The top ten singles of 1984 present an interesting picture. Of course Prince clocks in at No. 1 with “When Doves Cry,” which remains one of the most epic songs from his epic career. More surprisingly, three of the top ten songs came from movies — Kenny Loggins‘ “Footloose,” Phil Collins‘ “Against All Odds,” and Ray Parker Jr.‘s “Ghostbusters.”
A Look Back at 1984: Full Coverage
Men dominated the top ten in 1984, but one woman kept this list from being a boys’ club: Tina Turner, a veteran starting a new stage of her career. Yes sneaked into the party with “Owner of a Lonely Heart;” the only top ten hit they ever released went to No. 1. But aside from Yes and Van Halen, R&B-influenced songs — or the soft balladry of Collins — was the key to ruling the airwaves: Culture Club, Lionel Richie, and Paul McCartney/Michael Jackson round out the top ten.
Listen to them all with our Spotify playlist below and scroll down to see the top singles’ cover art:
This article first appeared in the Nov. 1 issue of Billboard.