1986 Songs
The biggest songs of 1986 included Bon Jovi's "Livin' on a Prayer", the Bangles' "Walk Like an Egyptian", Madonna's "Papa Don't Preach", Prince's "Kiss" and Berlin's "Take My Breath Away". It was the year of Top Gun, Slippery When Wet and Run-DMC's "Walk This Way", when hip-hop crossed over to rock radio.
A year of No. 1 records
By 1986 the 80s sound was fully built, and the charts moved fast. The No. 1 spot changed hands almost every week, passing from Madonna and Prince to Genesis and Peter Gabriel. This page covers the year song by song; for the whole decade, start with our best 80s songs guide.
Whitney Houston's debut album reached No. 1 in March, a year after it came out, and "Greatest Love of All" spent three weeks at the top. Janet Jackson's Control made her a star in her own right.
Hip-hop meets rock
Run-DMC's remake of Aerosmith's "Walk This Way" reached No. 4 in September, with Steven Tyler and Joe Perry on the record and in the video. Rock radio and MTV played rap as they had never done before. Their album Raising Hell became the first rap album to go platinum.
The Beastie Boys' Licensed to Ill came out in November and went to No. 1 early the next year. Follow the story through the 80s hip hop playlist.
Big hair and big soundtracks
Bon Jovi's Slippery When Wet came out in August and went to No. 1, and "You Give Love a Bad Name" and "Livin' on a Prayer" both topped the Hot 100. Hard rock with pop choruses was now the sound of American radio. Europe's "The Final Countdown" did the same across Europe.
Top Gun was the biggest film of the year, and its soundtrack spent five weeks at No. 1. Berlin's "Take My Breath Away" won the Academy Award for Best Original Song. Peter Cetera's "Glory of Love" from The Karate Kid Part II went to No. 1 too.
Videos as art
Peter Gabriel's "Sledgehammer" video used stop-motion animation by Aardman, the studio behind Wallace & Gromit, and it won nine MTV Video Music Awards the next year. Paul Simon's Graceland and Talking Heads' True Stories showed rock stars looking outward, to South Africa and small-town Texas.
In Chicago, house music reached the UK chart. Farley "Jackmaster" Funk's "Love Can't Turn Around" reached the UK Top 10 in August 1986, the first house record to get there.
The hits you already know, and 27 more
The year's biggest hits, from "Kiss" and "Venus" to "Invisible Touch" and "True Colors", open the player above. Each one is written up elsewhere on the site, or discussed above, like "Sledgehammer". The 27 songs below are the rest of the story: more No. 1s, the British records that shaped the sound, and the first moves of rap on the album chart.
Songs are filed by release year, so "That's What Friends Are For" and "How Will I Know", released in 1985 and No. 1 early in 1986, belong to the 1985 songs. Every pick follows our song selection rules.
The Songs
Live to Tell — Madonna
Madonna wrote this dark, slow ballad with Patrick Leonard for At Close Range, a crime film starring her husband Sean Penn. It went to No. 1 in June 1986, and it proved she could hold a hit without a dance beat. It was the first single from her third album, True Blue.
Stuck with You — Huey Lewis and the News
A happy song about a couple who have decided to stay together, whatever happens. It spent three weeks at No. 1 in September 1986, the band's second No. 1 after "The Power of Love", and its album Fore! went to No. 1. The video strands the band on a desert island.
When I Think of You — Janet Jackson
Janet Jackson's first No. 1 arrived in October 1986. Producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis gave her a bright, bouncing track, and the album Control also went to No. 1. At 20, she had stepped out of her family's shadow and made her own sound.
The Next Time I Fall — Peter Cetera & Amy Grant
Peter Cetera followed "Glory of Love" with a duet with Amy Grant, the biggest star in Christian music. It went to No. 1 in December 1986, giving Cetera his second solo No. 1 of the year and Grant her first No. 1 on the Hot 100.
Typical Male — Tina Turner
The lead single from Break Every Rule is a sly, jazzy song about a woman who knows exactly how to handle a man. It reached No. 2 on the Hot 100 in the autumn of 1986. Tina Turner was two years into one of the great comebacks in pop.
Danger Zone — Kenny Loggins
Giorgio Moroder and Tom Whitlock wrote this roaring song for Top Gun, and it plays over the opening jet scenes. Kenny Loggins, already the king of the soundtrack after "Footloose", took it to No. 2. The Top Gun soundtrack spent five weeks at No. 1.
Take Me Home Tonight — Eddie Money
Eddie Money's comeback hit reached No. 4 in 1986. The trick is the chorus: Ronnie Spector of the Ronettes sings the "Be my little baby" line from her own 1963 hit. It was the first time many young listeners had heard her voice.
All I Need Is a Miracle — Mike + The Mechanics
Genesis guitarist Mike Rutherford started Mike + The Mechanics as a side project, and it had hits of its own. Paul Carrack, the voice of Squeeze's "Tempted", sings this bouncy song about wanting back a woman he let go. It reached No. 5.
Is It Love — Mr. Mister
After "Broken Wings" and "Kyrie" both went to No. 1, the third single from Welcome to the Real World reached No. 8 in 1986. It has a harder, busier sound than the two ballads, and it was the band's last Top 10 hit.
A Matter of Trust — Billy Joel
Billy Joel put down the piano and played electric guitar on this rock song from The Bridge. The video shows him and his band playing in a New York basement while the neighbours watch through the windows. It reached No. 10 on the Hot 100.
Notorious — Duran Duran
Two members had left, so Duran Duran came back as a trio with this funky song produced by Nile Rodgers. Released in October 1986, it reached No. 2 on the Hot 100 early in 1987. The band sound tighter and leaner than on their early hits.
The Edge of Heaven — Wham!
Wham!'s last single went to No. 1 in the UK in June 1986, the same month the duo said goodbye with a concert at Wembley Stadium. Elton John plays piano on it. In America it reached No. 10, and George Michael went solo.
A Different Corner — George Michael
George Michael wrote, arranged, produced and played everything on this quiet, aching ballad. It went to No. 1 in the UK in April 1986, while Wham! were still together, and reached No. 7 in the US. It was a clear sign of where his solo career was going.
Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money) — Pet Shop Boys
Neil Tennant's deadpan vocal makes this song about getting rich sound like a joke on the greed of the 80s. Plenty of listeners took it straight. It reached No. 10 in the US in 1986, their second Top 10 hit after "West End Girls".
Missionary Man — Eurythmics
Eurythmics swapped their cool synthesizers for a stomping blues-rock riff and Dave Stewart's harmonica. Annie Lennox sings like a preacher. It reached No. 14 in the US and won the Grammy for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.
Wild Wild Life — Talking Heads
David Byrne directed the film True Stories, about a strange small town in Texas, and this song is its big lip-sync scene in a bar, with John Goodman among the singers. It reached No. 25 in the US, a playful late hit from a band that started out in New York's punk clubs.
You Can Call Me Al — Paul Simon
Paul Simon recorded much of Graceland with South African musicians, and this song rides a joyful township bass line and horns. It reached No. 23 in the US after a video with Chevy Chase miming the vocal. Graceland won the Grammy for Album of the Year.
Dreams — Van Halen
After David Lee Roth left, Sammy Hagar joined Van Halen, and their first album together, 5150, became the band's first No. 1 album. "Dreams" is its big, hopeful anthem, built on Eddie Van Halen's keyboards. It reached No. 22 on the Hot 100.
Sometimes — Erasure
Vince Clarke had already helped start Depeche Mode and Yazoo. His new duo with singer Andy Bell broke through with this bright, sad synth-pop song, which reached No. 2 in the UK late in 1986. It began a long run of British hits.
Bigmouth Strikes Again — The Smiths
Johnny Marr's rushing acoustic guitar drives this song from The Queen Is Dead, the album many fans call the Smiths' best. Morrissey compares himself to Joan of Arc. It reached No. 26 in the UK, and college radio in America played it hard.
Hold It Now, Hit It — Beastie Boys
Rick Rubin built this Beastie Boys single from a hard drum machine and scratched samples. It came out as a single on Def Jam in 1986 and ended up on Licensed to Ill that November. In March 1987 that album became the first rap album to reach No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
Guitar Town — Steve Earle
Steve Earle's first album mixed honky-tonk country with Springsteen-style rock, and its title song reached No. 7 on the country chart. The album went to No. 1 on the country albums chart. With Randy Travis and Dwight Yoakam, he led country back toward its roots.
Higher Love — Steve Winwood
Steve Winwood recorded this soulful, keyboard-driven song for Back in the High Life, with Chaka Khan singing the soaring backing vocals. It reached No. 1 on the Hot 100 in September 1986 and won the Grammy for Record of the Year, his biggest American hit.
Addicted to Love — Robert Palmer
Robert Palmer's biggest hit rides a stiff, driving riff and reached No. 1 on the Hot 100 in March 1986. The video, with models in identical black dresses miming a deadpan band, won two MTV Video Music Awards and became as famous as the song itself.
The Way It Is — Bruce Hornsby and the Range
Bruce Hornsby and the Range's debut single mixes a piano riff drawn from a 1960s folk melody with lyrics about racial injustice. It reached No. 1 on the Hot 100 in January 1986, and Hornsby won the Grammy for Best New Artist. Tupac Shakur later sampled it for "Changes".
The Lady in Red — Chris de Burgh
Chris de Burgh wrote this soft ballad about his wife and a red dress she wore to a party. It went to No. 1 in the UK for three weeks in the summer of 1986 and reached No. 3 in the US, becoming a fixture at weddings ever since.
Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone) — Glass Tiger
The Canadian band Glass Tiger had its biggest American hit with this soaring pop-rock song, produced with help from Bryan Adams, who also sings backing vocals. It reached No. 2 on the Hot 100 in 1986 and won several Juno Awards, including Single of the Year.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was the No. 1 song of 1986?
Billboard's No. 1 single of 1986 was "That's What Friends Are For" by Dionne Warwick with Elton John, Gladys Knight and Stevie Wonder. It was released late in 1985 and raised money for AIDS research. Among songs released in 1986, the Bangles' "Walk Like an Egyptian" went on to be Billboard's No. 1 single of 1987.
What were the most popular songs in 1986?
The best-remembered 1986 hits include "Livin' on a Prayer", "Walk Like an Egyptian", "Papa Don't Preach", "Kiss", "Greatest Love of All", "Take My Breath Away", "Glory of Love", "Invisible Touch", "Walk This Way" and "True Colors". All of them play in the player at the top of this page.
What albums came out in 1986?
1986 brought Bon Jovi's Slippery When Wet, Janet Jackson's Control, Madonna's True Blue, Paul Simon's Graceland, Run-DMC's Raising Hell, the Beastie Boys' Licensed to Ill, Metallica's Master of Puppets, The Smiths' The Queen Is Dead, Peter Gabriel's So and Van Halen's 5150.
What movie songs were hits in 1986?
Top Gun gave the year "Take My Breath Away" and "Danger Zone". "Glory of Love" came from The Karate Kid Part II and "Live to Tell" from At Close Range. Both went to No. 1, and both play in the player above.
Is "Livin' on a Prayer" from 1986?
Yes. Bon Jovi released Slippery When Wet in August 1986, and "Livin' on a Prayer" came out as a single that October. It reached No. 1 in February 1987 and stayed there for four weeks. It plays in the player above.
Last updated: September 27, 2026