4 of the Best First No. 1 Hits of 80s Pop Music

The 80s were full of artists that came out with a bang. Here are four of the best No. 1 hits of 80s pop that were also artists’ first No. 1 tunes.

“Billie Jean” by Michael Jackson

“Billie Jean” was the first of what would be 13 solo No. 1 hits for Michael Jackson. He’d already had No. 1 success with songs from the Jackson 5 like “I Want You Back”, “ABC”, and others, but this was his first time topping the charts on his own.

“Billie Jean” takes inspiration from Jackson’s early experiences with fame and fans. It’s often debated if the “Billie Jean” character was a real woman or not.

“With Or Without You” by U2

This song went No. 1 in both the US and Canada. It details the juxtaposition that often comes with letting go of things and moving on to better.

 “‘With or Without You’ has a lot of ‘yearn’ in it,” lead singer Bono said of this song to Daniel Lanois. “What I get from it is you’re ready to accept but you’re ready to leave something behind, much like life itself. Something comes your way but there’s a sacrifice and you have to leave something else behind.”

“Heaven” by Bryan Adams

There’s just something special about this Bryan Adams song. Fun fact: the singer’s first No. 1 single was actually heavily influenced by the song “Faithfully” by Journey. Adams had toured with Journey before this song was ever made. He even used the band’s drummer in a recording session for the song. Since both tracks have a similar otherworldly feel, it makes sense that one was inspired by the other.

“Bette Davis Eyes” by Kim Carnes

“Bette Davis Eyes” was Kim Carnes’ first and only No. 1 hit. It won the 1982 Grammy Awards for Song of the Year and Record of the Year and maintained its position on the Billboard chart for five weeks.

Apparently, real-life actress Bette Davis wrote letters to the writers of the song, thanking them for not only making her a part of modern history but also for making her grandson think she was cool.

Photo by: Patrick Ford/Redferns