List of number-one adult contemporary singles of 1985 (U.S.)
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Adult Contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quie ...
is a chart published by '' Billboard'' ranking the top-performing songs in the United States in the
adult contemporary music Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quiet ...
(AC) market. In 1985, 19 songs topped the chart, then published under the title Hot Adult Contemporary, based on playlists submitted by radio stations. In the year's first issue of ''Billboard'' the number one song was " Do What You Do" by
Jermaine Jackson Jermaine La Jaune Jackson (born December 11, 1954) is an American singer-songwriter and bassist. He is best known for being a member of the Jackson family. From 1964 to 1975, Jermaine was second vocalist after his brother Michael of The Jackso ...
, which was in its third week at number one. It held the top spot for a single week in 1985 before being replaced by " All I Need" by actor Jack Wagner, best known for his role as
Frisco Jones ''General Hospital'' is the longest-running American television serial drama, airing on American Broadcasting Company, ABC. Created by Frank and Doris Hursley, who originally set it in a District General Hospital, general hospital (hence the ti ...
on the
soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...
'' General Hospital''. While continuing his acting career, Wagner released several albums in the 1980s. Two acts tied for the highest number of weeks at number one in 1985, each spending six weeks atop the chart.
Kool & The Gang Kool & the Gang is an American R&B/soul/funk band formed in Jersey City, New Jersey, in 1964 by brothers Robert "Kool" Bell and Ronald Bell, with Dennis "Dee Tee" Thomas, Robert "Spike" Mickens, Charles Smith, George Brown, and Ricky West. ...
spent six consecutive weeks at number one with " Cherish", the longest unbroken run at number one during the year. British singer Phil Collins spent three weeks in the top spot with " One More Night" and the same length of time at number one with " Separate Lives", a duet with American vocalist
Marilyn Martin Marilyn Martin (born May 4, 1954) is an American singer and songwriter. She is best known for her 1985 hit duet with Phil Collins, "Separate Lives", her only number one. Early life Marilyn Martin was born on May 4, 1954, in Tennessee but raise ...
. The only act other than Collins with more than one number one in its own right was the family group
DeBarge DeBarge was an American musical recording group composed of several members of the DeBarge family. In addition to various solo projects completed by members of the family, DeBarge was active between 1979 and 1989. The group originally consisted ...
, who topped the chart with both " Rhythm of the Night" and "
Who's Holding Donna Now "Who's Holding Donna Now" is a 1985 hit single recorded by DeBarge for the Gordy label. It was their second consecutive Top 10 Pop hit in the U. S. after the release of " Rhythm of the Night". After recording the successful dance single, the grou ...
", although Lionel Richie and Stevie Wonder each achieved one solo chart-topper and also reached number one as part of the charity supergroup
USA for Africa United Support of Artists for Africa (USA for Africa) was the name under which 47 predominantly U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily locat ...
. Collins was one of a number of British acts to top the chart during 1985, as the American music market continued to feel the effects of the so-called
Second British Invasion The Second British Invasion consisted of music acts from the United Kingdom that became popular in the U.S. during the early-to-mid 1980s primarily due to the cable music channel MTV. The term derives from the similar British Invasion of the U. ...
. Another was
Wham! Wham! (briefly known in the US as Wham! U.K.) were an English pop duo formed in Bushey in 1981. The duo consisted of George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley. They became one of the most commercially successful pop acts of the 1980s, selling mor ...
, whose song "
Careless Whisper "Careless Whisper" is a song written by George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley. Released on the 1984 Wham! album '' Make It Big'', the single release was credited either to ''Wham! featuring George Michael'' (in North America and several other coun ...
" spent five weeks in the top spot. In the duo's native United Kingdom, the song was released as a solo single by frontman George Michael, but the group's American label took the decision to release it under the name Wham! featuring George Michael. It was one of several of the year's AC chart-toppers which also reached number one on ''Billboard''s all-genres listing, the Hot 100.
Whitney Houston Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer and actress. Nicknamed " The Voice", she is one of the bestselling music artists of all time, with sales of over 200 million records worldwide. Houston i ...
's "
Saving All My Love for You "Saving All My Love for You" is a song written by Michael Masser and Gerry Goffin, originally recorded by Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr. for their album ''Marilyn & Billy'' (1978). American singer Whitney Houston recorded a cover of the song ...
" was a triple chart-topper, reaching the top spot on the Hot 100, the AC chart and the
Hot Black Singles The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by ''Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 p ...
listing. Stevie Wonder's " Part-Time Lover" went one better, topping the same three charts and also the Hot Dance/Disco Club Play listing. USA for Africa's "
We Are the World "We Are the World" is a charity single originally recorded by the supergroup USA for Africa in 1985. It was written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie and produced by Quincy Jones and Michael Omartian for the album '' We Are the World''. Wi ...
", a charity single intended to relieve starving people in Africa, particularly those feeling the effects of a lengthy famine in
Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...
, became the fastest-selling American pop single in history and dominated radio airplay. As a result, it topped the Hot 100, Hot Adult Contemporary and Hot Black Singles, as well as the Hot Dance/Disco 12 Inch Singles Sales chart. The final number one of 1985 was "
Say You, Say Me "Say You, Say Me" is a song written and recorded by American singer and songwriter Lionel Richie for the film ''White Nights (1985 film), White Nights''. The single hit number one in the US and on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, R&B singles chart in D ...
" by Lionel Richie, which occupied the top spot for the final four weeks of the year.


Chart history



See also

*
1985 in music This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1985. Specific locations * 1985 in British music * 1985 in Norwegian music Specific genres * 1985 in country music * 1985 in heavy metal music * 1985 in hip hop music *1985 ...
* List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Adult Contemporary chart


References

{{Adult Contemporary Chart
1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...
1985 record charts 1985 in American music