On September 13, 1986, a new song reached the top of the Billboard “Hot 100”: “Take My Breath Away” (video up top) by American New Wave band Berlin became the new Number One. The song was featured in the 1986 film Top Gun, which is evident in the video. The song was released on the soundtrack album for the film, as well as Berlin’s fourth studio album, Count Three & Pray.
This is another song that I remember hearing a lot at the time, and I liked the sound well enough, though it definitely was the sound more than the substance. One of my childhood friends introduced me to Berlin several years earlier, and I liked that stuff more than than this particular song. However, I also liked a LOT of the music produced by Giorgio Moroder, who also produced this song, and that could be the reason I liked this particular song even thought it didn’t seem very Berlin-y to me.
At the risk of sounding like an—ahem—broken record, I never bought this song as a single, nor the soundtrack album, or the album by Berlin, either. In fact, the only Berlin album I bought wasBest of Berlin 1979–1988, which I bought on CD in the very early 1990s (shortly after I bought my first CD player…) and I brought it with me when I moved to New Zealand in 1995, and unusually, perhaps, I actually still have that album.
As I was saying last week, back in this era I liked a lot of New Wave (and New Wave-adjacent) songs (as well as other pop music styles, of course), so in this era there were quite a few songs that I liked, but not all of them made it to Number One—in fact most of the ones I liked the most didn’t. This is another one that did.
“Take My Breath Away” reached Number 2 in Australia, Number One in Canada (Gold), 4 in New Zealand (2x Platinum), Number One in the UK (Platinum), and Number One on the USA’s “Billboard Hot 100” as well as the CashBox “Top 100” charts. It was certified G in the USA.
The Top Gun soundtrack album reached Number 3 in Australia (5x Platinum), 2 in Canada (5x Platinum), 5 in New Zealand (Platinum), 4 in the UK (2x Platinum), as well as reaching Number One on the USA’s ”Billboard 200” chart. It was certified 9x Platinum in the USA.
Berlin’s Count Three & Pray album reached Number 38 in Australia, 85 in Canada, 20 in New Zealand, 32 in the UK (Silver), as well as reaching 61 on the USA’s ”Billboard 200” chart.
This series will return next week, on September 20. That song will take us into October.
Previously in the “Weekend Diversion – 1986” series:
Weekend Diversion: 1986, Part 1 – January 18, 2026
Weekend Diversion: 1986, Part 2 – February 15, 2026
Weekend Diversion: 1986, Part 3 – March 1, 2026
Weekend Diversion: 1986, Part 4 – March 15, 2026
Weekend Diversion: 1986, Part 5 – March 22, 2026
Weekend Diversion: 1986, Part 6 – March 29, 2026
Weekend Diversion: 1986, Part 7 – April 19, 2026
Weekend Diversion: 1986, Part 8 – May 3, 2026
Weekend Diversion: 1986, Part 9 – May 10, 2026
Weekend Diversion: 1986, Part 10 – May 17, 2026
Weekend Diversion: 1986, Part 11 – June 7, 2026
Weekend Diversion: 1986, Part 12 – June 14, 2026
Weekend Diversion: 1986, Part 13 – July 5, 2026
Weekend Diversion: 1986, Part 14 – July 12, 2026
Weekend Diversion: 1986, Part 15 – July 19, 2026
Weekend Diversion: 1986, Part 16 – July 26, 2026
Weekend Diversion: 1986, Part 17 – August 2, 2026
Weekend Diversion: 1986, Part 18 – August 16, 2026
Weekend Diversion: 1986, Part 19 – August 30, 2026
Weekend Diversion: 1986, Part 20 – August 30, 2026
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