Gen X 80s Top 20 Countdown: Velvet, Voltage, and Victory - September 27, 1986

The fall of 1986 was a storm of soft leather, sharp eyeliner, and synths that knew how to seduce. Janet Jackson stormed into her first number one, Lionel Richie turned the ceiling into a dance floor, and Berlin’s “Top Gun” slow-burn made every mixtape feel cinematic. This week’s countdown is a time capsule of velvet grooves, new wave power, and unlikely pop crossovers, from Eurythmics howling with purpose to Don Johnson crooning like Miami was listening. Whether you were blasting a boom box on the porch or watching Solid Gold in your pajamas, this chart had something to leave a mark on you. So slide on the Walkman, lean back in the beanbag, and let the music of September ’86 remind you who you were, and who you still might be.

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Intro music by Roman Orekhov from Pixabay