Hello, one and all.
Happy New Year 2018, folks. The 1980's were drawing to a close exactly thirty years ago as hits began to have shorter chart-topping reigns. New Jersey native Whitney Houston would continue her steady streak of back-to-back number ones with "So Emotional", the third track off of her sophomore album "Whitney" in 1987. Her previous hits were both number one smashes: "I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)" and "Didn't We Almost Have It All". This was a dancier pop/R&B track much like her former hit, whereas the latter was one of her stock-in-trade ballads that showcased her soaring vocal range and her dramatic flair. She was one of the biggest pop/soul icons in music history as she would go on to movie fame with "The Bodyguard" and "Waiting to Exhale". Her mother was renowned gospel singer Cissy Houston and her cousin was mega-singing-star Dionne Warwick. She was married to New Edition/new jack swing star Bobby Brown, of which their much-publicized marriage gave whispers of rampant substance abuse and eventually, the singer exposing her many demons. She died on February 11, 2012 at age 48 of drug intoxication that led to drowning. Her tributes were many and her iconic legendary status still stands today.
Rounding out the top 5 of 1988: Ex-Beatle George Harrison enjoyed a comeback smash with the ELO Jeff Lynne-produced "Got My Mind Set On You" off his 1987 comeback album, "Cloud Nine". He passed away in 2001 of smoking-related throat cancer. George Michael dropped out of the number one spot with his first solo number one, "Faith", with other hits off that groundbreaking album to be released. The UK metal band Whitesnake, known for its big-haired lead singer David Coverdale and his video vixen girlfriend Tawny Kitaen, dropped to number four with their sexy power ballad, "Is This Love"; a song that was rumored to be written for icon Tina Turner. Finally, King of Pop, Michael Jackson enjoyed a comeback of major proportions as "The Way You Make Me Feel" began its chart climb to the top. It was the third single off his mega-smash seller "Bad" which was the followup to his monster smash album "Thriller" from 1982. His previous hits, "I Just Can't Stop Loving You"; his duet with Siedah Garrett, and the title track - which boasted a widely-viewed Martin Scorsese musical clip, both went to the top. Jackson would have three more chart-toppers that year in "The Way You Make Me Feel", "Man In The Mirror" and "Dirty Diana", putting him in the record books as the only artist to score five back-to-back number one hits - but, in 2011, Katy Perry tied the record with five number one singles off her album "Teenage Dream". Sadly, four of these music icons have left us since 2009 - the year that Jackson had passed on.
The So Emotional Whitney Houston Video
Happy New Year 2018, all!
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