Hot Black Singles #1 Hits 1986

alot of impressive contenders here for sure but somehow no contest
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dZW1C3neao

would also just like to note my appreciation for 'on my own' for getting me thru a rough patch in fifth grade

eat yr heart out neil tennant
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szM7x0N9Ru4

"Your Smile" is one of my favorite ballads ever, and I can vote for "Love Zone," "Tasty Love," "Shake You Down," or "Nasty."

But this is Gwen Guthrie.

and once again Stephanie Mills contributes the one song I wish everyone knew

the best single here is "Kiss" despite close competition but I'm still voting "That's What Friends Are For" because of how when it was new and I heard about it I thought "damn it's like there's a new for-a-cause single every month now" but then one day I happened to let myself just listen to it and Dionne Warwick is the greatest pop singer ever and Stevie's harmonica riff is so lonesome and sad but still playful and Elton brings real emotion to his verse and plus it's a Bacharach tune and even if it's not his best tune ever it's got a little bit of the magic and also it's got Gladys Knight and frankly if you don't have love for Gladys Knight then what, sir, is wrong with you anyway and the most important thing about a song to me is that it can make me cry and there was a ripple of panic going through a bunch of friends of mine at the time and I remember that dark horrible feeling and then I hear this song and remember things very keenly.

I'm v tempted to go for "The Rain" but I would probably still vote for "Kiss" if you polled it against my grandma so

Cameo. Though "Candy" is better, "Word Up" is still the bomb.

Another great year.

I went with "Word Up" over "Kiss", but there's so many great pop songs on this list - Especially the sappy ballads. I hope everyone gets a youth where the mainstream pop hits feel this good.

Just about every single one of them save for the El Debarge, Bobby Brown and the Freddie Jackson duet.
But this comes down to Cameo, Prince or Gregory Abbott.
Going with Cameo.

Whitney Houston - How Will I Know
Rene & Angela - Your Smile
Janet Jackson - What Have You Done For Me Lately
Prince and the Revolution - Kiss
Stephanie Mills - I Have Learned to Respect the Power of Love

^^ fantastic sequence

Kiss vs Word Up vs What Have You Done For Me Lately IMO

Many of these are great but none of them can touch "Ain't Nothin' Goin' On But The Rent"

Rumors

i keep forgetting that one of my very favorite singles of the 90s ("love you down") was a cover

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

Incredible year for ballads. Guess I would have gone with RFTW.

http://survivalthemes.tumblr.com/post/3508803259/1986s

i've been following you on tumblr and never realized it was you btw, don't know how

Ha!

Think I've posted this before but

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62jkX33LqZc

w/ Chuckii Booker on keybs

"Your Smile" is one of my favorite ballads ever, and I can vote for "Love Zone," "Tasty Love," "Shake You Down," or "Nasty."

Probably the sexiest song about a grandmother, right?