On this day in 1981: The British Phonographic industry placed advertisements in the press claiming that ‘home taping was wiping out music’. The Boomtown Rats, 10cc, Elton John and Cliff Richard all backed the campaign.
On this day in 1982: Lionel Richie went to #1 in the U.S. with ‘Truly’. “Truly” is the debut solo single by singer-songwriter Lionel Richie. Released as the first single from his self-titled debut album in 1982, “Truly” debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 on October 9, 1982 and climbed to #1 from November 27 – December 4, 1982. It also spent four weeks at #1 on the adult contemporary chart and logged nine weeks at #2 on the R&B chart, behind Marvin Gaye’s “Sexual Healing”. In addition, “Truly” made the Top 10 in the United Kingdom, where the song peaked at #6. The song won a Grammy Award for Richie in the category Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.
Richie achieved a #1 each year from 78-86 as a writer, ‘Three Times A Lady’, ‘Still’, ‘Lady (Kenny Rogers), ‘Endless Love’, (Diana Ross), ‘Truly’, ‘All Night Long’, ‘Hello’, ‘Say You, Say Me and as co-writer of ‘We Are The World’.
Here’s a look at the Top 20 on the U.S. singles chart from this day back in 1982:
1 2 TRULY –•– Lionel Richie (Motown)-8 (1 week at #1) (1)
2 4 GLORIA –•– Laura Branigan (Atlantic)-21 (2)
3 3 HEART ATTACK –•– Olivia Newton-John (MCA)-13 (3)
4 1 UP WHERE WE BELONG –Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes (Island)-15 (1)
5 5 HEARTLIGHT –•– Neil Diamond (Columbia)-12 (5)
6 7 MICKEY –•– Toni Basil (Chrysalis)-13 (6)
7 8 MANEATER –•– Daryl Hall and John Oates (RCA)-7 (7)
8 9 STEPPIN’ OUT –•– Joe Jackson (A&M)-15 (8)
9 14 THE GIRL IS MINE –•– Michael Jackson/Paul McCartney (Epic)-4 (9)
10 10 MUSCLES –•– Diana Ross (RCA)-9 (10)
11 13 DIRTY LAUNDRY –•– Don Henley (Asylum)-5 (11)
12 12 ROCK THIS TOWN –•– The Stray Cats (EMI-America)-11 (12)
13 19 SEXUAL HEALING –•– Marvin Gaye (Columbia)-5 (13)
14 22 IT’S RAINING AGAIN –•– Supertramp (A&M)-5 (14)
15 15 NOBODY –•– Sylvia (RCA)-14 (15)
16 21 SHADOWS OF THE NIGHT –•– Pat Benatar (Chrysalis)-7 (16)
17 17 AMERICAN HEARTBEAT –•– Survivor (Scotti Brothers)-10 (17)
18 18 SOUTHERN CROSS –•– Crosby, Stills and Nash (Atlantic)-11 (18)
19 28 HEARTBREAKER –•– Dionne Warwick (Arista)-8 (19)
20 20 PRESSURE –•– Billy Joel (Columbia)-10 (20)
