ARIA Charts Throwback: 28 September 1986

She's got it, yeah baby, she's got it but have you got the biggest hits of September 1986?

As September moved into October in 1986, artists hitting the heights on the ARIA Albums Chart included Eurythmics, Simply Red, Billy Joel, Madonna, Whitney Houston, Genesis and more.

On the Singles Chart, a makeover of an early-70s hit gave a British trio their biggest hit in Australia.

10. Samantha Fox - Touch Me (I Want To Feel Your Body)

British glamour model turned singer Samantha Fox took out her only #1 on the ARIA Singles Chart when ‘Touch Me (I Want To Feel Your Body)’ hold the top spot for three weeks in July 1986. She also charted later the same year with ‘Do Ya Do Ya (Wanna Please Me)’ (#18 Oct. ’86).

9. Peter Cetera - Glory Of Love

The biggest solo hit in Australia for ex-Chicago member Peter Cetera came when ‘Glory Of Love’ hit #9 in September 1986. The track featured on the soundtrack to The Karate Kid Part II.

8. Steve Winwood - Higher Love

A member of prominent British groups The Spencer Davis Group, Traffic and Blind Faith, Steve Winwood claimed his only solo Top Ten hit on the ARIA Singles Chart when ‘Higher Love’ peaked at #8 for a week in September 1986. In the US, it became the first of two solo #1s for Winwood.

7. Midnight Oil - The Dead Heart

Having topped the Singles Chart at the end of 1985 with the EP Species Deceases (#1 Dec. ’85), Midnight Oil had their second-highest peak on the chart when ‘The Dead Heart’ hit #4 for three weeks in August/September 1986. Its parent album Diesel And Dust (#1 Aug. ’87) also spawned the Top Ten ‘Beds Are Burning’ (#6 Sept. ’87).

6. Wa Wa Nee - I Could Make You Love Me

The second half of 1986 was a big time for Sydney synthpop band Wa Wa Nee, with debut single ‘Stimulation’ peaking at #2 in July and follow-up ‘I Could Make You Love Me’ peaking at #5 at the start of October. Both singles sat together in the Top Ten during a week in September, holding #9 and #10, respectively.

5. Madonna - Papa Don't Preach

Madonna scored her fourth #1 on the ARIA Singles Chart when ‘Papa Don’t Preach’ held the top spot for six consecutive weeks in August/September 1986. The track came from the American star’s third album, True Blue (#1 Aug. ’86), her first #1 album in Australia.

4. Berlin - Take My Breath Away

American band Berlin had the biggest hit of their career with the track ‘Take My Breath Away’. Featured in the hit film Top Gun, the track peaked at #2 in Australia and went to #1 in the US and UK. It won the Academy Award for Best Original Song.

3. Cyndi Lauper - True Colors

The title track to Cyndi Lauper’s #1 second album became the American artist’s fifth Top Ten single in Australia when it peaked at #3. ‘True Colors’ has since been covered by Phil Collins, Kasey Chambers, Justin Timberlake & Anna Kendrick and many more.

2. Lionel Richie - Dancing On The Ceiling

Lionel Richie’s sixth and final Top Ten in Australia came when ‘Dancing On The Ceiling’ peaked at #2 for two weeks in September 1986. The title track to Richie’s third solo album, it was the second Top Ten single from the album after ‘Say You, Say Me’ (#3 Dec. ’85).

1. Bananarama - Venus

British pop trio Bananarama scored their only #1 on the ARIA Charts when ‘Venus’ spent seven straight weeks at the top of the Singles Chart in late-1986. A cover of the 1970 hit by Dutch band Shocking Blue, Bananarama’s ‘Venus’ debuted at #16 in August 1986 and hit #1 for the first time in its fifth week in the top 50. In total, the single spent 12 weeks in the top ten and 26 weeks in the top 50.

The single came from Bananarama’s third album True Confessions (#19 Oct. ‘86). It was the group’s first collaboration with production team Stock, Aitken and Waterman.

Bananarama went on to top the ARIA Albums Chart in 1988 with their fourth album Wow (#1 Jun. ’88). They had further top ten successes on the ARIA Singles Chart with ‘Love In The First Degree’ (#5 May ‘88) and ‘I Want You Back’ (#3 Jun. ’88).