Billboard #1s for the Week Ending August 2, 1986

This week’s Time Capsule!

Chart	Title	Act	Weeks
Hot 100	Glory of Love	Peter Cetera	1
R & B	Closer Than Close	Jean Carne	1
Country	Nobody In His Right Mind Would’ve Left Her	George Strait	1
Adult Contemporary	Glory of Love	Peter Cetera	3
Rock	Higher Love	Steve Winwood	3
Album	Top Gun	Soundtrack	2

This week sees an unusual song begin a brief chart return. Norman Greenbaum — a Jewish  psychedelic rocker from Massachusetts — heard Porter Wagoner sing on TV and decided to write a gospel song. While not especially religious, Greenbaum crafted a smart modern spiritual, infusing it with the energy from his rock and jug band roots. The result, Spirit In the Sky, was a smash, peaking at #3 in 1970 and appearing on many best-singles lists over the years. It was also his only Top 40 appearance, followed by two minor hits before his chart career ended.

In 1986, British Glam Rock band Doctor and the Medics recorded a cover of the song. (Curiously, Greenbaum’s first chart appearance was with Doctor West’s Medicine Show and Junk Band…) Their crunchier interpretation entered the Hot 100 at #95 this week. It failed to match the success of the original, peaking at #69 but it topped the UK charts. The Medics never charted in the States again, making this song nearly a double One Hit Wonder.