List of UK singles chart number ones of the 1980s

UK singles chart number ones
UK singles chart
Other charts
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Madonna had six number ones during the 1980s.

The UK Singles Chart is the official record chart in the United Kingdom. Until 1983, it was compiled weekly by the British Market Research Bureau (BMRB) on behalf of the British record industry with a two-week break each Christmas.[1] The BMRB used motorcycle couriers to collect the sales figures taken up to the close of trade on Saturday. This data was compiled on Monday and given to the BBC on Tuesday to be announced on BBC Radio 1 at lunchtime and later published in Music Week.[1] On 4 January 1983, the chart was taken over by Gallup who expanded the chart from the Top 75 to the Top 100[2] and began the introduction of computerised tills which automated the data collection process.[1][2] The chart was based entirely on sales of physical singles from retail outlets and announced on Tuesday until October 1987, when the Top 40 was revealed each Sunday, due to the new automated process.[3]

During the 1980s there were a total of 191 singles which took the UK chart number 1 spot.[4] In terms of number-one singles, Madonna was the most successful single act of the decade, as six of her singles reached the top spot. George Michael had significant involvement with eight number-one singles; with two number-one singles as a solo artist, four as a member of pop duo Wham!, one as a duet with Aretha Franklin and one as a member of charity supergroup Band Aid. The longest duration of a single at number one was nine weeks, achieved by Frankie Goes to Hollywood's "Two Tribes" in 1984.[5]

The best-selling single of the decade was "Do They Know It's Christmas?" by Band Aid, selling over 3.5 million copies, and passing "Mull of Kintyre" by Wings to become the best-selling single ever.[6] "Do They Know It's Christmas?" is currently the second best-selling song after "Candle in the Wind 1997" by Elton John.[7]

The 1980s saw the introduction of the cassette single (or "cassingle") alongside the 7-inch and 12-inch record formats and in 1987 major record labels developed a common format for the CD single.[8] For the chart week ending 3 May 1989, chart regulations confined Kylie Minogue's song "Hand on Your Heart" to number two. Minogue would have reached number one if sales from cassette singles were included but they were sold for £1.99 – cheaper than was allowed at the time. Following the debacle the British Phonographic Industry reduced the minimum price for cassette singles to become eligible towards sales figures.[9]

  1. ^ a b c Smith, Alan. "50s & 60s UK Charts – The Truth!". Dave McAleer's website. Archived from the original on 3 September 2011. Retrieved 4 November 2010.
  2. ^ a b "Key Dates in the History of the Official UK Charts". The Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 10 January 2008. Retrieved 16 May 2010.
  3. ^ Roberts, David (2005). Guinness World Records: British Hit Singles and Albums (18th ed.). Guinness World Records Limited. p. 14. ISBN 1-904994-00-8.
  4. ^ "Project Retro: Every music track which featured in the UK Top 40 singles chart during the 1980s". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 4 January 2015.
  5. ^ "Project Retro: Every music track which featured in the UK Top 40 singles chart during the 1980s". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
  6. ^ Leadbetter, Russell (17 May 2010). "Macca proves he's no sellout". The Herald. Retrieved 31 May 2010.
  7. ^ Lakhani, Nina (7 February 2010). "Charity & the charts: The hits and the misses". The Independent. Retrieved 2 July 2010.
  8. ^ Pareles, Jon (2 September 1987). "Cassette Singles: New 45's". The New York Times. p. 21. Retrieved 22 July 2010.
  9. ^ Jones, Alan (6 May 1989). "This Week's Charts Analysed" (PDF). Record Mirror: 48. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 26, 2010.