ChatGPT and ’80s Chart Toppers

A couple of months ago I decided to try ChatGPT to see what it can do. Here’s what I asked:

Make a list of the number 1 and number 2 songs from each year in the 1980s from the Billboard top-40 list.

Today, I did some (Wikipedia-based) fact-checking and dropped in some commentary and formatting to what the tool provided:

Here’s a list of the number 1 and number 2 songs from each year in the 1980s from the Billboard Hot 100:

1980: Correct!

1. “Call Me” by Blondie

2. “Another Brick in the Wall (Part II)” by Pink Floyd

1981: Partially Correct

1, “Bette Davis Eyes” by Kim Carnes

2. “Kiss on My List” by Hall & Oates“Endless Love” by Diana Ross and Lionel Richie

1982: Partially Correct

1. “Physical” by Olivia Newton-John “Ebony and Ivory” by Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder

2. “Eye of the Tiger” by Survivor

1983: Correct!

1. “Every Breath You Take” by The Police

2. “Billie Jean” by Michael Jackson

1984: Correct!

1. “When Doves Cry” by Prince

2. “What’s Love Got to Do with It” by Tina Turner

1985: Partially Correct

1. “Careless Whisper” by Wham! Featuring George Michael

2. “Walking on Sunshine” by Katrina and the Waves“Like a Virgin” by Madonna

1986: Incorrect!

1. “West End Girls” by Pet Shop Boys Dionne and Friends – That’s What Friends Are For

2. “Sledgehammer” by Peter Gabriel “Say You, Say Me” by Lionel Richie

1987: Partially Correct

1. “Walk Like an Egyptian” by The Bangles

2. “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)” by Whitney Houston “Alone” by Heart (#2 on the Billboard chart, #1 according to ChatGPT)

1988: Correct!

1. “Faith” by George Michael

2. “Need You Tonight” by INXS

1989: Incorrect!

1. “Like a Virgin” by Madonna (My guess is that ChatGPT confused this 1984 song with 1989’s “Like a Prayer” which was the #25 song of the year.) “Look Away” by Chicago

2. “When I See You Smile” by Bad English “My Prerogative” by Bobby Brown

I don’t have the interest to fact-check Wikipedia on these but I do have interest in tinkering with ChatGPT, the new Bing and other AI tools. They will only get better. I hope.