1980-84,THE UK NUMBER ONE SONGS

Week Ending	ACT + Links	TITLE	Weeks	TALLY	COMMENT
19 Jan 1980	Pretenders	Brass In Pocket	2	Only No 1 (1st for Chrissie Hynde)	Rock band led by British-based American Chrissie Hynde.  She also had No 1 success with UB40 in 1985.
2 Feb 1980	The Special AKA (Specials)	The Specials Live EP (main track: Too Much Too Young)	2	1st No 1	Two-tone ska band from Coventry.
16 Feb 1980	Kenny Rogers	Coward Of The County	2	2nd & last No 1	He had a few more hits in the UK, but remains a major star in the US.
1 Mar 1980	Blondie	Atomic	2	3rd No 1	Third track lifted from their album "Eat To The Beat".
15 Mar 1980	Fern Kinney	Together We Are Beautiful	1	Only No 1	Beautiful song from an American lady, but she became a UK One-hit Wonder.
22 Mar 1980	Jam	Going Underground	3	1st No 1.	Led by Paul Weller, they were the most successful UK new wave band.
12 Apr 1980	Detroit Spinners	Working My Way Back To You	2	Only No 1	Former Motown act with a remake of an old Four Seasons hit.
26 Apr 1980	Blondie	Call Me	1	4th No 1	From the film "American Gigolo", it was produced by Giorgio Moroder.
3 May 1980	Dexy's Midnight Runners	Geno	2	1st No 1	Led by the unpredictable Kevin Rowland, who wrote the song in celebration of US soul singer Gino Washington.
17 May 1980	Johnny Logan	What's Another Year	2	Only No 1	Second Eurovision winner for Ireland.  Logan won it again in 1987 and wrote a further winner in 1992.
31 May 1980	Mash	Suicide Is Painless (Theme from M*A*S*H)	3	Only No 1	Theme from the US tv series, by a group of studio session musicians.
21 Jun 1980	Don McLean	Crying	3	2nd & last No 1	Old Roy Orbison song that had been recorded by McLean two years earlier.
12 Jul 1980	Olivia Newton John & Electric Light Orchestra	Xanadu	2	3rd & last No 1 for Olivia; Only No 1 for ELO	From Olivia's unsuccessful film "Xanadu".  She became a superstar in the US.  Led by Jeff Lynne, ELO had 14 Top 10 hits out of 28 from 1972 to 1986.
26 Jul 1980	Odyssey	Use It Up And Wear It Out	2	Only No 1	US disco group who had reasonable success in the UK.  This failed to make the US Top 100.
9 Aug 1980	Abba	The Winner Takes It All	2	8th No 1	Back at No 1 after 2½ years - from their "Super Trouper" album.   By this time, both couples were divorced.
23 Aug 1980	David Bowie	Ashes To Ashes	2	2nd No 1	Continues the story of Major Tom from Bowie's "Space Oddity" No 1.
6 Sep 1980	Jam	Start	1	2nd No 1	They were immensely  popular with new wave fans, but never really crossed over to mainstream popularity, as Blondie did.
13 Sep 1980	Kelly Marie	Feels Like I'm In Love	2	Only No 1	Written by Ray Dorset of Mungo Jerry.  Scottish Kelly faded after three more hits.
27 Sep 1980	Police	Don't Stand So Close To Me	4	3rd No 1	From their album "Zenyatta Mondatta".  Best selling single of 1980.
25 Oct 1980	Barbra Streisand	Woman In Love	3	Only No 1	US film and music super star.  Song written by theBee Gees, and taken from her Barry Gibb-produced album, "Guilty".
15 Nov 1980	Blondie	The Tide Is High	2	5th No 1	Written by reggae star John Holt.  This was their last No 1 until they made a surprise come-back in 1999.
29 Nov 1980	Abba	Super Trouper	3	9th & last No 1	Within two years they had split up, and the guys then concentrated on stage musicals (see 9/2/1985).
20 Dec 1980	John Lennon	(Just Like) Starting Over	1	1st No 1	From his come-back album "Double Fantasy".  He had been shot dead in New York a week earlier.
27 Dec 1980 Xmas No 1	St Winifred's School Choir	There's No-one Quite Like Grandma	2	Only No 1(but see 8/4/1978)	School choir with a song which, like "Grandad" in 1971, captured the sentimental Christmas market.
10 Jan 1981	John Lennon	Imagine	4	2nd No1	Originally made No 6 in 1975, but rose to the top in the wake of the tragedy.
7 Feb 1981	John Lennon	Woman	2	3rd & last No 1	Everyone wanted John Lennon records at this time.  This was another track from the "Double Fantasy" album.
21 Feb 1981	Joe Dolce Music Theatre	Shuddup You Face	3	Only No 1	Italian-American who found comedy success in Australia. One-hit Wonder.
14 Mar 1981	Roxy Music	Jealous Guy	2	Only No 1	Led by Bryan Ferry, the group recorded this John Lennon song as a tribute to the musical genius.
28 Mar 1981	Shakin' Stevens	This Ole House	4	1st No 1	Rock 'n' Roll revivalist who remade this Rosemary Clooney No 1 from 1954.
18 Apr 1981	Bucks Fizz	Making Your Mind Up	3	1st No 1	Fourth UK Eurovision winner.  They surprised everyone, by developing a successful chart career.
9 May 1981	Adam & The Ants	Stand And Deliver	5	1st No 1	Theatrical act with flamboyant clothes and bizarre makeup. Immensely popular in the early 1980s.
13 Jun 1981	Smokey Robinson	Being With You	2	2nd & last No 1	Written by Robinson in the late 60s, this new recording stalled at No 2 in the US.
27 Jun 1981	Michael Jackson	One Day In Your Life	2	1st No 1	Taken from the Motown archives, this gave Jackson his first solo No 1, and Motown two No 1s in a row.
11 Jul 1981	Specials	Ghost Town	3	2nd & last No 1	The two-tone ska act got their second No 1 just as three members were leaving to form Fun Boy Three.
1 Aug 1981	Shakin' Stevens	Green Door	4	2nd No 1	Another 50s revival which had reached No 2 for Frankie Vaughan in 1956.
29 Aug 1981	Aneka	Japanese Boy	1	Only No 1	Scottish folk singer who dressed and made up Japanese style to perform her only Top 40 hit.
5 Sep 1981	Soft Cell	Tainted Love	2	1st No 1(for Marc Almond)	Marc Almond was the main component of this early New Romantic duo.   Best selling single of 1981, and was also a No 5 hit in 1991.
19 Sep 1981	Adam & The Ants	Prince Charming	4	2nd No 1	Extravagant promo videos, directed by Mike Mansfield, accompanied Adam's hits.
17 Oct 1981	Dave Stewart & Barbara Gaskin	It's My Party	4	Only No 1	This pair came from Hatfield, Herts, to record this 1963 Lesley Gore hit.
14 Nov 1981	Police	Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic	1	4th No 1	The promo video was shot at George Martin's Montserrat studio, but he didn't produce the record.
21 Nov 1981	Queen & David Bowie	Under Pressure	2	2nd No 1 (Queen); 3rd No 1 (Bowie)	Written and recorded when both parties met up in a German studio.   The intro was sampled on Vanilla Ice's 1990 No 1.
5 Dec 1981	Julio Iglesias	Begin The Beguine	1	Only No 1	Cole Porter song from 1935 with Spanish lyrics by this MOR heart-throb performer.
12 Dec 1981 Xmas No 1	Human League	Don't You Want Me	5	Only No 1	New Romantic band led by Phil Oakey.  The recording was also No 1 in the US.
16 Jan 1982	Bucks Fizz	Land Of Make Believe	2	2nd No 1	Defying the critics, and appealing to a broad audience, the Euro winners hit the top again.
30 Jan 1982	Shakin' Stevens	Oh Julie	1	3rd No 1	This was one of his own songs, but the Welshman still recorded some revivals over the next few years.
6 Feb 1982	Kraftwerk	The Model	1	Only No 1	German synthesiser and computer duo with a track recorded in 1978.
13 Feb 1982	Jam	A Town Called Malice	3	3rd No 1	Another Paul Weller song that came straight into the chart at No 1.
6 Mar 1982	Tight Fit	The Lion Sleeps Tonight	3	Only No 1	Zulu folk tune that had charted several times in the past.   The singers on the record were not the same ones who promoted it on tv.
27 Mar 1982	Goombay Dance Band	Seven Tears	3	Only No 1	Group of Caribbean singers led by the fire-eating German, Oliver Bendt.  Still working in Germany in 2000.
17 Apr 1982	Bucks Fizz	My Camera Never Lies	1	3rd & last No 1	The hits continued until 1986, but soon after the four went separate ways.
24 Apr 1982	Paul McCartney& Stevie Wonder	Ebony And Ivory	3	2nd No 1 (Paul); 1st No 1 (Stevie).	From Paul's "Tug Of War" album.  Stevie had accrued 34 hits since 1966, before reaching the top.  Produced by George Martin.
15 May 1982 500th No 1	Nicole	A Little Peace	2	Only No 1	Eurovision winner for Germany, and third winner in a row to hit the UK No 1.
29 May 1982	Madness	House Of Fun	2	Only No 1	The "Nutty Boys" from north London had 24 hits between 1979 and 1988, 15 of which made the Top 10.
12 June 1982	Adam Ant	Goody Two Shoes	2	3rd & last No 1	Slight change of name, but business as usual.  His final Top 10 was in 1983, but he soldiered on into the 1990s.
26 June 1982	Charlene	I've Never Been To Me	1	Only No 1	This 1976 recording was dusted off and reissued by Motown in 1982, by which time the American had retired to England.  Fame was short-lived and she became a One-hit Wonder.
3 July 1982	Captain Sensible	Happy Talk	2	Only No 1	Rodgers & Hammerstein song from "South Pacific", sung by a member of punk band, The Damned.
17 Jul 1982	Irene Cara	Fame	3	Only No 1	From the film "Fame", which was based on the hit tv series about a New York drama school.
7 Aug 1982	Dexy's Midnight Runners	Come On Eileen	4	2nd & last No 1	Most of the group had been replaced since "Geno" in 1980, but success was not sustained.  Best-selling single of 1982.
4 Sep 1982	Survivor	Eye Of The Tiger	4	Only No 1	US rock band with the song from Sylvester Stallone's boxing movie, "Rocky III".
2 Oct 1982	Musical Youth	Pass The Dutchie	3	Only No 1	Birmingham school boys, aged 11-16, with an old Jamaican reggae hit.  Success was short-lived.
23 Oct 1982	Culture Club	Do You Really Want To Hurt Me	3	1st No 1	Led by the flamboyant cross-dresser, Boy George, who attracted much media attention for the group.
13 Nov 1982	Eddy Grant	I Don't Wanna Dance	3	Only No 1	Former lead singer of the Equals who had a No 1 in 1968.   Solo, he enjoyed much success in the 1980s, and charted with a remix in 2001.
4 Dec 1982	Jam	Beat Surrender	2	4th & last No 1	They split in 1983, and leader Paul Weller formed the Style Council which had 7 Top 10s in the 80s.  Weller went solo in the 90s and became a cult figure.
18 Dec 1982 Xmas No 1	Renée & Renato	Save Your Love	4	Only No 1	UK-based Italian tenor and English girl, with a slushy song that captivated the Christmas record buyers.
15 Jan 1983	Phil Collins	You Can't Hurry Love	2	1st No 1	Lead singer of Genesis who had a simultaneous solo career.   Former Motown hit for the Supremes.
29 Jan 1983	Men At Work	Down Under	3	Only No 1	Australian act who found international fame in the US.   Success was brief.
19 Feb 1983	Kajagoogoo	Too Shy	2	Only No 1	Led by Limahl, they had four hits in 1983, but faded quickly after that.
5 Mar 1983	Michael Jackson	Billie Jean	1	2nd No 1	From his multi-million selling album "Thriller".   His first No 1 away from Motown.
12 Mar 1983	Bonnie Tyler	Total Eclipse Of The Heart	2	Only No 1	Welsh singer who had hits in the 1970s, with a song from Meatloaf's writer and producer, Jim Steinman.
26 Mar 1983	Duran Duran	Is There Something I Should Know	2	1st No 1	Most successful of the New Romantic groups.  Led by Simon Le Bon.
9 Apr 1983	David Bowie	Let's Dance	3	4th No 1	A break from his previous complex material gave Bowie a new impetus in the singles and albums charts.
30 Apr 1983	Spandau Ballet	True	4	Only No 1	New Romantic act, with lead singer Tony Hadley, who went solo in the 90s, and brothers Martin and Gary Kemp, who became actors.
28 May 1983	New Edition	Candy Girl	1	Only No 1	US school-boy band which included Bobby Brown, who had solo hits from 1988, and married Whitney Houston.
4 Jun 1983	Police	Every Breath You Take	4	5th & last No 1	They split in 1984, andSting became a highly successful and respected musican, particularly in the US.
2 Jul 1983	Rod Stewart	Baby Jane	3	6th & last No 1	Becoming US-based, he had hit singles and albums to the end of the 90s, and remains immensely popular.
23 Jul 1983	Paul Young	Wherever I Lay My Hat	3	Only No 1	His first 6 releases went Top 10, and he remained successful through the 80s.
13 Aug 1983	K C & The Sunshine Band	Give It Up	3	Only No 1	Good-time disco hit from the band led by Harry Wayne 'KC' Casey.
3 Sep 1983	UB 40	Red Red Wine	3	1st No 1	British mixed race reggae band with a song written in the 1960s by Neil Diamond.
24 Sep 1983	Culture Club	Karma Chameleon	6	2nd & last No 1	Best-selling single of 1983.  They broke up in 1986.  Boy George went solo, gaining a No 1 in 1987.  They reformed and charted again in 1998.
5 Nov 1983	Billy Joel	Uptown Girl	5	Only No 1	New York singer-songwriter whose success was mainly in the album charts.
10 Dec 1983 Xmas No 1	Flying Pickets	Only You	5	Only No 1	They were actors, who formed this A-Cappella sextet, and scored with a former Yazoo hit.
14 Jan 1984	Paul McCartney	Pipes Of Peace	2	3rd No 1	Paul's 1st true solo No 1 (his first was as Wings). Was his 25th No 1 as a writer, and producerGeorge Martin's 27th No 1.
28 Jan 1984	Frankie Goes To Hollywood	Relax	5	1st No 1	The song, famously banned by the BBC, remained on the chart for 48 weeks.  Produced by Trevor Horn.
3 Mar 1984	Nena	99 Red Balloons	3	Only No 1	German band with an English translation of their European hit.   The German version was a US No 2.
24 Mar 1984	Lionel Richie	Hello	6	Only No 1	The former lead singer of the Commodores had great 80s success, especially in the albums chart.
5 May 1984	Duran Duran	The Reflex	4	2nd & last No 1	Despite line-up changes and long breaks from the studio, they were still going at the end of the 1990s.
2 Jun 1984	Wham!	Wake Me Up Before You Go Go	2	1st No 1	George Michael and Andrew Ridgely became hugely popular with the teenage record buyers.
16 Jun 1984	Frankie Goes To Hollywood	Two Tribes	9	2nd No 1	Led by Holly Johnson, the group scored a second chart topper, aided by a strong video.  AnotherTrevor Horn production.
18 Aug 1984	George Michael	Careless Whisper	3	1st No 1	Despite Wham! success, George issued this solo track, which remains a love song classic.
8 Sep 1984	Stevie Wonder	I Just Called To Say I Love You	6	2nd & last No 1	Stevie's international success was not reflected in chart toppers.   From 1966 to 1998 he had 54 UK hits.
20 Oct 1984	Wham!	Freedom	3	2nd No 1	George Michael wrote and produced all of the Wham!,  and his solo, No 1s.
10 Nov 1984	Chaka Khan	I Feel For You	3	Only No 1	US soul diva who was much bigger at home than in the UK.   Prince wrote the song and Stevie Wonder played harmonica.
1 Dec 1984	Jim Diamond	I Should Have Known Better	1	Only No 1	Scotsman who started with the band PhD.  He failed to maintain the success.
8 Dec 1984	Frankie Goes To Hollywood	The Power Of Love	1	3rd & last No 1	Their first three releases made No 1 - not bettered until 1997 (Spice Girls). Holly Johnson went solo later and had hits in 1989.
15 Dec 1984 Xmas No 1	Band Aid	Do They Know It's Christmas	5	1st No 1	Charity record for famine relief in Ethiopia, featuring a host of top UK stars.  It was the brain-child of Bob Geldorf, and sold 3 million copies.