Billboard magazine compiled the top-performing dance singles in the United States on the Hot Dance/Disco Club Play chart and the Hot Dance/Disco 12-inch Singles Sales chart. Premiered in 1976, the Club Play chart ranked the most-played singles on dance club based on reports from a national sample of club DJs. The 12-inch Singles Sales chart was launched in 1985 to compile the best-selling dance singles based on retail sales across the United States.
Charts history
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|+
!scope=col rowspan=2|Issue date
!scope=colgroup colspan=2|Hot Dance/Disco Club Play
!scope=colgroup colspan=2|Hot Dance/Disco 12-inch Singles Sales
!scope=col class=unsortable rowspan=2|
|-
!scope=col|Title
!scope=col|Artist(s)
!scope=col|Title
!scope=col|Artist(s)
|-
|January 4
|"Baby Talk"
|Alisha
|rowspan="3"|"I Like You"
|rowspan="3"|Phyllis Nelson
|
|-
|January 11
|rowspan="2"|"Go Home"
|rowspan="2"|Stevie Wonder
|
|-
|January 18
|
|-
|January 25
|"Love's Gonna Get You"
|Jocelyn Brown
|rowspan="2"|"Love's Gonna Get You"
|rowspan="2"|Jocelyn Brown
|
|-
|February 1
|"Slave to the Rhythm"
|Grace Jones
|
|-
|February 8
|"No Frills Love"
|Jennifer Holliday
|rowspan="3"|"Living In America"
|rowspan="3"|James Brown
|
|-
|February 15
|rowspan="2"|Colonel Abrams (all cuts)
|rowspan="2"|Colonel Abrams
|
|-
|February 22
|
|-
|March 1
|rowspan="3"|"If You Should Ever Be Lonely"
|rowspan="3"|Val Young
|rowspan="3"|"Saturday Love" (Remix)
|rowspan="3"|Cherrelle featuring Alexander O'Neal
|
|-
|March 8
|
|-
|March 15
|
|-
|March 22
|"I'm Not Gonna Let You"
|Colonel Abrams
|"What Have You Done For Me Lately"
|Janet Jackson
|
|-
|March 29
|rowspan="2"|"I Can't Wait"
|rowspan="2"|Nu Shooz
|"Saturday Love" (Remix)
|Cherrelle featuring Alexander O'Neal
|
|-
|April 5
|rowspan="6"|"Kiss" (Remix) / "♥ or $"
|rowspan="6"|Prince and the Revolution
|
|-
|April 12
|rowspan="2"|"Kiss"
|rowspan="2"|Prince and the Revolution
|
|-
|April 19
|
|-
|April 26
|"Whenever You Need Somebody"
|O'Chi Brown
|
|-
|May 3
|rowspan="2"|"West End Girls"
|rowspan="2"|Pet Shop Boys
|
|-
|May 10
|
|-
|May 17
|"Say It, Say It"
|E. G. Daily
|rowspan="4"|"On My Own"
|rowspan="4"|Patti LaBelle & Michael McDonald
|
|-
|May 24
|rowspan="3"|"What I Like"
|rowspan="3"|Anthony and the Camp
|
|-
|May 31
|
|-
|June 7
|
|-
|June 14
|rowspan="2"|"Jump Back (Set Me Free)"
|rowspan="2"|Dhar Braxton
|rowspan="3"|"The Finest"
|rowspan="3"|The S.O.S. Band
|
|-
|June 21
|
|-
|June 28
|rowspan="2"|"Baby Love"
|rowspan="2"|Regina
|
|-
|July 5
|rowspan="4"|"Rumors"/<br>"Vicious Rumors"
|rowspan="4"|Timex Social Club
|
|-
|July 12
|"Sledgehammer"
|Peter Gabriel
|
|-
|July 19
|rowspan="3"|"Rumors" / "Vicious Rumors"
|rowspan="3"|Timex Social Club
|
|-
|July 26
|
|-
|August 2
|rowspan="3"|"Venus" (Remix)
|rowspan="3"|Bananarama
|
|-
|August 9
|rowspan="2"|"Venus"
|rowspan="2"|Bananarama
|
|-
|August 16
|
|-
|August 23
|rowspan="2"|"Ain't Nothin' Goin' on But the Rent"
|rowspan="2"|Gwen Guthrie
|rowspan="2"|"Papa Don't Preach"
|rowspan="2"|Madonna
|
|-
|August 30
|
|-
|September 6
|"Point of No Return"
|Nu Shooz
|"Two of Hearts"
|Stacy Q
|
|-
|September 13
|"Down and Counting"
|Claudja Barry
|rowspan="4"|"Down and Counting"
|rowspan="4"|Claudja Barry
|
|-
|September 20
|rowspan="3"|"When I Think of You"
|rowspan="3"|Janet Jackson
|
|-
|September 27
|
|-
|October 4
|
|-
|October 11
|rowspan="2"|"Gotta See You Tonight"
|rowspan="2"|Barbara Roy
|rowspan="2"|"Two of Hearts"
|rowspan="2"|Stacy Q
|
|-
|October 18
|
|-
|October 25
|rowspan="3"|"Human"
|rowspan="3"|The Human League
|rowspan="5"|"Human"
|rowspan="5"|The Human League
|
|-
|November 1
|
|-
|November 8
|
|-
|November 15
|"Word Up!"
|Cameo
|
|-
|November 22
|"Don't Leave Me This Way"
|The Communards
|
|-
|November 29
|"I Can't Turn Around"
|J. M. Silk
|rowspan="5"|"Brand New Lover"
|rowspan="5"|Dead or Alive
|
|-
|December 6
|rowspan="2"|"Brand New Lover"
|rowspan="2"|Dead or Alive
|
|-
|December 13
|
|-
|December 20
|rowspan="2"|"Control"
|rowspan="2"|Janet Jackson
|
|-
|December 27
|
|-
|}
See also
- 1986 in music
- List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Dance chart