1986 in music: Difference between revisions
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==Notable hits== |
==Notable hits== |
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*"[[Absolute Beginners (David Bowie song)|Absolute Beginners]]" – [[David Bowie]] |
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*"[[Addicted To Love (song)|Addicted To Love]]" – [[Robert Palmer (singer)|Robert Palmer]] |
*"[[Addicted To Love (song)|Addicted To Love]]" – [[Robert Palmer (singer)|Robert Palmer]] |
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*"[[All Cried Out]]" – LisaLisa & Cult Jam |
*"[[All Cried Out]]" – LisaLisa & Cult Jam |
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*"[[Candy (Cameo song)|Candy]]" – [[Cameo (band)|Cameo]] |
*"[[Candy (Cameo song)|Candy]]" – [[Cameo (band)|Cameo]] |
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*"[[Capitaine abandonné]]" – [[Gold (band)|Gold]] |
*"[[Capitaine abandonné]]" – [[Gold (band)|Gold]] |
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*"[[Captain of Her Heart]]" – [[Double (band)|Double]] (released in 1985) |
*"[[The Captain of Her Heart]]" – [[Double (band)|Double]] (released in 1985) |
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*"[[Chain Reaction (song)|Chain Reaction]]" – [[Diana Ross]] |
*"[[Chain Reaction (song)|Chain Reaction]]" – [[Diana Ross]] |
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*"[[Cheap Love]]" – [[Juice Newton]] |
*"[[Cheap Love]]" – [[Juice Newton]] |
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*"For America" – [[Jackson Browne]] |
*"For America" – [[Jackson Browne]] |
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*"For America" – [[Red Box (band)|Red Box]] |
*"For America" – [[Red Box (band)|Red Box]] |
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*"Freedom Overspill" – [[Steve Winwood]] |
*"[[Freedom Overspill]]" – [[Steve Winwood]] |
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*"[[Friends and Lovers (song)|Friends and Lovers]]" – [[Gloria Loring]] and [[Carl Anderson (singer)|Carl Anderson]] |
*"[[Friends and Lovers (song)|Friends and Lovers]]" – [[Gloria Loring]] and [[Carl Anderson (singer)|Carl Anderson]] |
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**also recorded as "[[Both to Each Other]]" by country music artists [[Juice Newton]] and [[Eddie Rabbitt]] |
**also recorded as "[[Both to Each Other]]" by country music artists [[Juice Newton]] and [[Eddie Rabbitt]] |
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*"[[French Kissin' In The USA]]" – [[Debbie Harry]] |
*"[[French Kissin' In The USA]]" – [[Debbie Harry]] |
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*"Glory |
*"[[Glory of Love]]" – [[Peter Cetera]] |
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*"[[Go Home (song)|Go Home]]" – [[Stevie Wonder]] |
*"[[Go Home (song)|Go Home]]" – [[Stevie Wonder]] |
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*"[[The Greatest Love of All]]" – [[Whitney Houston]] |
*"[[The Greatest Love of All]]" – [[Whitney Houston]] |
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*"[[Harlem Shuffle]]" – [[Rolling Stones]] |
*"[[Harlem Shuffle]]" – [[The Rolling Stones]] |
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*"Heartache All Over The World" – [[Elton John]] |
*"Heartache All Over The World" – [[Elton John]] |
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*"Heartbeat" – [[Don Johnson]] |
*"Heartbeat" – [[Don Johnson]] |
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*"Is It a Crime?" – [[Sade Adu|Sade]] |
*"Is It a Crime?" – [[Sade Adu|Sade]] |
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*"[[Jumpin' Jack Flash]]" – [[Aretha Franklin]] |
*"[[Jumpin' Jack Flash]]" – [[Aretha Franklin]] |
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*"[[A Kind |
*"[[A Kind of Magic (song)|A Kind of Magic]]" – [[Queen (band)|Queen]] |
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*"[[Keep Your Hands to Yourself]]" — [[The Georgia Satellites]] |
*"[[Keep Your Hands to Yourself]]" — [[The Georgia Satellites]] |
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*"[[Kiss (Prince song)|Kiss]]" – [[Prince (musician)|Prince and the Revolution]] |
*"[[Kiss (Prince song)|Kiss]]" – [[Prince (musician)|Prince and the Revolution]] |
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Revision as of 15:27, 14 January 2014
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1986.
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Events
January–June
- January 23 – The first induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame takes place. The first artists to be honoured are Chuck Berry, James Brown, Ray Charles, Fats Domino, Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Elvis Presley.[citation needed]
- February 21 – The Dead Kennedys play their last concert at UC Davis in Davis, California, USA.[citation needed]
- February 23 – In honor of the 20th anniversary of The Monkees' first appearance on television, MTV broadcasts Pleasant Valley Sunday, a 22-hour marathon of Monkees episodes.[citation needed]
- March 15 – "Heartbeat '86", a charity concert for the Birmingham Children's Hospital, is held at the NEC. Performers include Roy Wood, UB40, The Moody Blues, Electric Light Orchestra and Robert Plant. George Harrison makes a surprise appearance playing Johnny B. Goode with everyone at the end of the show.[citation needed]
- March 27 – Van Halen opens its 5150 tour, the first with new lead singer Sammy Hagar.[citation needed]
- April 5 – Jean-Michel Jarre performs his wide-scale open-air concert downtown Houston.[citation needed]
- April 12 – Former Go's-Go's singer Belinda Carlisle marries actor Morgan Mason.[citation needed]
- May 2 – Country music superstar Dolly Parton opens her Dollywood theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, USA.[citation needed]
- May 3 – At the age of 13, Sandra Kim becomes the youngest-ever performer to win the Eurovision Song Contest. The winning entry at the 31st annual contest (held in Bergen, Norway) is titled "J'aime la vie", and is Belgium's only winning entry to date.[citation needed]
- May 5 – In New York, USA, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame chairman Ahmet Ertegün announces that Cleveland, Ohio has been chosen as the city where the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame will be built[citation needed]
- May 10 – Tommy Lee of Mötley Crüe marries actress Heather Locklear.[citation needed]
- May 25 – Norwegian band a-ha wins a record-breaking eight awards at the MTV Video Music Awards show.[citation needed]
- May 30 – The Monkees begin their highly successful 20th Anniversary Reunion Tour[citation needed]
June–December
- June 4–15 – U2, Sting, Joan Baez, Jackson Browne, Lou Reed, Peter Gabriel, the Neville Brothers, and Bryan Adams stage the A Conspiracy of Hope Tour in the United States on behalf of Amnesty International, playing five cities on the tour. The final show at New Jersey's Giants Stadium is televised live, and the above-mentioned performers are joined by Joni Mitchell, Howard Jones, Yoko Ono, Third World, and Carlos Santana, as well as the other members of The Police.[citation needed]
- June 30- Madonna releases her "True Blue" album, tops the charts in over 28 countries & becomes the best selling album of 1986.
- June 6 – After 29 years, CHUM (AM) in Toronto, Canada drops its legendary Top 40 format in favor of gold-based adult contemporary music. Additionally, the final CHUM Chart is published (with Madonna's "Live To Tell" the final number one song).[citation needed]
- June 7 - Queen starts The Magic Tour which becomes their final tour with all original member and also their most successful tour.[citation needed]
- June- Repulsion first records the demo 'Slaughter of the Innocent, which would be remixed and released in 1989 as the landmark death metal/grindcore album "Horrified".
- June 27 – Black Flag play their last concert, in Detroit, Michigan, USA.[citation needed]
- August 28 – Tina Turner receives a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame.[citation needed]
- September 27 – A tour bus carrying the heavy metal band Metallica crashes in Sweden, killing their influential bassist, Cliff Burton.
- October – The Smiths play their final gig as a five-piece.[citation needed]
- October 20 – Duran Duran begin their career as a three piece with the release of the "Notorious" single.[citation needed]
- November 12 – John Farnham releases the album "Whispering Jack", which becomes the highest selling album in Australia’s history, featuring the single from the previous year, "You're the Voice".[citation needed]
- November 15 - The Beastie Boys release their first studio album Licensed To Ill, which goes onto become the first Hip Hop album to reach number one in the U.S.A. It eventually goes onto become one of the most influential and important Hip Hop albums of the 1980s.[citation needed]
- December 31 - The fifteenth annual New Year's Rockin' Eve special airs on ABC, with appearances by The Bangles, Commodores, The Jets, Barry Manilow, Miami Sound Machine and Smokey Robinson.[citation needed]
Also in 1986
- Jello Biafra/Dead Kennedys taken to court by the PMRC for content in their album Frankenchrist; Biafra wins.[citation needed]
- Garth Brooks marries his first wife, Sandy.[citation needed]
- Italian singer Ernesto Bonino loses his voice after a surgical intervention.[citation needed]
- Alice Cooper returns to the mainstream after a two-year break. The Nightmare Returns Tour goes on to become one of the best selling tours of 1986.[citation needed]
Bands formed
Bands disbanded
Albums released
January - March
April - June
July - September
October - December
Release Date Unknown
Biggest hit singles
The following songs achieved the highest chart positions in the charts of 1986.
| # | Artist | Title | Year | Country | Chart entries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Falco | "Rock Me Amadeus" | 1986 |  |
UK 1 – Mar 1986, US BB 1 – Feb 1986, Canada 1 – Dec 1985, Sweden 1 – Aug 1985, Sweden (alt) 1 – Sep 1985, Austria 1 – May 1985, Germany 1 – Jun 1985, Éire 1 – Apr 1986, New Zealand 1 for 5 weeks Mar 1986, France 2 – Nov 1985, Switzerland 2 – Jun 1985, Netherlands 3 – May 1986, South Africa 3 of 1986, Norway 6 – Apr 1986, Italy 18 of 1985, US CashBox 19 of 1986, Poland 24 – Jun 1985, POP 29 of 1986, US BB 30 of 1986, Germany 50 of the 1980s, RYM 63 of 1985, Scrobulate 65 of 80s, KROQ 74 of 1986 |
| 2 | Madonna | "Papa Don't Preach" | 1986 |  |
UK 1 – Jun 1986, US BB 1 – Jul 1986, Sweden 1 – Aug 1986, Norway 1 – Jul 1986, Italy 1 of 1986, Éire 1 – Jun 1986, Australia 1 for 6 weeks Mar 1987, Netherlands 2 – Jun 1986, Switzerland 2 – Jul 1986, Poland 2 – Aug 1986, Germany 2 – Jul 1986, Austria 4 – Aug 1986, Australia 9 of 1986, US CashBox 18 of 1986, US BB 19 of 1986, POP 35 of 1986, 37 in 2FM list, RYM 43 of 1986, Germany 215 of the 1980s, Acclaimed 761 |
| 3 | Europe | "The Final Countdown" | 1986 |  |
UK 1 – Nov 1986, Netherlands 1 – Aug 1986, Sweden 1 – May 1986, Austria 1 – Nov 1986, Switzerland 1 – Sep 1986, Poland 1 – Nov 1986, Germany 1 – Sep 1986, Éire 1 – Nov 1986, Italy 2 of 1987, Norway 4 – Jul 1986, South Africa 7 of 1987, US BB 8 – Feb 1987, France 9 – Apr 1986, Australia 10 of 1987, Europe 14 of the 1980s, US BB 19 of 1987, Scrobulate 20 of Swedish, POP 29 of 1987, Germany 90 of the 1980s, RYM 93 of 1986 |
| 4 | Berlin | "Take My Breath Away" | 1986 | |
UK 1 – Oct 1986, US BB 1 – Jul 1986, Netherlands 1 – Sep 1986, Sweden 1 – Sep 1986, Éire 1 – Oct 1986, Oscar in 1986, Switzerland 2 – Oct 1986, Germany 3 – Sep 1986, Austria 4 – Nov 1986, Norway 4 – Oct 1986, Poland 4 – Nov 1986, Australia 6 of 1986, POP 7 of 1986, US BB 13 of 1992, RYM 16 of 1986, US CashBox 21 of 1986, Italy 37 of 1986, TOTP 37, Scrobulate 80 of 80s, OzNet 251, Germany 310 of the 1980s |
| 5 | Pet Shop Boys | "West End Girls" | 1985 |  |
UK 1 – Nov 1985, US BB 1 – Mar 1986, Norway 1 – Jan 1986, New Zealand 1 for 4 weeks Feb 1986, US CashBox 2 of 1986, Switzerland 2 – Jan 1986, Netherlands 3 – Jan 1986, Sweden 3 – Jan 1986, Germany 3 – Jan 1986, Austria 5 – Feb 1986, France 7 – Oct 1985, KROQ 11 of 1984, Poland 14 – Jan 1986, RYM 15 of 1985, US BB 16 of 1986, South Africa 18 of 1986, Scrobulate 32 of 80s, POP 43 of 1986, Germany 232 of the 1980s, WXPN 478, OzNet 694, Acclaimed 890 |
Notable hits
- "Absolute Beginners" – David Bowie
- "Addicted To Love" – Robert Palmer
- "All Cried Out" – LisaLisa & Cult Jam
- "All I Ask of You" – Cliff Richard and Sarah Brightman
- "All I Need Is a Miracle" – Mike + The Mechanics
- "All The Things She Said" – Simple Minds
- "Amanda" – Boston
- "Baby Love" – Regina Richards
- "Bad Boy" – Miami Sound Machine
- "Best of Both Worlds" – Van Halen
- "Breakout" – Swing Out Sister
- "Bigmouth Strikes Again"- The Smiths
- "Big Time" – Peter Gabriel
- "Bizarre Love Triangle" – New Order
- "Brother Louie" – Modern Talking
- "Both to Each Other (Friends and Lovers)" – Juice Newton and Eddie Rabbitt
- "Calling America" – Electric Light Orchestra
- "Can't Wait Another Minute" – Five Star
- "Candy" – Cameo
- "Capitaine abandonné" – Gold
- "The Captain of Her Heart" – Double (released in 1985)
- "Chain Reaction" – Diana Ross
- "Cheap Love" – Juice Newton
- "Coming Around Again" – Carly Simon (released in UK in 1987)
- "Conga" – Miami Sound Machine
- "Crush on You" – The Jets
- "Dancing in the Dark" – The Shadows
- "Dancing on the Ceiling" – Lionel Richie
- "Danger Zone" – Kenny Loggins
- "Digging Your Scene" – The Blow Monkeys
- "Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone)" – Glass Tiger
- "Don't Stand So Close to Me '86" – The Police
- "Dreams" – Van Halen
- "Dreamtime" – Daryl Hall
- "The Edge of Heaven – Wham!
- "En Rouge et Noir" – Jeanne Mas
- "Ève lève-toi" – Julie Pietri
- "Everybody Have Fun Tonight" – Wang Chung
- "The Final Countdown" – Europe
- "Flash" – Princess Stéphanie of Monaco
- "For America" – Jackson Browne
- "For America" – Red Box
- "Freedom Overspill" – Steve Winwood
- "Friends and Lovers" – Gloria Loring and Carl Anderson
- also recorded as "Both to Each Other" by country music artists Juice Newton and Eddie Rabbitt
- "French Kissin' In The USA" – Debbie Harry
- "Glory of Love" – Peter Cetera
- "Go Home" – Stevie Wonder
- "The Greatest Love of All" – Whitney Houston
- "Harlem Shuffle" – The Rolling Stones
- "Heartache All Over The World" – Elton John
- "Heartbeat" – Don Johnson
- "Hey, You!" – Divine
- "He's Back (The Man Behind the Mask)" – Alice Cooper
- "Higher Love" – Steve Winwood
- "Hip to Be Square" – Huey Lewis and the News
- "Holding Back the Years" – Simply Red (originally released in 1985, but flopped)
- "How Will I Know" – Whitney Houston
- "Hymn To Her" – The Pretenders
- "I Can Prove It" – Phil Fearon
- "I Want to Wake Up with You" – Boris Gardiner
- "Invisible Touch" – Genesis
- "If She Knew What She Wants" – The Bangles
- "In Too Deep – Genesis
- "Is It a Crime?" – Sade
- "Jumpin' Jack Flash" – Aretha Franklin
- "A Kind of Magic" – Queen
- "Keep Your Hands to Yourself" — The Georgia Satellites
- "Kiss" – Prince and the Revolution
- "Kyrie" – Mr. Mister
- "La puerta de Alcalá" – Ana Belén and Víctor Manuel
- "The Lady in Red" – Chris de Burgh
- "Land of Confusion" – Genesis
- "Le Sixième Jour" – Dalida
- "Les Bêtises" – Sabine Paturel
- "Les Démons de minuit" – Images
- "Libertine" – Mylène Farmer
- "Little Baby" – Divine
- "Live to Tell" – Madonna
- "Living In America" – James Brown
- "Living Doll" – Cliff Richard and The Young Ones featuring Hank B. Marvin
- "Livin' On a Prayer – Bon Jovi
- "Locked In" – Judas Priest
- "Love Touch" – Rod Stewart
- "Love Walks In" – Van Halen
- "Lessons in Love" – Level 42
- "Mad About You" – Belinda Carlisle
- "Manic Monday" – The Bangles
- "Master of Puppets" – Metallica
- "A Matter of Trust" – Billy Joel
- "Modern Woman" – Billy Joel
- "Moonlight Shadow" – The Shadows
- "Mountains" – Prince
- "Move Away" – Culture Club
- "My Hometown" – Bruce Springsteen
- "Nasty" – Janet Jackson
- "Never as Good as the First Time" – Sade
- "The Next Time I Fall" – Peter Cetera and Amy Grant
- "Nikita" – Elton John
- "No Lies" – Noiseworks
- "No One Is To Blame" – Howard Jones
- "No More I Love You's" – The Lover Speaks
- "Notorious" – Duran Duran
- "Now and Forever (You and Me)" - Anne Murray
- "Old Flame" – Juice Newton
- "On My Own" – Patti Labelle & Michael McDonald
- "Open Your Heart" – Madonna
- "Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money)" – Pet Shop Boys
- "Ouragan" – Princess Stéphanie of Monaco
- "Overjoyed" – Stevie Wonder
- "Papa Don't Preach" – Madonna
- "Parce que je ne t'aime plus" – Dalida
- "Peace Sells" - Megadeth
- "Pressure Down" – John Farnham
- "Pretty in Pink" – The Psychedelic Furs
- "Private Number" – The Jets
- "A Question of Lust" – Depeche Mode
- "A Question of Time" – Depeche Mode
- "¿A quién le importa?" – Alaska
- "Raining Blood" – Slayer
- "Rain or Shine" – Five Star
- "Rock Me Amadeus" – Falco
- "Rough Boy" – ZZ Top
- "Ruthless People" – Mick Jagger
- "Sara" – Starship
- "Say You Really Want Me" – Kim Wilde (North American issue)
- "Schoolgirl" – Kim Wilde
- "Set Me Free" – Jaki Graham
- "Showing Out (Get Fresh at the Weekend)" – Mel and Kim
- "Silent Running" – Mike + The Mechanics
- "Sing Our Own Song" – UB40
- "Sledgehammer" – Peter Gabriel
- "Slice of Heaven" – Dave Dobbyn
- "Slow Rivers" – Cliff Richard and Elton John
- "Small Town" – John Cougar Mellencamp
- "So Far, So Good" – Sheena Easton
- "Sometimes" – Erasure
- "Somewhere" – Barbra Streisand
- "Stay For Awhile" – Amy Grant
- "Stimulation" – Wa Wa Nee
- "Stripped" – Depeche Mode
- "Stuck with You" – Huey Lewis and the News
- "Sweet Freedom" – Michael McDonald
- "The Sweetest Taboo" – Sade
- "System Addict" – Five Star
- "Take Me Home Tonight" – Eddie Money
- "Take My Breath Away" – Berlin
- "Taken In" – Mike + The Mechanics
- "That Was Then, This Is Now" – The Monkees
- "Tender Love" – Force MD's
- "That's What Friends Are For" – Dionne Warwick (duets with Elton John, Gladys Knight & Stevie Wonder)
- "The Themes from 'EastEnders' and 'Howards Way'" – The Shadows
- "Teenage Frankenstein" – Alice Cooper
- "(There's Gonna Be) A Showdown" – The Johnnys
- "These Dreams" - Heart
- "Throw Your Arms Around Me" – Hunters + Collectors
- "Throwing It All Away" – Genesis
- "Thorn in My Side" – Eurythmics
- "Turbo Lover" – Judas Priest
- "True Blue"- Madonna
- "True Colors" – Cyndi Lauper
- "Twist and Shout" - The Beatles
- "Two People – Tina Turner
- "Two Of Hearts" – Stacey Q
- "Typical Male" – Tina Turner
- "Venus" – Bananarama
- "Walk Like an Egyptian" – The Bangles
- "Walk This Way" – Run DMC featuring Aerosmith
- "War" – Bruce Springsteen
- "The Way It Is" – Bruce Hornsby and the Range
- "We Don't Have to Take Our Clothes Off" – Jermaine Stewart
- "What Have You Done for Me Lately" – Janet Jackson
- "What You Need" – INXS
- "When I Think of You" – Janet Jackson
- "Why Can't This Be Love" – Van Halen
- "Word Up!"- Cameo
- "Words Get in the Way" – Gloria Estefan & Miami Sound Machine
- "You Can Call Me Al" – Paul Simon
- "You Give Love a Bad Name" – Bon Jovi
- "You Got It All" – The Jets
- "You Keep Me Hangin' On" – Kim Wilde
- "Your Love" – The Outfield
- "Your Wildest Dreams" – The Moody Blues
Published popular music
- "All I Ask of You" w.m. Andrew Lloyd Webber
- "Crush On You" w.m. Jerry Knight & Aaron Zigman
- "I Used To Be An Animal, But I'm Alright Now" w.m. Eric Burdon
- "The Lady in Red" w.m. Chris de Burgh
- "True Colors" Cyndi Lauper
- Montego Bay Amazulu – a minor hit in the U.S. in September.
- Elliott Carter – String Quartet No.4
- George Crumb – An Idyll for the Misbegotten (Images III) for amplified flute and percussion (three players).
- George Crumb – Federico's Little Songs for Children for soprano, flute/piccolo/alto flute/bass flute, and harp
- Mario Davidovsky – Salvos for flute, clarinet, harp, percussion, violin and cello
- Ludovico Einaudi – Movimento
- Peter Eötvös – Chinese Opera
- Lorenzo Ferrero
- La fuga di Foscolo
- Anemia (film score)
- Passacaglia
- My Blues
- Poi andro in America
- Intermezzo "Portella della Ginestra"
- Ninna-nanna
- Karel Goeyvaerts –
- De Heilige Stad (The Holy City), for chamber orchestra
- De Zeven Segels (The Seven Seals), for string quartet
- Witold Lutoslawski – Chain 3 for Orchestra
- Krzysztof Penderecki – The Song of Cherubin
- Paul Schoenfield – Café Music for Piano Trio
Opera
- Harrison Birtwistle's opera The Mask of Orpheus is premiered in London, UK on May 21
- Rudolf Brucci – Gilgamesh
- Lorenzo Ferrero's opera Salvatore Giuliano is premiered at the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma on January 25
- Lee Hoiby – The Tempest
- Gian-Carlo Menotti – Goya
- Michael Nyman – The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat
- La Cage aux Folles London production
- Charlie Girl London revival
- Chess London production
- Me and My Girl Broadway production
- The Phantom Of The Opera London production
- Time (musical), London production (featuring actor Laurence Olivier in hologram form)
- Sweet Charity Broadway revival
Musical television
- Inaugural Festival International de Louisiane
Births
- January 2 - Trombone Shorty, American trumpet and trombone player
- January 3 - Lloyd Polite, American singer (N-Toon)
- January 5 — Teppei Koike, Japanese singer and actor
- January 6 – Alex Turner, singer and guitarist (Arctic Monkeys)
- January 11 - Mithoon, film score composer and singer
- January 26
- Hero, Korean singer (TVXQ)
- Matt Heafy, singer, and guitarist (Trivium)
- February 2 – Blaine Larsen, US country singer
- February 6 — U-Know, Korean singer (TVXQ)
- February 14 – Tiffany Thornton, American actress
- February 19 – Maria Mena, singer
- February 21 – Charlotte Church, singer
- February 25 — Danny Saucedo, Swedish singer
- February 26 — Crystal Kay, Japan-born singer
- March 3 – Stacie Orrico, singer
- March 12 – Danny Jones, singer and guitarist (McFLY)
- March 15 – Adrianne Leon, actress and singer
- March 22 – Amy Studt, singer, songwriter and musician
- March 26 — Jonny Craig, Canadian singer and songwriter
- March 28 – Lady Gaga, singer, songwriter, and pianist
- April 2 — Lee DeWyze, singer
- April 4 — Eunhyuk, Korean singer (Super Junior)
- May 13 — Alexander Rybak, Norwegian singer
- May 14
- Alyosha, Ukrainian singer
- Joseph Attieh, Lebanese singer
- May 21 — Myra, singer
- May 30 – Claudia Beni, singer
- May 31 — Sopho Khalvashi, Georgian musician
- June 10 — Tinchy Stryder, English rapper and producer
- June 21 — Lana Del Rey, American singer and songwriter
- June 25 - Aya Matsuura, Japanese singer
- June 28 – Kellie Pickler, American Idol singer
- June 29 — Austin Drage, British actor and singer
- July 2 – Lindsay Lohan, actress, singer
- August 26
- Laza Morgan, singer
- Cassie, singer
- September 12 – Emmy Rossum, actress and singer
- October 22 - Yvette Gonzalez-Nacer, actress
- October 24 - Aubrey Drake Graham, rapper, actor, entertainer.
- November 5 – BoA, singer
- November 20 — Oliver Sykes, English heavy metal vocalist (Bring Me the Horizon)
- December 15 — Xiah, Korean singer (TVXQ)
- December 30 — Ellie Goulding, English singer-songwriter
Deaths
- January 4 – Phil Lynott, bassist/singer and co-founder of Thin Lizzy, 36 (heart failure & pneumonia)
- January 6 – Joe Farrell, jazz saxophonist, 48 (bone cancer)
- January 8 – Pierre Fournier, cellist, 79
- February 2 – Francisco Mignone, composer, 88
- February 14 – Edmund Rubbra, composer, 84
- February 15 – Galliano Masini, operatic tenor, 90
- March 4
- Richard Manuel (The Band), 42 (suicide)
- Howard Greenfield, songwriter, 49 (AIDS)
- March 11 – Sonny Terry, blues musician, 74
- March 21 – Raymond Burke, jazz clarinetist, 81
- March 22 – Mark Dinning, US singer, 52 (heart attack)
- March 30 – James Cagney, US actor, singer and dancer, 86
- March 31 – O'Kelly Isley of the Isley Brothers, 48 (heart attack)
- April 1 – Donald Grobe, operatic tenor, 56
- April 3 – Peter Pears, opera singer and partner of Benjamin Britten, 75
- April 8 – Yukiko Okada, singer, 18 (suicide)
- April 13 – Dorothy Ashby, jazz harpist and composer, 53 (cancer)
- April 19
- Dag Wirén, composer, 80
- Estelle Yancey, blues singer, 90
- June 3 – Anna Neagle, actress, singer and dancer, 81
- June 13 – Benny Goodman, bandleader, 77
- June 14 – Alan Jay Lerner, lyricist, 67
- June 16 – Maurice Duruflé, composer, 84
- June 17 – Kate Smith, singer, 79
- June 29 - Dusolina Giannini, operatic soprano, 83
- July 3 – Rudy Vallee, singer, 84
- July 18 – Don Wilkerson, saxophonist
- July 31 – Teddy Wilson, jazz pianist, 73
- September 27 – Cliff Burton (Metallica), 24 (tour bus accident)
- September 28 – Robert Helpmann, dancer and choreographer, 77
- October 16 – Arthur Grumiaux, violinist, 65
- November 1 – Sippie Wallace, blues singer, 88
- November 3 – Eddie Davis, saxophonist, 64
- November 6 - Elisabeth Grümmer, operatic soprano, 75
- November 7 – Tracy Pew, bass guitarist, 28 (brain hemorrhage)
- November 13 – Rudolf Schock, operatic tenor, 71
- November 18 – Lajos Bárdos, composer and conductor, 87
- November 22 – Scatman Crothers, singer, dancer and musician, 76
- December 1 – Horace Heidt, pianist and bandleader, 85
- December 10 – Kate Wolf, folk singer and songwriter, 44 (leukemia)
- date unknown – Boris Gutnikov, violinist
Awards
- Rock and Roll Hall of Fame opened; the following artists were the first inductees: Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, James Brown, Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, Fats Domino, The Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard and record producer Sam Phillips.
- Grammy Awards of 1986
- Eurovision Song Contest 1986
- 28th Japan Record Awards
Charts
- Hot 100 no. 1 hits of 1986 – U.S.