Given the lower quality of 1986 number 1s, I’d have this higher than my 1987 placing.

The last two are both quite nice - i would give 6/10 for "Caravan Of Love" (not 100% my thing, but I see its appeal) and 7.5/10 for "Reet Petite". A nice quality increase compared to the previous songs.

'Caravan of Love' is not really my thing either but I totally get what people mean about it sounding appropriate for Christmas-time, very cosy.

I wasn't that enthusiastic about 'Reet Petite' in Jester's thread but have recently come to appreciate it more after wading through 1950s charts in depth. One of those artists like Bill Haley, Elvis, Chuck Berry, Little Richard etc. who suddenly gives the top 40 a jolt of futuristic energy during that period. The claymation visuals were a fun and memorable update for the 1980s.

Reet Petite is still great fun, and lovely to see Jackie get a number one after being in a coma for years and finally passing away. Berry Gordy co-wrote this, so one might say it financed or creatively inspired Motown and therefore is a keystone record in pop music history. Jackie had a lot of lesser-known but good US hits apart from the Big Three UK chart regulars.

I’d have had both “Caravan Of Love” and “Reet Petite” towards the top - the former is one of the great Christmas hits and the latter one of the best songs of the whole 1950s!

8. Rock Me Amadeus - Falco

Falco's real name was Johann Holzel. By 1986, he had already released three albums which all topped the Austrian album chart. Rock Me Amadeus was written with the Dutch duo Bolland & Bolland who had previously had a number 1 single in Norway with 'In The Army Now', a song later made famous by Status Quo. It spent one week at number 1 in May, the first chart topper by an Austrian artist. The single was also the first German language number 1 in the US.

Falco followed up Rock Me Amadeus with the top 10 single 'Vienna Calling' but had no further UK top 40 hits. In the 1990s, he moved to the Dominican Republic and sadly died there in 1998 following a motor accident.

Falco raps his way through the verses so the only singing is on the chorus from the backing vocalists, I'm not sure if Falco is one of them himself, while the lyrics portray Mozart as an early punk and rock'n'roller. I'm not that keen on the rap part but the chorus is memorable and the post punk/synth pop sound is to my liking.

I like but don't love 'Caravan Of Love'. Thoroughly enjoy the unique sounding 'Rock Me Amadeus' though and I'd say would be in my top 5 from this year!

I’ve never ‘got’ Rock Me Amadeus. I can’t say whether I like it or not!

Very good and unique sounding Eurohit! It might have started the whole rap verses sung chorus Europop thing that was big during the 90s.

Similarites also to Murray Head - One Night In Bangkok too in structure/style.

Moderately interesting that Falco made No 1 with just 833 copies more than the track at no 2 and lost sales every week it moved 3-2-2-1 yet increased sales when it dropped to no 4.

#nerdy

40 minutes ago, Jester said:

I’ve never ‘got’ Rock Me Amadeus. I can’t say whether I like it or not!

Have always hated it....

Rock Me Amadeus isn’t one of my favourites of the year but it certainly feels unique and stands out from the crowd, which a lot of the ‘86 number ones do to be fair! A very eclectic bunch.

A very unique UK #1. Also it inspired the "Dr. Zaius" song in The Simpsons

1 hour ago, jimwatts said:

A very unique UK #1. Also it inspired the "Dr. Zaius" song in The Simpsons

I have the Simpsons episode always before my eyes when hearing that song. Absolutely love it - I guess this is top 5 for me.

Rock Me Amadeus is by far my favourite to appear so far. I can see why some wouldn’t like it but for me it’s a great example of slightly bonkers euro pop that I’m pleased made number one here

Absolutely love Rock Me Amadeus. Would have been my top three with the two Nordics to come.

Edited yesterday at 01:031 day by JackJones

Great fun, tongue in cheek, and a pop mini-classic of the 80's. Dr Zaius remains an iconic Simpsons moment too. Vienna Calling was a top tune too, and a bit of a pity Falco's other European smashes didn't get any airplay in the UK. Edge Of Heaven was on t'radio yesterday still sounding top of all that's gone so far for me though, but Amadeus is a top tenner too. As per the movie about Mozart of the time it doesn't "have too many notes"😄

Rock Me Amadeus would have been my top three with the two up coming Nordic hits.

7. A Different Corner - George Michael

A Different Corner was released before The Edge Of Heaven and so ended up on Wham!'s greatest hits album 'The Final' rather than George Michael's first solo album. It spent three weeks at the top of the chart in April and May and was the first number 1 to be written, performed and produced by the same person. George was also the first solo singer to reach number 1 with his first two singles although being already known as part of Wham! certainly helped him to do that.

This is the highest placed of the four male ballads that I had to rank. It starts with a rather grandiose string intro that I don't remember so that was maybe left out of the radio edit. Then you have the Roland synthesiser combining with that lovely faraway piano tinkling before George's excellent vocal comes in, full of emotion and holding some long notes. There's also that Spanish guitar in the middle. I'm not a big fan of his music but looking at the list of his hit singles to come, I'd say this is my favourite song by him. It's really well put together. The lyrics are about how breaking up from a short relationship affected him. If he had turned a different corner, he would never have met this person.

A lovely George ballad, beautifully sung if not quite my favourite of his. I suspect 7th would be roughly where I would put it too.