80s Top 10 Sales- Week By Week 1982-1983

Hairycub1969

Hairycub1969

Howard Jones' "What is love?" is just effing brilliant! That intro is magic and the lyrics:

"And maybe love is letting people be just what they want to be
The door always must be left unlocked"

- I always felt that you have to live this to really understand and appreciate what he is saying.

Great video too - so iconic:

[video=youtube;w34vnz_LEX4]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w34vnz_LEX4[/video]
 
Last edited:
Hairycub1969

Hairycub1969

W/e 7th Jan 1984 and despite all the former top 10 hits rebounding back up the chart - there is a "gem" that is peaking at number 21:

Dennis Waterman and George Cole - What are we going to get for 'er indoors?"

I was a bit of a "Minder" fan. Do you think Dennis Waterman wrote, produced and played all the instruments on this one? Hehe

[video=youtube;y1fIubz7tZs]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1fIubz7tZs[/video]
 
Last edited:
gezza76

gezza76

Top 10 best Selling Singles Acts of 1983

Time for our regular review of the biggest singles acts of the year:

10. KAJAGOOGOO (996,000)

Kajagoogoo-008.jpg


After shooting to fame off the back of the Nick Rhodes penned "Too Shy", which reached No 1 back in February, the group have had a troubled year after sacking frontman (and the main pin up in the group) Limahl. A successful tour was rounded off by four top 10 singles and a top 5 album but there is little doubt that the public fall out over the departure was not a positive PR event, 1984 will prove if they can survive the move.

BEST SELLER: TOO SHY (534,000)

09. UB40 (1,048,000)

ub40-resized.jpg


A first appearance for UB40 in the top 10 best selling acts of the year despite the band never missing the top 50 with any of their 12 releases in the decade. Of course their cover of "Red Red Wine" accounts of just under three quarters of their total and re-launched the group who had faded from public view since their great start back in 1980, and "Labour Of Love", an album of covers, also became their first chart topping album.

BEST SELLER: RED RED WINE (774,000)

08. WHAM! (1,130,000)

wham.jpg


Whilst Kajagoogoo had a tumultuous year the same could be said of Wham! who scored four top 20 singles in the year even they did disown one of them ("Club Fantastic Megamix"). They saw their debut album go to No 1 and have a sell out UK tour in the Autumn, but that wasn't quite enough for the group who launched a lawsuit against their record company in December citing an unfair record contract, the whole thing is due in court this month but it could keep the duo out of the limelight for a while!

BEST SELLER: BAD BOYS (427,000)

07. BILLY JOEL (1,155,000)

billy_joel_leave_a_tender_moment_alone_1983_the80sman.jpg


Few could have foresaw the return of Billy Joel in 1983 but his ode to model girlfriend Elle McPherson "Uptown Girl" not only became his first top 10 single after 5 years of trying but actually spent 5 weeks at the top in November/ December of 83. His album "Innocent Man" went top 5 (again a first for him) and a re-issue of his US chart topping single "Tell Her About It" is still in the top 10- all in all a great year for Joel.

BEST SELLER: UPTOWN GIRL (941,000)

06. SPANDAU BALLET (1,163,000)

2u7q0bb.jpg


With Swain and Jolly on production duties Spandau Ballet embraced a new poppier sound on the album "True" and were rewarded with their first No 1 single "True" and similar success on the album front. It also garnered the band US fans when the song made No 4 and follow "Gold" went top 30 which meant the group were breaking the international charts for much of the year, a new album is rumoured for 1984 so it seems the former new romantics have now hit new chart gold!

BEST SELLER: TRUE (702,000)
 
gezza76

gezza76

05. EURYTHMICS (1,171,000)

-foto.jpg


With four top 10 hits in 1983 the Eurythmics have already outperformed Lennox and Stewart's former group The Tourists who had just a couple in their time. The band really hit the big time with "Sweet Dreams" which made No 2 here but went all the way to No 1 Stateside and launched Lennox as something of a pop icon with a string of magazine covers over the year.

BEST SELLER: SWEET DREAMS (ARE MADE OF THIS) (584,000)

04. DAVID BOWIE (1,270,000)

david_bowie_1983_07_01.jpg


Having one of his most successful years since the early 70s Bowie proved his detractors wrong by coming back with "Let's Dance" which re-invented him again for the 80s and he also became one of the few acts this year to top both the UK and US Singles and albums chart with the same song and album evidencing his return to commercial gold.

BEST SELLER: LET'S DANCE (713,000)
 
gezza76

gezza76

03. PAUL YOUNG (1,345,000)

paul-young-then.jpg


Formerly vocalist with Q-Tips and Streetband, 1983 was the year that Paul Young struck out solo, his first steps were hardly successful with "Iron out The Rough Spots" and "Love Of The Common People" both failing to chart. His cover of Marvin Gaye's "Wherever I Lay My Hat" hit the spot through topping the charts for 3 weeks and he's never looked back with a further two top 10 hits and a No 1 album in "No Parlez" has seen young shift well over a million singles in just 6 months!

BEST SELLER: WHEREVER I LAY MY HAT (THAT'S MY HOME) (532,000)

02. MICHAEL JACKSON (1,835,000)

Michael-Jackson-002.jpg


Two Number one singles in the US and a record breaking five top 10 singles in the UK from his album "Thriller" are really only the headlines for Jackson in 1983. The album has launched him as a global superstar in every major market and has re-written the rule book in terms of how many singles can be plucked from an album. Big budget promo videos have redefined the limits of the genre and given him the kind of exposure that has seldom been since the height of Beatlemania or Elvis Presley- all in all a hell of a year.

BEST SELLER: BILLIE JEAN (645,000)

01. CULTURE CLUB (2,120,000)

culture.jpg


With sales matching only the column inches in the press Culture Club were easy winners in the sales battle of the year. "Karma Chameleon" became the longest chart topper of the 80s when it spent 6 weeks at No 1 in Sep/Oct and the band also simultaneously topped the album charts with "Colour By Numbers". Two further top 3 hits topped up the bank balance nicely and the group also broke the normally conservative US market to follow in the wake of native press domination- the band look set to continue into 1984 a major tour already planned and end 1983 as officially the biggest band in the land!

BEST SELLER: KARMA CHAMELEON (1,366,000)
 
gezza76

gezza76

And with that it's goodbye to 1983- my thanks again to all who have commented on this thread- I know it's kind of niche. I'll continue next year and do the mid 80s! Farewell for now!
 
Hairycub1969

Hairycub1969

phoenix123 said:
I AM RUBBING MY HANDS IN ANTICIPATION OF 1984.
Click to expand...

Me too - 1984 was a groundbreaking year in pop music. Six of the top ten best selling singles of the decade are from 1984. The second British Invasion of the US charts was well under way with MTV lapping up their videos….
 
Last edited:
Eric Generic

Eric Generic

1984 was where it really all began in earnest for me, so I will be there for that as well. I bought the What is Love? 12" single with my 1983 Xmas money, effectively the first "proper" record I'd spent money on, and from there it all kicked off big-time.
 
Scoundrel_Days

Scoundrel_Days

1984 is probably my favourite year ever, as far as music is concerned. 'Wood Beez', 'I Feel For You', 'When Doves Cry', 'Two Tribes', 'The Reflex', 'Automatic', 'Closest Thing To Heaven' and the list goes on...
Can't we start it now?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Top