Expert: Bong Santos - 6/14/2007

Question
im just wondering what is the #1 song altogether back in the 80s. i have looked at many other site and almost everthing is different. i want to know what the high ranked song back in the 80's not what people think about the song today.

if you could do that for me, that would be great
thanks

Answer
Dear John,

I don't know where you're from so this will really be confusing if you're from the Philippines. The Philippines actually don't have an official chart listing for songs up to now. What we have are different surveys from radio stations the results of which are debatable. Early in the 80's, some record companies came out with different charts but many dismissed it as just efforts to promote their respective artists. In the US and some other parts of the globe like the UK and Japan, they have charts that are respectable. The US' Billboard charts for one is considered the Bible of music and it is the one I usually consider since hit songs there also are the songs being played here, which can't be said with the UK charts.  

So for your question regarding the No. 1 song of the 80's, according to Billboard, it is PHYSICAL by OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN which spent 10 weeks at No. 1 from November 21, 1981 to January 23, 1982, the most in the 80's. Here in the Philippines, it's a toss up between OCEAN DEEP by CLIFF RICHARD, EBONY AND IVORY by PAUL McCARTNEY & STEVIE WONDER,  I JUST CALLED TO SAY I LOVE YOU by STEVIE WONDER and SOMEWHERE DOWN THE ROAD by BARRY MANILOW. But I remind you, that's still debatable.

Maraming salamat po!!

BONG M. SANTOS
Manila, Philippines