That makes No. 2 hits ideal for music trivia. They are famous enough to feel obvious, but their actual chart peaks often surprise people.
For the songs that did reach the top, see every Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 song of the 1980s. To understand why chart peaks sometimes surprise people, see how the Hot 100 measured hits in the 1980s.
Major 1980s No. 2 Hits
| Artist | Song | Hot 100 Peak | Chart Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreigner | Waiting for a Girl Like You | No. 2 | Spent 10 weeks at No. 2, one of the most famous near-misses in Hot 100 history |
| Journey | Open Arms | No. 2 | Spent 6 weeks at No. 2 in 1982 |
| Toto | Rosanna | No. 2 | Spent 5 weeks at No. 2; Toto later reached No. 1 with "Africa" |
| Nena | 99 Luftballons | No. 2 | Reached No. 2 in 1984 during the peak of new wave and international pop crossover |
| Cyndi Lauper | Girls Just Want to Have Fun | No. 2 | Became a signature 1980s pop song without reaching No. 1 |
| Bruce Springsteen | Dancing in the Dark | No. 2 | Springsteen's biggest Hot 100 hit, but not a No. 1 single |
| Prince | Purple Rain | No. 2 | The title song from one of the decade's defining albums peaked one spot short |
| Madonna | Material Girl | No. 2 | A signature Madonna hit that did not reach No. 1 |
| Janet Jackson | Rhythm Nation | No. 2 | The title track from a major late-1980s album peaked at No. 2 |
Why No. 2 Hits Are So Memorable
A No. 2 song often has everything people associate with a No. 1 hit: radio saturation, MTV visibility, cultural memory, and long-term recognition. The difference may be timing. A song can run into another massive single at exactly the wrong moment.
Good Trivia Questions from This Page
- Which Foreigner ballad spent 10 weeks at No. 2 without reaching No. 1?
- Which Journey power ballad peaked at No. 2 in 1982?
- Which famous Madonna song peaked at No. 2 rather than No. 1?
- Which Prince title track from 1984 stopped at No. 2?
Think you can tell the real No. 1 hits from the famous near-misses? Test your 1980s chart memory.
Sources and Notes
- Billboard Hot 100 Chart Archive
- Peak chart positions referenced from Billboard's published weekly Hot 100 chart data for 1980–1989.
- Weeks-at-peak data based on widely cited Hot 100 chart research and Billboard historical records.