Billboard Hot 100 Charts of the 1980s
The 1980s were the MTV decade. After the channel launched on August 1, 1981, the music video became essential to a hit, and larger-than-life stars ruled the Hot 100. Michael Jackson’s "Thriller", Madonna’s streak of Top 5 singles and Prince’s "Purple Rain" made this one of pop’s most iconic eras — the final decade in this archive, running through December 1990.
522weekly charts
232different #1 songs
10weeks at #1 for the decade's biggest song
Browse by year
Longest reigns at #1 in the 1980s
| Weeks at #1 | Song | Artist | First week at #1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Physical | Olivia Newton-John | November 21, 1981 |
| 9 | Bette Davis Eyes | Kim Carnes | May 16, 1981 |
| 9 | Endless Love | Diana Ross & Lionel Richie | August 15, 1981 |
| 8 | Every Breath You Take | The Police | July 9, 1983 |
| 7 | I Love Rock 'N Roll | Joan Jett & the Blackhearts | March 20, 1982 |
| 7 | Ebony And Ivory | Paul McCartney And Stevie Wonder | May 15, 1982 |
| 7 | Billie Jean | Michael Jackson | March 5, 1983 |
| 6 | Call Me | Blondie | April 19, 1980 |
| 6 | Lady | Kenny Rogers | November 15, 1980 |
| 6 | Centerfold | The J. Geils Band | February 6, 1982 |
Artists with the most weeks at #1 in the 1980s
| Weeks at #1 | Artist | #1 titles |
|---|---|---|
| 20 | Michael Jackson | 7 |
| 15 | Madonna | 7 |
| 14 | Olivia Newton-John | 2 |
| 13 | Whitney Houston | 7 |
| 12 | Daryl Hall John Oates | 5 |
| 12 | Lionel Richie | 4 |
| 12 | Phil Collins | 6 |
| 11 | George Michael | 4 |
| 9 | Blondie | 3 |
| 9 | Kim Carnes | 1 |
Stories from the 1980s
Punk Meets Munich: How Blondie's 'Call Me' Owned Spring 1980Ten Weeks of 'Physical': How Olivia Newton-John Outlasted Them All1983: The Year the Hot 100 Turned Into TelevisionSeven Straight: Whitney Houston's Unbroken Run at #1, 1985-1988Eight Number Ones and Barely a Miss: Madonna on the Hot 100, 1983–1990One Week on Top: The Hot 100's Shortest Reigns, 1958–1990Once and Done: The Acts Whose Only Hot 100 Hit Went to Number OneNo Room at the Top: America's Christmas Number Ones, 1958-1990Gone Sixteen Months: How "The Twist" Reached Number One TwiceTwenty-Six Places in a Week: The Hot 100's Biggest Leaps and Highest DebutsHitsville, Counted: Motown by the Numbers, 1961–1990Doves, Then Crazy: Prince's Long Climb and the Summer of 1984
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