Events in 1984
- Cyndi Lauper reached No. 1 on the Canadian RPM Singles Chart with “Girls Just Want to Have Fun,” beginning a two-week run at the top.
- The album “Purple Rain” began a 24-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard 200.
- Phil Collins married Jill Tavelman.
- Bruce Springsteen played the first of ten concerts at Meadowlands in New Jersey as part of the Born in the USA tour.
- Eric Roberts, bassist for Gym Class Heroes, was born in Edmeston, New York.
- Americká R&B a soulová zpěvačka Esther Phillips zemřela v Carsonu v Kalifornii ve věku 48 let na selhání jater a ledvin způsobené dlouhodobým užíváním drog. Známá byla mimo jiné skladbami „Release Me“ a „What A Difference A Day Makes“ a získala čtyři nominace na cenu Grammy.
- Red Hot Chili Peppers released their self-titled debut album, produced with Andy Gill of Gang of Four.
- Aerosmith performed at the Cumberland County Civic Center in Portland, Maine.
- Ray Parker Jr. began a three-week run at No. 1 on the US singles chart with “Ghostbusters,” the title song from the film of the same name. The song also reached No. 1 in Belgium, Canada, France, South Africa and Spain. Parker was later accused of plagiarizing the melody of “I Want a New Drug” by Huey Lewis and the News, and the dispute was settled out of court in 1985.
- Lionel Richie closed the Los Angeles Olympic Games with an extended nine-minute version of his hit “All Night Long.” The lyrics were specially adapted for the occasion.
- English singer, songwriter, and guitarist James Morrison was born. His debut album Undiscovered reached No. 1 on the UK chart.
- American musician, producer and radio station owner Norman Petty died at the age of 57 from leukemia. He was also known as a recording engineer and Buddy Holly's first manager.
- Multi-instrumentalist and founding member of Mumford & Sons Ted Dwane was born.
- RCA Victor Records released Elvis Presley's single "Baby, Let's Play House".
- Bruce Springsteen performed at Brendan Byrne Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
- During the opening night of his Breaking Hearts tour, Elton John announced that he was retiring from touring.
- Mötley Crüe performed at the Monsters of Rock festival in Castle Donington, England, for the first time.
- George Michael was at No. 1 on the UK singles chart with his first solo single, “Careless Whisper.” He thus became the first person to reach No. 1 in the same year as both a solo artist and a member of a group. The song became Epic Records' first UK million-seller and reached No. 1 in nearly 25 countries.
- Singer Kirsty MacColl married producer Steve Lillywhite. In 1987, she sang on The Pogues’ classic “Fairytale Of New York”, which Lillywhite produced. They had two children together and divorced in 1994.
- Melissa Schuman, founding member and singer of the girl group Dream, was born in San Clemente, California.
- Scandal featuring Patty Smyth released the album “Warrior”. The collection of rock songs aimed at radio audiences reached the Top 20 thanks to the title hit and later achieved platinum certification.
- Tina Turner's album “Private Dancer” received RIAA platinum certification and the single “What's Love Got To Do With It” received gold certification. The album reached No. 3 on the Billboard Top LPs & Tape chart and the single reached No. 1 on the Hot 100, as well as No. 5 in the UK and the Top 10 in several other European countries. At the age of 44, Turner became the oldest female solo singer at the time to reach No. 1 on the Hot 100.
- Aerosmith performed at the Golden Hall in San Diego, California.
- Bruce Springsteen's album “Born in the U.S.A.” moved to a different position after ten weeks on the chart compared with the previous week.
- Huey Lewis and the News' album “Sports” returned to number two on the album chart after 47 weeks since its release.
- Puerto Rican boy band Menudo released their sixteenth studio album “Evolucion”. The album marked the first appearance of their new 12-year-old singer Ricky Martin.
- The Cars' album “Heartbeat City” was at number five on the album chart.
- The Pointer Sisters reached the Top 10 of the album chart with “Break Out”.
- Tina Turner made a significant move up the album chart with “Private Dancer”.
- Egyptian poet Abdul Rahim Mansour died.
- During the Victory Tour, The Jacksons surpassed 1.1 million ticket sales in just two months, breaking the record for concert ticket sales. The tour consisted of 55 shows and featured all six Jackson brothers; according to the individual sources, it attracted approximately 2 to 2.5 million spectators at 22 venues and grossed approximately $75 million. By the end of the tour in December 1984, they had surpassed the previous overall attendance record held by The Rolling Stones’ 1981 tour. Paula Abdul created the tour choreography.
- Tina Turner’s “What’s Love Got to Do with It” was released in the United States and reached No. 1 on the US chart.
- Prince's 12-inch single "Let's Go Crazy/Erotic City" was released in the US.
- U2 began their Unforgettable Fire world tour with a concert at Christchurch Town Hall in New Zealand. It was the first of 19 shows in Australia and New Zealand.
- The Beatles fans paid $271,180 for memorabilia at an auction in London, England.
- The film "Purple Rain" starring Prince was released in cinemas across the United Kingdom, including special late-night previews. The film grossed more than $80 million worldwide and became a cult classic.
- Stevie Wonder released "I Just Called to Say I Love You" in the United Kingdom.
- Tina Turner reached No. 1 on the U.S. chart with the single “What's Love Got to Do with It,” her first solo single to reach No. 1 in the United States. Twenty-four years had passed since her first appearance on the Billboard Hot 100 with “A Fool in Love,” which she recorded with her future husband Ike Turner. The song was originally written for Cliff Richard, who rejected it, and was subsequently offered to Donna Summer, who never recorded it. The song later won Grammy Awards for Record of the Year, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and Best Female Rock Vocal Performance. The album “Private Dancer” also reached No. 1 on the U.S. chart.
- U2 played the second of two concerts at the Logan Campbell Centre in Auckland, New Zealand, during their Unforgettable Fire World Tour.
- Van Halen played their final concert with David Lee Roth before his return to the band in 2007. They performed at the Monsters of Rock festival in Nuremberg, Germany.
- American singer Robert Curry, a member of Day26 and a participant in the television show Making the Band 4, was born.
- INXS played the first of two concerts in Guam after a three-month tour of the United States. After the Guam shows, they continued to Japan.
- Eighteen-year-old Janet Jackson secretly married 21-year-old James DeBarge of the group DeBarge. Most of her family, including her parents, were on the Victory tour with The Jacksons at the time. The marriage ended eight months later. Janet Jackson subsequently enjoyed a highly successful career, placing 39 songs on the Billboard Hot 100 between 1986 and 2008.
- Queensrÿche released their first full-length studio album The Warning.
- Stevie Wonder achieved his first UK No. 1 single with “I Just Called To Say I Love You”, which remained at the top for six weeks.
- David Bowie released his sixteenth studio album, Tonight. The album followed the success of Let's Dance and featured “Blue Jean”, “Loving the Alien” and the title track, a duet with Tina Turner. It also included three songs originally recorded by Iggy Pop, including “Tonight” and “Neighborhood Threat”. The album reached number one on the UK Albums Chart.
- The album “Apollonia 6” was released.
- U2 released the album “The Unforgettable Fire”, on which they began working extensively with producers Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois. The album included, among other songs, the hit “Pride”.
- American singer, songwriter and actress Ashlee Simpson, younger sister of singer and actress Jessica Simpson, was born in Waco, Texas. She gained major exposure through the MTV series The Ashlee Simpson Show and released her debut album Autobiography in 2004, which debuted at No. 1 on the US Billboard 200 and, according to available figures, sold more than three million copies.
- Lena Katina, later a member of the Russian pop duo t.A.T.u., was born in Moscow as Elena Sergeyevna Katina. She formed t.A.T.u. with Yulia Volkova, whose single “All the Things She Said” reached number one on the UK chart in 2003. The duo represented Russia at the 2003 Eurovision Song Contest, where they finished third.
- David Bowie reached No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart with the album Tonight. The album included, among other songs, the single “Blue Jean.”
- Scottish composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Erland Cooper was born.
- Prince was at No. 1 on the R&B chart with the song “Let's Go Crazy.”
- Queen played the first of nine concerts at the Sun City Super Bowl in the then-Republic of Bophuthatswana. The Works Tour also brought older songs from their first three albums into the concert setlist.
- The Grateful Dead performed at the Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina.
- David Bowie reached No. 1 in the UK with his sixteenth studio album Tonight, which included the single “Blue Jean.” The album also reached No. 1 in the Netherlands and the Top 10 in ten other countries.
- Stevie Ray Vaughan performed at the Orpheum Theater in Boston, Massachusetts.
- Rod Stewart performed at the Hollywood Sportatorium in Pembroke Pines, Florida.
- Anne Murray received the Country Music Association's Album of the Year award for A Little Good News, becoming the first woman to receive the honor, despite her success on the pop charts already beginning to decline.
- The Grateful Dead performed at the Centrum Arena in Worcester, Massachusetts. The encore was "Revolution" in honor of John Lennon's birthday.
- I Just Called To Say I Love You by Stevie Wonder was the No.1 Billboard Pop hit. The song came from the Gene Wilder film The Woman in Red and won an Academy Award.
- The children's series "Thomas The Tank Engine And Friends" began its run on BBC television, with former Beatles drummer Ringo Starr as its original narrator.
- KISS performed at the Gaumont Theatre in Ipswich, England.
- Hall & Oates release their twelfth studio album, Big Bam Boom. It reaches No. 5 on the U.S. albums chart, sells a million copies within a few weeks, and remains on the chart for 51 weeks. It includes “Out of Touch,” which reaches No. 1 in the United States and No. 48 in the UK.
- Prince’s album Purple Rain spent its fifteenth week at number one on the US album chart.
- Stevie Wonder’s self-produced single “I Just Called to Say I Love You” began a three-week run at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100. It became one of his biggest hits; the song also topped the US Adult Contemporary and R&B charts, the UK singles chart, and charts in many other countries. It was written for the film The Woman in Red and won the Academy Award for Best Original Song.
- The album The Unforgettable Fire reached number one on the UK album chart and remained there for two weeks. It became U2’s second album to top the UK chart. It was produced by Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois and included the single “Pride (In the Name of Love).”