Every #1 Song of 1984: Big Hair, Bigger Hooks & the Golden Year of Pop
1984 wasn’t just a great year for music—it was a cultural juggernaut. With Prince, Madonna, Van Halen, and Cyndi Lauper ruling the airwaves, Gen X hit peak cassette-era glory. Here’s the full list of Billboard Hot 100 #1s from 1984, served with retro commentary and Gen X flair.
📅 January 7–14
“Say Say Say” – Paul McCartney & Michael Jackson
Leftover glory from ’83. The King of Pop and the Cute Beatle continued their reign into the new year with a track that was weird, catchy, and somehow timelessly strange. That music video? Western-themed fever dream.
📅 January 21–February 4
“Owner of a Lonely Heart” – Yes
Prog rock met ‘80s radio—and it worked. Yes reinvented themselves with killer guitar riffs, new wave production, and a bass line so funky it made Wall Street brokers air drum in traffic.
📅 February 11–18
“Karma Chameleon” – Culture Club
Do you really know what this song is about? Neither did we. But Boy George’s voice, style, and harmonica made this track an MTV staple—and the kind of song you couldn’t get out of your head even if you tried.
📅 February 25–March 3
“Jump” – Van Halen
Synths and shredding! Van Halen embraced keyboards and gave us one of the most hype tracks of the decade. David Lee Roth did splits off a drum riser, and Gen X jumped right along.
📅 March 10–31
“Footloose” – Kenny Loggins
No dancing in your town? Not on Loggins’ watch. A movie anthem so iconic, it made us all want to cut loose—even if we had no idea what a tractor chicken race was.
📅 April 7
“Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)” – Phil Collins
Peak sad boi energy. Phil Collins poured his soul into a breakup ballad that made you feel like your heart was broken, even if you were 12 and only “dated” someone during recess.
📅 April 14–May 5
“Hello” – Lionel Richie
Possibly the creepiest love song of all time. “Is it me you’re looking for?”—delivered while sculpting a blind girl’s face in clay. Romantic? Creepy? Both? We were hooked regardless.
📅 May 12–June 2
“Let’s Hear It for the Boy” – Deniece Williams
From the Footloose soundtrack comes another jam. If you weren’t dancing awkwardly to this in your bedroom, were you even alive in ’84? Pure bubblegum R&B joy.
📅 June 9–16
“Time After Time” – Cyndi Lauper
Soft, tender, and a total 180 from “Girls Just Want to Have Fun.” This was the track that proved Cyndi wasn’t just a gimmick—she had pipes and soul.
📅 June 23–30
“The Reflex” – Duran Duran
Possibly the most ‘80s song ever recorded. Cryptic lyrics, over-the-top production, and a music video featuring cascading water and screaming fans. Gen X catnip.
📅 July 7–14
“When Doves Cry” – Prince
No bass line. Just raw genius. Prince blended rock, funk, synth, and pure emotion into one of the most unique #1 hits ever. A game-changer that helped define what the rest of the ‘80s would sound like.
📅 July 21–August 4
“Ghostbusters” – Ray Parker Jr.
Who ya gonna call? A #1 hit from a movie that still dominates Halloween. The song was fun, the video featured cameos galore, and the lawsuit from Huey Lewis only added to its legend.
📅 August 11–18
“When Doves Cry” (returns) – Prince
Because one week wasn’t enough. The Purple One reclaimed his throne with this deeply emotional, deeply weird masterpiece.
📅 August 25
“What’s Love Got to Do with It” – Tina Turner
The comeback of the decade. Tina stormed back into pop with a song about love as a “second-hand emotion,” and every Gen Xer felt a little tougher because of it. The hair. The heels. The attitude.
📅 September 1–15
“Missing You” – John Waite
The ultimate breakup song denial anthem. “I ain’t missing you at all…” he claimed while clearly missing her every second. We felt that.
📅 September 22–29
“Let’s Go Crazy” – Prince and The Revolution
Prince again? You bet. This time with a church organ intro, screaming guitar solos, and permission to party like it’s the end of the world. He was on a whole different level in ‘84.
📅 October 6–20
“I Just Called to Say I Love You” – Stevie Wonder
A sweet, schmaltzy ballad from the Woman in Red soundtrack. Maybe not Stevie’s most groundbreaking track, but it had a telephone gimmick and heart. Played at weddings and high school dances everywhere.
📅 October 27–November 3
“Caribbean Queen” – Billy Ocean
Slick, sexy, and swimming in synth. Billy Ocean made every Gen X kid dream of exotic romance—even if we were just stuck in a suburban mall arcade.
📅 November 10–17
“Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” – Wham!
This wasn’t just a song—it was a neon explosion. George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley gave us pastel shorts, jitterbugging, and sugar-rush pop perfection.
📅 November 24–December 1
“Wake Me Up” (returns) – Wham!
Back again for a second week, because Gen X couldn’t get enough of that carefree joy. This was peak bubblegum brilliance.
📅 December 8–29
“Out of Touch” – Hall & Oates
The Philly duo returned with a moody, groovy synth-driven jam. You were probably out of touch if this song didn’t make it into your boombox rotation.
1984 was the year. It gave us Prince’s rise to legend, Tina Turner’s epic comeback, the birth of pop royalty like Cyndi Lauper and Wham!, and movie soundtracks that doubled as chart-toppers. It was the golden age of radio, MTV, and Gen X’s musical coming-of-age.