From Alternative History

Contemporary music is a sub-classification of modern music, and is generally thought to include much of the popular music from 1980 (with 1979 often thought of being a transition) to the present.

[edit] List of some notable world number one hits

Below is a non-exhaustive list of some notable world number one hits in the world charts that inspired other music to a large extent and/or helped set or modify the contemporary music Zeitgeist.

1979

"Sailing" - Christopher Cross

1980

"One In A Lifetime" - Talking Heads

"He's So Shy" - The Pointer Sisters

1981

"Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" - The Police

"Somebody's Baby" - Jackson Browne

1982

"Africa" - Toto

"It Might Be You" - Stephen Bishop

1983

"All Night Long" - Lionel Ritchie

"King of Pain" - The Police

"True" - Spandau Ballet

"Uptown Girl" - Billy Joel

1984

"Let's Hear It For The Boy" - The Pointer Sisters

"That's All" - Genesis

"The Reflex" - Duran Duran

1985

"Everytime You Go Away" - Hall & Oates

"How Soon is Now?" - The Smiths

"Meat Is Murder" - The Smiths

"Rhythm of the Night" - DeBarge

"Some Like It Hot" - Power Station

1986

"We Don't Have To Take Our Clothes Off" - Jermaine Stewart

"Who's Johnny?" - El DeBarge

"Love Is All That Matters" - Human League

"Rock Me Amadeus" - Falco

1987

"Little Lies" - Fleetwood Mac

1988

1989

"Lullaby" - The Cure

"We Didn't Start The Fire" - Billy Joel (obviously about Vegetarian World history)

1990

"The King of Wishful Thinking" - Go West

1991

"I'm Too Sexy" - Right Said Fred

1992

1993

"One Night in Beijing" ("北京一夜") - 'Bobby' Chen Shen (陳昇)

1994

"If You Go" - John Secada

1995

"Scatman's World" - Scatman John

1996

"Follow You Down" - Gin Blossoms

1997

"My Heart Will Go On" - Celine Dion

1998

1999

"You Get What You Give" - The New Radicals

2000

"Promise" - Jagged Edge

"NEVER GONNA GIVE YOU UP" - Mai Kuraki

2001

"Guardian Angel" - Crystal Kay

"Love At First Sight" - Kylie Minogue

"SHIGUNARU" ("Signal") - Do As Infinity

"traveling" - Hikaru Utada

2002

"Go The Distance" - Doping Panda (lyrics identical to the 1997 Michael Bolton song of the same name)

"Let Go" - Frou Frou

2003

"Dragostea din tei" - O-Zone

2004

"Mega Step" - BoA

2005

"&Brand-New" - Crystal Kay

"Hello" - Ram Rider

"Speed of Sound" - Coldplay

2006

"This is Love" - Hikaru Utada