1989: Top Songs, Movies, TV Shows, Sporting Events, World Events And More
Well, we made it! Through the 60’s, the 70’s and now it’s time to party! The decade started out with the U.S. defeating the Russians in hockey for the first time ever for Gold at the Olympics in Lake Placid NY. It was the decade that this thing called a ‘computer’ would begin to find its way into homes, music television would show you the music, cable and satellite TV would begin to find their way into people’s homes. Video games would become more or a regular thing in our homes, cell phones as big as bricks entered our lives, wireless telephones would find their way into our lives and push-button phones began to replace the rotary phone. The space shuttle program implemented by former President Richard Nixon became a reality, the 1985 Super Bowl champs, the Chicago Bears were the most interesting sports characters of the decade and had their own video to prove it. It was a decade of celebs coming together for good causes with U.S.A For Africa’s “We Are The World”, Band-Aid’s “Do They Know Its Christmas”, Farm-Aid and more.
Check out everything that was from this decade, year by year – from the sporting events to world events, the top TV shows, songs, movies and more.
As you’re going back in time, think about some of the things in our lives today that you don’t see appearing here because…. they didn’t exist yet. Things like the top selling computers, tablets, laptops, microwaves, cable provider, wireless company and more.
Let us know some of the things that come to mind below.
For more great memories from any of the years The Beat’s music focuses on, click a year below and we’ll transport you back in time to see everything you may remember or have forgotten.
TOP SONGS
1. Look Away » Chicago
2. My Prerogative » Bobby Brown
3. Every Rose Has Its Thorn » Poison
4. Straight Up » Paula Abdul
5. Miss You Much » Janet Jackson
6. Cold Hearted » Paula Abdul
7. Wind Beneath My Wings » Bette Midler
8. Girl You Know Its True » Milli Vanilli
9. Baby, I Love Your Way-Freebird » Will To Power
10. Giving You The Best That I Got » Anita Baker
GRAMMY WINNERS
Album of the Year: Nick of Time, Bonnie Raitt
Best Pop Duo or Group: “Don’t Know Much,” Linda Ronstadt and Aaron Neville
Best Pop Female Vocal: “Nick of Time,” Bonnie Raitt
Best Pop Male Vocal: “How Am I Supposed to Live Without You,” Michael Bolton
Best Rock Duo or Group: Traveling Wilburys Volume One, Traveling Wilburys
Best Rock Female Vocal: Nick of Time, Bonnie Raitt
Best Rock Male Vocal: The End of the Innocence, Don Henley
Record of the Year: “Wind Beneath My Wings,” Bette Midler
Song of the Year: “Wind Beneath My Wings”
TOP MOVIES
1 Batman WB $251,188,924
2 Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade Par. $197,171,806
3 Lethal Weapon 2 WB $147,253,986
4 Look Who’s Talking TriS $140,088,813
5 Honey, I Shrunk the Kids BV $130,724,172
6 Back to the Future Part II Uni. $118,450,002
7 Ghostbusters II Col. $112,494,738
8 Driving Miss Daisy WB $106,593,296
9 Parenthood Uni. $100,047,830
10 Dead Poets Society BV
ACADEMY AWARDS
Winners in caps
Best Picture:
“DRIVING MISS DAISY”, “Born on the Fourth of July”, “Dead Poets Society”, “Field of Dreams”, “My Left Foot”
Actor:
DANIEL DAY-LEWIS in “My Left Foot”, Kenneth Branagh in “Henry V”, Tom Cruise in “Born on the Fourth of July”, Morgan Freeman in “Driving Miss Daisy”, Robin Williams in “Dead Poets Society”
Actress:
JESSICA TANDY in “Driving Miss Daisy”, Isabelle Adjani in “Camille Claudel”, Pauline Collins in “Shirley Valentine”, Jessica Lange in “Music Box”, Michelle Pfeiffer in “The Fabulous Baker Boys”
Supporting Actor:
DENZEL WASHINGTON in “Glory”, Danny Aiello in “Do the Right Thing”, Dan Aykroyd in “Driving Miss Daisy”, Marlon Brando in “A Dry White Season”, Martin Landau in “Crimes and Misdemeanors”
Supporting Actress:
BRENDA FRICKER in “My Left Foot”, Anjelica Huston in “Enemies, a Love Story”, Lena Olin in “Enemies, a Love Story”, Julia Roberts in “Steel Magnolias”, Dianne Wiest in “Parenthood”
Director:
OLIVER STONE for “Born on the Fourth of July”, Woody Allen for “Crimes and Misdemeanors”, Kenneth Branagh for “Henry V”, Jim Sheridan for “My Left Foot”, Peter Weir for “Dead Poets Society”
TOP TV SHOWS
Roseanne / The Cosby Show / Cheers / A Different World / America’s Funniest Home Videos
The Golden Girls / 60 Minutes / The Wonder Years / Empty Nest
NFL Monday Night Football / Unsolved Mysteries / Who’s the Boss? / L.A. Law
Murder She Wrote / Grand / In the Heat of the Night / Dear John
Coach / Matlock
EMMY AWARD WINNERS
Drama
Best Drama – L.A. Law
Best Actor – Peter Falk, Columbo
Best Actress – Patricia Wettig, thirtysomething
Supporting Actor – Jimmy Smits, L.A. Law
Supporting Actress – Marg Helgenberger, China Beach
Comedy
Best Comedy – Murphy Brown
Best Actor – Ten Danson, Cheers
Best Actress – Candice Bergen, Murphy Brown
Supporting Actor – Alex Rocco, The Famous Teddy Z
Supporting Actress – Bebe Neuwirth, Cheers
Best Variety – In Living Color
SPORTS:
Kentucky Derby Winner: Winning Colors – Trainer: D.W. Lukas – Jockey: G. Stevens
Football Super Bowl XXIV: San Francisco 55 – Denver Broncos 10
Pro MVP: Joe Montana SF (QB)
College Football: #1 Miami-FL
Heisman Trophy: Andre Ware, Houston (QB)
Rose Bowl: USC 17, Michigan 10
Orange Bowl: Notre Dame, 21, Colorado 6
Cotton Bowl: Tennessee 31, Arkansas 27
Sugar Bowl: Miami-FL 33, Alabama 25
Basketball:
NBA Championship: Detroit Pistons Vs. L.A. Lakers
Winner: Detroit in 4
Detroit Coach: Chuck Daley
L.A. Coach: Pat Riley
MVP: Michael Magic Johnson, G Average Points Per Game, 22.5
NCAA Champions: Michigan 30W – 7L, Coach: Steve Fisher
World Series
San Francisco Vs. Oakland A’s
Winner: Oakland in 4
San Francisco Coach: Roger Craig
Oakland Coach: Tony La Russa
National League
MVP: Kevin Mitchell, SF (OF)
Rookie of the Year: Jerome Walton, Chi Cubs (3B)
American League
MVP: Robin Yount, Mil (OF)
Rookie of the Year: Gregg Olson, Baltimore (P)
TOP NEWS STORIES:
President PW Botha of South Africa resigns and never got a picture taken the way Mussolini and his mistress did
Violent assault and rape of jogger Trisha Meili in NYC’s Central Park. Known as the Central Park jogger incident it became according to the NY Times “one of the most widely publicized crimes of the 1980s.” NY still thinks it’s a great place to get mugged
“Licence to Kill”, 16th James Bond film, last directed by John Glen and starring Timothy Dalton premieres in London
NY Yankee pitching great Ron Guidry retires (170-91 .651, 3.29 ERA)
One Million Demonstrate For Democracy In Beijing, Students Take Lead, 10,000 Chinese soldiers are blocked by 100,000 citizens protecting students demonstrating for democracy in Tiananmen Square, Beijing, eventually the Govt. would open fire on its citizens and lay waste to many. Americans have no clue what real communism is or how it happens until it’s too lage
Soviets Complete troop Withdraw From Afghanistan, Americans, under Joe Biden would withdraw decades later and leave over 85 billion dollars of equipment as well as Americans behind and women and children to be raped, beheaded, lit on fire, all those nice things those ‘folks’ do in cults.
1st test flight of US stealth bomber, no one saw it coming… try the veal, we’re here ’til Thursday.
Oliver North Is Convicted In Iran “Contra” Affair, while most of Congress was humping each other’s legs for jobs badly done
Iran drops diplomatic relations with Britain over Salman Rushdie’s book “Satanic Verses” then Khomeini Offers $5 Million For the murder Of “Blasphemous” Author showing warmth, compassion and a tolerance for differences in opinion
5-4 Ruling By Supreme Court That Flag Burning Is Protected Free Speech. As if the flag is speaking.
Beginning of the great consolidations, Eastern Airlines filed for bankruptcy
“Do the Right Thing”, directed by Spike Lee, starring Danny Aiello and Ossie Davis premieres at the Cannes Film Festival. Spike, his biggest fan ranted about how great he was and the movie
US Invades Panama, they recently had the country tiled and sent us the bill
6th MTV Video Music Awards: Living Colour wins
1989 NFL Draft: Troy Aikman from UCLA first pick by Dallas Cowboys
Ghostbusters II and Batman are released. Batman set a record for reaching 100 million dollars, in ten days. All by hand, no electronics back then
Known as a Chicago Cubs killer, Phillies future Hall of Famer, Mike Schmidt retires. Many of his home runs in Wrigley are still circling the globe
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar plays his last game as a Laker
Solidarity wins first free election in 40 years because they had enough of the lying, demonic commie slobs
217th & final episode of TV soap “Dynasty” is aired
Earthquake Hits San Francisco Bay Area minutes before World Series Game
AZT is shown to delay the onset of AIDS
1,100,000,000th Chinese born
Groundbreaking begins in Minnesota on the world’s largest mall, the Mall of America
Nolan Ryan sets a record with his 5,000th strikeout at age 42
Dow drops 190 points on October 13, the second-worst drop in history. Facebook, in 2022 said ‘here, hold my beer.. watch this”
Actress Zsa Zsa Gabor arrested for slapping Beverly Hills motorcycle patrolman
“Junk Bond” King Michael Milken earned $550 Million In 1987 From Drexel Lambert
Died; Sugar Ray Robison, Lucille Ball, Emporor Hirohito, Salvador Dali
166 billion Taxpayer bailout of savings and loan industry voted by Congress and then they humped each other’s legs, sent for hookers and little boys to celebrate
Fear of pesticide “Alar” used on apples caused the industry to suffer
Frozen yogurt, Tetris and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are in because as a nation, will watch paint dry and be amused
The Rolling Stones tour grosses $70 Million
Worst US oil spill, Exxon’s Valdez spills 11.3 mil gallons off Alaska
Ad for the talk show “Geraldo”: “Meet America’s Best Paid Lady Drug Dealers’ because Geraldo has always featured people he admires on his shows. Putz
Michelob Dry and The Comedy channel on cable debut. One makes the other funnier
Quote from Leona Helmsley: “We don’t pay taxes. The little people pay taxes.” Reminds me of a politician… “rules for thee not for me, now jump peasant!”
Movies gross a record $5 billion, “Batman” earns $250 million and many in the industry pitched in to help buy homeless people new shopping carts so, as George Carlin said, would have “a place for their shit.” See how much Hollywood cares!
President: George Bush
Vice President: Dan Quayle
Population: 246,819,230
Life expectancy: 75.1 years
Dow-Jones
High: 2,791
Low: 2,168
Federal spending: $1143.17 billion
Federal debt: $2868.0 billion
Inflation: 4.6%
Consumer Price Index: 124
Unemployment: 5.5%
Cost of a new home: $148,800.00
Cost of a new car: $
Median Household Income: $28,906.00
Cost of a first-class stamp: $0.25
Cost of a gallon of regular gas: $1.12
Cost of a dozen eggs: $0.96
Cost of a gallon of Milk: $2.34