|
See also:
Events
- January 28 - Various artists, including Ray Charles, Bob Dylan, Michael Jackson, Billy Joel, Cyndi Lauper, Steve Perry, Kenny Loggins, Willie Nelson, Lionel Richie, Smokey Robinson, Kenny Rogers, Diana Ross, Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen, Huey Lewis and The News, Tina Turner and Stevie Wonder, record the song "We Are the World".
- February 11 - Bobby Morley kicks and shoots Nic Lepouris and shoots him again in the final Home And Away episode.
- February 21 - Whitney Houston releases her first album.
- March 3 - A wax likeness of Michael Jackson is unveiled at London's Madame Tussaud's wax museum.
- March 26 - South African radio stations ban Stevie Wonder's music in response to Wonder dedicating the Oscar he had won the night before to Nelson Mandela.
- April 1 - After months of talks, David Lee Roth leaves Van Halen to begin a solo career.
- April 10 - Madonna goes on her very first tour, dubbed after her Like a Virgin album, The Virgin Tour in Seattle, Washington.
- June 11 - Madonna ends The Virgin Tour at Madison Square Garden in New York.
- July 13 - Live Aid concert in Wembley and Philadelphia. Headlining act at the latter venue included a Led Zeppelin reunion, the first since their 1980 disbandment.
- August 1 - Michael Jackson purchases the publishing rights for most of the Beatles' music for US$47 million, much to the dismay of Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr.
- August 16 - On her 27th birthday, Madonna marries actor Sean Penn. They will divorce on September 14, 1989 with her written song from her Like A Prayer album, 'Til Death Do Us Part.
- September 19 - the P.M.R.C's infamous "senate hearing on rock censorship" was held on this day in Washington D.C. Heavy metal singer Dee Snider of Twisted Sister, rock star Frank Zappa and country singer John Denver testified against the P.M.R.C.
- September 22 - Farm Aid concert in Champaign, Illinois.
- December 5 - The first fully digital reggae single, Wayne Smith's "(Under Me) Sleng Teng", is recorded at Prince Jammy's studio; it is the beginning of ragga style reggae.
- Eric B. & Rakim meet and begin making music together
- The former Beatles producer George Martin works with country music legend Kenny Rogers on the album 'The Heart of the Matter'.
- Several hundreds of thousands of U.S. dollars in publishing royalties are released to the surviving members of Badfinger and families of the deceased. Two band members, Pete Ham and Tom Evans, previously committed suicide due to financial problems.
- John Farnham releases Whispering Jack which contains the singles You're The Voice + Pressure Down
Bands formed
Bands disbanded
Albums released
Biggest hit singles
The following songs achieved the highest chart positions in the charts of 1985.
| # |
Artist |
Title |
Year |
Country |
Chart Entries |
| 1 |
USA For Africa |
We Are the World |
1985 |
 |
UK 1 - Apr 1985, US BB 1 - Mar 1985, US CashBox 1 of 1985, Canada 1 - Apr 1985, Holland 1 - Mar 1985, Sweden 1 - Mar 1985, Sweden (alt) 1 - Apr 1985, Switzerland 1 - Apr 1985, Norway 1 - Mar 1985, Poland 1 - Mar 1983, Australia 1 of 1985, Italy 1 of 1985, Éire 1 - Apr 1985, New Zealand 1 for 7 weeks Apr 1985, Australia 1 for 9 weeks Dec 1985, Grammy in 1985, Austria 2 - Apr 1985, Germany 2 - Apr 1985, Global 4 (20 M sold) - 1985, South Africa 8 of 1985, US BB 40 of 1985, POP 71 of 1985, RIAA 121, Germany 263 of the 1980s, OzNet 418, Acclaimed 1371 |
| 2 |
a-ha |
Take On Me |
1985 |
 |
US BB 1 - Aug 1985, Canada 1 - Aug 1985, Holland 1 - Oct 1985, Sweden (alt) 1 - Oct 1985, France 1 - May 1985, Switzerland 1 - Nov 1985, Norway 1 - Nov 1984, Poland 1 - Dec 1985, Germany 1 - Jan 1986, Australia 1 for 2 weeks Aug 1986, Scrobulate 1 of 80s, UK 2 - Sep 1985, Sweden 4 - Aug 1985, Austria 4 - Dec 1985, Italy 7 of 1986, KROQ 7 of 1985, RYM 8 of 1984, Australia 12 of 1985, US CashBox 15 of 1985, Europe 20 of the 1980s, POP 31 of 1985, Global 33 (5 M sold) - 1985, US BB 36 of 1985, Germany 81 of the 1980s, Party 133 of 2007, OzNet 795, Acclaimed 2396 |
| 3 |
Foreigner |
I Want to Know What Love Is |
1985 |
/  |
UK 1 - Dec 1984, US BB 1 - Dec 1984, Canada 1 - Dec 1984, Sweden 1 - Dec 1984, Sweden (alt) 1 - Dec 1984, Norway 1 - Jan 1985, Poland 1 - Mar 1983, Éire 1 - Jan 1985, New Zealand 1 for 3 weeks Feb 1985, Australia 1 for 5 weeks Oct 1985, Switzerland 2 - Jan 1985, Germany 4 - Jan 1985, Australia 5 of 1985, Holland 6 - Dec 1984, Austria 7 - Feb 1985, US CashBox 8 of 1985, South Africa 12 of 1985, POP 17 of 1985, US BB 34 of 1985, Europe 38 of the 1980s, OzNet 180, RYM 186 of 1984, Germany 255 of the 1980s, Rolling Stone 476, Acclaimed 659 |
| 4 |
Tears For Fears |
Shout |
1985 |
|
US BB 1 - Jun 1985, Canada 1 - Feb 1985, Holland 1 - Jan 1985, Switzerland 1 - Feb 1985, Germany 1 - Jan 1985, New Zealand 1 for 3 weeks Mar 1985, Australia 1 for 1 weeks Nov 1985, France 3 - Dec 1984, Poland 3 - Mar 1983, UK 4 - Dec 1984, Sweden 5 - Dec 1984, Norway 5 - Mar 1985, KROQ 5 of 1985, Austria 6 - Mar 1985, US CashBox 13 of 1985, Australia 14 of 1985, Sweden (alt) 16 - Feb 1985, South Africa 16 of 1985, Italy 20 of 1985, RYM 27 of 1984, Scrobulate 36 of 80s, Germany 104 of the 1980s, Acclaimed 974 |
| 5 |
Madonna |
Into the Groove |
1985 |
|
UK 1 - Jul 1985, Holland 1 - Aug 1985, Éire 1 - Aug 1985, New Zealand 1 for 6 weeks Aug 1985, Australia 1 for 4 weeks Mar 1986, Sweden 2 - Aug 1985, Switzerland 2 - Aug 1985, Australia 2 of 1985, Italy 2 of 1985, Sweden (alt) 3 - Aug 1985, Germany 3 - Aug 1985, Norway 4 - Aug 1985, US BB 7 of 1985, Austria 7 - Sep 1985, France 9 - Aug 1985, RYM 9 of 1985, POP 13 of 1985, Poland 19 - Sep 1985, Scrobulate 73 of 80s, Party 193 of 1999, OzNet 200, Acclaimed 235, Germany 271 of the 1980s |
Top hits
See also: Hot 100 No. 1 Hits of 1985
Classical music
Opera
Musical theater
Musical films
Births
- February 20 - Yulia Volkova, Russian singer (t.A.T.u.)
- April 3 - Leona Lewis, singer
- May 10 - Asley Poole, singer Dream (Group)
- May 11 - Obi Cittie, lead guitar Triple Chin (band)
- May 22 - Vangie Tang, singer
- June 15 - Nadine Walsh, Girls Aloud
- August 1 - Dina, singer
- August 3 - Holly Arnstein, Singer Dream (Group)
- September 23 - Diana Ortiz, Singer Dream (Group)
- October 15 - Nicola Roberts, Girls Aloud
- October 22 - Zachary Hanson, Hanson
- October 25 - Christopher Sean Friel, actor ((Ciara Harris)), Singer
- November 15 - Patrick Lew, Guitarist, Singer, Synthesizers (Band of Asians)
- December 10 - Raven-Symoné, actress and singer
Deaths
- January 9 - Anton Karas, Austrian zither player and composer
- February 11 - Heinz Eric Roemheld
- February 11 - Ulysses Simpson Kay
- February 12 - Leslie Sarony, English singer, comedian and songwriter
- February 18 - Gábor Darvas, composer and musicologist
- February 22 - Efrem Zimbalist, violinist
- February 28 - David Byron, Uriah Heep
- March 16 - Roger Sessions, American composer
- March 31 - Jeanine Deckers, known as The Singing Nun and had a hit record, "Dominique"
- May 19 - Hilding Rosenberg, composer
- July 23 - Kay Kyser, US bandleader
- August 24 - Paul Creston, American composer
- September 6 - Little Brother Montgomery
- September 11 - William Alwyn, English composer
- October 6 - Nelson Riddle, US conductor, composer and arranger
- October 11 - Tex Williams, US country singer
- October 14 - Emil Gilels, pianist
- October 21 - Ricky Wilson, founding member of The B-52's
- December 12 - Ian Stewart, The Rolling Stones, cerebrovascular accident
- December 22 - D. Boon, lead singer of Minutemen
- December 31 - Ricky Nelson, singer, former teen idol, plane crash.
Awards
Grammy Awards
Country Music Association Awards
Eurovision Song Contest
Charts
List of No. 1 Hits
KROQ
fr:1985 en musique ja:1985年の音楽 pl:1985 w muzyce pt:1985 na música ru:1985 год в музыке sv:Musikåret 1985
|
|
