On this day in 1986: Steve Winwood went to #1 on the U.S. singles chart with, ‘Higher Love’, a #13 hit in the U.K.
It was the first single released from his fourth solo LP, ‘Back In the High Life’. “Higher Love” was Winwood’s first Billboard Hot 100 #1 song, topping the chart for one week. It was preceded by Madonna’s ‘Papa Don’t Preach’ and followed by ‘Venus’ by Bananarama. The song also spent four weeks atop the US Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart and earned two Grammy Awards for Record of the Year and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. It also peaked at #13 in the United Kingdom, Winwood’s highest charting solo entry there, and reached #1 in Canada for a week.
The music video, which uses the shorter single version, was shot in June 1986 by directors Peter Kagan and Paula Greif. The same duo shot an almost identical video for Duran Duran’s ‘Notorious’ in November of that year; coincidentally, both videos were nominated for several awards at the 1987 MTV Video Music Awards, though neither won. Chaka Khan appears in the video, as does Nile Rodgers, who plays guitar with the backing band.
Let’s take a look at the complete Top 20 from this day back in 1986:
1 2 HIGHER LOVE –•– Steve Winwood (Island)-12 (1 Week at #1) (1)
2 3 VENUS –•– Bananarama (London)-10 (2)
3 1 PAPA DON’T PREACH –•– Madonna (Sire)-10 (1)
4 7 TAKE MY BREATH AWAY –•– Berlin (Columbia)-11 (4)
5 6 DANCING ON THE CEILING –•– Lionel Richie (Motown)-7 (5)
6 12 FRIENDS AND LOVERS –•– Gloria Loring & Carl Anderson (Carrere)-9 (6)
7 11 SWEET FREEDOM –•– Michael McDonald (MCA)-12 (7)
8 9 RUMORS –•– Timex Social Club (Jay)-12 (8)
9 15 STUCK WITH YOU –•– Huey Lewis & The News (Chrysalis)-5 (9)
10 4 MAD ABOUT YOU –•– Belinda Carlisle (I.R.S.)-16 (3)
11 8 WE DON’T HAVE TO TAKE OUR CLOTHES OFF –•– Jermaine Stewart (Arista)-16 (5)
12 5 GLORY OF LOVE –•– Peter Cetera (Full Moon / Warner Brothers)-13 (1)
13 16 WORDS GET IN THE WAY –•– Miami Sound Machine featuring Gloria Estefan (Epic)-12 (13)
14 14 BABY LOVE –•– Regina (Atlantic)-11 (14)
15 20 WALK THIS WAY –•– Run-D.M.C. & Aerosmith (Profile)-6 (15)
16 18 YANKEE ROSE –•– David Lee Roth (Warner Brothers)-9 (16)
17 10 THE EDGE OF HEAVEN –•– Wham! (Columbia)-9 (10)
18 23 DON’T FORGET ME (When I’m Gone) –•– Glass Tiger (Manhattan)-8 (18)
19 22 MAN SIZE LOVE –•– Klymaxx (MCA)-9 (19)
20 21 THAT WAS THEN, THIS IS NOW –•– The Monkees (Arista)-9 (20)
