But success did not come as quickly to Michael Damian, who never seemed to be able to break through with a real-life hit despite years of playing rock-star Danny Romalotti on "The Young and the Restless."

All that changed this week, thanks to the success of Damian's "Rock On," which moved up from No. 3 to become the No. 1 song in America. (Last week's champ, Paula Abdul's "Forever Your Girl," dropped to No. 8.) And though "Rock On" could be dismissed as just another remake (the original version hit No. 5 for David Essex in 1974), Damian has already released a follow-up that could strengthen his pop position: "Cover of Love," which the actor co-wrote and co-produced.