On this day in 1981: Dutch studio group Stars On 45 went to #1 on the U.S. singles chart with the “Stars On 45 Medley.”

Its official title in the US and Canada (as on the record and in Billboard and RPM) is “Medley: Intro Venus/Sugar Sugar/No Reply/I’ll Be Back/Drive My Car/Do You Want To Know A Secret/We Can Work it Out/I Should Have Known Better/Nowhere Man/You’re Going To Lose That Girl/Stars On 45″ and was credited to ‘Stars on 45’. It is (to date) the longest titled song to ever chart in Billboard and was conveniently shortened to “Stars on 45 Medley”, or “‘Medley’ by Stars on 45”. The length of the name surpassed the previous record set by Ray Stevens’ “Jeremiah Peabody’s Polyunsaturated Quick-Dissolving Fast-Acting Pleasant-Tasting Green and Purple Pills” and (among songs that reached #1) “(Hey Won’t You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song” by B.J. Thomas. The reason for the long title was copyright requirements for the use of The Beatles songs.

It reached #1 in the Netherlands on February 21, 1981; #2 in the UK in April 1981; and #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on June 20, 1981. In the US, the single also peaked at #18 on the dance chart. In the U.S., the song’s one-week stay at the top of the Hot 100 interrupted the Kim Carnes single “Bette Davis Eyes” run as the #1 single at five weeks. The next week, Carnes’ song regained its #1 status for an additional four weeks.

Here’s a look at the Top 20 on the U.S. singles chart from this day back in 1981:

1 2 MEDLEY: INTRO VENUS/SUGAR SUGAR/NO REPLY/I’LL BE BACK/DRIVE MY CAR/
DO YOU WANT TO KNOW A SECRET/WE CAN WORK IT OUT/I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN
BETTER/NOWHERE MAN/YOU’RE GOING TO LOSE THAT GIRL/STARS ON 45 –•– Stars On 45 (Radio Records)-11 (1 week at #1) (1)
2 1 BETTE DAVIS EYES –•– Kim Carnes (EMI-America)-13 (1)
3 3 SUKIYAKI –•– A Taste Of Honey (Capitol)-16 (3)
4 5 A WOMAN NEEDS LOVE (Just Like You Do) –•– Ray Parker, Jr. and Raydio (Arista)-16 (4)
5 7 ALL THOSE YEARS AGO –•– George Harrison (Dark Horse)-5 (5)
6 4 BEING WITH YOU –•– Smokey Robinson (Tamla)-19 (2)
7 14 THE ONE THAT YOU LOVE –•– Air Supply (Arista)-6 (7)
8 8 AMERICA –•– Neil Diamond (Capitol)-9 (8)
9 17 YOU MAKE MY DREAMS –•– Daryl Hall and John Oates (RCA)-8 (9)
10 20 JESSIE’S GIRL –•– Rick Springfield (RCA)-13 (10)

11 12 THIS LITTLE GIRL –•– Gary U.S. Bonds (EMI-America)-9 (11)
12 13 I LOVE YOU –•– The Climax Blues Band (Warner Brothers)-18 (12)
13 6 LIVING INSIDE MYSELF –•– Gino Vannelli (Arista)-14 (6)
14 9 TAKE IT ON THE RUN –•– REO Speedwagon (Epic)-14 (5)
15 15 WHAT ARE WE DOIN’ IN LOVE –•– Dottie West (with Kenny Rogers) (Liberty)-13 (15)
16 10 SWEETHEART –•– Franke and the Knockouts (Millennium)-16 (10)
17 21 IS IT YOU –•– Lee Ritenour (with Eric Tagg) (Elektra)-9 (17)
18 24 HEARTS –•– Marty Balin (EMI-America)-5 (18)
19 19 THE WAITING –•– Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (Backstreet)-8 (19)
20 27 THEME FROM “GREATEST AMERICAN HERO” (Believe It Or Not) –•– Joey Scarbury (Elektra)-7 (20)

On this day in 1987: Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam went to #1 on the U.S. singles chart with “Head To Toe.” It would spend one week in the top spot.

“Head To Toe” appeared on their 1987 album ‘Spanish Fly’. The song hit #1 on three charts: The Billboard Hot 100 on June 20, 1987, the R&B charts on May 30 of that year, and on the dance chart. In Canada, the song topped the RPM 100 national singles chart on July 25 of the same year. The song sports a retro Motown flavor mixed with the Freestyle sound for which they were known.

Here’s a look at the Top 20 on the U.S. singles chart from this day back in 1987:

1 3 HEAD TO TOE –•– Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam (Columbia)-11 (1) (1 Week at #1)
2 1 ALWAYS –•– Atlantic Starr (Warner Brothers)-13 (1)
3 5 I WANNA DANCE WITH SOMEBODY (Who Loves Me) –•– Whitney Houston (Arista)-6 (3)
4 4 IN TOO DEEP –•– Genesis (Atlantic)-9 (4)
5 8 DIAMONDS –•– Herb Alpert (A&M)-11 (5)
6 12 ALONE –•– Heart (Capitol)-6 (6)
7 7 WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE –•– Bon Jovi (Mercury)-11 (7)
8 2 YOU KEEP ME HANGIN’ ON –•– Kim Wilde (MCA)-13 (1)
9 13 SONGBIRD –•– Kenny G (Arista)-12 (9)
10 10 JUST TO SEE HER –•– Smokey Robinson (Motown)-13 (10)

11 11 MEET ME HALF WAY –•– Kenny Loggins (Columbia)-16 (11)
12 19 SHAKEDOWN –•– Bob Seger (MCA)-5 (12)
13 14 LESSONS IN LOVE –•– Level 42 (Polydor)-12 (13)
14 16 DON’T DISTURB THIS GROOVE –•– The System (Atlantic)-11 (14)
15 6 THE LADY IN RED –•– Chris DeBurgh (A&M)-19 (3)
16 22 POINT OF NO RETURN –•– Expose (Arista)-7 (16)
17 23 SOMETHING SO STRONG –•– Crowded House (Capitol)-8 (17)
18 20 JAMMIN’ ME –•– Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers (MCA)-9 (18)
19 28 FUNKY TOWN –•– Pseudo Echo (RCA)-6 (19)
20 9 WITH OR WITHOUT YOU –•– U2 (Island)-14 (1)