On this day in 1985: The Go-Go’s announced they were breaking up. Two of the members went on to enjoy solo success, (Belinda Carlisle and Jane Wiedlin) and the group would reform in the late 90s.
On this day in 1986: The Pet Shop Boys went to #1 on the U.S. singles chart with ‘West End Girls’, the duo’s first U.S. #1. it would spend one week at #1.
The song was written by Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe and the was released twice as a single. The song’s lyrics deal with class and the pressures of inner-city life which were inspired partly by T.S. Eliot’s poem The Waste Land. It was generally well received by contemporary music critics and has been frequently cited as a highlight in the duo’s career.
The first version of the song was produced by Bobby Orlando and was released on Columbia Records’ Bobcat Records imprint in April 1984, becoming a club hit in the United States and some European countries. After the duo signed with EMI, the song was re-recorded with producer Stephen Hague for their first studio album, ‘Please.’ In October 1985, the new version was released, reaching #1 in the United Kingdom and the United States in 1986.
In 1987, the song won Best Single at the Brit Awards, and Best International Hit at the Ivor Novello Awards. In 2005, 20 years after its release, the song was awarded Song of The Decade between the years 1985 and 1994 by the British Academy of Composers and Songwriters.
Here’s a look at the top 20 on the U.S. singles chart from this day back in 1986:
1 2 WEST END GIRLS –•– Pet Shop Boys (EMI-America)-11 (1 Week at #1) (1)
2 1 ADDICTED TO LOVE –•– Robert Palmer (Island)-14 (1)
3 7 GREATEST LOVE OF ALL –•– Whitney Houston (Arista)-7 (3)
4 4 WHY CAN’T THIS BE LOVE –•– Van Halen (Warner Brothers)-9 (4)
5 6 WHAT HAVE YOU DONE FOR ME LATELY –•– Janet Jackson (A&M)-12 (5)
6 8 YOUR LOVE –•– The Outfield (Columbia)-13 (6)
7 9 TAKE ME HOME –•– Phil Collins (Atlantic)-9 (7)
8 11 BAD BOY – Miami Sound Machine featuring Gloria Estefan (Epic)-10 (8)
9 5 HARLEM SHUFFLE –•– Rolling Stones (Rolling Stones)-9 (5)
10 12 IF YOU LEAVE –•– Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark (A&M)-10 (10)
11 14 LIVE TO TELL –•– Madonna (Sire)-5 (11)
12 3 KISS –•– Prince & The Revolution (Paisley Park)-12 (1)
13 16 ON MY OWN –•– Patti LaBelle & Michael McDonald (MCA)-8 (13)
14 17 I CAN’T WAIT –•– Nu Shooz (Atlantic)-10 (14)
15 18 SOMETHING ABOUT YOU –•– Level 42 (Polydor)-13 (15)
16 13 AMERICAN STORM Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band (Capitol)-9 (13)
17 21 ALL I NEED IS A MIRACLE –•– Mike + The Mechanics (Atlantic)-8 (17)
18 10 MANIC MONDAY –•– The Bangles (Columbia)-16 (2)
19 23 IS IT LOVE –•– Mr. Mister (RCA)-7 (19)
20 25 BE GOOD TO YOURSELF –•– Journey (Columbia)-5 (20)
Also on this day in 1986: Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee married TV star Heather Locklear in a courtyard in Santa Barbara California with five hundred guests.
