MTV breaks its Rock format to air Michael Jackson’s Thriller videos under threat from CBS and accusations of racism, and becomes Pop’s new gravitational center after the Walkman kills off AM Top40. Meanwhile, Adult Contemporary is in transition from Country Pop to Smooth R&B, a daytime soap propels a song to #1, British and Aussie acts dominate the Hot100, and “the world’s biggest Rock band” scores the year’s top hit, then breaks up.

#1 Song of the Year   The top song according to our Chartcrush ranking of all Hot100 songs that earned the majority of their chart ranking points in the year

Artists of the Year   The top three artists based on all charted songs during the calendar year

1. Michael Jackson
2. Culture Club
3. Lionel Richie

Artist with Most Charting Songs   Artist(s) with the most Hot100 charting songs during the year (song count in parentheses)

• Michael Jackson (5)

Average #1 Artist Age   The average of how old artists who scored #1 Hot100 hits during the year were when their songs first reached #1

• 31.7 years

#1 Songs   List of Hot100 #1 songs that earned the majority of their chart ranking points in the year, and (in parentheses), the month the song first hit #1 and the total number of weeks it was #1

1. Men at Work – Down Under (January, 4 wks)
2. Toto – Africa (February, 1 wk)
3. Patti Austin with James Ingram – Baby, Come to Me (February, 2 wks)
4. Michael Jackson – Billie Jean (March, 7 wks)
5. Dexys Midnight Runners – Come on Eileen (April, 1 wk)
6. Michael Jackson – Beat It (April, 3 wks)
7. David Bowie – Let’s Dance (May, 1 wk)
8. Irene Cara – Flashdance…What a Feeling (May, 6 wks)
9. Police – Every Breath You Take (July, 8 wks)
10. Eurythmics – Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) (September, 1 wk)
11. Michael Sembello – Maniac (September, 2 wks)
12. Billy Joel – Tell Her About It (September, 1 wk)
13. Bonnie Tyler – Total Eclipse of the Heart (October, 4 wks)
14. Kenny Rogers duet with Dolly Parton – Islands in the Stream (October, 2 wks)
15. Lionel Richie – All Night Long (All Night) (November, 4 wks)
16. Paul McCartney & Michael Jackson – Say Say Say (December, 6 wks)