On this day in 1983: Culture Club, Duran Duran, and The Police all appeared on the children’s U.K. TV show Saturday Superstore.
On this day in 1988: Chicago was starting their second of two weeks at #1 on the U.S. singles chart with “Look Away.”
Written by Diane Warren, produced by Ron Nevison, with Bill Champlin on lead vocals, it was the second single released from the band’s album Chicago 19. “Look Away” is Chicago’s biggest selling single of all time, topping the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks in December 1988, matching the chart success of the group’s “If You Leave Me Now” (1976) and “Hard To Say I’m Sorry” (1982). “Look Away” is Chicago’s seventh song to have peaked at #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart. It was ranked the #1 song on the 1989 year-end Billboard Hot 100 chart, even though it never held the #1 spot at all in the calendar year 1989.
The song, unlike hits from early in Chicago’s career, does not prominently feature horns. It is also the band’s only #1 single following the 1985 departure of Peter Cetera.
Here’s a look at the Top 20 on the U.S. singles chart from this day back in 1988:
1 1 LOOK AWAY –•– Chicago – 13 (1)
2 6 EVERY ROSE HAS ITS THORN –•– Poison – 8 (2)
3 5 GIVING YOU THE BEST THAT I GOT –•– Anita Baker – 13 (3)
4 8 MY PREROGATIVE –•– Bobby Brown – 9 (4)
5 7 WAITING FOR A STAR TO FALL –•– Boy Meets Girl – 15 (5)
6 2 BABY, I LOVE YOUR WAY/FREEBIRD –•– Will To Power – 15 (1)
7 4 I DON’T WANT YOUR LOVE –•– Duran Duran – 10 (4)
8 3 HOW CAN I FALL? –•– Breathe – 15 (3)
9 9 WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE –•– Guns N’ Roses – 9 (9)
10 10 WALK ON WATER –•– Eddie Money – 12 (10)
11 11 THE PROMISE –•– When In Rome – 16 (11)
12 17 TWO HEARTS –•– Phil Collins – 5 (12)
13 14 IN YOUR ROOM –•– The Bangles – 10 (13)
14 13 FINISH WHAT YA STARTED –•– Van Halen – 12 (13)
15 21 DON’T RUSH ME –•– Taylor Dayne – 7 (15)
16 18 SPY IN THE HOUSE OF LOVE –•– Was Not Was – 12 (16)
17 22 I REMEMBER HOLDING YOU –•– The Boys Club – 9 (17)
18 24 SILHOUETTE –•– Kenny G – 8 (18)
19 20 EARLY IN THE MORNING –•– Robert Palmer – 9 (19)
20 25 SMOOTH CRIMINAL –•– Michael Jackson – 6 (20)
