1984 Billboard Number One Hits: Every Hot 100 Chart-Topper

The 1984 Billboard Number One Hits list captured one of pop music’s most famous years: MTV power, movie soundtracks, superstar albums, British new wave, rock crossovers, R&B, and the full arrival of Prince and Madonna as era-defining forces. Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson opened the year with Say Say Say, Prince ruled the summer with When Doves Cry, Tina Turner completed a historic comeback, and Madonna carried the year into 1985 with Like a Virgin.

This page follows the Billboard Hot 100 issue dates for 1984, shown here as reader-friendly weekly date ranges. Because Billboard chart weeks can cross calendar years, this list begins with Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson’s late-1983 carryover and continues into early 1985 with Madonna’s Like a Virgin.

The Billboard Hot 100 ranks the most popular songs in the United States using radio airplay and sales. These are official Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 songs, not pop-only, rock-only, airplay-only, R&B-only, soundtrack-only, or “that was definitely on every MTV countdown” rankings.

1984 Billboard Number One Hits by Week

January 1 – January 14, 1984: Say Say Say – Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson
January 15 – January 28, 1984: Owner of a Lonely Heart – Yes
January 29 – February 18, 1984: Karma Chameleon – Culture Club
February 19 – March 24, 1984: Jump – Van Halen
March 25 – April 14, 1984: Footloose – Kenny Loggins
April 15 – May 5, 1984: Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now) – Phil Collins
May 6 – May 19, 1984: Hello – Lionel Richie
May 20 – June 2, 1984: Let’s Hear It for the Boy – Deniece Williams
June 3 – June 16, 1984: Time After Time – Cyndi Lauper
June 17 – June 30, 1984: The Reflex – Duran Duran
July 1 – August 4, 1984: When Doves Cry – Prince
August 5 – August 25, 1984: Ghostbusters – Ray Parker Jr.
August 26 – September 15, 1984: What’s Love Got to Do with It – Tina Turner
September 16 – September 22, 1984: Missing You – John Waite
September 23 – October 6, 1984: Let’s Go Crazy – Prince and the Revolution
October 7 – October 27, 1984: I Just Called to Say I Love You – Stevie Wonder
October 28 – November 10, 1984: Caribbean Queen (No More Love on the Run) – Billy Ocean
November 11 – December 1, 1984: Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go – Wham!
December 2 – December 15, 1984: Out of Touch – Daryl Hall and John Oates
December 16, 1984 – January 26, 1985: Like a Virgin – Madonna

Song-by-Song Notes on the 1984 Billboard No. 1 Hits

Say Say Say – Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson

Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson opened the 1984 Billboard Hot 100 calendar with Say Say Say, a late-1983 carryover from McCartney’s album Pipes of Peace. The song paired one of rock’s most famous former Beatles with the biggest pop star of the MTV era.

Its cross-year run gave 1984 a superstar opening. It also arrived during the brief, fascinating period when McCartney and Jackson were recording together before music-publishing history made that friendship a little more complicated.

Owner of a Lonely Heart – Yes

Yes reached No. 1 with Owner of a Lonely Heart, the band’s only Hot 100 chart-topper. The song’s Trevor Horn production, sharp samples, and glossy rock sound helped move the progressive-rock veterans into the MTV era.

Its two-week run showed how 1970s album-rock acts could reinvent themselves for 1980s pop radio. Prog rock did not exactly put on a skinny tie, but it did learn some new studio tricks.

Karma Chameleon – Culture Club

Culture Club spent three weeks at No. 1 with Karma Chameleon, one of the British new wave and pop-soul era’s biggest American hits. Boy George’s vocal, the bright harmonica hook, and the colorful image of the band made it a perfect MTV-era single.

The song helped confirm Culture Club as one of the leading Second British Invasion acts on the U.S. chart.

Jump – Van Halen

Van Halen spent five weeks at No. 1 with Jump, the band’s only Hot 100 chart-topper. The song’s famous synthesizer riff marked a major pop crossover moment for a band best known for Eddie Van Halen’s guitar fireworks.

Its long run showed that hard rock could reach the center of pop radio when the hook was big enough. Some rock fans argued about the keyboards, but the Hot 100 did not need a meeting.

Footloose – Kenny Loggins

Kenny Loggins reached No. 1 with Footloose, the title song from the hit film. The song became one of the defining movie-soundtrack hits of the 1980s and helped cement Loggins’ reputation as a soundtrack specialist.

Its three-week run gave 1984 one of its biggest dance-ready rock-pop singles. The song practically came with a town ordinance waiting to be broken.

Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now) – Phil Collins

Phil Collins reached No. 1 with Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now), the dramatic ballad from the film Against All Odds. The song became one of Collins’ signature solo ballads and one of the year’s biggest soundtrack hits.

Its three-week run helped establish Collins as one of the strongest solo artists of the mid-1980s, separate from his work with Genesis.

Hello – Lionel Richie

Lionel Richie topped the Hot 100 with Hello, a soft ballad from Can’t Slow Down. The song’s famous video, featuring the sculpture reveal, became one of the most remembered music-video moments of the decade.

Its two-week run added another No. 1 to Richie’s remarkable early-1980s solo streak. It also made the word “hello” feel unusually dramatic.

Let’s Hear It for the Boy – Deniece Williams

Deniece Williams reached No. 1 with Let’s Hear It for the Boy, another major hit from the Footloose soundtrack. The song’s bright dance-pop sound and joyful chorus made it one of the year’s most upbeat chart-toppers.

Its two-week run helped make Footloose one of 1984’s most powerful soundtrack albums.

Time After Time – Cyndi Lauper

Cyndi Lauper reached No. 1 with Time After Time, a tender ballad from She’s So Unusual. The song showed a softer, more emotionally direct side of Lauper after the playful energy of Girls Just Want to Have Fun.

Its two-week run gave Lauper her first Hot 100 No. 1 and one of the most enduring ballads of the decade.

The Reflex – Duran Duran

Duran Duran earned their first Hot 100 No. 1 with The Reflex. The Nile Rodgers remix helped sharpen the song for pop radio and dance floors, giving the British band a major American breakthrough at the top.

Its two-week run made Duran Duran one of the key MTV-era bands on the Hot 100. The chorus was cryptic, but the chart result was clear.

When Doves Cry – Prince

Prince spent five weeks at No. 1 with When Doves Cry, the lead single from Purple Rain. The song famously had no bassline, yet still delivered one of the most distinctive grooves of the decade.

When Doves Cry became Billboard’s year-end Hot 100 song of 1984 and one of Prince’s defining recordings. It was strange, spare, emotional, and completely in command. Not many songs can remove the bass and still shake the room.

Ghostbusters – Ray Parker Jr.

Ray Parker Jr. reached No. 1 with Ghostbusters, the theme from the blockbuster film. The song’s call-and-response hook made it instantly memorable and deeply tied to the movie’s pop-culture identity.

Its three-week run made it one of the year’s biggest soundtrack hits. The question “Who you gonna call?” has been doing unpaid cultural labor ever since.

What’s Love Got to Do with It – Tina Turner

Tina Turner reached No. 1 with What’s Love Got to Do with It, completing one of the great comeback stories in pop history. The song’s cool vocal delivery and sleek production helped redefine her career for the MTV era.

It spent three weeks at No. 1 and ranked No. 2 on Billboard’s year-end Hot 100 for 1984, just behind Prince. The song also won major Grammy Awards and helped make Private Dancer a career-changing album.

Missing You – John Waite

John Waite reached No. 1 with Missing You, a polished pop-rock single built around denial, longing, and a chorus that insists it is not missing anyone while very clearly missing someone.

Its one-week run gave Waite his biggest solo chart moment after earlier success with The Babys. The song became one of the decade’s most durable adult-rock heartbreak records.

Let’s Go Crazy – Prince and the Revolution

Prince and the Revolution reached No. 1 with Let’s Go Crazy, another major single from Purple Rain. The song opened with a sermon-like spoken introduction before exploding into rock, funk, and pop energy.

Its two-week run gave Prince seven total weeks at No. 1 during the 1984 chart year, more than any other artist. The year belonged to many stars, but Prince had the purple marker.

I Just Called to Say I Love You – Stevie Wonder

Stevie Wonder spent three weeks at No. 1 with I Just Called to Say I Love You, from the film The Woman in Red. The song became one of his biggest worldwide hits and later won the Academy Award for Best Original Song.

Its simple lyric and soft production made it one of the year’s most accessible love songs. It was not Stevie’s funkiest record, but it certainly knew how to use a telephone.

Caribbean Queen (No More Love on the Run) – Billy Ocean

Billy Ocean reached No. 1 with Caribbean Queen (No More Love on the Run), a smooth pop-R&B single that helped make him a major international star. The song’s groove and polished production fit perfectly into mid-1980s radio.

Its two-week run was the first of several big U.S. chart moments for Ocean during the decade.

Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go – Wham!

Wham! spent three weeks at No. 1 with Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go, a bright pop single that helped George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley break wide open in the United States. The song’s retro energy and colorful video made it a pure MTV-era hit.

Its three-week run made Wham! one of the major British pop arrivals of 1984. The title sounded like a note left on a refrigerator by someone with excellent hair.

Out of Touch – Daryl Hall and John Oates

Daryl Hall and John Oates reached No. 1 with Out of Touch, their final Hot 100 chart-topper. The song’s sleek production and sharp chorus kept the duo’s early-1980s hit streak alive into the middle of the decade.

Its two-week run marked the end of one of the most successful pop-soul chart runs of the era.

Like a Virgin – Madonna

Madonna closed the 1984 Billboard Hot 100 year with Like a Virgin, which carried into January 1985. The song transformed her from rising pop star into one of the decade’s defining cultural figures.

Its six total weeks at No. 1 across 1984 and 1985 made it the longest-running chart-topper that first reached No. 1 during the 1984 chart year. The title caused plenty of conversation, which was not exactly bad for business.

Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Stories of 1984

When Doves Cry Was Billboard’s Year-End No. 1

Prince’s When Doves Cry spent five weeks at No. 1 and finished as Billboard’s top Hot 100 song of 1984. Its success helped make Purple Rain one of the defining music and film events of the decade.

Prince Ruled the Summer

Prince spent seven total weeks at No. 1 in 1984 with When Doves Cry and Let’s Go Crazy. Both songs came from Purple Rain, giving the album and film a huge Hot 100 presence.

Soundtrack Songs Were Everywhere

Footloose, Let’s Hear It for the Boy, Against All Odds, Ghostbusters, I Just Called to Say I Love You, and Purple Rain-era singles all showed how powerful movie music was in 1984. The year’s chart often sounded like it had a box office receipt attached.

Tina Turner Completed a Historic Comeback

What’s Love Got to Do with It gave Tina Turner her first Hot 100 No. 1 as a solo artist and helped define her Private Dancer comeback. It remains one of the great second-act stories in pop history.

Madonna Took the Next Step

Like a Virgin reached No. 1 at the end of 1984 and carried into 1985. The song turned Madonna from a major new pop act into a full-scale cultural phenomenon.

1984 Billboard Number One Hits Trivia

When Doves Cry by Prince was Billboard’s year-end Hot 100 song of 1984.
Prince spent seven total weeks at No. 1 in 1984 with When Doves Cry and Let’s Go Crazy.
Jump gave Van Halen its only Hot 100 No. 1.
Time After Time gave Cyndi Lauper her first Hot 100 No. 1.
The Reflex gave Duran Duran its first Hot 100 No. 1.
What’s Love Got to Do with It gave Tina Turner her first solo Hot 100 No. 1.
A View to a Kill in 1985 remains the only James Bond theme to top the Hot 100, but 1984’s soundtrack boom helped set the stage for it.
Like a Virgin closed 1984 and carried into the 1985 Billboard chart year.
Out of Touch was the final Hot 100 No. 1 for Daryl Hall and John Oates.

Why the 1984 Billboard Number One Hits Matter

The 1984 Billboard Number One Hits list is one of the clearest snapshots of MTV-era pop at its peak. Image, video, film soundtracks, and superstar album campaigns all helped drive the Hot 100.

The year also gave major chart milestones to Prince, Madonna, Tina Turner, Cyndi Lauper, Duran Duran, Van Halen, and Wham!. Several of these songs were not just No. 1 hits; they became defining pop-culture markers for the decade.

For chart fans, 1984 was a blockbuster year: purple rain, proton packs, dancing teens, lonely hearts, chameleons, and Madonna walking straight into 1985 with one eyebrow raised.