This week`s charts again belong to Whitney Houston, whose ”Greatest Love of All” became just the third single this year to stay at No. 1 for at least three weeks.
The other two members of this elite club are Falco`s ”Rock Me Amadeus,” which reigned for three weeks in March and April, and ”That`s What Friends Are For” by Dionne & Friends, which ruled for four weeks in January and February, until it was replaced by Houston`s ”How Will I Know.”
The Dionne of Dionne & Friends is, of course, Dionne Warwick, who just happens to be Houston`s cousin. So that means that a member of the Houston-Warwick family has held the No. 1 spot on the singles` chart for a total of 9 of the last 20 weeks!
Houston`s record since Feb. 15–when ”How Will I Know” first hit No. 1
–is even more impressive. In that 16-week stretch, she has had either the No. 1 single or No. 1 album for 12 weeks.
And this week, for the third straight time, she has both the No. 1 single and No. 1 album, because her ”Whitney Houston” LP held on for a 10th week at the top.
But there are signs that Houston`s incredible string may soon be coming to an end, because there now are several strong challengers waiting in the wings.
On the singles` chart it`s Patti LaBelle`s duet with Michael McDonald,
”On My Own,” which this week ended Houston`s five-week run at No. 1 on the adult contemporary list and held on for a third week at the top on the black charts.
And the album charts are really heating up, with strong second singles being released by four of the entries in this week`s Top 10: Van Halen`s
”5150” (still No. 2 but in danger of slipping), Bob Seger`s ”Like a Rock” (No. 3 and holding strong), Journey`s ”Raised on Radio” (up from No. 6 to No. 4 this week and now a real contender for No. 1) and Janet Jackson`s
”Control” (a ”sleeper” that has quietly moved up to No. 6 and now could ride the success of her new ”Nasty” single all the way to the top).
Adding to the mix are two red-hot new albums: Patti LaBelle`s ”Winner in You,” which is already No. 8 in just its second week on the charts, and Billy Ocean`s ”Love Zone,” which zipped from No. 27 to No. 16 in its third chart week. Incidentally, all of this is bad news for Prince`s ”Parade” LP, which dropped from No. 4 to No. 5 this week and could quickly be out of the Top 10 unless his new ”Mountains” single really catches on–and it probably won`t. Here are predictions for next week`s singles` chart (last week, this column correctly placed four of the top six songs): 1. ”Greatest Love of All,” 2. ”On My Own,” 3. ”Live to Tell,” 4. ”I Can`t Wait,” 5. ”All I Need Is a Miracle,” 6. ”If You Leave,” 7. ”Is It Love,” 8. ”Something About You,” 9. ”Crush on You,” 10. ”Be Good to Yourself.”
This week, there are three pick hits: Genesis` appealing ”Invisible Touch,” in which Phil Collins rejoins his bandmates but does not overshadow their contributions; Janet Jackson`s ”Nasty,” which takes off on a sizzling dance groove; and Journey`s ”Girl Can`t Help It,” which features a terrific bit of close harmony.
