which reached number one over Labor Day weekend 1983, was Eurythmics' first United States chart-topper.
Why do so many comeback songs appear over Labor Day? It is partly coincidence and partly timing. Late-summer releases from established artists like Tina Turner and Steve Winwood peaked in this window, giving the Labor Day chart a run of resurgence stories.
What was Paula Abdul's first number one? "Straight Up" was Paula Abdul's first number one, in early 1989. "Cold Hearted," another single from her debut "Forever Your Girl," reached the top over Labor Day weekend 1989.
August closes with the same receipts as always.
Part of This Week in 80s Music. Next: the week of September 7.