1984 in British music

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1984 in music

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This is a summary of 1984 in music in the United Kingdom, including the official charts from that year.

Summary[]

1984 was a year of several huge selling releases, including at the time the biggest selling single ever. Six singles this year sold over a million copies, the joint highest number ever along with 1998. Out of the top 10 biggest selling songs of the 1980s, six of them all peaked in 1984 including the entire top 4.

One of the biggest bands of the year was Frankie Goes to Hollywood, a five-piece from Liverpool fronted by Holly Johnson. Their debut single "Relax" was banned by the BBC for sexually suggestive content, and was number 1 for five weeks. Their second single "Two Tribes" referenced the ongoing cold war and featured a music video of lookalikes of American president Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Konstantin Chernenko violently fighting, and was number 1 for nine weeks in the summer, both songs selling over a million. In November they made chart history when their third single, "The Power of Love", also made number 1. They were only the second band in chart history to have their first three releases all go to number 1, following Gerry & The Pacemakers twenty years earlier; however, it would be their last. Their album "Welcome to the Pleasuredome" also reached number 1.

Wham! had their first number 1 single this year after four earlier top 10 hits, the upbeat "Wake Me Up Before You Go Go". This would soon be followed by their second, "Freedom" later in the year, and their second album Make It Big also reached the top. One of the members of the band, George Michael, also released a solo single this year, the ballad "Careless Whisper" co-written by his bandmate Andrew Ridgeley. It was number 1 for three weeks and sold over a million.

A big-selling singer who would go on to have many hits over the next two decades first appeared this year, American singer Madonna. Her debut hit "Holiday" reached number 6, and "Like a Virgin" charted three places higher at number 3. From the same country came Prince, who had his first two top 10 hits with "When Doves Cry" and "Purple Rain". For both artists, 1985 would bring even more hits as would the rest of the decade.

After eighteen years, Stevie Wonder achieved his first solo number 1 single with "I Just Called to Say I Love You", from the soundtrack of the film The Woman in Red, selling over a million. He had first charted at the age of 15 with "Uptight (Everything's Alright)" in 1966, and had previously had a number 1 in 1982 with a duet with Paul McCartney, "Ebony and Ivory". In 1984 his harmonica playing featured in Chaka Khan's number one hit "I Feel for You" and in 1985 Eurythmics' number 1 hit "There Must Be an Angel (Playing with My Heart)".

The Christmas number one single featured more than 40 artists. "Do They Know It's Christmas?", written by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure, was made in response to ongoing famine in Ethiopia, so the supergroup Band Aid was formed to sing a charity record about it, all proceeds from the song going to the charity to raise money for help. Popular acts of the day such as Wham!, U2, Spandau Ballet, Duran Duran and Boy George sung on the record.

Not only did the song become the Christmas number one, it sold over three million copies and became the biggest selling single of all time, a record that held for the next thirteen years. The song at number 2, Wham!'s Last Christmas, sold over a million and proceeds from that also went to the charity. Further Band Aid singles would be released in 1989 (Band Aid II) and 2004 (Band Aid 20), both also Christmas number one.

Events[]

• 9 January – first complete performance of Oliver Knussen's Where the Wild Things Are by Glyndebourne Touring Opera at the National Theatre, London.
• 11 January – BBC Radio 1 DJ Mike Read announces on air that he will not play the single "Relax" by Frankie Goes to Hollywood because of its suggestive lyrics. The BBC places a total ban on the record at about the same time.
• 21 January – "Relax" reaches number one in the UK singles chart, despite the BBC ban; it will spend a total of 42 weeks in the Top 40.
• 14 February – Elton John marries studio engineer Renate Blauel.
• 1 March – Sting plays his last concerts with The Police at the end of the Synchronicity tour; the band takes a "pause" after the tour and only play a few special events together after this, until 2007, when they would organize a reunion tour.
• 1 May – Mick Fleetwood files for bankruptcy in the United States.
• 5 August – Now 3 becomes the 300th album to reach number one on the UK Albums Chart.
• 23 October – A report on the Ethiopian famine by BBC journalist Michael Buerk is broadcast in the UK and receives an unprecedented public response. Among those watching is Bob Geldof, who is inspired to release a charity record to raise money to help with famine relief.
• 25 November – The Band Aid single "Do They Know It's Christmas?" is recorded at SARM Studios in Notting Hill, London, by a gathering of performers that includes Paul Young, Simon Le Bon, Bono, Phil Collins, Paul Weller, Sting, Boy George and Tony Hadley.
• 28 November – The Bring Me Sunshine charity concert at the London Palladium, in memory of Eric Morecambe, includes musical performances by Kenny Ball & His Jazzmen, Des O'Connor and Ernie Wise.
• 2 December – Frankie Goes to Hollywood become the first act to take their first three singles to the UK #1 position since Gerry & The Pacemakers in 1963, when "The Power of Love" tops the chart.
• 3 December – Bob Geldof and Band Aid release the single "Do They Know It's Christmas", which becomes the fastest-selling single of all time in the UK.
• 11 December – While on tour, Bucks Fizz's tour bus crashes. All members of the group are injured and member Mike Nolan suffers brain damage after falling into a coma.
• 13 December – George Harrison makes a rare public appearance, joining Deep Purple on stage in Sydney, Australia for their encore rendition of "Lucille".

Charts[]

Number one singles[]

^[1]

Chart date (week ending)	Song	Artist(s)	Weeks
7 January	"Only You"	Flying Pickets	1
14 January	"Pipes of Peace"	Paul McCartney	2
21 January
28 January	"Relax"	Frankie Goes to Hollywood	5
4 February
11 February
18 February
25 February
3 March	"99 Red Balloons"	Nena	3
10 March
17 March
24 March	"Hello"	Lionel Richie	6
31 March
7 April
14 April
21 April
28 April
5 May	"The Reflex"	Duran Duran	4
12 May
19 May
26 May
2 June	"Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go"	Wham!	2
9 June
16 June	"Two Tribes"	Frankie Goes to Hollywood	9
23 June
30 June
7 July
14 July
21 July
28 July
4 August
11 August
18 August	"Careless Whisper"	George Michael	3
25 August
1 September
8 September	"I Just Called to Say I Love You"	Stevie Wonder	6
15 September
23 September
30 September
6 October
13 October
20 October	"Freedom"	Wham!	3
27 October
3 November
10 November	"I Feel for You"	Chaka Khan	3
17 November
24 November
1 December	"I Should Have Known Better"	Jim Diamond	1
8 December	"The Power of Love"	Frankie Goes to Hollywood	1
15 December	"Do They Know It's Christmas?"	Band Aid	3
22 December
29 December

Number one albums[]

^[2]

Chart date (week ending)	Album	Artist(s)	Weeks
7 January	Now 1	Various Artists	1
14 January	No Parlez	Paul Young	1
21 January	Now 1	Various Artists	1
28 January	Thriller	Michael Jackson	1
4 February	Touch	Eurythmics	2
11 February
18 February	Sparkle in the Rain	Simple Minds	1
25 February	Into the Gap	Thompson Twins	3
3 March
10 March
17 March	Human's Lib	Howard Jones	2
24 March
31 March	Can't Slow Down	Lionel Richie	2
7 April
14 April	Now 2	Various Artists	5
21 April
28 April
5 May
12 May
19 May	Legend	Bob Marley and the Wailers	12
26 May
2 June
9 June
16 June
23 June
30 June
7 July
14 July
21 July
28 July
4 August
11 August	Now 3	Various Artists	8
18 August
25 August
1 September
8 September
15 September
22 September
29 September
6 October	Tonight	David Bowie	1
13 October	The Unforgettable Fire	U2	2
20 October
27 October	Steeltown	Big Country	1
3 November	Give My Regards to Broad Street	Paul McCartney	1
10 November	Welcome to the Pleasuredome	Frankie Goes to Hollywood	1
17 November	Make It Big	Wham!	2
24 November
1 December	Hits 1	Various Artists	5
8 December
15 December
22 December
29 December

Year-end charts[]

Best-selling singles[]

^[3][4]

No.	Title	Artist	Peak position
1	"Do They Know It's Christmas?	Band Aid	1
2	"I Just Called to Say I Love You"	Stevie Wonder	1
3	"Relax"	Frankie Goes to Hollywood	1
4	"Two Tribes"	Frankie Goes to Hollywood	1
5	"Careless Whisper"	George Michael	1
6	"Last Christmas"/"Everything She Wants" (Remix)	Wham!	2
7	"Hello"	Lionel Richie	1
8	"Agadoo"	Black Lace	2
9	"Ghostbusters"	Ray Parker, Jr.	2
10	"Freedom"	Wham!	1
11	"Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go"	Wham!	1
12	"I Feel for You"	Chaka Khan	1
13	"White Lines (Don't Don't Do It)"	Grandmaster Melle Mel	7
14	"We All Stand Together"	Paul McCartney and the Frog Chorus	3
15	"99 Red Balloons"	Nena	1
16	"The Power of Love"	Frankie Goes to Hollywood	1
17	"The Reflex"	Duran Duran	1
18	"Like a Virgin"	Madonna	3
19	"Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)"	Phil Collins	2
20	"What's Love Got to Do with It"	Tina Turner	3
21	"I Should Have Known Better"	Jim Diamond	1
22	"No More Lonely Nights"	Paul McCartney	2
23	"I Want to Break Free"	Queen	3
24	"Hole in My Shoe"	Neil	2
25	"Time After Time"	Cyndi Lauper	3
26	"Radio Ga Ga"	Queen	2
27	"Together in Electric Dreams"	Giorgio Moroder with Philip Oakey	3
28	"When Doves Cry"	Prince	4
29	"Doctor! Doctor!"	Thompson Twins	3
30	"Self Control"	Laura Branigan	5
31	"The War Song"	Culture Club	2
32	"Girls Just Want to Have Fun"	Cyndi Lauper	2
33	"The Wild Boys"	Duran Duran	2
34	"I Won't Let the Sun Go Down on Me"	Nik Kershaw	2
35	"Like to Get to Know You Well"	Howard Jones	4
36	"Nellie the Elephant"	Toy Dolls	4
37	"Pride (In the Name of Love)"	U2	3
38	"Automatic"	The Pointer Sisters	2
39	"Joanna"	Kool & the Gang	2
40	"That's Livin' Alright"	Joe Fagin	3
41	"Wouldn't It Be Good"	Nik Kershaw	4
42	"Street Dance"	Break Machine	3
43	"Smalltown Boy"	Bronski Beat	3
44	"Break My Stride"	Matthew Wilder	4
45	"The Riddle"	Nik Kershaw	3
46	"Dr. Beat"	Miami Sound Machine	6
47	"Let's Hear It for the Boy"	Deniece Williams	2
48	"The NeverEnding Story"	Limahl	4
49	"Caribbean Queen (No More Love on the Run)"	Billy Ocean	6
50	"Whatever I Do (Wherever I Go)"	Hazell Dean	4

Best-selling albums[]

^[5][6]

No.	Title	Artist	Peak position
1	Can't Slow Down	Lionel Richie	1
2	Hits 1	Various Artists	1
3	Legend	Bob Marley and The Wailers	1
4	Make It Big	Wham!	1
5	Now 3	Various Artists	1
6	Thriller	Michael Jackson	1
7	Diamond Life	Sade	2
8	Now 4	Various Artists	2
9	An Innocent Man	Billy Joel	2
10	Welcome to the Pleasuredome	Frankie Goes to Hollywood	1
11	The Collection	Ultravox	2
12	Into the Gap	Thompson Twins	1
13	Now 2	Various Artists	1
14	The Works	Queen	2
15	Alf	Alison Moyet	3[a]
16	Human's Lib	Howard Jones	1
17	Eliminator	ZZ Top	3
18	Private Dancer	Tina Turner	2
19	Party Party: 16 Great Party Icebreakers	Black Lace	4
20	Parade	Spandau Ballet	2
21	The Unforgettable Fire	U2	1
22	Human Racing	Nik Kershaw	5
23	Greatest Hits	Shakin' Stevens	8
24	No Parlez	Paul Young	1
25	Alchemy: Dire Straits Live	Dire Straits	3
26	Touch	Eurythmics	1
27	Give My Regards to Broad Street	Paul McCartney	1
28	Under a Blood Red Sky	U2	6[b]
29	Now That's What I Call Music	Various Artists	1
30	The Woman in Red	Stevie Wonder	2
31	Arena	Duran Duran	6
32	Yesterday Once More	Carpenters	10
33	Breaking Hearts	Elton John	2
34	Break Out	The Pointer Sisters	9
35	Colour by Numbers	Culture Club	4[c]
36	Café Bleu	The Style Council	2
37	Born in the U.S.A.	Bruce Springsteen	2[d]
38	The Smiths	The Smiths	2
39	Cinema	Elaine Paige	12
40	The Crossing	Big Country	7[e]
41	The Art Garfunkel Album	Art Garfunkel	12
42	The Riddle	Nik Kershaw	8
43	Purple Rain	Prince & the Revolution	9[f]
44	Tonight	David Bowie	1
45	Labour of Love	UB40	11[g]
46	Sparkle in the Rain	Simple Minds	1
47	Greatest Hits	Queen	21[h]
48	Footloose	Original Soundtrack	7
49	12 Gold Bars Volume II (And I)	Status Quo	12
50	The Age of Consent	Bronski Beat	4

Notes:

Classical music: new works[]

• Jonathan Harvey – Come, Holy Ghost
• Alun Hoddinott – String Quartet No. 2, Op. 113
• Robin Holloway – Viola Concerto, Op. 56
• Elizabeth Maconchy – String Quartet No. 13, Quartetto Corto

Musical theatre[]

• Mike Batt – The Hunting of the Snark given its first performance in the Barbican with the composer conducting the London Symphony Orchestra.
• Howard Goodall – The Hired Man^[7]

Musical films[]

• Give My Regards to Broad Street, with Paul McCartney

Births[]

• 17 January – Calvin Harris, singer-songwriter, record producer, DJ
• 25 February – Lovefoxxx, singer (CSS)
• 27 March – Laura Critchley singer-songwriter.
• 22 April – Amelle Berrabah, singer (Sugababes)
• 4 May – Victoria Hesketh (Little Boots), singer-songwriter, musician, DJ
• 10 May – Kristyna Myles, singer-songwriter and pianist
• 14 May – Olly Murs, singer-songwriter
• 23 June – Duffy, singer
• 12 July – Gareth Gates, singer
• 23 July – Matthew Murphy, singer and guitarist (The Wombats)
• 16 September – Katie Melua, singer and musician
• 22 September – Ross Jarman, musician (The Cribs)
• 26 September – Keisha Buchanan, singer, (Sugababes)
• 16 October – Shayne Ward, singer
• 27 October – Kelly Osbourne, singer and TV personality
• 25 December – Jessica Origliasso and Lisa Origliasso, singers (The Veronicas)

Deaths[]

• 1 January – Alexis Korner, blues musician, 55 (lung cancer)
• 10 January – Binnie Hale, actress and singer, 84
• 26 January – Grahame Clifford, singer and actor, 78
• 3 March – Kathleen Richards, musicologist, pianist and composer, 88
• 9 March – Imogen Holst, conductor and composer, 76
• 6 April – Jimmy Kennedy, Irish-born British songwriter, 81
• 8 June – Gordon Jacob, composer, 89
• 21 June – Webster Booth, tenor, 82
• 22 June – Dill Jones, jazz pianist, 60
• July – Gervase Hughes, composer, 78
• 14 August – Peter Wishart, composer, 63
• 3 September – Dora Labbette, operatic soprano, 86
• 25 October – Stanford Robinson, conductor and composer, 80
• 5 November – Jessie Furze, pianist and composer, 81
• date unknown – Arthur Fear, operatic bass-baritone

Music awards[]

BRIT Awards[]

The 1984 BRIT Awards winners were:

• Best British producer: Steve Levine
• Best classical recording: Kiri Te Kanawa – "Songs of the Auvergne"
• Best international artist: Michael Jackson
• British breakthrough act: Paul Young
• British female solo artist: Annie Lennox
• British group: Culture Club
• British male solo artist: David Bowie
• Best Selling Single: Culture Club – "Karma Chameleon"
• Outstanding contribution: George Martin
• The Sony award for technical excellence: Spandau Ballet

See also[]

• 1984 in British radio
• 1984 in British television
• 1984 in the United Kingdom
• List of British films of 1984

References[]

External links[]

• BBC Radio 1's Chart Show
• The Official Charts Company