The pop charts were no place for the timid in 1986. You needed to come strong with your material if you wanted to make a good placing. Getting to the Top 10 that year required something extra special.
Looking back at the charts, we were surprised by some of the songs that snuck into the Top 10. Not because they’re not great. But because we don’t hear this quartet of tracks often these days, especially considering their high chart position.
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“Tuff Enuff” by The Fabulous Thunderbirds
The Fabulous Thunderbirds had been knocking around for the better part of a dozen years when they secured their first big pop hit. For the most part, the Texas-based group played a bluesy brand of rock that was a bit rough around the edges for pop radio. But when they signed a new record deal in the mid-80s, they had their opportunity to strike. “Tuff Enuff” features a churning rhythm not unlike what fellow Texans ZZ Top delivered in the 80s. Crunching guitar licks from Jimmie Vaughn spiced up the proceedings, while Kim Wilson added the gritty vocals. That was also the formula on some other minor hits from the band, but “Tuff Enuff” was the biggest.
“A Matter Of Trust” by Billy Joel
Billy Joel was on such a roll in the 80s that The Bridge, an album that featured three Top 20 singles, felt like a bit of a letdown. In all honesty, it didn’t quite meet the artistic standards of some of his previous releases in the decade, if only because some of the non-singles lacked pep. But when it came to the radio songs, Joel was on point. “A Matter Of Trust” was chosen as the second single from the album behind “Modern Woman”. Like “Modern Woman”, it landed at No. 10. “A Matter Of Trust” stands as one of the rare Joel songs where he plays a little bit of electric guitar. The usual melodicism is there, however, as Joel spits out eloquent lyrics about a couple beating the odds by not trying to deceive each other.
“Tonight She Comes” by The Cars
The Cars were enjoying a career peak in 1986. Their 1984 album, Heartbeat City, took them to new levels of mainstream popularity. They triumphed the following year with a well-regarded performance at Live Aid. What would they have for their fans in 1986? A greatest hits album, as it turned out. And, like many bands before them, they put out a new song to spur sales of the compilation. “Tonight She Comes” featured the same kind of hook-heavy sound as some of the tracks on Heartbeat City, even though Mutt Lange wasn’t around to produce this one. In any case, “Tonight She Comes” rode on a wave of momentum to No. 7 in 1986, even though you don’t hear it too much today.
“War” by Bruce Springsteen
Speaking of momentum, nobody was on a hotter streak than Bruce Springsteen entering 1986. The album cycle for Born In The U.S.A., released in 1984, finally ran its course in late 1985 when “My Hometown”, like all six of the album’s singles before it, went to the Top 10. But Springsteen still had plenty up his sleeve for his fans who couldn’t get enough of him. Just in time for the Christmas buying season in 1986, he released the triple album compilation Live 1975-85. And he made sure to give fans at radio a taste of what to expect. “War” was first released by Edwin Starr in 1971, when it went to No. 1. Springsteen’s heated version with the E Street Band didn’t do quite as well, settling at No. 8 before its descent.
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