On this day in 1986: Genesis went to #1 on the U.S. singles chart with ‘Invisible Touch’. The band’s former lead singer Peter Gabriel was at #2 with ‘Sledgehammer’.

“Invisible Touch” is the title track and first single from the 1986 album of the same name. The song is a group composition which featured lyrics written by drummer and singer Phil Collins. It was their first and only #1 single in the United States; the song additionally spent three consecutive weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart during the summer of 1986. The song was the first of five consecutive U.S. top five singles from the album of the same name.

Genesis members Phil Collins and Mike Rutherford have both spoken highly of the song in retrospect. Collins has called it his “favurite Genesis song” and Rutherford has called it “a wonderful song: upbeat, fun to play, always a strong moment in any gig”. As the band’s only Billboard Hot 100 number one, the song is included in Rock Song Index: The 7500 Most Important Songs for the Rock and Roll Era.

Here’s the complete Top 10 on the U.S. Singles Chart from this day in 1986:

1 2 INVISIBLE TOUCH –•– Genesis (Atlantic)-8 (1 Week at #1) (1)
2 6 SLEDGEHAMMER –•– Peter Gabriel (Geffen)-11 (2)
3 4 NASTY –•– Janet Jackson (A&M)-10 (3)
4 7 DANGER ZONE –•– Kenny Loggins (Columbia)-11 (4)
5 1 HOLDING BACK THE YEARS –•– Simply Red (Elektra)-16 (1)
6 5 WHO’S JOHNNY –•– El DeBarge (Gordy)-13 (3)
7 11 GLORY OF LOVE –•– Peter Cetera (Full Moon / Warner Brothers)-7 (7)
8 3 THERE’LL BE SAD SONGS –•– Billy Ocean (Jive)-14 (1)
9 9 YOUR WILDEST DREAMS –•– Moody Blues (Polydor)-14 (9)
10 17 LOVE TOUCH –•– Rod Stewart (Warner Brothers)-8 (10)