Nominated for a Grammy Award, and winning a Billboard Award for Top Pop Single, "Physical" was the biggest-selling single of 1981 and the entire decade.
Despite a leotard not being standard gym attire, Newton-John made teaching physical education a glamorous gig.
Originally recorded by The Arrows in 1875, Joan Jett re-recorded the song with her band, The Blackhearts. It quickly became a U.S. Billboard Hot 100 number-one single and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.
Jett and her band wouldn't be the last to record the song, the hit was later recorded by Britney Spears.
Written by Sting and originally performed by The Police, the song is about Stings’ tumultuous divorce.
Sting won Song of the Year and The Police won Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal at the Grammy Awards of 1984 for “Every Breath You Take”. The song ranks #84 on the Rolling Stone list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
The lead single from Prince's Purple Rain album.
According to the Purple Rain DVD, Prince was asked by the director to write a song to match the theme of a particular segment of the film - one which involved intermingled parental difficulties and a love affair. The next morning, Prince had reportedly composed two songs, one of which was “When Doves Cry."
Wham!/George Michael's hit song was George Michael’s first solo single. Michael said that he wrote it “in his head” during work and that he came up with the saxophone riff whilst boarding a bus on the way home.
A collaboration featuring Gladys Knight, Elton John and Stevie Wonder, it was recorded as a benefit for American Foundation for AIDS Research, and raised millions for the cause.
The number one song from the Different Light album by The Bangles . Liam Sternberg wrote the song after seeing people on a ferry walking awkwardly to keep their balance, which reminded him of figures in Ancient Egyptian reliefs.
Michael’s solo career and “Faith” became one of Michael's most popular songs, as well as being the most simplistic in its production.
The song, featuring Bill Champlin on lead vocals was Chicago's seventh song to peak at number one on the Adult Contemporary chart.