On this day in 1982: Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder were at #1 on the UK singles chart with ‘Ebony And Ivory.’ This was McCartney’s 24th #1 hit single as a songwriter. The title was inspired by McCartney hearing Spike Milligan say “Black notes, white notes, you need to play the two to make harmony folks!”. It was later named as the tenth worst song of all time by Blender magazine and in 2007 was named the worst duet in history by BBC 6 Music listeners.

On this day in 1987: Madonna went to #1 on the UK singles chart with ‘La Isla Bonita.’ The fifth and final single from her third studio album, True Blue, made her the only female artist to score four UK #1 singles. 

Also on this day in 1987: U2 started a five-week run at #1 on the US album chart with their fifth studio album The Joshua Tree. Inspired by American tour experiences, literature, and politics, the album topped the charts in over 20 countries, and is one of the world’s all-time best-selling albums, with over 25 million copies sold. The album which won a Grammy Award for Album of the Year, produced the hit singles ‘With or Without You’, ‘I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For’, and ‘Where the Streets Have No Name’.