1985 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1985.
Specific locations
Specific genres
- country music
- 1985 in heavy metal music
- 1985 in hip-hop
- 1985 in jazz
- 1985 in progressive rock
Events
January–March
- January 1 – The newest music video channel, VH-1, begins broadcasting on American cable. It is aimed at an older demographic than its sister station, MTV. The first video played is Marvin Gaye's rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner".
- January 11
- *One of the biggest music festivals in the world begins in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Rock in Rio had an audience of 1.5 million people, and featured Iron Maiden, Nina Hagen, The B52's, Go Go's, Queen, Rod Stewart, James Taylor and AC/DC, along with Brazilian artists such as Gilberto Gil, Elba Ramalho, Barão Vermelho and Paralamas do Sucesso.
- *Willie Dixon sues Led Zeppelin over the song "Whole Lotta Love", on the grounds that it contains too many similarities to his own song "You Need Love". The lawsuit is settled out of court.
- January 28 – Various artists, under the group name USA For Africa, including Ray Charles, Bob Dylan, Michael Jackson, Billy Joel, Cyndi Lauper, Steve Perry, Kenny Loggins, Willie Nelson, Lionel Richie, Smokey Robinson, Kenny Rogers, Diana Ross, Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen, Huey Lewis, Tina Turner, Sheila E., Harry Belafonte, Lindsey Buckingham, Kim Carnes, Dionne Warwick, Waylon Jennings, Bob Geldof and Stevie Wonder, record the song "We Are the World", written by Jackson and Ritchie.
- February – Just months after the compact disc release of his sixteenth and most recent studio album, Tonight, and nearly two years after the initial CD release of its predecessor, Let's Dance, RCA Records reissues David Bowie's previous fourteen studio albums plus four greatest hits albums on the format. Consequently, Bowie becomes the first major artist to have his entire catalog converted to CD.
- February 14
- *Whitney Houston releases her debut album.
- February 22
- *The "One Night with Blue Note" concert, celebrating the relaunch of Blue Note Records and featuring over 30 jazz greats, is held at The Town Hall in New York. Freddie Hubbard, Herbie Hancock, Jack DeJohnette, McCoy Tyner and Washington, Jr. are just a few of the performers.
- February 26 – The 27th Annual Grammy Awards are presented in Los Angeles, hosted by John Denver. Lionel Richie's Can't Slow Down wins Album of the Year, while Tina Turner's "What's Love Got to Do with It" wins both Record of the Year and Song of the Year. Cyndi Lauper wins Best New Artist.
- March 9 – Tears for Fears album Songs from the Big Chair debuts at number two on the UK Albums Chart. Enjoying massive sales, it spends 29 consecutive weeks on the top 10 and remain on the chart for another 50 weeks until September 1986.
- March 27 – The South African Broadcasting Corporation bans Stevie Wonder's music in response to Wonder dedicating the Oscar he had won the night before to Nelson Mandela.
- March 28 – A wax likeness of Michael Jackson is unveiled at Madame Tussaud's in London, UK.
April–June
- April 1 – After months of squabbling, David Lee Roth leaves Van Halen to begin a solo career.
- April 7 – Wham! becomes the first Western pop group to perform in China when they play a concert in Beijing's Workers Stadium during an historic 10-day visit.
- April 10 – Madonna begins her very first tour, The Virgin Tour in Seattle, Washington, USA.
- April 20 – Tears for Fears single "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" becomes their highest-charting single in the UK as it reach number two on the singles chart, held off the top position for two consecutive weeks by "We are the World".
- May – Russian singer Valery Leontiev starts his 10-date tour "Alone with all" and it becomes an instant hit. Queues for tickets blocked the traffic on a few central streets of Leningrad.
- May 4 – With "La det swinge" by Bobbysocks!, Norway scores its first win at the Eurovision Song Contest, in Gothenburg, Sweden.
- May 13 – Dire Straits release their fifth studio album, Brothers in Arms. The album becomes highly successful in part because of its unusually high sound quality, the result of it being recorded entirely digitally as opposed to with standard analog magnetic tape. The album additionally serves as a killer app for the compact disc format, becoming the first album to sell more copies on CD than on phonograph record, and goes on to become the highest selling album of the 1980s in the UK.
- June 11 – Madonna ends The Virgin Tour at Madison Square Garden in New York, USA.
July–September
- July 13 – The Live Aid concert takes place in Wembley Stadium, London, UK, and JFK Stadium in Philadelphia, USA. The headlining acts at the latter venue included a Led Zeppelin reunion, the first since their 1980 disbandment. The former venue, however, becomes the more notable of the two over the years, in part due to the high acclaim of Queen's performance of "Radio Ga Ga", which serves as the band's comeback in the United Kingdom. With a little help from the British Concorde jet, singer Phil Collins manages to perform at both venues. This would be the last time Duran Duran would perform together with the original line up until they reunited to record their 2004 album Astronaut. On this day they would also have the number 1 song on the US Billboard charts with their James Bond theme to the film A View to a Kill.
- September 6 – Michael Jackson purchases the publishing rights for most of the Beatles' music for $47 million, much to the dismay of Paul McCartney, against whom he is bidding.
- September 19 – The Parents Music Resource Center's United States Senate hearing on rock censorship begin in Washington, D.C. Heavy metal singer Dee Snider of Twisted Sister, rock star Frank Zappa and country singer John Denver testify against the P.M.R.C.
- September 21 – The 14th OTI Festival, held at the Teatro Lope de Vega in Seville, Spain, is won by the song "El fandango aquí", written by, and performed by Eugenia León representing Mexico.
- September 22
- *The Farm Aid concert is held in Champaign, Illinois, USA.
- *Massimo Bogianckino, general manager of the Paris Opera and former head of both the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino and La Scala, is elected mayor of Florence.
October–December
- October 26 – "Saving All My Love for You" by Whitney Houston tops the Billboard Hot 100. It was her first of seven consecutive number-one singles through 1988.
- December 5 – The first fully digital reggae single, Wayne Smith's " Sleng Teng", is recorded at Prince Jammy's studio; it is the beginning of ragga style reggae.
- December 23 – Two young fans of Judas Priest in Sparks, Nevada shoot themselves, one fatally, after listening to the band's records. A lawsuit is brought against the group in 1986 claiming that they were compelled by backwards subliminal messages hidden in their music.
- December 31 – The fourteenth annual New Year's Rockin' Eve special is aired on ABC television, with appearances by Four Tops, The Judds, Barry Manilow, The Motels, Tears for Fears and The Temptations.
Also in 1985
- Several hundreds of thousands of US dollars in publishing royalties are released to the surviving members, and families of the deceased members, of the British music group, Badfinger.
- Metal Edge magazine is launched.
- Roger Waters announces his intention to leave Pink Floyd; describing the band as "a spent force creatively", he would spend the next two years in a legal battle with his now-former bandmates over the rights to the "Pink Floyd" name and other associated assets.
Bands formed
- ''See Musical groups established in 1985''
Bands disbanded
- ''See Musical groups disestablished in 1985''
Albums released
August
Release date unknown
- ...Undone – The Lucy Show
- 7 Day Weekend – The Comsat Angels
- A View to a Kill: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack – John Barry
- Alan Merrill – Alan Merrill
- Another World – The Roches
- Back in the DHSS – Half Man Half Biscuit
- Beat Happening – Beat Happening
- Beat the System – Petra
- Begegnungen II – Eno Moebius Roedelius Plank
- Behaviour – Saga
- Better Off Dead: Original A&M Soundcrack – Various Artists
- Between Heaven 'n Hell – Resurrection Band
- Bites – Skinny Puppy
- Bo Diddley & Co. – Live – Bo Diddley
- Branded and Exiled – Running Wild
- Change No Change – Elliot Easton
- Christmas Time – Chris Stamey
- City Slicker - James Young
- Cock Robin – Cock Robin
- Color of Success – Morris Day
- Commander Sozo and the Charge of the Light Brigade – DeGarmo and Key
- Company of Justice – Play Dead
- Copacabana: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Album – Barry Manilow
- Cuori agitati – Eros Ramazzotti
- A Diamond Hidden in the Mouth of a Corpse – Giorno Poetry Systems
- Dinosaur – Dinosaur Jr.
- Do You – Sheena Easton
- Downtown – Marshall Crenshaw
- Every Turn of the World – Christopher Cross
- False Accusations – The Robert Cray Band
- Fear and Whiskey – Mekons
- Feargal Sharkey – Feargal Sharkey
- Flame – Real Life
- For the Working Class Man – Jimmy Barnes
- Forever Running – B-Movie
- Futile Combat – Skeletal Family
- Gas Food Lodging – Green on Red
- Go West – Go West
- The Goonies: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack – Various Artists
- Have Yourself Committed – Bryan Duncan
- Hero – Clarence Clemons
- The History Mix Volume 1 – Godley & Creme
- Hotline – White Heart
- Immigrant – Gene Loves Jezebel
- In the House – Images in Vogue
- Into the Fire Live – Play Dead
- Just Like Real Life – Prodigal
- Kingdom in the Streets – Dion DiMucci
- Life – Gladys Knight & the Pips
- Little Baggariddim EP – UB40
- Live in Carré – The Dubliners
- Looking at You – Chaz Jankel
- Love Beyond Reason – Randy Stonehill
- Love Hurts – Elaine Paige
- Machine Age Voodoo – SPK
- Manilow – Barry Manilow
- Mayhem – Toyah
- Mental Notes – Bad Manners
- Minx – Toyah Willcox
- Mistral gagnant – Renaud
- Mud Will Be Flung Tonight – Bette Midler
- Mystery – RAH Band
- No Muss...No Fuss – Donnie Iris
- Now – The Christmas Album – Various Artists
- Off the Board – Ludichrist
- Oil & Gold – Shriekback
- Old Flame – Juice Newton
- Old Land – Cluster & Brian Eno
- On the Fritz – Steve Taylor
- One for the Road – April Wine
- Only Four You – Mary Jane Girls
- Our Garden Needs Its Flowers – Jess Sah Bi and Peter One
- Partners, Brothers and Friends – Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
- Promesas – José José
- Rescue You – Joe Lynn Turner
- Resistance – Burning Spear
- Rhythm Romance – The Romantics
- Roger Miller - Roger Miller
- Romance – David Cassidy
- Say You Love Me – Jennifer Holliday
- A Secret Wish – Propaganda
- A Sense of Wonder – Van Morrison
- Shamrock Diaries – Chris Rea
- Skin Dive – Michael Franks
- So Many Rivers – Bobby Womack
- Some of My Best Jokes Are Friends – George Clinton
- Stages – Triumph
- Stay Hard – Raven
- Steady Nerves – Graham Parker and The Shot
- Stop! - The Chesterfield Kings
- Syirin Farthat – Elvy Sukaesih
- Talk about the Weather – Red Lorry Yellow Lorry
- Through a Window – Patrick Sky
- Thursday Afternoon – Brian Eno
- The UB40 File – UB40
- U.T.F.O. – UTFO
- Vassar Clements, John Hartford, Dave Holland – Vassar Clements, John Hartford, Dave Holland
- What If - Tommy Shaw
- Walking Through Fire - April Wine
- Whatever Happened to Jugula? – Roy Harper
- Without Love – Black N' Blue
- Wonderful – Circle Jerks
- Zaman – Ebiet G. Ade
Biggest hit singles
The following songs achieved the highest in the charts of 1985.| # | Artist | Title | Year | Country | Chart Entries |
| 1 | USA for Africa | "We Are the World" | 1985 |  Classical music
Opera
Ballet
Musical theaterBig River – Broadway production opened at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre and ran for 1005 performancesDames at Sea – off Broadway revivalThe King and I – Broadway revivalLeader of the Pack – Broadway production opened at the Ambassador Theatre and ran for 120 performancesMe and My Girl – London revivalLes Misérables – London production opened in October and has been continuously running since, becoming the longest running musical in West End history.The Mystery of Edwin Drood – Broadway production opened at the Imperial Theatre and ran for 108 performancesSeven Brides for Seven Brothers – London productionSingin' in the Rain – Broadway production Song and Dance – Broadway production opened at the Royale Theatre and ran for 474 performancesMusical filmsA Chorus LineAlag Alag DongaHum DonoKathodu KathoramKrush GrooveNanáRappin'
Births
Deaths
Awards
Charts
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