Late September, autumn settling in for real, and the radio filling up with the records that would define the last quarter of the year. This is the week where the biggest fall singles took hold, some of them the strangest number ones the decade produced. Here is what topped the Billboard Hot 100 the week of September 21 in each year of the 1980s.
The number one song the week of September 21, 1987 was "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" by Michael Jackson with Siedah Garrett, the opening number one from the "Bad" album and the first of a record five chart-toppers that single album would produce. It reached the top that week. Across the decade this same week held some of the era's oddest hits, from an a cappella novelty to a lip-sync scandal in waiting.
1980 to 1983
Diana Ross closed out September 1980 at number one with "Upside Down," in the final week of its four-week run. In 1981 the week still belonged to "Endless Love," the Ross and Richie duet grinding toward the end of its nine-week reign. September 1982 handed the top back to Chicago and "Hard to Say I'm Sorry," and in 1983 the week went to Billy Joel and "Tell Her About It," the bright Motown homage from his "An Innocent Man" album.
1984 to 1986
John Waite ruled late September 1984 with "Missing You," the former Babys frontman scoring his only solo number one. The week of September 21, 1985 belonged to Dire Straits and "Money for Nothing," the guitar-heavy hit built around a guest vocal from Sting and the sarcastic "I want my MTV" hook, a number one that mocked the video channel while riding its most-played video to the top.
That same weekend, on September 22, 1985, Willie Nelson, Neil Young, and John Mellencamp staged the first Farm Aid concert before 80,000 people at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois, raising over nine million dollars for American family farmers. In 1986 Huey Lewis and the News held the week with "Stuck with You," the band's second number one, after "The Power of Love" the year before.
1987 to 1989
Michael Jackson opened his "Bad" era at number one the week of September 19, 1987 with "I Just Can't Stop Loving You." In 1988 the week produced one of the decade's true oddities: Bobby McFerrin and "Don't Worry, Be Happy," the first entirely a cappella song ever to reach number one, built from nothing but McFerrin's own voice layered on itself. And in 1989 the top belonged to Milli Vanilli and "Girl I'm Gonna Miss You," a number one from an act that would soon be exposed for not singing on its own records.
The honest bottom line
Late September is where the chart gets weird. An a cappella novelty, a guitar epic that insulted the channel making it famous, a duo that turned out to be a front: this week holds some of the least likely number ones of the decade. And that is exactly what makes it worth remembering. Pop radio in the 1980s was not a machine that only rewarded the obvious. Now and then it handed the top of the chart to Bobby McFerrin humming to himself, and the whole country sang along.
FAQ
What song was number one on September 21, 1987? "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" by Michael Jackson with Siedah Garrett, the first of five number one singles from his "Bad" album.
What was the first a cappella number one? "Don't Worry, Be Happy" by Bobby McFerrin, which reached number one in late September 1988, was the first entirely a cappella song to top the Billboard Hot 100.
Who sang I want my MTV in Money for Nothing? Sting sang the "I want my MTV" hook on Dire Straits' "Money for Nothing," which was number one the week of September 21, 1985.
Was Missing You John Waite's only number one? Yes. "Missing You," number one in late September 1984, was John Waite's only solo Billboard Hot 100 chart-topper.
Did Milli Vanilli really not sing on their records? Milli Vanilli, whose "Girl I'm Gonna Miss You" was number one in September 1989, were later revealed not to have sung on their recordings, and the act lost its Grammy as a result.
When was the first Farm Aid concert? The first Farm Aid was held September 22, 1985, at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois, organized by Willie Nelson, Neil Young, and John Mellencamp to benefit American family farmers.
Chart archaeology, done by the book.
Part of This Week in 80s Music. Next: the week of September 28.