This Week In The 80’s: It’s Only Love

This Week In The 80’s: It’s Only Love

It’s January of 1986. I’m a sophomore in high school and about six weeks from getting my drivers license. There’s A LOT of great music on the chart this week. At the top of the chart, Dionne Warwick and Friends are spending their third week at #1 with “That’s What Friends Are For”. The project was put together by Ms. Warwick to raise money for AIDS research and awareness. There are two songs in the Top 20 from the Rocky IV soundtrack: “Burning Heart” by Survivor and “Living In America” by the one and only James Brown. The Hooters and “Day by Day” are just now starting up the chart while Simple Minds and “Alive And Kicking” are moving down the charts. If you haven’t heard those last two songs they’re totally worth looking up. Also moving back down the charts, after peaking at #15 is what I would consider one of the best – if not the best – duet to come out of the 80’s…”It’s Only Love” by Bryan Adams and Tina Turner.

There isn’t any big story to this song. It’s just a great song and two amazing voices that blend perfectly together. Adams said when he wrote the song with a friend, he knew that it would be a duet and in his head he heard Tina Turner’s voice. Adams opened for Tina Turner on her Private Dancer tour and would join her on stage most nights to perform the song and has said this of Tina:

“I never saw Tina walk through a performance, she always put on a great show, and was gracious and grateful to her audience. It was such a privilege to have sung with her, especially since I was only 24 at the time.”

This Week In The 80’s is a weekly look at the Top 40 charts with Eric Vardeman. His Twitter handle is @ericvardeman.