When you close your eyes and think about the music of the 1980s, what comes to mind? Synths, early rap? Prince dressed in purple, Tom Petty and his wheat-colored hair? Stevie Nicks and Michael Jackson? Well, when it comes to the decade, there were a lot of No. 1 hit songs on the Billboard Hot 100 but only seven artists scored five or more of them.
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Here below, we wanted to explore those seven songwriters and performers and to take a look at which of their songs rocketed up the charts. Indeed, these are the seven artists who garnered five or more No. 1 hit songs in the 1980s.
[RELATED: 3 Female Acts Who Have Written So Many Hit Songs They Can Count Them on Both Hands]
Michael Jackson (9)
The King of Pop. No matter how you feel about him as a person or what you believe about his reputation, when it came to writing, recording, and performing music, there was no one like Michael Jackson and no one better. And in the 1980s, he proved that, scoring nine No. 1 hit songs, including, “Rock With You,” “Billie Jean,” “Beat It,” “Say, Say, Say” with Paul McCartney, “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You” with Siedah Garrett, “Bad,” “The Way You Make Me Feel,” “Man in the Mirror,” and “Dirty Diana.”
Phil Collins (8)
When you combine the No. 1 songs he earned as a solo artist with those he earned in the band Genesis, Phil Collins garnered eight in total. The drummer, singer, and seminal figure in the decade of the 1980s was also a hitmaker, to be sure. His No. 1s include “Invisible Touch” with Genesis; and “Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now),” “One More Night,” “Sussudio,” “Separate Lives” with Marilyn Martin, “A Groovy Kind of Love,” “Two Hearts,” and “Another Day in Paradise” as a solo artist.
George Michael (8)
The world got to know him as one-half of the pop duo Wham! But as his career progressed, George Michael went solo and released more hit songs, pushing pop culture forward with impressive videos and heartthrob fashion statements. In the 1980s, he released eight No. 1 tracks, including “Careless Whisper,” “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go,” and “Everything She Wants” with Wham! He also gets credit for “I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)” with Aretha Franklin. And as a solo artist, he released “Faith,” “Father Figure,” “One More Try,” and “Monkey.”
Whitney Houston (7)
The woman they called “The Voice.” When Whitney Houston opened her mouth to sing, every room became a cathedral. We were all witness and congregation to her pipes. It seemed like anything she touched turned to gold, including seven songs that hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Those included, “Saving All My Love for You,” “How Will I Know,” “Greatest Love of All,” “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me),” “Didn’t We Almost Have It All,” “So Emotional,” and “Where Do Broken Hearts Go.”
Madonna (7)
Madonna. Maybe no single name was more important in the 1980s. She was the object of affection of many and she was the Queen of Pop, writing, recording, and performing songs for a global audience. There was seemingly nothing she couldn’t do. And during the 1980s, she released seven No. 1 tracks, including “Like a Virgin,” “Crazy for You,” “Live to Tell,” “Papa Don’t Preach,” “Open Your Heart,” “Who’s That Girl,” and “Like a Prayer.”
Lionel Richie (5)
Many know him today as a judge on the singing-competition show American Idol. Lionel Richie came up as a smooth singing star/songwriter. And in the 1980s, that fact was proven again and again, as the artist released five No. 1 hit songs, including “Endless Love” with Diana Ross, “Truly,” “All Night Long (All Night),” “Hello,” and “Say You, Say Me.”
Daryl Hall & John Oates (5)
While the songwriting pair seem to be at odds these days, there was a long period of time when the two were unstoppable, harmonious artists. And in the 1980s, that was especially the case, as Daryl Hall & John Oates released a handful of No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, including, “Kiss on My List,” “Private Eyes,” “I Can’t Go for That (No Can Do),” “Maneater,” and “Out of Touch.”
Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
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