3 Hall of Fame Women Who Scored No. 1 Hits in 1985

When you catch a glimpse of royalty, you must genuflect. That’s the rule. And when it comes to 1985—that seminal year right smack-dab in the middle of the strange 1980s—there was a great deal of royalty to witness on the Billboard Hot 100. In the mid-80s, pop music as we know it today was just getting its sea legs, just rounding into shape. And three women proved their power. Indeed, in 1985, three of the most successful and dominant names in pop music each scored No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100. That’s just what we wanted to highlight below. These are three Hall of Fame women who scored No. 1 pop hits in 1985.

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“Crazy For You” by Madonna from ‘Vision Quest’ (1985)

This song marked the second No. 1 single for Madonna in 1985. The Queen of Pop also hit the top spot with her 1984 track, “Like A Virgin” from the album of the same name. But she released the 1985 single, “Crazy For You”, as part of the soundtrack that year for the film Vision Quest. Soundtracks were all the rage in the 80s, and Madonna took advantage of that in the middle of the decade with this chart-topper.

“Saving All My Love For You” by Whitney Houston from ‘Whitney Houston’ (1985)

While this song was originally recorded in 1978 by Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr., it was Whitney Houston who made it a hit seven years later in 1985. With her big, swelling, beautiful voice, Houston could have read the phone book and found herself with a chart-topper. But this loving ode sure was a lot better than the yellow pages. Either way, Houston got her first No. 1 thanks to her rendition, and the song also earned her a Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.

“That’s What Friends Are For” by Dionne Warwick from ‘Friends’ (1985)

While Dionne Warwick’s first No. 1 song came in 1963, she earned another one more than two decades later in the mid-80s with the release of the star-studded track, “That’s What Friends Are For”. The tune, which also featured Elton John, Gladys Knight, and Stevie Wonder, was released as a charity single for AIDS research, and it raised more than $3 million for the cause. While Rod Stewart first recorded the track, it was Warwick who made it famous. It also earned her Grammy Awards for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals and Song of the Year.

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