1984 in music



This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1984.

January–March

 * January 11 - BBC Radio 1 DJ Mike Read announces on air that he will not play the single "Relax" by Frankie Goes to Hollywood because of its suggestive lyrics. The BBC places a total ban on the record at about the same time.
 * January 21 – "Relax" reaches number one in the UK singles chart, despite the BBC ban; it will spend a total of 42 weeks in the Top 40.
 * January 27 – Michael Jackson's scalp is burned during the filming of a Pepsi commercial and he is admitted to hospital. Around this time, Jackson also releases the title track from his Thriller album as the LP's final single.
 * February 14
 * Elton John marries studio engineer Renate Blauel.
 * Joe Perry and Brad Whitford attend an Aerosmith concert and re-join the band, which embarks on a reunion tour "Back In The Saddle" later in the year.
 * February 16 – Jerry Lee Lewis surrenders to federal authorities on charges of income tax evasion. Lewis is later acquitted.
 * February 28 – Recovering from the scalp burns sustained a month earlier, Michael Jackson wins eight Grammy Awards out of twelve nominations, breaking the record for the most Grammys won in a single year. He wins seven for the critically acclaimed album Thriller and the other for his work on the audiobook for the film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.
 * February 29 – German industrial band KMFDM is founded, and holds its first performance at the Grand Palais in Paris, France.
 * March 1
 * Sting plays his last concerts with The Police at the end of the Synchronicity tour; the band takes a "pause" after the tour and only play a few special events together after this, until 2007, when they would organize a reunion tour.
 * Alice Cooper, who has not toured for his last two albums, parts ways with his longtime label Warner Bros. and goes on hiatus from the music industry. Cooper begins mulling over plans for a comeback, which he would carry out in 1986.

April–June

 * April 1
 * New York rock and roll magazine Trouser Press folds after a decade, publishing its 96th and final issue.
 * In Los Angeles, Marvin Gaye is shot and killed during an argument with his father.
 * May 1 – Mick Fleetwood, of Fleetwood Mac, files for bankruptcy in the United States.
 * May 2 – Lionel Richie's hit "Hello" becomes Motown's first ever UK million-selling single.
 * May 5
 * The Pretenders singer Chrissie Hynde marries Simple Minds singer Jim Kerr.
 * In Luxembourg, the Eurovision Song Contest 1984 is won by the Swedish entry, "Diggi-Loo Diggi-Ley", performed by the Herreys.
 * June 8 – Billy Joel performs at Wembley Arena; the concert is later broadcast on BBC Television in two parts.
 * June 16 – Frankie Goes to Hollywood begin a nine-week stay at the top of the UK singles chart with "Two Tribes".
 * June 18 – At the climax of a Judas Priest concert at Madison Square Garden, fans begin ripping out the cushions from the seats and throwing them on stage. Judas Priest pay damages through insurance and are banned from Madison Square Garden for life over the incident.
 * June 25 – Prince releases his sixth album Purple Rain; the album sells over 20 million copies and gives Prince two US number one singles with "When Doves Cry" and "Let's Go Crazy".

July–September

 * July 1 – During his performance at the first ever Cornerstone Festival in Grayslake, Illinois, Steve Taylor jumps off the stage, breaking his ankle. Taylor hops back on stage and finishes his show. The next few shows on Taylor's tour were performed from a wheel chair.
 * July 10 – The last original member of Menudo, Ricky Meléndez, leaves the group and is replaced by Ricky Martin. Meanwhile, Menudomania reaches Asia in 1984.
 * July 14
 * Eddie Van Halen makes a special guest appearance at a concert by The Jacksons in Dallas, Texas, playing the guitar solo for "Beat It" live.
 * Selena y los Dinos release their first album Mis Primeras Grabaciones.
 * August 9 – Iron Maiden kicks off the World Slavery Tour in Warsaw, Poland, with shows in Hungary and Yugoslavia soon to follow. This marks the first time a Western band has ever brought a full concert production behind the Iron Curtain.
 * August 10 - Red Hot Chili Peppers release their debut album The Red Hot Chili Peppers.
 * August 25 – Kathleen Battle makes her solo recital debut at the Salzburg Festival.
 * August 31 – Canadian music video channel MuchMusic begins broadcasting. The first video played is Rush's "The Enemy Within".
 * September 2 – Van Halen concludes its 1984 world tour with a show in Nuremberg, Germany as part of the Monsters of Rock festival tour. This would be the band's last concert with David Lee Roth as lead singer until 2007.
 * September 7 – Janet Jackson elopes with fellow singer James DeBarge. The marriage would be annulled in 1985.
 * September 11 – Country singer Barbara Mandrell suffers serious injuries in a head-on automobile collision on a Tennessee highway. She will make a comeback after spending over a year rehabilitating.
 * September 14 – The first annual MTV Video Music Awards are held in New York City. Herbie Hancock wins the most awards with five, and The Cars take the highest prize of Video Of The Year for "You Might Think". Much attention is garnered by Madonna's controversial performance of her hit single "Like a Virgin" in which she rolls around on the stage, revealing lacy stockings and garters, and grinds her crotch against her veil.
 * September 21 – The first compact disc manufacturing plant in North America opens in Terre Haute, Indiana. CDs have previously had to be expensively imported from Japan or West Germany. Bruce Springsteen's Born in the U.S.A. is designated as the first CD ever made in the United States.

October–December

 * October 1 – The Canadian music video series Video Hits premieres on CBC Television.
 * October 23 - A report on the Ethiopian famine by BBC journalist Michael Buerk is broadcast in the UK and receives an unprecedented public response. Among those watching is Bob Geldof, who is inspired to release a charity record to raise money to help with famine relief.
 * October 26 – Turner Broadcasting System launches Cable Music Channel, a music video channel intended to compete directly with MTV. The first video played is "I Love L.A." by Randy Newman. The channel would only last 34 days.
 * November 5 - Bryan Adams releases his breakout album called Reckless, spawning multiple hit singles, achieving diamond certification in Canada and topping the charts in the United States.
 * November 20 – Michael Jackson receives a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame directly in front of Mann's Chinese Theater. Jackson leaves after only three minutes at the request of security, as the crush of 5,000 onlookers becomes a safety concern.
 * November 25 – The Band Aid single "Do They Know It's Christmas?" is recorded at SARM Studios in Notting Hill, London, by a gathering of performers that includes Paul Young, Simon Le Bon, Bono, Phil Collins, Paul Weller, Sting, Boy George and Tony Hadley.
 * November 28 – The Bring Me Sunshine charity concert at the London Palladium, in memory of Eric Morecambe, includes musical performances by Kenny Ball & His Jazzmen, Des O'Connor and Ernie Wise.
 * December – Tipper Gore forms the Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC) in response to the "filth" she hears on her daughter's copy of Prince's Purple Rain.
 * December 1 – Frankie Goes to Hollywood become the first act to take their first three singles to the UK #1 position since Gerry & The Pacemakers in 1963, when "The Power of Love" tops the chart.
 * December 3 – Bob Geldof and Band Aid release the single "Do They Know It's Christmas", which becomes the fastest- selling single of all time in the UK.
 * December 8
 * Mötley Crüe member Vince Neil is involved in a serious car accident. He is drunk at the time, and Razzle (Nicholas Dingley) of Hanoi Rocks is killed in the accident.
 * Cyndi Lauper, with the fourth single from her 1983 debut She's So Unusual, "All Through the Night", becomes the first woman in the 26-year history of the Billboard Hot 100 to have four singles from one album in the top five.
 * December 9 – The Jacksons conclude their Victory Tour with the last of six concerts at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. The tour, which consisted of 55 shows over five months, has reportedly grossed $75 million, a new industry record.
 * December 11 - While on tour, Bucks Fizz's tour bus crashes. All members of the group are injured and member Mike Nolan suffers brain damage after falling into a coma.
 * December 13 – George Harrison makes a rare public appearance, joining Deep Purple on stage in Sydney, Australia for their encore rendition of "Lucille".
 * December 31
 * Def Leppard's drummer Rick Allen loses his left arm in a car wreck.
 * The thirteenth annual New Year's Rockin' Eve special airs on ABC, with appearances by Jermaine Jackson, Ronnie Milsap, Night Ranger, Scandal, John Waite and Barry Manilow.
 * UK singles sales this year are the second highest ever, after 1978.

Bands formed

 * See Musical groups established in 1984

Bands disbanded

 * See Musical groups disestablished in 1984

Bands reformed

 * Deep Purple*

Biggest hit singles
The following songs achieved the highest chart positions in the charts of 1984.

Christmas music
Singles
 * 1) Last Christmas/Everything She Wants Wham!

Published popular music

 * "After All These Years" w. Fred Ebb m. John Kander from the musical The Rink
 * "The Cosby Show theme song" m. Stu Gardner and Bill Cosby
 * "Cover Me" w.m. Bruce Springsteen
 * "Every Time I Turn Around" w.m. Judy Hart Angelo & Gary Portnoy, theme from the TV series Punky Brewster
 * "Friends" m. John Leffler, theme from the TV series Kate and Allie
 * "Ghostbusters"    w.m. Ray Parker, Jr.
 * "Hallelujah" w.m. Leonard Cohen
 * "I Just Called to Say I Love You"    w.m. Stevie Wonder
 * "Let's Go Crazy" w.m. Prince and the Revolution
 * "Like a Virgin" w.m. Billy Steinberg & Tom Kelly
 * "Lights Out" w.m. Peter Wolf & Don Covay
 * "Missing You" w.m. John Waite, Chaz Sanford & Mark Leonard
 * "Murder, She Wrote theme song" m. John Addison
 * "No More Lonely Nights" w.m. Paul McCartney
 * "Rock You Like a Hurricane" w.m. Rudolf Schenker, Klaus Meine & Herman Rarebell
 * "Time After Time" w.m. Cyndi Lauper & Rob Hyman
 * "To All the Girls I've Loved Before" w. Hal David m. Albert Hammond
 * "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" w.m. George Michael
 * "What's Love Got To Do With It?" w.m. Terry Britten & Graham Lyle
 * "When Doves Cry" w.m. Prince

Classical music

 * Samuel Adler – Sonata for viola and piano
 * Elliott Carter
 * Canon for 4, Homage to William, for flute, bass clarinet, violin, and cello
 * Esprit rude/esprit doux, for flute and clarinet
 * Riconoscenza per Goffredo Petrassi, for violin
 * Brian Cherney – Into the Distant Stillness
 * George Crumb
 * A Haunted Landscape for orchestra
 * The Sleeper for soprano and piano
 * Mario Davidovsky – Divertimento for cello and orchestra
 * Ludovico Einaudi – Altissimo
 * Lorenzo Ferrero
 * My Blues
 * Ombres, for orchestra and live electronics
 * Frans Geysen
 * A + B = A/B, for keyboard instrument
 * Kataloog in grijs 1, for marimba
 * Late spiegels, for flute, oboe, piano and double bass
 * Omtrent a-b-c, for recorder quintet
 * Tonen-Trappenhuisje voor Hanne, for keyboard instrument
 * Twee orgels, for two organs
 * Karel Goeyvaerts
 * Aquarius-Tango, for piano
 * Zum Wassermann, for chamber orchestra (14 musicians)
 * De Zang van Aquarius, for 8 bass clarinets
 * Daron Hagen – A Walt Whitman Requiem
 * John Harbison – String Quartet no. 1
 * Robin Holloway – Concerto for Viola
 * Mauricio Kagel – Der Eid des Hippokrates, for piano 3 hands
 * Ian McDougall – Concerto for Clarinet
 * Elizabeth Maconchy – String Quartet no. 13, Quartetto Corto
 * Ingram Marshall – Voces Resonae
 * Henri Pousseur
 * Chronique canine, for 2 pianos
 * Cortège des belles ténébreuses au jardin boréal, for cor anglais, viola, horn, tuba, and 2 percussionists
 * L'étoile des langues, for narrators and 4 singers
 * Litanie du cristal des fleurs, for piano left hand
 * Litanie du miel matinal, for high melody instrument
 * Les noces d'Icare et de Mnémosyne, for variable forces
 * Patchwork des tribus américaines, for wind orchestra
 * Sixième vue sur les jardins interdits, for string trio
 * Sonate des maîtres viennois (‘Dicté par … no.4’), for piano
 * Tango de Jeanne-la-Sibylle, for piano left hand
 * Steve Reich – The Desert Music
 * Wolfgang Rihm
 * Vorgefühle for orchestra
 * Schattenstück for orchestra
 * Fusées for orchestra
 * Blaubuch, string quartet no. 6
 * Tōru Takemitsu – riverrun for piano and orchestra
 * Robert Ward – Saxophone Concerto
 * Malcolm Williamson
 * A Pilgrim Liturgy – for soloists, mixed choir & orchestra
 * Cortège for a Warrior for orchestra
 * Hymna Titu for piano solo
 * Symphony No. 7

Ballet
See List of 1984 ballet premieres

Opera

 * Philip Glass
 * Akhnaten
 * the CIVIL warS (Rome section)
 * Luigi Nono – Prometeo
 * Krzysztof Penderecki – The Black Mask
 * Peter Schickele – The Abduction of Figaro, attributed to P. D. Q. Bach.
 * Karlheinz Stockhausen – Samstag aus Licht (produced by La Scala, Milan)

Musical theater

 * Starlight Express – Andrew Lloyd Webber and Richard Stilgoe
 * Forty-Second Street - London production
 * The Rink - Broadway production opened at the Martin Beck Theatre on February 9 and ran for 233 performances
 * Sunday in the Park with George (Stephen Sondheim) – Broadway production opened at the Booth Theatre on May 2 and ran for 604 performances.

Musical films

 * Amadeus
 * Asha Jyoti
 * Beat Street
 * Breakin'
 * Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo
 * Conexión Caribe
 * The Cotton Club
 * Footloose
 * Give My Regards to Broad Street
 * Hard to Hold
 * The Muppets Take Manhattan
 * Purple Rain
 * Streets of Fire
 * Sunny
 * Then Sings My Soul
 * This Is Spinal Tap

Musical television

 * The Girl from Moonooloo starring Jackie Weaver and David Atkins

Births

 * January 2 – Jocelyn Oxlade, English-Filipino singer-songwriter and model (Kitty Girls)
 * January 9 – Drew Brown (OneRepublic)
 * January 17 – Calvin Harris, Scottish electronic musician
 * January 18
 * Kristy Lee Cook, American Idol finalist
 * Benji Schwimmer, Winner of So You Think You Can Dance 2006
 * January 20 – Toni Gonzaga, Filipina actress and singer
 * January 24 – Witold Kiełtyka, Polish musician (died 2007)
 * January 26 – Wu Qian, pianist
 * January 27 – Davetta Sherwood, American actress and singer
 * January 30 – Kid Cudi, American rapper
 * February 9 – Han Geng, Chinese singer in Korea (Super Junior)
 * February 11 – Aubrey O'Day, American singer-songwriter, dancer, and actress (Danity Kane)
 * February 15 – Dorota Rabczewska, Polish singer and model
 * February 25 – Lovefoxxx (Cansei de Ser Sexy)
 * March 18 – Vonzell Solomon, US singer
 * March 20 – Christy Carlson Romano, American actress and singer
 * March 25 – Katharine McPhee, American Idol finalist
 * March 26 – Stéphanie Lapointe, Canadian singer
 * April 6 – Max Bemis, American musician (Say Anything)
 * April 10 – Mandy Moore, singer
 * April 22 – Amelle Berrabah, British singer (Sugababes)
 * April 24 – Tyson Ritter (The All-American Rejects)
 * April 27 – Patrick Stump, singer
 * May 1 – Keiichiro Koyama, Japanese singer (NEWS) and actor
 * May 2 – Rose Falcon, singer-songwriter
 * May 3 – Cheryl Burke, dancer
 * May 5 – Wade MacNeil, Canadian guitarist
 * May 11 - Gerald Clayton, Dutch-American pianist and composer (The Clayton Brothers)
 * May 17 - Passenger, English singer-songwriter
 * May 25
 * Marion Raven, Norwegian singer-songwriter (M2M)
 * Nikolai Pokotylo, Russian singer
 * June 4 – Rainie Yang, Taiwanese singer
 * June 17 – John Gallagher, Jr., American actor, singer and dancer
 * June 23 – Duffy, Welsh singer-songwriter
 * June 29
 * Han Ji-hye, Korean actress/singer
 * Derek Lee Rock, American drummer (Mêlée and Suburban Legends)
 * June 30 – Fantasia Barrino, American singer
 * July 4
 * Gina Glocksen, American Idol finalist
 * Stix Izza, American musician
 * July 5 – Elisabeth Schwarz, operatic soprano
 * July 7 – Marie-Mai, Canadian singer
 * July 9 – Jacob Hoggard,Canadian singer/lead singer of Hedley
 * July 12 – Gareth Gates, English singer
 * July 15 – Vice Cooler, American singer-songwriter (Hawnay Troof and XBXRX)
 * July 17 – Asami Kimura, Japanese singer
 * July 21 – Blake Lewis, American Idol runner- up
 * July 24
 * Dhani Lennevald (A*Teens)
 * Tyler Kyte, Canadian actor/singer
 * July 25 – Dong-Hyek Lim, pianist
 * July 26 – Alex Parks, singer-songwriter
 * August 3 – Carah Faye Charnow, American singer for the band Shiny Toy Guns
 * August 5 – Taylor Locke (Rooney)
 * August 21
 * Alizée, singer
 * Melissa Schuman, singer (Dream)
 * August 24 – Yesung, Korean singer (Super Junior)
 * August 31 – Will Martin, crossover singer
 * September – Wu Di, pianist
 * September 1 – Joe Trohman, American musician
 * September 16
 * Sabrina Bryan, American actress and singer
 * Katie Melua, Georgian singer and musician
 * September 22 – Theresa Fu, Hong Kong singer and actress
 * September 23 – Louis Stephens (Rooney)
 * September 26 – Keisha Buchanan, singer (Sugababes)
 * September 27 – Avril Lavigne, Canadian rock singer and musician
 * September 28 – Melody Thornton, American singer (Pussycat Dolls)
 * October 3 – Ashlee Simpson, singer
 * October 4 – Lena Katina, Russian singer (t.A.T.u.)
 * October 10 – Stephanie Cheng, singer
 * October 12 – Matthew Dewey, Australian composer
 * October 16 – Shayne Ward, singer and winner of reality TV show The X Factor
 * October 25
 * Sara Lumholdt (A*Teens)
 * Katy Perry, singer
 * October 27 – Kelly Osbourne, singer
 * November 9
 * Delta Goodrem, Australian singer and actress
 * Se7en, South Korean singer
 * November 12 – Sandara Park, member of South Korean girl group 2NE1 and former actress
 * November 14 – Luiz Filipe Coelho, violinist
 * November 18 – Johnny Christ, (Avenged Sevenfold)
 * November 21 – Willy Mason, singer-songwriter
 * November 24 – Wolf Hudson, actor, director and street dancer
 * November 28 – Trey Songz, American singer
 * December 15 – Joshua Third, guitarist (The Horrors)
 * December 17 – Asuka Fukuda, Japanese singer
 * December 20 – David Tavaré, Spanish singer
 * December 22 – Jonas Erik Altberg, Swedish singer
 * December 25 – The Veronicas (Lisa and Jess Origliasso), Australian singers

Deaths

 * January 1 – Alexis Korner, blues musician, 55 (lung cancer)
 * January 18 – Vassilis Tsitsanis, Greek composer, 69
 * January 21 – Jackie Wilson, singer, 49 (pneumonia)
 * January 23 – Samuel Gardner, violinist and composer, 92
 * January 30 – Luke Kelly, member of The Dubliners, 43 (brain tumour)
 * February 1 – Ada "Bricktop" Smith, singer and dancer, 89
 * February 15
 * Avon Long, American actor and singer, 73
 * Ethel Merman, singer and actress, 76
 * March 9 – Imogen Holst, conductor and composer, 76
 * April 1 – Marvin Gaye, singer/songwriter, 44 (gunshot)
 * April 6
 * Jimmy Kennedy, Irish-born British songwriter, 81
 * Hryhory Kytasty, composer, 77
 * April 20 – Mabel Mercer, cabaret singer, 84
 * April 23 – Juan Tizol, trombonist and composer, 84
 * April 26 – Count Basie, jazz musician, 79
 * April 27 – Z.Z. Hill, blues singer, 48
 * May 1 – Gordon Jenkins, US conductor, songwriter and pianist, 73
 * May 29 – Sanford Gold, jazz pianist, 72
 * June – Mohamed Mooge Liibaan, singer and instrumentalist
 * June 8 – Gordon Jacob, composer, 88
 * June 15 – Meredith Willson, US songwriter, 82
 * June 28 – Mischa Spoliansky, Russian born composer and conductor
 * July 4 – Jimmie Spheeris, American singer-songwriter, 34
 * July 14
 * Bill Stapleton, jazz trumpeter, 49 (alcohol-related)
 * Philippé Wynne, R&B singer, 43
 * July 19 – Madeleine Sibille, operatic soprano, 89
 * July 25 – Big Mama Thornton, R&B singer, 57
 * July 29 – Lorenz Fehenberger, operatic tenor, 71
 * July 31 – Paul Le Flem, composer, 103
 * August 4 – Babe Russin, saxophonist, 73
 * August 5 – Tuts Washington, R&B pianist, 67
 * August 12 – Margaret Sutherland, composer, 86
 * August 30 – Emil Newman, conductor and composer, 73
 * August 31 – Carlo Zecchi, pianist, music teacher and conductor, 81
 * September 3
 * Dora Labbette, operatic soprano, 86
 * Arthur Schwartz, composer and film producer, 83
 * September 6 – Ernest Tubb, country & western musician, 70
 * September 10
 * Herman Sherman, jazz saxophonist and bandleader, 61
 * Trummy Young, swing trombonist, 72
 * September 15 – Charles Lynch, Irish concert pianist, 77
 * September 20 – Steve Goodman, singer/songwriter best known for "City of New Orleans", 36 (leukaemia)
 * October 3
 * Lina Bruna Rasa, operatic soprano, 67
 * Harrison Potter, pianist, 93
 * October 4 – Carl von Garaguly, violinist and conductor
 * October 12 – Jesús Maria Sanromá, pianist, 81
 * October 16 – Jiří Jelínek, jazz trumpeter, singer and artist, 62
 * October 20 – Budd Johnson, jazz musician, 73
 * October 26 – John Woods Duke, composer, 85
 * November 8 – Carl Gustav Sparre Olsen, violinist and composer, 81
 * November 16 – Leonard Rose, cellist, 66
 * November 20 – Alexander Moyzes, Slovak composer, 78
 * December 7 – Jon B. Higgins, American Carnatic musician, 45 (road accident)
 * December 9 – Razzle (Nicholas Dingley), drummer of Hanoi Rocks, 24 (car accident)
 * December 10 – Charlie Teagarden, jazz trumpeter, 71
 * December 13 – Max Schönherr, conductor and composer, 81
 * December 15 – Jan Peerce, operatic tenor, 80
 * December 21 – José Luis Rodríguez Vélez, Panamanian composer, orchestra director, saxophonist, clarinetist and guitarist, 69

Grammy Awards

 * Grammy Awards of 1984

Eurovision Song Contest

 * Eurovision Song Contest 1984

List of no. 1 hits

 * List of Hot 100 number-one singles of 1984 (U.S.)
 * Cashbox Top 100 number-one singles of 1984
 * List of number-one singles from the 1980s (UK)

US Top 40 Hits

 * Billboard Top 40 of 1984

List of no. 1 albums

 * List of number-one albums of 1984 (U.S.)