Skeptics of 1985 and 1986 voting patterns will crack their skulls on the pavement looking at these mostly lethargic finishers — lethargic in the abstract, that is. A well-meaning Prince song topped the chart, competing with Suzanne Vega’s equally well-meant breakthrough. R.E.M offered brawnier goods on their own breakthrough album than their first pop hit and most enduring raver, respectively. Los Lobos did little for “La Bamba” and Grateful Dead little for maturity. Sakes, people! Hadn’t you heard Noel, Expose, and Will to Power?! “Big Love” goes high because of Arthur Baker’s frantic remix (he and Lindsey Buckingham were kindred-er spirits than he and Springsteen were, let alone Dylan).
Despite the walloping, well-deserved re-invention of “Hazy Shade of Winter,” the cover of “La Bamba” and the presence of the Dead marked a turn toward boomer nostalgia that gets on my nerves despite the absence of a “Higher Love.”
Meh
Grateful Dead – Touch Of Grey
Sound, Solid
Stevie Wonder – Skeletons
Los Lobos – La Bamba
George Michael – I Want Your Sex
U2 – I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For
R.E.M. – The One I Love
Michael Jackson – The Way You Make Me Feel
Prince – Sign O’ The Times
R.E.M. – It’s The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)
Good to Great
Prince – U Got The Look/Housequake
Alexander O’Neal – Fake
M/A/A/R/S – Pump Up The Volume
Bangles – Hazy Shade of Winter
Eric B. & Rakim – I Know You Got Soul
Public Enemy – Bring The Noise
Crowded House – Don’t Dream It’s Over
Bruce Springsteen – Tunnel Of Love
Fleetwood Mac – Big Love/You And I
Prince – I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man/Hot Thing
X – Fourth Of July/Positively Fourth Street
George Michael – Faith
Bruce Springsteen – Brilliant Disguise/Lucky Man
The Replacements – Alex Chilton
U2 – With Or Without You
Levert – Casanova
Suzanne Vega – Luka
Humanizing The Vacuum 
I’m a Deadhead but I totally agree with your assessment of “Touch of Grey”.
I would like to understand what you mean exactly with maturity regarding to “Touch of Grey”. Cause I think I’m missing some crucial context here. I thought the song was about resilience and I remember liking it at the time cause it kinda updated their folk sound phase with some synthetizers and I’ve always thought it sounded like if The Cure went laid-back psychedelic, or if you prefer more accurately, stoned.