On this day in 1980: The Rolling Stones started a seven week run at #1 on the U.S. album chart with ‘Emotional Rescue’, the group’s eighth U.S. #1 album. Emotional Rescue was the first Rolling Stones album recorded following Keith Richards’ exoneration from a Toronto drug charge that could have landed him in jail for years.
On this day in 1986: Peter Gabriel went to #1 on the U.S. singles chart with ‘Sledgehammer’, a #4 hit in the U.K. The song’s music video has won a number of awards, including a record nine MTV VMA awards at the 1987 MTV Video Music Awards, and Best British Video at the 1987 Brit Awards. Gabriel was also nominated for three Grammy Awards. As of 2018, ‘Sledgehammer’ is the most played music video in the history of MTV.
It was released as the lead single from his fifth studio album, ‘So’ on April 21, 1986. It was produced by Gabriel and Daniel Lanois. It reached #1 in Canada on July 21, 1986, where it spent four weeks; #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States on July 26, 1986; and #4 on the UK Singles Chart, thanks in part to its music video. It was his biggest hit in North America and is tied with “Games Without Frontiers” as his biggest hit in the United Kingdom.
Here’s a look at the complete Top 20 from this day back in 1986:
1 2 SLEDGEHAMMER –•– Peter Gabriel (Geffen)-12 (1 Week at #1) (1)
2 4 DANGER ZONE –•– Kenny Loggins (Columbia)-12 (2)
3 1 INVISIBLE TOUCH –•– Genesis (Atlantic)-9 (1)
4 3 NASTY –•– Janet Jackson (A&M)-11 (3)
5 7 GLORY OF LOVE –•– Peter Cetera (Full Moon / Warner Brothers)-8 (5)
6 12 PAPA DON’T PREACH –•– Madonna (Sire)-5 (6)
7 10 LOVE TOUCH –•– Rod Stewart (Warner Brothers)-9 (7)
8 11 MAD ABOUT YOU –•– Belinda Carlisle (I.R.S.)-11 (8)
9 5 HOLDING BACK THE YEARS –•– Simply Red (Elektra)-17 (1)
10 15 MODERN WOMAN –•– Billy Joel (Columbia)-8 (10)
11 13 OPPORTUNITIES (Let’s Make Lots Of Money) –•– Pet Shop Boys (EMI-America)-9 (11)
12 17 WE DON’T HAVE TO TAKE OUR CLOTHES OFF –•– Jermaine Stewart (Arista)-11 (12)
13 9 YOUR WILDEST DREAMS –•– Moody Blues (Polydor)-15 (9)
14 6 WHO’S JOHNNY –•– El DeBarge (Gordy)-14 (3)
15 18 DIGGING YOUR SCENE –•– Blow Monkeys (RCA)-13 (15)
16 8 THERE’LL BE SAD SONGS –•– Billy Ocean (Jive)-15 (1)
17 14 WHEN THE HEART RULES THE MIND –•– GTR (Arista)-12 (14)
18 27 HIGHER LOVE –•– Steve Winwood (Island)-7 (18)
19 21 SECRET SEPARATION –•– The Fixx (MCA)-10 (19)
20 28 RUMORS –•– Timex Social Club (Jay)-7 (20)
