On this day in 1982: Bob Dylan was inducted into the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame at the 13th annual dinner held at the Hilton Hotel in New York City. After the ceremony Dylan gave a short interview to Jane Hansen, which was broadcast by NBC, TV in New York City.
On this day in 1986: Starship went to #1 on the U.S. singles chart with ‘Sara.’ It would spend one week at #1.
‘Sara’ was sung by Mickey Thomas, of the newly renamed band Starship, from their first album ‘Knee Deep In the Hoopla’; for this single, Grace Slick only provided the backing vocals.
It was the band’s second #1 hit after the song “We Built This City” hit the mark a few months earlier in 1985. It also became the band’s first #1 song on the adult contemporary chart, where it remained for three weeks. Although written by Peter and Ina Wolf, the song was named for Mickey Thomas’s wife Sara. It would be ranked the #24 song of the entire year of 1986 by Billboard Magazine.
Here’s a look at the complete Top 20 on the U.S. singles chart from this day back in 1986:
1 2 SARA –•– Starship (Grunt)-12 (1 Week at #1) (1)
2 4 THESE DREAMS –•– Heart (Capitol)-9 (2)
3 1 KYRIE –•– Mr. Mister (RCA)-13 (1)
4 5 SECRET LOVERS –•– Atlantic Starr (A&M)-12 (4)
5 3 HOW WILL I KNOW –•– Whitney Houston (Arista)-15 (1)
6 11 R.O.C.K. IN THE U.S.A. –•– John Cougar Mellencamp (Riva)-7 (6)
7 14 ROCK ME AMADEUS –•– Falco (A&M)-6 (7)
8 6 SILENT RUNNING (On Dangerous Ground) –•– Mike + The Mechanics (Atlantic)-17 (6)
9 10 KING FOR A DAY –•– Thompson Twins (Arista)-9 (9)
10 13 NIKITA –•– Elton John (Geffen)-9 (10)
11 17 WHAT YOU NEED –•– INXS (Atlantic)-9 (11)
12 19 THIS COULD BE THE NIGHT –•– Loverboy (Columbia)-9 (12)
13 7 THE SWEETEST TABOO –•– Sade (Portrait)-17 (5)
14 20 SANCTIFY YOURSELF –•– Simple Minds (A&M)-8 (14)
15 28 KISS –•– Prince & The Revolution (Paisley Park)-4 (15)
16 24 LET’S GO ALL THE WAY –•– Sly Fox (Capitol)-12 (16)
17 8 LIVING IN AMERICA –•– James Brown (Scotti Brothers)-15 (4)
18 9 LIFE IN A NORTHERN TOWN Dream Academy (Warner Brothers)-16 (7)
19 26 MANIC MONDAY –•– The Bangles (Columbia)-8 (19)
20 23 BEAT’S SO LONELY –•– Charlie Sexton (MCA)-14 (20)
