On this day in 1981: The Pretenders were forced to cancel the last leg of a US tour after drummer Martin Chambers put his hand through a windowpane, cutting tendons and arteries.
On this day in 1983: Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler started a four week run at #1 on the U.S. singles chart with the Jim Steinman written and produced track ‘Total Eclipse Of The Heart’. It made her the only Welsh artist to score a U.S. #1 hit.
‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’ was released off Tyler’s fifth studio album, “Faster Than the Speed of Night.” The song became Tyler’s biggest career hit, topping the UK Singles Chart, and becoming the fifth best selling single of 1983 in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the single spent four weeks at the top of the charts, and was Billboard’s #6 song of the year for 1983. The song was nominated for a Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal performance.
Here’s a look at the complete Top 20 on the U.S. singles chart from this day back in 1983:
1 2 TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE HEART –•– Bonnie Tyler (Columbia)-12 (1 week at #1) (1)
2 1 TELL HER ABOUT IT –•– Billy Joel (Columbia)-10 (1)
3 3 THE SAFETY DANCE –•– Men Without Hats (Backstreet)-15 (3)
4 5 MAKING LOVE OUT OF NOTHING AT ALL –•– Air Supply (Arista)-10 (4)
5 9 (She’s) SEXY + 17 –•– The Stray Cats (EMI-America)-9 (5)
6 11 KING OF PAIN –•– The Police (A&M)-6 (6)
7 13 TRUE –•– Spandau Ballet (Chrysalis)-9 (7)
8 4 MANIAC –•– Michael Sembello (Casablanca)-18 (1)
9 17 ISLANDS IN THE STREAM –•– Kenny Rogers with Dolly Parton (RCA)-6 (9)
10 12 FAR FROM OVER –•– Frank Stallone (RSO)-10 (10)
11 10 DON’T CRY –•– Asia (Geffen)-10 (10)
12 14 PROMISES, PROMISES –•– Naked Eyes (EMI-America)-12 (12)
13 16 HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO LIVE WITHOUT YOU –•– Laura Branigan (Atlantic)-14 (13)
14 8 PUTTIN’ ON THE RITZ –•– Taco (RCA)-15 (4)
15 7 HUMAN NATURE –•– Michael Jackson (Epic)-11 (7)
16 6 SWEET DREAMS (Are Made Of This) –•– The Eurythmics (RCA)-21 (1)
17 21 ONE THING LEADS TO ANOTHER –•– The Fixx (MCA)-6 (17)
18 23 BURNING DOWN THE HOUSE –•– The Talking Heads (Sire)-10 (18)
19 25 TELEFONE (Long Distance Love Affair) –•– Sheena Easton (EMI-America)-7 (19)
20 15 EVERY BREATH YOU TAKE –•– The Police (A&M)-18 (1)
On this day in 1988: Bon Jovi scored their first UK #1 album with ‘New Jersey’, their fourth release. The follow-up to ‘Slippery When Wet’ produced five Billboard Hot 100 top ten singles in the United States, the most top ten hits to date for a hard rock album. ‘Bad Medicine’ and ‘I’ll Be There for You’ both hit #1 on Billboard Hot 100.
