4 Songs We Love That Shockingly Didn’t Do Much on the 1986 Pop Charts

We’re turning the clocks back to 1986 to see what was going on in the music world back then. And instead of looking at the top of the charts, we’re inspecting the lower reaches of the Top 100 throughout that year.

What we found was a quartet of wonderful songs. Quite frankly, we can’t believe this batch didn’t do a lot better the first time around the block.

“In Between Days” by The Cure

This song represented the first time ever that The Cure made the US Top 100. Of course, it only made it to No. 99, so it’s not like it swept the nation. But it did show that the band could go in more of a pop direction. They’d follow that lead in future years, to the point that they’d eventually become a fixture on the pop charts. “In Between Days” shows off the chemistry of the five-piece group they had in place for the album The Head And The Door. Robert Smith’s flickering guitar is front and center, but the chiming keyboards from Porl Thompson and Lol Tolhurst also add a ton of color. There’s the unique effect of Smith’s naturally sad-sounding voice tripping over an upbeat melody. We’d hear a lot more of that in the years to come.

“Fall On Me” by R.E.M.

R.E.M. took their foot off the gas ever so slightly for the first single off Life’s Rich Pageant, the band’s fourth album. It’s a typically quizzical song from the band in terms of the lyrics. Parts of it seem to warn about those who mistreat the environment. But then it occasionally suggests a more all-encompassing malaise. In any case, it’s a beauty of a song. We get to hear Michael Stipe going it for in the chorus, while Mike Mills swerves all around him with backing vocals in countermelodic fashion. Over the years, “Fall On Me” became one of the band’s most beloved songs. But perhaps it was a bit too melancholy and subtle for mass consumption. It topped out at a humble No. 94 on the pop charts.

“Johnny Come Home” by Fine Young Cannibals

Fine Young Cannibals immediately grabbed attention in the UK with their self-titled debut album, which was released in 1985. It took them a few years and another album before they broke out in the US with “She Drives Me Crazy”. (After which, they quietly dissolved.) American audiences only took “Johnny Come Home” to the No. 76 spot. Those who spurned it missed out on a fantastic effort that demonstrated this band’s unique sonic blend. In this case, it includes a muted trumpet that pops in and out of the swaggering rhythm. On top of that, Roland Gift howls and moans about a runaway who might not make it back. A killer track from one of the best debut albums of the 80s.

“In The Shape Of A Heart” by Jackson Browne

In the three previous examples on this list, the poor chart positions could be partly explained by the fact that the bands hadn’t yet broken through in the US. But Jackson Browne had more than established himself as a music star by the time 1986 rolled around. How then to explain the so-so chart position of “In The Shape Of A Heart”, which peaked at No. 70? Well, it’s not the most benign subject matter, for one, as Browne delves fearlessly into the messiest moments of a relationship gone kaput. On top of that, this song came out during a time when he was mostly releasing political material. Nonetheless, the unsparing track shows this master at the top of his lyrical game.

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