It probably had to happen at some point: This week’s song is one I don’t remember—at all. If I did hear it at some point when it was on the charts 40 years ago, it certainly didn’t make enough of an impression on me for me to remember anything about it.
Be that as it may, on October 12 1985, “Oh Sheila” (video up top) by American R&B band Ready for the World reached Number One on the USA’s Billboard “Hot 100”. It was the band’s only Number One on the “Hot 100”, though they have a later Number One R&B Hit. The song was the third single from their debut album, Ready for the World.
When I watched the video in preparation for this post, I wondered if the band was British, but they're not. According to the Wikipedia article on the song (linked above), “singer Melvin Riley Jr… said ‘I like that kind of accent, so I thought I'd use that sound’." Next, I thought it sounded an awful lot like a Prince song from that era, and that same article said that was a common “misattribution” due to similarties. In fact, it specifically reminded me of a song by Sheila E., and the article says that another reason people thought this was a Prince song was because they thought the title referred to Sheila E. I’m relieved that even after hearing this song 40 years after it was a hit, I still had the same thoughts that many people back in the day thought, too—maybe it’s true that I really didn’t miss anything?
I really have nothing more to say about this song: It’s okay, I guess, but I don’t think I would’ve liked it if I’d heard it back in 1985—though I wouldn’t have hated it, either. There are plenty of pop songs I’ve been similarly neutral about, so this isn’t an even remotely unusual thing for me. Well, finding a song I don’t remember at all hit Number One in an era where I paid very close attention to the charts IS unusual, so there’s that, I guess.
“Oh Sheila” reached Number 14 in Australia, Number One in Canada, Number 24 in New Zealand, Number 50 in the UK, as well as Number One on the USA’s Billboard “Hot 100” and also on their “Hot Black Singles”, and “Hot Dance/Disco Club Play” charts, and it was also Number One on Cash Box. Apparently, the song’s sales weren’t certified in any of these countries.
The album Ready for the World reached Number 17 on the USA’s “Billboard 200”, and Number 3 on their “Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums” chart. The album was certified Platinum in the USA. There’s no reported chart position or sales certifications for the album in any of the other countries I write about.
This series will return next week (October 19) with the next Number One in this series. That song will be the second of five one-week Number One hits from this period in 1985, and one of my personal favourites from that time.
Previously in the “Weekend Diversion – 1985” series:
Weekend Diversion: 1985, Part 1 – February 2, 2025
Weekend Diversion: 1985, Part 2 – February 16, 2025
Weekend Diversion: 1985, Part 3 – March 12, 2025
Weekend Diversion: 1985, Part 4 – March 30, 2025
Weekend Diversion: 1985, Part 5 – April 13, 2025
Weekend Diversion: 1985, Part 6 – May 11, 2025
Weekend Diversion: 1985, Part 7 – May 18, 2025
Weekend Diversion: 1985, Part 8 – June 1, 2025
Weekend Diversion: 1985, Part 9 – June 8, 2025
Weekend Diversion: 1985, Part 10 – June 22, 2025
Weekend Diversion: 1985, Part 11 – July 6, 2025
Weekend Diversion: 1985, Part 12 – July 13, 2025
Weekend Diversion: 1985, Part 13 – July 27, 2025
Weekend Diversion: 1985, Part 14 – August 3, 2025
Weekend Diversion: 1985, Part 15 – August 24, 2025
Weekend Diversion: 1985, Part 16 – September 7, 2025
Weekend Diversion: 1985, Part 17 – September 21, 2025
2 comments:
I don't remember this song either!
Honestly, my first thought was that maybe I'd simply forgotten it, which was theoretically possible—and why I try to avoid relying on my memory these days. However, even when I looked at the 1985 list last year to plan out this year's series, I saw the song and thought something like, "WTF is that?!" When I watched the video I was certain I didn't remember it from back in the day. Oddly comforting, that.
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