RPM was a Canadian magazine that published the best-performing singles of Canada from 1964 to 2000. During 1980, twenty-two singles reached number one. American rock band Styx achieved the first number-one single of the year, "Babe", while Beatle John Lennon became the last musician to peak at the summit during the year with "(Just Like) Starting Over". Nine of the twenty-one chart-topping acts peaked atop the listing for the first time this year: Rupert Holmes, The Sugarhill Gang, Pink Floyd, The B-52's, Gary Numan, Lipps Inc., Billy Joel, Genesis, and Christopher Cross. No Canadian musicians reached number one in 1980.
The longest-running number-one single of the year, as well as the best-performing single of year, was Pink Floyd's "Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2)", which spent six issues at number one from 22 March to 26 April. "Call Me" by Blondie also remained atop the listing for six weeks, and Queen stayed a total of six weeks at the top with "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" and "Another One Bites the Dust". The Rolling Stones achieved a five-week stint at number one with "Emotional Rescue", and the two musical acts that remained at number one for three weeks were Kenny Rogers and Billy Joel.
† Indicates best-performing single of 1980 |
"Another Brick in the Wall" is a three-part composition on Pink Floyd's 1979 album The Wall, written by the bassist, Roger Waters. "Part 2", a protest song against corporal punishment and rigid and abusive schooling, features a children's choir. At the suggestion of the producer, Bob Ezrin, Pink Floyd added elements of disco.
"Crying" is a song written by Roy Orbison and Joe Melson for Orbison's third studio album of the same name (1962). Released in 1961, it was a number 2 hit in the US for Orbison and was covered in 1978 by Don McLean, whose version went to number 1 in the UK in 1980.
"Uptown Girl" is a song written and performed by American musician Billy Joel from his ninth studio album An Innocent Man (1983), released in September 1983 as the album's second single. The lyrics describe a working-class "downtown man" attempting to woo a wealthy "uptown girl". The 12" EP has the tracks "My Life", "Just the Way You Are" and "It's Still Rock and Roll to Me", whereas some 7" single versions featured "Careless Talk" as a B-side.
"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Bryan Adams. Written by Adams, Michael Kamen, and Robert John "Mutt" Lange, the power ballad was the lead single for both the soundtrack album from the 1991 film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and Adams's sixth studio album, Waking Up the Neighbours (1991). The single was released on June 17, 1991, by A&M and the accompanying music video was directed by Julien Temple.
The discography of the English rock group Pink Floyd consists of 15 studio albums, six live albums, 12 compilation albums, five box sets, three EPs, and 27 singles. Formed in 1965, Pink Floyd earned recognition for their psychedelic or space rock music, and, later, their progressive rock music. The group have sold over 250 million records worldwide, including 75 million in the United States.
"Knock on Wood" is a 1966 song by Eddie Floyd and written by Floyd and Steve Cropper. The song was later covered by other artists, most notably Amii Stewart in 1979. Stewart's disco version was the most successful on weekly music charts.
"It's Only Make Believe" is a song written by drummer Jack Nance and Mississippi-born singer Conway Twitty, while they were touring across Ontario, Canada in 1958. Twitty was a relatively unknown rock n' roll singer at the time, and this song was his first hit, reaching No. 1 on the Billboard chart in November 1958 for two weeks.
"Oh Girl" is a song written by Eugene Record and recorded by American soul vocal group the Chi-Lites, with Record on vocals and also producing. It was released as a single on Brunswick Records in 1972. Included on the group's 1972 album A Lonely Man, "Oh Girl" centers on a relationship on the verge of break-up.
"Working My Way Back to You" is a song made popular by the Four Seasons in 1966 and the Spinners in 1980.
"It's Still Rock and Roll to Me" is a song written and performed by Billy Joel, from the hit album Glass Houses. Released in 1980, the song peaked at number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks, from July 19 through August 1, 1980, making it Joel's first number 1 hit single in the United States. The song spent 11 weeks in the top 10 and was the 7th biggest hit of 1980 according to American Top 40.
"The River of Dreams" is a song by American musician Billy Joel. It is the title track and first single from his twelfth album, River of Dreams (1993). It was released in July 1993 by Columbia Records and became a hit, peaking at number three on the US and UK charts, making it Joel's best-charting single of the decade as well as his final top ten in either country to date. It also hit the top spot in Australia, New Zealand, and on the Canadian and US Adult Contemporary charts. The song was produced by Joe Nicolo and Danny Kortchmar. Its accompanying music video was directed by Andy Morahan and filmed in Connecticut, the US.
"Rock'n Me" is a song by American rock band Steve Miller Band, released in 1976 from the band's ninth studio album Fly Like an Eagle (1976). It was written by primary band leader and songwriter Steve Miller released as the second single from the album. Miller also produced the song and album. The North American release of the single was generally credited to Steve Miller as an individual, while the European release was generally credited to the Steve Miller Band as a whole group.
"Longer" is a song written and recorded by the American singer-songwriter Dan Fogelberg and released in 1979 by Full Moon Records and Epic Records. The song can be found on Fogelberg's 1979 album Phoenix. It was also included on his 1982 greatest hits album as well as various other retrospective and compilation recordings.
"Suddenly" is a song from 1985 co-written and performed by UK-based singer Billy Ocean. Co-written and produced by Keith Diamond, it is the title track to Ocean's 1984 breakthrough album.
"You Gotta Love Someone" is a song by English musician Elton John, written by John along with Bernie Taupin and released as a single from the Days of Thunder soundtrack in October 1990. The single was also used to promote the Rocket Records 2-CD retrospective The Very Best of Elton John, issued largely in overseas markets excluding the United States, where the more expansive box set To Be Continued... was issued.