This week in 80’s music history – THE biggest album of all time reaches the top…and more

We’re looking back on some milestone moments in music that happened during this exact week back in the 80s!

February 26th 1983 (43 Years Ago This Week)

Michael Jackson’s Thriller went to No.1 on the US album chart. It has gone on to became the best selling album of all time with over 70 million copies sold. It was also one of the first albums to use music videos as a successful promotional tools. It broke racial barriers in pop music, leading to Michael’s appearances on MTV where videos for the songs ‘Thriller’, ‘Billie Jean’, and ‘Beat It’ all received regular rotation. The later was released in February 21st 1983.

February 28th 1986 (40 Years Ago This Week)

George Michael announced that Wham! would officially be splitting that upcoming summer. Ending his musical partnership with Andrew Ridgeley. George wanted to create more sophisticated music for a more mature audience. Their Final Concert was Held at Wembley Stadium in London on June 28th 1986, with roughly 72,000 fans in attendance. At that point, Wham had became one of the most successful pop acts of the 1980s, selling more than 30 million records worldwide. The singles ‘Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go’, ‘Everything She Wants’ and ‘Careless Whisper’, all topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the US.

February 27th 1981 (45 Years Ago This Week)

The Who released ‘You Better You Bet,’ which was their first single since the death of their drummer, Keith Moon, in 1978. Keith was replaced by Kenney Jones, who has formerly been with The Faces. The single peaked at No. 9 in the UK and No. 18 in the US. The music video for this song was aired on the initial launch day of MTV later that year.

February 25th 1984 (42 Years Ago This Week)

‘Jump’, by Van Halen started a five-week run at No.1 on the US singles chart. Singer David Lee Roth wrote the lyrics after seeing a television news report about a man who was threatening to commit suicide by jumping off a high building. He thought that one of the onlookers of such a scene would probably shout “go ahead and jump”.