1985: Year of Popular Music in Review

Besides Madonna and Bruce Springsteen, Whitney Houston made her debut and would stay at the top of the charts for years. Many British acts also did well in 1985.

Download mSpy Today.

The Year of Madonna

Madonna had just released her Like a Virgin album in late 1984, but it didn't hit number one until January of 1985. The “Like a Virgin” single would spend six weeks at number one and it was very rare for a single to do so at that time.

Madonna would achieve phenomenal chart success this year that has rarely been duplicated by any other artist. She released “Material Girl” and “Crazy for You” both within a month of each other and by different record companies. In April of 1985, both songs were in the top five at the same time. “Material Girl” peaked at number two and “Crazy for You” ended up peaking at number one.


The third single from Like a Virgin, “Angel,” was overshadowed by an unreleased track from the movie Desperately Seeking Susan titled “Into the Groove.” The song ended up on the B-side of the 12” disc for "Angel" and sold over a million copies. “Angel” still became another top five hit for Madonna as did “Dress You Up,” which was released in August of 1985.

Madonna also ruled the concert scene during the first half of 1985. She opted to play small venues such as Radio City Music Hall in New York City and the UIC Pavillion in Chicago. Multiple shows at those venues sold out in record time and the Virgin Tour would be an early indicator of Madonna’s success as a live performer for decades to come.

The Year of Bruce Springsteen

Bruce Springsteen might have released Born in the USA in 1984, but its impact was even bigger in 1985. During this year, Bruce Springsteen scored top ten hits with “Born in the USA,” “I’m on Fire,” “Glory Days,” “I’m Goin’ Down,” and “My Hometown.”

Springsteen’s biggest impact, however, was playing live. In 1985, Springsteen was able to fill up stadiums that held 70,000 or more seats: This was extremely rare for an artist. During 1985, critics dubbed Springsteen as the greatest live performing act ever. His four-hour marathon concerts were on the mouths of everybody as Springsteen earned a God-like status in the media.

Whitney Houston makes her debut

In the spring of 1985, Whitney Houston released her first single, “You Give Good Love.” It would make the top five and be followed up by her first number one single, “Saving All My Love for You.” For the rest of the decade, Whitney Houston would release several other gigantic hits such as “How Will I Know?,” “I Wanna Dance With Somebody,” “Where Do Broken Hearts Go?”

We Are The World

Headed by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, the biggest names in the music industry gathered to record “We Are The World” to fight hunger in Ethiopia. The song was a big hit but was later considered a poor song by many critics. Still, the funds raised by the song went a long way in helping starving families in Ethiopia.

History of Samba Reggae in Salvador
Visit England's South-west

The British Invasion Continues

Besides Bruce Springsteen and Madonna, most of the acts who dominated the charts in 1985 were British. Some of the biggest acts of the year included Wham (“Careless Whisper”), Phil Collins (“One More Night”), Tears for Fears (“Everybody Wants To Rule The World”), Paul Young (“Everytime You Go Away”), Simple Minds (“Don’t You Forget About Me”) and many more.



Live Aid was a mega-concert event that took place on July 13, 1985 at Wembley Stadium in London and JFK Stadium in Philadelphia. The concerts were broadcast live around the world to an estimated 400 million people. Proceeds from Live Aid went to fight world hunger. Some of the biggest performers included Led Zeppelin, Phil Collins, Madonna, U2, Tom Petty and many others. It was considered the biggest concert event of its time.

Conclusion: 1985 – The Year in Popular Music

1985 was not only a year of music megastars, but aslo a year that demonstrated how artists can come together for a cause and help make a difference. The “We Are The World” single and “Live Aid” events dominated the music world throughout the year. Even though there were no groundbreaking albums released this year, the charity events definitely made 1985 a year to remember.

Listen To Tens Of Millions Of Songs Starting With Free Trial


Author Sunil S.


Download mSpy Today.

Comments