On this day in 1980: Blondie went to #1 on the U.K. singles chart with ‘Atomic’ from their album ‘Eat To The Beat’. ‘Atomic’ is one of six #1 songs for Blondie on the U.K. singles chart.
On this day in 1986: Mr. Mister went to #1 on the U.S. singles chart with ‘Kyrie’, the group’s second U.S. #1. The group’s album ‘Welcome To The Real World’ also went to #1 on the U.S. album chart. Released around Christmas in 1985, ‘Kyrie’ hit the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on March 1, 1986, where it was #1 for two weeks. It also hit the top spot on the Billboard Top Rock Tracks chart for one week.
The lyrics to “Kyrie” were written by John Lang who co-wrote the songs on all of Mr. Mister’s albums. The music was composed by Richard Page and Steve George while on tour with Adam Ant.
Kyrie, eleison means “Lord, have mercy” in Greek, and is a part of many liturgical rites in Eastern and Western Christianity. Kýrie, eléison; Christé, eléison; Kýrie, eléison is a prayer that asks “Lord, have mercy; Christ, have mercy; Lord, have mercy. According to Page the entire song is, essentially, a prayer.
There is a myth that singer Richard Page wrote this song while lying in a hospital bed following being assaulted. John Lang has stated that he was assaulted, but it was three years before “Kyrie” was written, and that the incident has nothing to do with the song.
The video for this song was directed by Nick Morris, and features the band in performance mixed with footage taken at the tail end of their Autumn 1985 tour with Tina Turner.
The song was used in the hit U.S. TV series ‘Miami Vice’ during season two, episode fourteen “One-Way Ticket”.
Here’s a look at the complete Top 20 on the U.S. singles chart from this day back in 1986:
1 2 KYRIE –•– Mr. Mister (RCA)-11 (1 Week at #1) (1)
2 1 HOW WILL I KNOW –•– Whitney Houston (Arista)-13 (1)
3 4 SARA –•– Starship (Grunt)-10 (3)
4 5 LIVING IN AMERICA –•– James Brown (Scotti Brothers)-13 (4)
5 6 THE SWEETEST TABOO –•– Sade (Portrait)-15 (5)
6 3 WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH, THE TOUGH GET GOING –•– Billy Ocean (Jive)-14 (2)
7 7 LIFE IN A NORTHERN TOWN –Dream Academy (Warner Brothers)-14 (7)
8 8 SILENT RUNNING (On Dangerous Ground) –•– Mike + The Mechanics (Atlantic)-15 (8)
9 11 SECRET LOVERS –•– Atlantic Starr (A&M)-10 (9)
10 14 THESE DREAMS –•– Heart (Capitol)-7 (10)
11 12 A LOVE BIZARRE –•– Sheila E. (Paisley Park)-16 (11)
12 17 KING FOR A DAY –•– Thompson Twins (Arista)-7 (12)
13 16 TARZAN BOY –•– Baltimora (Manhattan)-20 (13)
14 9 BURNING HEART –•– Survivor (Scotti Brothers)-18 (2)
15 15 CONGA –•– Miami Sound Machine (Epic)-20 (10)
16 19 RUSSIANS –•– Sting (A&M)-7 (16)
17 26 R.O.C.K. IN THE U.S.A. –•– John Cougar Mellencamp (Riva)-5 (17)
18 18 DAY BY DAY –•– The Hooters (Columbia)-12 (18)
19 22 NIKITA –•– Elton John (Geffen)-7 (19)
20 10 THAT’S WHAT FRIENDS ARE FOR –•– Dionne & Friends (Arista)-17 (1)
