This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1984.
[edit] Events - January 21 - "Relax" by Frankie Goes to Hollywood reaches number one in the UK singles chart; it spends a total of forty-two weeks in the Top 40.
- January 27 - Michael Jackson's scalp is burned during the filming of a Pepsi commercial and he remains calm as he is admitted to a hospital. Around this time, Jackson also releases the title track from his Thriller album as the LP's final single.
- February 14 - Elton John marries studio engineer Renate Blauel. Also Joe Perry and Brad Whitford attend an Aerosmith concert and re-join the band, embarking on their reunion tour "Back In The Saddle" later in the year.
- February 16 - Jerry Lee Lewis surrenders to federal authorities on charges of income tax evasion. Lewis is later acquitted.
- February 28 - Recovering from the scalp burns sustained a month earlier, Michael Jackson wins eight Grammy Awards out of twelve nominations, breaking the record for the most Grammys won in a single year. He wins seven for the critically acclaimed album Thriller and the other for a song featured in the movie E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.
- March 1 - Sting plays his last concerts with The Police at the end of the Synchronicity tour; the band takes a "pause" after the tour and only play a few special events together after this, until 2007, when they would organize a reunion tour.
- March - Alice Cooper, who has not toured for his last two albums, parts ways with his longtime label Warner Bros. and goes on hiatus from the music industry. Cooper begins mulling over plans for a comeback, which he would carry out in 1986.
- April 1 - In Los Angeles, California, Marvin Gaye is shot and killed during an argument with his father.
- May 1 - Mick Fleetwood, of Fleetwood Mac, files for bankruptcy in the United States.
- May 2 - Lionel Richie's hit "Hello" becomes Motown's first ever UK million selling single.
- May 5 - The Pretenders singer Chrissie Hynde marries Simple Minds singer Jim Kerr. Meanwhile, in Luxembourg, the Eurovision Song Contest 1984 is won by the Swedish entry, Diggi-Loo Diggi-Ley by the Herreys.
- June 8 - Billy Joel performs a concert at Wembley Arena that is soon broadcast on BBC Television in two parts.
- June 16-August 11 - Frankie Goes to Hollywood spend nine weeks at the top of the UK singles chart with "Two Tribes".
- June 18 - the climax of a Judas Priest concert at Madison Square Garden goes awry when fans begin ripping out the cushions from the seats and throwing them on stage. Judas Priest will pay damages through insurance and be banned from MSG for life over the incident.
- July 1 - During his performance at the first ever Cornerstone Festival in Grayslake, Illinois, Steve Taylor jumps off the stage, breaking his ankle. Taylor hops back on stage and finishes his show. The next few shows on Taylor's tour were performed from a wheel chair.
- July 10 - The last original member of Menudo, Ricky Melendez, leaves the group and is replaced by Ricky Martin. Meanwhile, Menudomania reaches Asia in 1984.
- July 14 - Eddie Van Halen makes a special guest appearance at a concert by The Jacksons in Dallas, Texas, playing the guitar solo for "Beat It" live.
- August 9 - Iron Maiden kicks off their World Slavery Tour in Warsaw, Poland, with shows in Hungary and Yugoslavia soon to follow. This marks the first time a Western band has ever brought a full concert production behind the Iron Curtain.
- August 27 - British band Depeche Mode releases their 4th album Some Great Reward. The first single People Are People is the first big Depeche Mode hit in the USA.
- August 31 - Canadian music video channel MuchMusic debuts. The first video played is Rush's "The Enemy Within".
- September 2 - Van Halen concludes its 1984 world tour with a show in Nuremberg, Germany as part of the Monsters of Rock festival tour. This would be the band's last concert with David Lee Roth as lead singer until 2007.
- September 7 - Janet Jackson elopes with fellow singer James DeBarge. The marriage would be annulled in 1985.
- September 11 - country singer Barbara Mandrell suffers serious injuries in a head-on automobile collision on a Tennessee highway. She will make a comeback after spending over a year rehabilitating.
- September 14 - The first annual MTV Video Music Awards are held in New York City. Herbie Hancock wins the most awards with five, and The Cars take the highest prize of Video Of The Year for "You Might Think". However, much attention is garnered by Madonna for her controversial performance of her hit single "Like a Virgin" in which she rolls around on the stage, revealing lacy stockings and garters, and grinds her crotch against her veil.
- September 21 - the first Compact Disc manufacturing plant in North America opens in Terre Haute, Indiana. CDs have previously had to be imported from Japan. Bruce Springsteen's Born in the U.S.A. is designated as the first CD ever made in the United States.
- October 1 - The Jesus and Mary Chain release their first single, "Upside Down".
- October 19 - A-Ha's career begins with the release of the "Take On Me" single in the UK.
- October 27 - Turner Broadcasting System launches Cable Music Channel, a music video channel intended to compete directly with MTV. The first video played is "I Love L.A." by Randy Newman. The channel would only last 34 days.
- November 20 - Michael Jackson receives a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame directly in front of Mann's Chinese Theater. Jackson leaves after only three minutes at the request of security, as the crush of 5,000 onlookers becomes a safety concern.
- December 1 - Frankie Goes to Hollywood become the first act to take their first three singles to the UK #1 position since Gerry & The Pacemakers in 1963, when "The Power of Love" tops the chart.
- December 3 - Bob Geldof and Band Aid release the single "Do They Know It's Christmas".
- December 8 - Mötley Crüe member Vince Neil is involved in a serious car accident. He is drunk at the time, and Razzle (Nicholas Dingley) of Hanoi Rocks is killed in the accident.
- December 9 - The Jacksons conclude their Victory Tour with the last of six concerts at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. The tour, which consisted of 55 shows over five months, has reportedly grossed $75 million, a new industry record.
- December - Tipper Gore forms the Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC) in response to the "filth" she hears on her daughter's Prince album Purple Rain.
- December 31 - Def Leppard's drummer Rick Allen loses his left arm in a car wreck.
- UK singles sales this year are the second highest ever, after 1978.
[edit] Bands formed [edit] Bands disbanded [edit] Bands reformed [edit] Albums released [edit] January [edit] February [edit] August [edit] September [edit] October [edit] November [edit] December [edit] Unknown release date [edit] Biggest hit singles The following songs achieved the highest chart positions in the charts of 1984. | # | Artist | Title | Year | Country | Chart Entries | | 1 | Stevie Wonder | I Just Called to Say I Love You | 1984 |  | UK 1 - September 1984, US BB 1 - September 1984, Canada 1 - September 1984, Holland 1 - August 1984, Sweden 1 - September 1984, Sweden (alt) 1 - August 1984, Austria 1 - October 1984, Switzerland 1 - September 1984, Norway 1 - September 1984, Poland 1 - January 1984, Italy 1 of 1984, Germany 1 - September 1984, Éire 1 - September 1984, New Zealand 1 for 9 weeks October 1984, Australia 1 for 8 weeks June 1985, Oscar in 1984, Australia 6 of 1984, US CashBox 9 of 1984, US BB 18 of 1984, POP 26 of 1984, Germany 52 of the 1980s, Scrobulate 100 of r & b | | 2 | Band Aid | Do They Know It's Christmas? | 1984 |  /  | UK 1 - December 1984, Canada 1 - December 1984, Holland 1 - December 1984, Sweden 1 - December 1984, Sweden (alt) 1 - December 1984, Austria 1 - January 1985, Switzerland 1 - December 1984, Norway 1 - January 1985, Éire 1 - December 1984, New Zealand 1 for 4 weeks January 1985, Australia 1 for 4 weeks September 1985, Germany 2 - January 1985, Scrobulate 6 of Christmas, Global 7 (10 M sold) - 1984, Poland 8 - December 1984, US BB 13 - January 1985, Australia 19 of 1985, Italy 19 of 1985, RYM 24 of 1984, KROQ 25 of 1984, US CashBox 73 of 1985, Europe 78 of the 1980s, OzNet 301, Germany 325 of the 1980s | | 3 | Wham! | Wake Me Up Before You Go Go | 1984 | | UK 1 - May 1984, US BB 1 - October 1984, Canada 1 - October 1984, Holland 1 - June 1984, Sweden (alt) 1 - June 1984, Norway 1 - June 1984, Éire 1 - June 1984, Australia 1 for 5 weeks March 1985, Switzerland 2 - June 1984, Germany 2 - June 1984, Australia 5 of 1984, US BB 6 of 1984, Austria 6 - July 1984, POP 7 of 1984, US CashBox 19 of 1984, KROQ 20 of 1984, Poland 23 - June 1984, Europe 84 of the 1980s, OzNet 146, RYM 195 of 1984, Germany 230 of the 1980s | | 4 | Cyndi Lauper | Girls Just Wanna Have Fun | 1984 | | Norway 1 - March 1984, Éire 1 - February 1984, New Zealand 1 for 3 weeks May 1984, Australia 1 for 2 weeks December 1984, UK 2 - January 1984, US BB 2 - January 1984, US BB 2 of 1984, Canada 2 - February 1984, POP 2 of 1984, Holland 3 - February 1984, Austria 3 - May 1984, Sweden (alt) 5 - March 1984, Switzerland 6 - April 1984, Germany 6 - March 1984, France 8 - December 1983, Australia 9 of 1984, US CashBox 16 of 1984, Italy 16 of 1984, Party 35 of 2007, RYM 63 of 1983, KROQ 65 of 1984, RIAA 122, Germany 388 of the 1980s, Acclaimed 391 | | 5 | Frankie Goes to Hollywood | Relax | 1984 | | UK 1 - November 1983, Switzerland 1 - February 1984, Germany 1 - February 1984, TOTP 1, KROQ 1 of 1984, France 2 - November 1983, Norway 2 - February 1984, Sweden (alt) 4 - March 1984, Austria 4 - March 1984, Holland 5 - January 1984, Canada 7 - April 1984, US BB 10 - February 1985, US BB 11 of 1985, Italy 11 of 1984, Australia 16 of 1984, POP 16 of 1985, Poland 18 - February 1984, RYM 21 of 1983, Virgin 31, Scrobulate 45 of 80s, Germany 72 of the 1980s, Europe 94 of the 1980s, Acclaimed 270, OzNet 574 | [edit] Significant hits [edit] Christmas songs [edit] Published popular music [edit] Classical music [edit] Musical theater [edit] Musical films [edit] Births - February 25 - Lovefoxxx (Cansei de Ser Sexy)
- March 18 - Vonzell Solomon, US singer
- August 5 - Taylor Locke, Rooney
- April 10 - Mandy Moore, singer
- April 15 - Arianne Joy Garing (Triple threat)
- April 24 - Tyson Ritter (The All-American Rejects)
- April 27 - Patrick Stump, singer
- May 2 - Rose Falcon
- June 29 - Han Ji-hye, Korean actress/singer
- June 30 - Fantasia Barrino, American singer
- July 24 - Dhani Lennevald, A*Teens
- July 26 - Alex Parks, singer
- August 21
- August 31 - Will Martin, crossover singer
- September 16 - Katie Melua, Georgian singer and musician
- September 23 - Louis Stephens, Rooney
- September 27 - Avril Lavigne, Canadian rock singer and musician
- October 3 - Ashlee Simpson, singer
- October 4 - Lena Katina, Russian singer (t.A.T.u.)
- October 10 - Stephanie Cheng, singer
- October 12 - Matthew Dewey, Australian composer
- October 16 - Shayne Ward, singer
- October 25
- October 27 - Kelly Osbourne, singer
- November 9 - Delta Goodrem, Australian singer and actress
- November 21 - Willy Mason
[edit] Deaths - January 21 - Jackie Wilson, singer
- January 30 - Luke Kelly, member of The Dubliners
- February 15 - Ethel Merman, singer and actress
- April 1 - Marvin Gaye, singer/songwriter (gunshot)
- April 6 - Jimmy Kennedy, Irish-born British songwriter
- April 26 - Count Basie, jazz musician
- May 1 - Gordon Jenkins, US conductor, songwriter and pianist
- June 15 - Meredith Willson, US songwriter
- June 28 - Mischa Spoliansky, Russian born composer and conductor
- July 31 - Paul Le Flem, composer
- September 6 - Ernest Tubb, country & western musician
- September 15 - Charles Lynch, Irish concert pianist
- September 20 - Steve Goodman, singer/songwriter best known for "City of New Orleans"
- November 20 - Alexander Moyzes, Slovak composer
- December 9 - Razzle (Nicholas Dingley), drummer of Hanoi Rocks
- December 21 - José Luis Rodríguez Vélez, Panamanian composer, orchestra director, saxophonist, clarinetist and guitarrist.
[edit] Awards [edit] Grammy Awards [edit] Country Music Association Awards [edit] Eurovision Song Contest [edit] Charts [edit] List of No. 1 Hits [edit] List of No. 1 Albums [edit] See also |
