1984 in British music
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 " in 1966, and had previously had a number 1 in 1982 with a duet with Paul McCartney, "Ebony and Ivory". In 1985 his harmonica playing featured in Eurythmics' number 1 hit "There Must Be an Angel ".
The Christmas number one single contained over 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 and 2004, 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
| Chart date | Song | Artist | Weeks |
| 7 January | "Only You" | Flying Pickets | 1 |
| 14 January | "Pipes of Peace" | Paul McCartney | 2 |
| 21 January | "Pipes of Peace" | Paul McCartney | 2 |
| 28 January | "Relax" | Frankie Goes to Hollywood | 5 |
| 4 February | "Relax" | Frankie Goes to Hollywood | 5 |
| 11 February | "Relax" | Frankie Goes to Hollywood | 5 |
| 18 February | "Relax" | Frankie Goes to Hollywood | 5 |
| 25 February | "Relax" | Frankie Goes to Hollywood | 5 |
| 3 March | "99 Red Balloons" | Nena | 3 |
| 10 March | "99 Red Balloons" | Nena | 3 |
| 17 March | "99 Red Balloons" | Nena | 3 |
| 24 March | "Hello" | Lionel Richie | 6 |
| 31 March | "Hello" | Lionel Richie | 6 |
| 7 April | "Hello" | Lionel Richie | 6 |
| 14 April | "Hello" | Lionel Richie | 6 |
| 21 April | "Hello" | Lionel Richie | 6 |
| 28 April | "Hello" | Lionel Richie | 6 |
| 5 May | "The Reflex" | Duran Duran | 4 |
| 12 May | "The Reflex" | Duran Duran | 4 |
| 19 May | "The Reflex" | Duran Duran | 4 |
| 26 May | "The Reflex" | Duran Duran | 4 |
| 2 June | "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" | Wham! | 2 |
| 9 June | "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" | Wham! | 2 |
| 16 June | "Two Tribes" | Frankie Goes to Hollywood | 9 |
| 23 June | "Two Tribes" | Frankie Goes to Hollywood | 9 |
| 30 June | "Two Tribes" | Frankie Goes to Hollywood | 9 |
| 7 July | "Two Tribes" | Frankie Goes to Hollywood | 9 |
| 14 July | "Two Tribes" | Frankie Goes to Hollywood | 9 |
| 21 July | "Two Tribes" | Frankie Goes to Hollywood | 9 |
| 28 July | "Two Tribes" | Frankie Goes to Hollywood | 9 |
| 4 August | "Two Tribes" | Frankie Goes to Hollywood | 9 |
| 11 August | "Two Tribes" | Frankie Goes to Hollywood | 9 |
| 18 August | "Careless Whisper" | George Michael | 3 |
| 25 August | "Careless Whisper" | George Michael | 3 |
| 1 September | "Careless Whisper" | George Michael | 3 |
| 8 September | "I Just Called to Say I Love You" | Stevie Wonder | 6 |
| 15 September | "I Just Called to Say I Love You" | Stevie Wonder | 6 |
| 23 September | "I Just Called to Say I Love You" | Stevie Wonder | 6 |
| 30 September | "I Just Called to Say I Love You" | Stevie Wonder | 6 |
| 6 October | "I Just Called to Say I Love You" | Stevie Wonder | 6 |
| 13 October | "I Just Called to Say I Love You" | Stevie Wonder | 6 |
| 20 October | "Freedom" | Wham! | 3 |
| 27 October | "Freedom" | Wham! | 3 |
| 3 November | "Freedom" | Wham! | 3 |
| 10 November | "I Feel for You" | Chaka Khan | 3 |
| 17 November | "I Feel for You" | Chaka Khan | 3 |
| 24 November | "I Feel for You" | Chaka Khan | 3 |
| 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 | "Do They Know It's Christmas?" | Band Aid | 3 |
| 29 December | "Do They Know It's Christmas?" | Band Aid | 3 |
Number one albums
| Chart date | Album | Artist | 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 | Touch | Eurythmics | 2 |
| 18 February | Sparkle in the Rain | Simple Minds | 1 |
| 25 February | Into the Gap | Thompson Twins | 3 |
| 3 March | Into the Gap | Thompson Twins | 3 |
| 10 March | Into the Gap | Thompson Twins | 3 |
| 17 March | Human's Lib | Howard Jones | 2 |
| 24 March | Human's Lib | Howard Jones | 2 |
| 31 March | Can't Slow Down | Lionel Richie | 2 |
| 7 April | Can't Slow Down | Lionel Richie | 2 |
| 14 April | Now 2 | Various Artists | 5 |
| 21 April | Now 2 | Various Artists | 5 |
| 28 April | Now 2 | Various Artists | 5 |
| 5 May | Now 2 | Various Artists | 5 |
| 12 May | Now 2 | Various Artists | 5 |
| 19 May | Legend | Bob Marley and the Wailers | 12 |
| 26 May | Legend | Bob Marley and the Wailers | 12 |
| 2 June | Legend | Bob Marley and the Wailers | 12 |
| 9 June | Legend | Bob Marley and the Wailers | 12 |
| 16 June | Legend | Bob Marley and the Wailers | 12 |
| 23 June | Legend | Bob Marley and the Wailers | 12 |
| 30 June | Legend | Bob Marley and the Wailers | 12 |
| 7 July | Legend | Bob Marley and the Wailers | 12 |
| 14 July | Legend | Bob Marley and the Wailers | 12 |
| 21 July | Legend | Bob Marley and the Wailers | 12 |
| 28 July | Legend | Bob Marley and the Wailers | 12 |
| 4 August | Legend | Bob Marley and the Wailers | 12 |
| 11 August | Now 3 | Various Artists | 8 |
| 18 August | Now 3 | Various Artists | 8 |
| 25 August | Now 3 | Various Artists | 8 |
| 1 September | Now 3 | Various Artists | 8 |
| 8 September | Now 3 | Various Artists | 8 |
| 15 September | Now 3 | Various Artists | 8 |
| 22 September | Now 3 | Various Artists | 8 |
| 29 September | Now 3 | Various Artists | 8 |
| 6 October | Tonight | David Bowie | 1 |
| 13 October | The Unforgettable Fire | U2 | 2 |
| 20 October | The Unforgettable Fire | U2 | 2 |
| 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 | Make It Big | Wham! | 2 |
| 1 December | Hits 1 | Various Artists | 5 |
| 8 December | Hits 1 | Various Artists | 5 |
| 15 December | Hits 1 | Various Artists | 5 |
| 22 December | Hits 1 | Various Artists | 5 |
| 29 December | Hits 1 | Various Artists | 5 |
Year-end charts
Best-selling singles
| Title | Artist | Peak position | |
| 1 | "Do They Know It's Christmas? | Band Aid | 1 |
| 2 | "I Just Called to Say I Love You" | 1 | |
| 3 | "Relax" | Frankie Goes to Hollywood | 1 |
| 4 | "Two Tribes" | Frankie Goes to Hollywood | 1 |
| 5 | "Careless Whisper" | 1 | |
| 6 | "Last Christmas"/"Everything She Wants" | Wham! | 2 |
| 7 | "Hello" | 1 | |
| 8 | "Agadoo" | Black Lace | 2 |
| 9 | "Ghostbusters" | 2 | |
| 10 | "Freedom" | Wham! | 1 |
| 11 | "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" | Wham! | 1 |
| 12 | "I Feel for You" | 1 | |
| 13 | "White Lines " | Grandmaster Melle Mel | 7 |
| 14 | "We All Stand Together" | 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 " | 2 | |
| 20 | "What's Love Got to Do with It" | 3 | |
| 21 | "I Should Have Known Better" | 1 | |
| 22 | "No More Lonely Nights" | 2 | |
| 23 | "I Want to Break Free" | Queen | 3 |
| 24 | "Hole in My Shoe" | Neil | 2 |
| 25 | "Time After Time" | 3 | |
| 26 | "Radio Ga Ga" | Queen | 2 |
| 27 | "Together in Electric Dreams" | with Philip Oakey | 3 |
| 28 | "When Doves Cry" | Prince | 4 |
| 29 | "Doctor! Doctor!" | Thompson Twins | 3 |
| 30 | "Self Control" | 5 | |
| 31 | "The War Song" | Culture Club | 2 |
| 32 | "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" | 2 | |
| 33 | "The Wild Boys" | Duran Duran | 2 |
| 34 | "I Won't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" | 2 | |
| 35 | "Like to Get to Know You Well" | 4 | |
| 36 | "Nellie the Elephant" | Toy Dolls | 4 |
| 37 | "Pride " | U2 | 3 |
| 38 | "Automatic" | 2 | |
| 39 | "Joanna" | Kool & the Gang | 2 |
| 40 | "That's Livin' Alright" | 3 | |
| 41 | "Wouldn't It Be Good" | 4 | |
| 42 | "Street Dance" | Break Machine | 3 |
| 43 | "Smalltown Boy" | Bronski Beat | 3 |
| 44 | "Break My Stride" | 4 | |
| 45 | "The Riddle" | 3 | |
| 46 | "Dr. Beat" | Miami Sound Machine | 6 |
| 47 | "Let's Hear It for the Boy" | 2 | |
| 48 | "The NeverEnding Story" | Limahl | 4 |
| 49 | "Caribbean Queen " | 6 | |
| 50 | "Whatever I Do " | 4 |
Best-selling albums
| Title | Artist | Peak position | |
| 1 | Can't Slow Down | 1 | |
| 2 | Hits 1 | Various Artists | 1 |
| 3 | Legend | 1 | |
| 4 | Make It Big | Wham! | 1 |
| 5 | Now 3 | Various Artists | 1 |
| 6 | Thriller | 1 | |
| 7 | Diamond Life | Sade | 2 |
| 8 | Welcome to the Pleasuredome | Frankie Goes to Hollywood | 1 |
| 9 | An Innocent Man | 2 | |
| 10 | Now 4 | Various Artists | 2 |
| 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 | 3 | |
| 16 | Human's Lib | 1 | |
| 17 | Eliminator | ZZ Top | 3 |
| 18 | Private Dancer | 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 | 5 | |
| 23 | Greatest Hits | 8 | |
| 24 | No Parlez | 1 | |
| 25 | ' | Dire Straits | 3 |
| 26 | Touch | Eurythmics | 1 |
| 27 | Give My Regards to Broad Street | 1 | |
| 28 | Under a Blood Red Sky | U2 | 6 |
| 29 | Now That's What I Call Music | Various Artists | 1 |
| 30 | The Woman in Red | 2 | |
| 31 | Arena | Duran Duran | 6 |
| 32 | Yesterday Once More | Carpenters | 10 |
| 33 | Breaking Hearts | 2 | |
| 34 | Break Out | 9 | |
| 35 | Colour by Numbers | Culture Club | 4 |
| 36 | Café Bleu | 2 | |
| 37 | Born in the U.S.A. | 2 | |
| 38 | The Smiths | 2 | |
| 39 | Cinema | 12 | |
| 40 | The Crossing | Big Country | 7 |
| 41 | The Art Garfunkel Album | 12 | |
| 42 | The Riddle | 8 | |
| 43 | Purple Rain | Prince & the Revolution | 9 |
| 44 | Tonight | 1 | |
| 45 | Labour of Love | UB40 | 11 |
| 46 | Sparkle in the Rain | Simple Minds | 1 |
| 47 | Greatest Hits | Queen | 21 |
| 48 | Footloose | Original Soundtrack | 7 |
| 49 | 12 Gold Bars Volume II | 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
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
- 27 March - Laura Critchley singer-songwriter.
- 22 April - Amelle Berrabah, singer
- 4 May - Victoria Hesketh, 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
- 16 September - Katie Melua, singer and musician
- 22 September - Ross Jarman, musician
- 26 September - Keisha Buchanan, singer,
- 16 October - Shayne Ward, singer
- 27 October - Kelly Osbourne, singer and TV personality
- 25 December - Jessica Origliasso and Lisa Origliasso, singers
Deaths
- 1 January – Alexis Korner, blues musician, 55
- 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