On this day in 1989: Former actress Martika started a two week run at #1 on the U.S. singles chart with ‘Toy Soldiers’, a #5 hit in the U.K.

Martika wrote the song about a friend who was battling a cocaine addiction. “I was a little hesitant because I had only written two songs before and they were light songs. I came up to Michael and said I wanted to write about drugs. It was the first time I got the nerve to write about something that was scary for me to talk about, so I did.”

The song spent two weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S. and New Zealand while reaching #5 in both the United Kingdom and Australia. On Billboard’s year-end chart for 1989, “Toy Soldiers” placed number 29. It was Martika’s only number-one single in the U.S., and her highest-ranking single in the United Kingdom. The single was certified Gold in the United States by the RIAA.

Here is the complete Top 10 on the U.S. singles chart from this day back in 1989:

1 4 TOY SOLDIERS –•– Martika – 10 (1)
2 2 EXPRESS YOURSELF –•– Madonna – 8 (2)
3 1 IF YOU DON’T KNOW ME BY NOW –•– Simply Red – 12 (1)
4 6 BATDANCE –•– Prince – 6 (4)
5 10 SO ALIVE –•– Love And Rockets – 10 (5)
6 12 ON OUR OWN –•– Bobby Brown – 7 (6)
7 3 GOOD THING –•– Fine Young Cannibals – 12 (1)
8 8 WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW –•– Expose – 10 (8)
9 13 LAY YOUR HANDS ON ME –•– Bon Jovi – 8 (9)
10 5 BABY DON’T FORGET MY NUMBER –•– Milli Vanilli – 13 (1)