On this day in 1985: Jan Hammer went to #1 on the U.S. singles chart with the ‘Miami Vice Theme’.
It was first presented as part of the television broadcast of the show in September 1984, was released as a single in 1985 and peaked at the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 in November of that year. It was the last instrumental to top the Hot 100 until 2013, when ‘Harlem Shake’ by Baauer reached #1. It also peaked at #5 in the U.K. and #4 in Canada. In 1986, it won Grammy Awards for Best Instrumental Composition and Best Pop Instrumental Performance. This song, along with Glenn Frey’s #2 hit “You Belong To The City”, put the Miami Vice Soundtrack on the top of the U.S. album chart for 11 weeks in 1985, making it the most successful TV soundtrack of all time until 2006, when Disney Channel’s ‘High School Musical’ beat its record.
The music video of the theme is a mini-episode of the TV series with Hammer as a fugitive on the run from James “Sonny” Crockett and Ricardo Tubbs. Throughout the majority of the video, Hammer performs the theme in front of a projector screen playing footage from the TV series – including scenes of the Vice duo chasing him. In the end of the video, he boards a helicopter and escapes from Crockett’s sight.
Here’s a look at the complete Top 20 on the U.S. singles chart from this day back in 1985:
1 2 MIAMI VICE THEME –•– Jan Hammer (MCA)-10 (1 Week at #1) (1)
2 1 PART-TIME LOVER –•– Stevie Wonder (Tamla)-10 (1)
3 4 HEAD OVER HEELS –•– Tears For Fears (Mercury)-9 (3)
4 6 YOU BELONG TO THE CITY –•– Glenn Frey (MCA)-9 (4)
5 7 WE BUILT THIS CITY –•– Starship (Grunt)-10 (5)
6 3 SAVING ALL MY LOVE FOR YOU –•– Whitney Houston (Arista)-13 (1)
7 15 SEPARATE LIVES –•– Phil Collins & Marilyn Martin (Atlantic)-6 (7)
8 5 TAKE ON ME –•– A-Ha (Warner Brothers)-18 (1)
9 10 BE NEAR ME –•– ABC (Mercury)-12 (9)
10 18 LAY YOUR HANDS ON ME –•– Thompson Twins (Arista)-8 (10)
11 20 BROKEN WINGS –•– Mr. Mister (RCA)-8 (11)
12 17 NEVER –•– Heart (Capitol)-9 (12)
13 14 ONE NIGHT LOVE AFFAIR –•– Bryan Adams (A&M)-9 (13)
14 16 YOU ARE MY LADY –•– Freddie Jackson (Capitol)-10 (14)
15 9 LOVIN’ EVERY MINUTE OF IT –•– Loverboy (Columbia)-12 (9)
16 21 WHO’S ZOOMIN’ WHO –•– Aretha Franklin (Arista)-7 (16)
17 8 FORTRESS AROUND YOUR HEART –•– Sting (A&M)-12 (8)
18 13 I’M GONNA TEAR YOUR PLAYHOUSE DOWN –•– Paul Young (Columbia)-10 (13)
19 22 LOVE THEME FROM “ST. ELMO’S FIRE” –•– David Foster (Atlantic)-12 (19)
20 11 OH SHEILA –•– Ready For The World (MCA)-15 (1)
