What was the best-selling song of 1985?
There are a lot of people who work in music who don’t believe commercial success matters, and their opinion is without a doubt valid.
Consider someone like Stuart Braithwaite, for instance. The Mogwai frontman wrote in his book how much he likes music writing, but he doesn’t appreciate the way some people go about it, specifically citing reviewers who critique music because it doesn’t sound how they want.
In Spaceships Over Glasgow, he expands upon this idea. “I love music writing and have a lot of time for journalists, but I’m often bemused when criticism is levelled against music for what it is not, rather than how successfully it has managed to be what it actually is,” he writes.
Adding, “With music, you are trying to achieve what you want, whether you successfully manage it is the issue. To say something is at fault because it is not what you {the writer) want it to be is ludicrous.”
While this quote focuses specifically on journalists, it can apply to anyone who listens to music. When a new record is released, it’s inevitable that there will be a long list of criticisms heading that album’s way, as people discuss how successful, or not, it does what they want it to do. This is in contrast to discussing what the musician set out to do. In that sense, commercial success isn’t as important as the success an artist feels within themselves. I might be putting words in Braithwaite’s mouth a bit there, but I believe the logic applies, and there are plenty of other people within music who have a similar opinion.
One of the most famous minds who discounts the success of an end product is Rick Rubin. Throughout his book, The Creative Act, he is constantly hammering away at the point that how well a piece of art is received doesn’t reflect the validity of said artist. He tells creatives not to focus on what they make, but instead focus on the process.
“Living life as an artist is a practice,” he said, “You are either engaging in the practice or you’re not. It makes no sense to say you’re not good at it. It’s like saying, ‘I’m not good at being a monk’. You are either living as a monk or you’re not. We tend to think of the artist’s work as the output. The real work of the artist is a way of being in the world.”
So, there are a lot of people who work in music who don’t pay attention to commercial sales, and when you consider artistic integrity, this is a pretty admirable mindset. That being said, there is no escaping the fact that commercial success for any artist acts as some form of validation. It’s all well and good standing behind what you make, but when a large portion of the public does so as well, that is undoubtedly an affirming feeling. No matter what year you’re looking at, regardless of what great records were put out, there will be an artist who had the best-selling song, and it’s hard not to be slightly envious of that artist’s success.
So, who had the best-selling song in 1985?
While commercial success might not be a priority for everyone, there is no escaping that having a best-selling song certainly carries some weight.
So, who was the lucky artist in 1985 who had the most successful track? In the UK, it was Jennifer Rush with ‘The Power of Love’; however, the US number one undoubtedly had the bigger impact, as it is still revered as a classic to this day.
Despite being released in 1984, the Wham! classic ‘Careless Whisper’ managed to climb the charts the year after and wound up becoming the best-selling song during that spin around the sun. The iconic saxophone line, which pierces the introduction, remains as iconic as ever as the years swing by, given that you’ll struggle to find any kind of music lover who hears that song and isn’t on their feet within seconds.
The most successful that year, and still one of the most successful today, there is nothing careless about that track’s unwavering success.
