Live Aid, legwarmers & #1 hits — 1985 in 30 songs
If there was ever a year where music, pop culture, and global consciousness collided in the most unforgettable way — it was 1985. If there was ever a year where music, pop culture, and global consciousness collided in the most unforgettable way — it was 1985. It’s the featured year on this week’s HOT Classic Countdown with Steve Bishop, every Sunday from 12 to 3pm on HOT 102.7FM.
Topping charts and tugging at heartstrings, We Are the World was more than a song; it was a global rally cry. Written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, and performed by USA for Africa, the track raised millions for famine relief and showed just how powerful music could be. That same humanitarian spirit echoed across the pond with Live Aid, the now-legendary concert broadcast live to over 1.5 billion people worldwide. Queen’s 20-minute set at Wembley is still hailed as one of the greatest live performances of all time.
But 1985 wasn’t all about saving the world — it was also about owning the dancefloor. Madonna dominated airwaves with Into the Groove and Material Girl, while Prince kept the purple reign going strong post-Purple Rain. And if you had a Walkman, chances are you were rewinding Take On Me by A-ha — whose innovative rotoscope-style video would go on to win multiple MTV Video Music Awards.
Phil Collins had a monster year, releasing No Jacket Required, while Whitney Houston’s self-titled debut album quietly dropped… and went on to make history.
Meanwhile, the big screen gave us Back to the Future, with Huey Lewis & The News delivering the perfect theme song in The Power of Love. And speaking of stars on the rise, 1985 was also the year a 16-year-old Alanis Morissette celebrated her birthday — just one of several music legends born that year, including Bruno Mars and J. Cole.
Wow, did you know? The Back to the Future soundtrack hit stores just two weeks before Live Aid, making July 1985 one of the most culturally iconic months in pop history.
Whether you were living it in legwarmers or reliving it now, 1985 was a year where music mattered — and this countdown will remind you exactly why.
