List of UK top-ten singles in 1984
The UK Singles Chart is one of many music charts compiled by the Official Charts Company that calculates the best-selling singles of the week in the United Kingdom. Before 2004, the chart was only based on the sales of physical singles. This list shows singles that peaked in the Top 10 of the UK Singles Chart during 1984, as well as singles which peaked in 1983 and 1985 but were in the top 10 in 1984. The entry date is when the single appeared in the top 10 for the first time.
One-hundred and forty-two singles were in the top ten in 1984. Eight singles from 1983 remained in the top 10 for several weeks at the beginning of the year, while "Like a Virgin" by Madonna and "Shout" by Tears for Fears were both released in 1984 but did not reach their peak until 1985. "Islands in the Stream" by Kenny Rogers & Dolly Parton, "Marguerita Time" by Status Quo and "Tell Her About It" by Billy Joel were the singles from 1983 to reach their peak in 1984. Sixty-seven artists scored multiple entries in the top 10 in 1984. Cyndi Lauper, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Madonna, Prince and The Smiths were among the many artists who achieved their first UK charting top 10 single in 1984.
The 1983 Christmas number-one, an a capella cover of Yazoo's "Only You" by The Flying Pickets, remained at number-one for the first week of 1984. The first new number-one single of the year was "Pipes of Peace" by Paul McCartney. Overall, fifteen different singles peaked at number-one in 1984, with George Michael having the most singles hit that position.
Background
Multiple entries
One-hundred and forty-two singles charted in the top 10 in 1984, with one-hundred and thirty-five singles reaching their peak this year.Sixty-seven artists scored multiple entries in the top 10 in 1984. George Michael secured the record for most top 10 hits in 1984 with five hit singles.
Chaka Khan was one of a number of artists with two top-ten entries, including the number-one single "I Feel for You". Alison Moyet, Cyndi Lauper, Eurythmics, Michael Jackson and Slade were among the other artists who had multiple top 10 entries in 1984.
Chart debuts
Forty-three artists achieved their first top 10 single in 1984, either as a lead or featured artist. This includes the charity group Band Aid. Of these, eight went on to record another hit single that year: Alison Moyet, Break Machine, Bronski Beat, Chaka Khan, Cyndi Lauper, Hazell Dean, Madonna and Prince. Frankie Goes to Hollywood and Nik Kershaw both had two other entries in their breakthrough year.The following table does not include acts who had previously charted as part of a group and secured their first top 10 solo single.
| Artist | Number of top 10s | First entry | Chart position | Other entries |
| Frankie Goes to Hollywood | 3 | "Relax" | 1 | "Two Tribes", "The Power of Love" |
| Joe Fagin | 1 | "That's Livin' Alright" | 3 | — |
| Cyndi Lauper | 2 | "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" | 2 | "Time After Time" |
| China Crisis | 1 | "Wishful Thinking" | 9 | — |
| Matthew Wilder | 1 | "Break My Stride" | 4 | — |
| Fiction Factory | 1 | " Heaven" | 6 | — |
| Madonna | 2 | "Holiday" | 6 | "Like a Virgin" |
| Juan Martín | 1 | "Love Theme From The Thorn Birds" | 10 | — |
| Nena | 1 | "99 Red Balloons" | 1 | — |
| Nik Kershaw | 3 | "Wouldn't It Be Good" | 4 | "I Won't Let the Sun Go Down on Me", "The Riddle" |
| Rockwell | 1 | "Somebody's Watching Me" | 6 | — |
| Break Machine | 2 | "Street Dance" | 3 | "Break Dance Party" |
| Van Halen | 1 | "Jump" | 7 | — |
| Michael Hartley | 1 | "The Music of Torvill and Dean " | 9 | — |
| 1 | "The Music of Torvill and Dean " | 9 | — | |
| 1 | "It's Raining Men" | 2 | — | |
| Sade | 1 | "Your Love Is King" | 6 | — |
| Rufus | 1 | "Ain't Nobody" | 8 | — |
| Chaka Khan | 2 | "Ain't Nobody" | 8 | "I Feel for You" |
| Scritti Politti | 1 | "Wood Beez " | 10 | — |
| Hazell Dean | 2 | "Searchin' " | 6 | "Whatever I Do " |
| Evelyn Thomas | 1 | "High Energy" | 5 | — |
| 1 | "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now" | 10 | — | |
| Bronski Beat | 2 | "Smalltown Boy" | 3 | "Why?" |
| Ollie & Jerry | 1 | "Breakin'... There's No Stopping Us" | 5 | — |
| Neil | 1 | "Hole in My Shoe" | 2 | — |
| Prince | 2 | "When Doves Cry" | 4 | "Purple Rain" |
| 1 | "Young at Heart" | 8 | — | |
| Alison Moyet | 2 | "Love Resurrection" | 10 | "All Cried Out" |
| Trevor Walters | 1 | "Stuck on You" | 9 | — |
| Miami Sound Machine | 1 | "Dr. Beat" | 6 | — |
| Ray Parker Jr. | 1 | "Ghostbusters" | 2 | — |
| Alphaville | 1 | "Big in Japan" | 8 | — |
| 1 | "Purple Rain" | 8 | — | |
| Giorgio Moroder | 1 | "Together in Electric Dreams" | 3 | — |
| John Waite | 1 | "Missing You" | 9 | — |
| Julian Lennon | 1 | "Too Late for Goodbyes | 6 | — |
| Jim Diamond | 1 | "I Should Have Known Better" | 1 | — |
| ZZ Top | 1 | "Gimme All Your Lovin'" | 10 | — |
| The Frog Chorus | 1 | "We All Stand Together" | 3 | — |
| Band Aid | 1 | "Do They Know It's Christmas?" | 1 | — |
| Jody Watley | 1 | "Do They Know It's Christmas?" | 1 | — |
| Toy Dolls | 1 | "Nellie the Elephant" | 4 | — |
;Notes
Snowy White joined Thin Lizzy as a permanent member between 1980 and 1982, with whom he reached the top 10 with the single "Killer on the Loose". His only top 10 single as a solo artist was "Bird of Paradise" which peaked at number 6 in January 1984. Phil Fearon had previously been credited as Galaxy featuring Phil Fearon but for 1984's "What Do I Do" and "Everbody's Laughing" he was credited as Phil Fearon and Galaxy. Similarly, "The Special AKA" were alternatively known as The Specials and had several top 10 singles under this name before "Nelson Mandela" reached number 9 in April 1984.
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five frontman Melle Mel took "White Lines " to number 7 in July 1984. The group had reached number 8 with "The Message" in 1982. George Michael debuted with "Careless Whisper" in August 1984, the first credited hit single separate from Wham!. The song spent three weeks at number-one. Queen's Freddie Mercury first top 10 single as a solo artist, "Love Kills", got to a high of number 10.
Philip Oakey was the lead singer in The Human League, who had debuted in 1981 with three top 10 singles including "Don't You Want Me". His collaboration with Giorgio Moroder marked the first single to reach the top 10 in his own right. Limahl had been part of Kajagoogoo until his sacking in 1983, his biggest song with the band "Too Shy" reaching the top of the charts. His first solo track was the theme to the film The NeverEnding Story. Ray Parker Jr. had his first and only top 10 single this year, but he did appear on the American single release for a song he wrote, "You See the Trouble with Me" with Barry White in 1976.
Charity collective Band Aid was made up of many artists who had charted previously in their own right, including David Bowie, George Michael, Marilyn, Midge Ure, Paul McCartney,
Paul Young and Phil Collins. Other singers had formerly only performed as part of a group and "Do They Know It's Christmas?" was their first credit outside their band. This included Robert "Kool" Bell, James "J.T." Taylor, Dennis Thomas, Bono, Adam Clayton, Chris Cross, Bob Geldof, Johnny Fingers, Simon Crowe, Sarah Dallin, Siobhan Fahey, Keren Woodward, Boy George, Jon Moss, Glenn Gregory, Martyn Ware, Tony Hadley, Gary Kemp, John Keeble, Martin Kemp, Steve Norman, Simon Le Bon, Andy Taylor, Roger Taylor, Nick Rhodes, John Taylor, Rick Parfitt, Francis Rossi, Sting, Paul Weller, Stuart Adamson, Mark Brzezicki, Tony Butler and Bruce Watson and Holly Johnson.
Songs from films
Original songs from various films entered the top 10 throughout the year. These included "Against All Odds ", "Footloose" & "Let's Hear It for the Boy", "Purple Rain" & "When Doves Cry", "I Just Called To Say I Love You", "Ghostbusters", "Love Kills", "Together in Electric Dreams", "The NeverEnding Story", "Sexcrime " and "We All Stand Together".Charity singles
A group of musicians came together under the banner of Band Aid and released the single "Do They Know It's Christmas?" in aid of the famine in Ethiopia. The song featured artists including Bob Geldof, Paul Young, Boy George and Paul Weller. It was the Christmas number-one single for 1984, topping the chart for five weeks from 15 December 1984.Best-selling singles
Band Aid had the best-selling single of the year with "Do They Know It's Christmas?". The single spent seven weeks in the top 10, sold over 2.98 million copies and was certified platinum by the BPI. "I Just Called to Say I Love You" by Stevie Wonder came in second place, selling more than 1.7 million copies and losing out by around 1.28 million sales. Frankie Goes to Hollywood's "Relax", "Two Tribes" from the same act, and "Careless Whisper" by George Michael made up the top five. Songs by Wham!, Lionel Richie, Black Lace, Ray Parker Jr. and Wham! were also in the top ten best-selling singles of the year.Top-ten singles
Entries by artist
The following table shows artists who achieved two or more top 10 entries in 1984, including singles that reached their peak in 1983 or 1985. The figures include both main artists and featured artists, while appearances on ensemble charity records are also counted for each artist. The total number of weeks an artist spent in the top ten in 1984 is also shown.| Entries | Artist | Country of origin | Weeks | Singles |
| 5 | George Michael | 28 | "Careless Whisper", "Do They Know It's Christmas?", "Freedom", "Last Christmas"/"Everything She Wants", "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" | |
| 4 | Andy Taylor | 17 | "Do They Know It's Christmas?", "New Moon on Monday", "The Reflex", "The Wild Boys" | |
| 4 | Boy George | 12 | "Do They Know It's Christmas?", "It's a Miracle", "Victims", "The War Song" | |
| 4 | Freddie Mercury | 15 | "It's a Hard Life", "I Want to Break Free", "Love Kills", "Radio Ga Ga" | |
| 4 | Holly Johnson | 39 | "Do They Know It's Christmas?", "Relax", "The Power of Love", "Two Tribes" | |
| 4 | John Taylor | 17 | "Do They Know It's Christmas?", "New Moon on Monday", "The Reflex", "The Wild Boys" | |
| 4 | Jon Moss | 12 | "Do They Know It's Christmas?", "It's a Miracle", "Victims", "The War Song" | |
| 4 | Nick Rhodes | 17 | "Do They Know It's Christmas?", "New Moon on Monday", "The Reflex", "The Wild Boys" | |
| 4 | Paul McCartney | 17 | "Do They Know It's Christmas?", "No More Lonely Nights", "Pipes of Peace", "We All Stand Together" | |
| 4 | Paul Weller | 11 | "Do They Know It's Christmas?", "Groovin' ", "My Ever Changing Moods", "Shout to the Top" | |
| 4 | Paul Young | 8 | "Do They Know It's Christmas?", "Everything Must Change", "I'm Gonna Tear Your Playhouse Down", "Love of the Common People" | |
| 4 | Roger Taylor | 17 | "Do They Know It's Christmas?", "New Moon on Monday", "The Reflex", "The Wild Boys" | |
| 4 | Shakin' Stevens | 11 | "A Letter to You", "A Love Worth Waiting For", "A Rockin' Good Way", "Teardrops" | |
| 4 | Simon Le Bon | 17 | "Do They Know It's Christmas?", "New Moon on Monday", "The Reflex", "The Wild Boys" | |
| 3 | Culture Club | 9 | "It's a Miracle", "Victims", "The War Song" | |
| 3 | Dennis Thomas | 4 | "Do They Know It's Christmas?", "Joanna"/"Tonight", " In the Heart" | |
| 3 | Duran Duran | 14 | "New Moon on Monday", "The Reflex", "The Wild Boys" | |
| 3 | Francis Rossi | 10 | "Do They Know It's Christmas?", "Marguerita Time", "The Wanderer" | |
| 3 | Frankie Goes to Hollywood | 36 | "Relax", "The Power of Love", "Two Tribes" | |
| 3 | Gary Kemp | 7 | "Do They Know It's Christmas?", "I'll Fly for You", "Only When You Leave" | |
| 3 | James "JT" Taylor | 10 | "Do They Know It's Christmas?", "Joanna"/"Tonight", " In the Heart" | |
| 3 | John Keeble | 7 | "Do They Know It's Christmas?", "I'll Fly for You", "Only When You Leave" | |
| 3 | Martin Kemp | 7 | "Do They Know It's Christmas?", "I'll Fly for You", "Only When You Leave" | |
| 3 | Nik Kershaw | 16 | "I Won't Let the Sun Go Down on Me", "The Riddle", "Wouldn't It Be Good" | |
| 3 | Rick Parfitt | 10 | "Do They Know It's Christmas?", "Marguerita Time", "The Wanderer" | |
| 3 | Robert "Kool" Bell | 10 | "Do They Know It's Christmas?", "Joanna"/"Tonight", " In the Heart" | |
| 3 | Steve Norman | 7 | "Do They Know It's Christmas?", "I'll Fly for You", "Only When You Leave" | |
| 3 | 8 | "Groovin' ", "My Ever Changing Moods", "Shout to the Top" | ||
| 3 | Thompson Twins | 12 | "Doctor! Doctor!", "Hold Me Now", "You Take Me Up" | |
| 3 | Tony Hadley | 7 | "Do They Know It's Christmas?", "I'll Fly for You", "Only When You Leave" | |
| 3 | Wham! | 17 | "Freedom", "Last Christmas"/"Everything She Wants", "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" | |
| 2 | Adam Clayton | 8 | "Do They Know It's Christmas?", "Pride " | |
| 2 | Alison Moyet | 5 | "All Cried Out", "Love Resurrection" | |
| 2 | Alvin Stardust | 3 | "I Feel Like Buddy Holly", "I Won't Run Away" | |
| 2 | Billy Joel | 6 | "An Innocent Man", "Tell Her About It" | |
| 2 | Black Lace | 9 | "Agadoo", "Do the Conga" | |
| 2 | Bono | 8 | "Do They Know It's Christmas?", "Pride " | |
| 2 | Break Machine | 5 | "Break Dance Party", "Street Dance" | |
| 2 | Bronski Beat | "Smalltown Boy", "Why?" | ||
| 2 | Bruce Watson | 5 | "Do They Know It's Christmas?", "Wonderland" | |
| 2 | Chaka Khan | 8 | "Ain't Nobody", "I Feel for You" | |
| 2 | Chris Cross | 7 | "Do They Know It's Christmas?", "Dancing with Tears in My Eyes" | |
| 2 | Cyndi Lauper | 11 | "Girls Just Want to Have Fun", "Time After Time" | |
| 2 | David Bowie | 5 | "Blue Jean", "Do They Know It's Christmas?" | |
| 2 | Depeche Mode | 6 | "Master and Servant", "People Are People" | |
| 2 | Elton John | 7 | "Passengers", "Sad Songs Say So Much" | |
| 2 | Eurythmics | 6 | "Here Comes the Rain Again", "Sexcrime " | |
| 2 | 5 | "Only You", "When You're Young and in Love" | ||
| 2 | Hazell Dean | 7 | "Searchin' ", "Whatever I Do " | |
| 2 | Keren Woodward | 7 | "Do They Know It's Christmas?", "Robert De Niro's Waiting..." | |
| 2 | Kool & The Gang | 7 | "Joanna"/"Tonight", " In the Heart" | |
| 2 | Lionel Richie | 10 | "Hello", "Running with the Night" | |
| 2 | Madonna | 6 | "Holiday", "Like a Virgin" | |
| 2 | Mark Brzezicki | 5 | "Do They Know It's Christmas?", "Wonderland" | |
| 2 | Michael Jackson | 7 | "Farewell My Summer Love", "Somebody's Watching Me" | |
| 2 | Midge Ure | 7 | "Do They Know It's Christmas?", "Dancing with Tears in My Eyes" | |
| 2 | Phil Collins | 11 | "Against All Odds ", "Do They Know It's Christmas?" | |
| 2 | Phil Fearon and Galaxy | 4 | "Everybody's Laughing", "What Do I Do" | |
| 2 | 9 | "Automatic", "Jump " | ||
| 2 | Prince | 8 | "Purple Rain", "When Doves Cry" | |
| 2 | Sarah Dallin | 7 | "Do They Know It's Christmas?", "Robert De Niro's Waiting..." | |
| 2 | Siobhan Fahey | 7 | "Do They Know It's Christmas?", "Robert De Niro's Waiting..." | |
| 2 | Slade | 3 | "My Oh My", "Run Runaway" | |
| 2 | Spandau Ballet | 4 | "I'll Fly for You", "Only When You Leave" | |
| 2 | Status Quo | 7 | "Marguerita Time", "The Wanderer" | |
| 2 | Stuart Adamson | 5 | "Do They Know It's Christmas?", "Wonderland" | |
| 2 | Tony Butler | 5 | "Do They Know It's Christmas?", "Wonderland" |