The Top 100 R&B Songs of the 80's*: #60-51

Inside The Rock Era is presenting The Top 100 R&B Songs of the 80's*, featuring all the top R&B artists of the decade, including Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Cameo, Stephanie Mills, Lionel Richie and more.  We have featured ten songs each day, and are up to #60:

 

 

 

 

#60:

"Let's Hear It For The Boy"
Deniece Williams
1984

Competition is key to a song's true popularity, and this one competed against "Hello" and "When Doves Cry" to earn three weeks at #1 and a Platinum record for this gem from Footloose.

 

 

 

#59:

"Mr. Telephone Man"

New Edition
1985

The New Edition debuted with "Cool It Now", then came back to score this #1 of three weeks.  It competed against Midnight Starr's "Operator", "Missing You" from Diana Ross, and "Nightshift" by the Commodores.

 

#58:

"Tasty Love"
Freddie Jackson
1986

Here's one of the biggest R&B hits of 1986.  Freddie Jackson by this time was hot (this was his fourth R&B #1 of his career), and he scored a #1 smash for four weeks.

 

#57:

"What Cha' Gonna' Do For Me"

Chaka Khan

1981

The lead singer of Rufus since 1972, Chaka Khan scored a #1 for two weeks while contending with "Give It To Me Baby" by Rick James and "Double Dutch Bus".

 

 

 

#56:

"Caravan Of Love"

Isley Jasper Isley
1985

Isley Jasper Isley was a splinter group of the Isley Brothers, as musical differences got in the way of that great soul group.  This song faced major competition from "Part-Time Lover", Eugene Wilde's "Don't Say No Tonight" and "Say You, Say Me", yet still jumped to #1 for three weeks.

 

#55:

"Stop To Love"

Luther Vandross

1987

One of the backup singers on Song #55* was Vesty Williams, who had some solo R&B hits of her own.  Luther Vandross's smash stopped Janet Jackson's "Control" dead in its tracks to achieve #1 for two weeks in 1987.

 

#54:

"Nightshift"

Commodores

1985

After Lionel Richie's departure for a solo career, the Commodores proved they still had it with a #1 smash of four weeks in 1985.  It competed against "Mr. Telephone Man" and "Missing You" from Diana Ross. 

 

 

#53:

"I Feel For You"

Chaka Khan
1984

This 1984 smash took over from Stevie Wonder's "I Just Called To Say I Love You", and held off "Solid" to remain at #1 for three weeks.

 

 

 

#52:

"I Just Called To Say I Love You"

Stevie Wonder
1984

The battle between this song and Chaka Khan's "I Feel For You" was so close that the two are currently in the same group for The Top 100 R&B Songs of the 80's*.

 

 

#51

"Early In The Morning"

Gap Band
1982

Arguably the Gap Band's best career song, this smash took over from "Let It Whip" by the Dazz Band, and fought hard against the smash "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" to score three weeks at #1 in 1982.

 

 

You've heard 50 songs so far, and we move into the upper half beginning tomorrow on Inside The Rock Era!