NME Single of the Year


Every December, British music magazine NME compiles a list of what it considers the best single or track of the year. It was started in 1975. The list is usually published in one of the issues sold before Christmas – in 2006 it was published in the issue for December 9. The companion list is NME album of the year
The NME Single of the Year list is compiled by the music reviewers and independent journalists who work for the magazine and for NME.com. Each picks his or her top 20 singles of the year and hands them in to the editor. An album marked at Number One gets 20 points, Number Two gets 19 points and so on until the 20th, which gets one point. All of the points from the various top 20s are then gathered together and the overall favourites are worked out and ranked for publication in the official list. The single or track with the most points overall is Number One in the list, the one with the second most points is Number Two and so on. There have been, to date, four artists who have won Album and Single of the Year in the same year: Joy Division in 1980, Klaxons in 2007, MGMT in 2008 and Lorde in 2017. Cecil Womack and Bobby Womack also won Single & Album of the Year respectively in 1984.

Singles of the Year

YearArtistSingleTop five
1975"No Woman No Cry"
1976Thin Lizzy""
  • 2nd: Eddie & the Hot Rods – Live at the Marquee
  • 3rd: Sex Pistols – "Anarchy in the UK"
  • 4th: Blue Öyster Cult – "Don't Fear the Reaper"
  • 5th: Nick Lowe – "So It Goes"
    • 1977Sex Pistols"Pretty Vacant"
  • 2nd: Elvis Costello – "Watching the Detectives"
  • 3rd: Ian Dury – "Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll"
  • 4th: Sex Pistols – "God Save the Queen"
  • 5th: The Ramones – "Sheena Is a Punk Rocker"
    • 1978Buzzcocks"Ever Fallen in Love "
  • 2nd: Public Image Ltd – "Public Image"
  • 3rd: Ian Dury – "What a Waste"
  • 4th: The Rolling Stones – "Miss You"
  • 5th: Elvis Costello – "Radio Radio"
    • 1979"Eton Rifles"
  • 2nd: The Specials – "Gangsters"
  • 3rd: The Clash – "London Calling"
  • 4th: Gloria Gaynor – "I Will Survive"
  • 5th: The Jam – "Strange Town"
    • 1980Joy Division"Love Will Tear Us Apart"
  • 2nd: The Jam – "Going Underground"
  • 3rd: The Beat – "Mirror in the Bathroom"
  • 4th: Joy Division – "Atmosphere"
  • 5th: David Bowie – "Ashes to Ashes"
    • 1981"Ghost Town"
  • 2nd: Grandmaster Flash – "The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel"
  • 3rd: Coati Mundi – "Me No Pop I"
  • 4th: Heaven 17 – "Fascist Groove Thang"
  • 5th: The Human League – "Love Action"
    • 1982Grandmaster Flash""
  • 2nd: Marvin Gaye – "Sexual Healing"
  • 3rd: Robert Wyatt – "Shipbuilding"
  • 4th: The Jam – "Town Called Malice"
  • 5th: ABC – "The Look of Love"
    • 1983"Billie Jean"
  • 2nd: James Brown – "Bring It On, Bring It On"
  • 3rd: The Imposter – "Pills and Soap"
  • 4th: The Birthday Party – The Bad Seed
  • 5th: New Order – "Blue Monday"
    • 1984Womack and Womack"Love Wars"
  • 2nd: Elvis Costello – "I Wanna Be Loved"
  • 3rd: The Special AKA – "Free Nelson Mandela"
  • 4th: Dennis Edwards – "Don't Look Any Further"
  • 5th: Staple Singers – "Slippery People"
    • 1985"Never Understand"
  • 2nd: The Jesus & Mary Chain – "Just Like Honey"
  • 3rd: Kate Bush – "Running Up That Hill"
  • 4th: The Smiths – "How Soon Is Now?
  • 5th: Nick Cave – "Tupelo"
    • 1986Prince"Kiss"
  • 2nd: Cameo – "Word Up"
  • 3rd: Ciccone Youth – "Into the Groove"
  • 4th: Run D.M.C. – "Walk This Way"
  • 5th: The Real Roxanne – "Bang Zoom "
    • 1987Prince"Sign o' the Times"
  • 2nd: Eric B & Rakim – "Paid in Full"
  • 3rd: That Petrol Emotion – "Big Decision"
  • 4th: Public Enemy – "Rebel Without a Pause"
  • 5th: M/A/R/R/S – "Pump Up the Volume"
    • 1988""
  • 2nd: Morrissey – "Every Day Is Like Sunday"
  • 3rd: Prince – "Alphabet Street"
  • 4th: Morrissey – "Suedehead"
  • 5th: The House of Love – "Destroy the Heart"
    • 1989"She Bangs the Drum"
  • 2nd: The Stone Roses – "Fools Gold"
  • 3rd: The Sundays – "Can't Be Sure"
  • 4th: The Stone Roses – "Made of Stone"
  • 5th: 808 State – "Pacific State"
    • 1990Deee-Lite"Groove Is in the Heart"
  • 2nd: Happy Mondays – "Step On"
  • 3rd: Sinead O'Connor – "Nothing Compares 2 U"
  • 4th: Betty Boo – "Where Are You Baby"
  • 5th: Primal Scream – "Loaded"
    • 1991Primal Scream"Higher Than the Sun"
  • 2nd: The KLF – "Justified & Ancient"
  • 3rd: R.E.M. – "Losing My Religion"
  • 4th: Teenage Fanclub – "Star Sign"
  • 5th: Teenage Fanclub – "The Concept"
    • 1992Suede""
  • 2nd: PJ Harvey – "Sheela-Na-Gig"
  • 3rd: Manic Street Preachers – "Motorcycle Emptiness"
  • 4th: Radiohead – "Creep"
  • 5th: R.E.M. – "Drive"
    • 1993"Cannonball"
  • 2nd: Credit to the Nation – "Call It What You Want"
  • 3rd: Leftfield – "Open Up"
  • 4th: Suede – "Animal Nitrate"
  • 5th: Rage Against the Machine – "Killing in the Name"
    • 1994Blur"Girls & Boys"
  • 2nd: Oasis – "Cigarettes & Alcohol"
  • 3rd: Oasis – "Live Forever"
  • 4th: Elastica – "Connection"
  • 5th: Sabres of Paradise – "The Theme"
    • 1995Black Grape"Reverend Black Grape"
  • 2nd: Supergrass – "Alright"
  • 3rd: Pulp – "Sorted for E's & Wizz"
  • 4th: Oasis – "Some Might Say"
  • 5th: Foo Fighters – "This Is a Call"
    • 1996Underworld"Born Slippy"
  • 2nd: Manic Street Preachers – "A Design for Life"
  • 3rd: Beck – "Where It's At"
  • 4th: The Prodigy – "Firestarter"
  • 5th: Orbital – "The Box"
    • 1997"Bitter Sweet Symphony"
  • 2nd: Blur – "Song 2"
  • 3rd: The Verve – "The Drugs Don't Work"
  • 4th: Embrace – "All You Good Good People"
  • 5th: Primal Scream – "Kowalski"
    • 1998Beastie Boys"Intergalactic"
  • 2nd: Super Furry Animals – Ice Hockey Hair
  • 3rd: Stardust – "Music Sounds Better with You"
  • 4th: Mercury Rev – "Goddess on a Hiway"
  • 5th: Manic Street Preachers – "If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next"
    • 1999Aphex Twin"Windowlicker"
  • 2nd: TLC – "No Scrubs"
  • 3rd: Super Furry Animals – "Northern Lites"
  • 4th: The Flaming Lips – "Race for the Prize"
  • 5th: Eminem – "My Name Is"
    • 2000Eminem""
  • 2nd: Coldplay – "Yellow"
  • 3rd: Kelis – "Caught Out There"
  • 4th: Queens of the Stone Age – "The Lost Art of Keeping a Secret"
  • 5th: Lambchop – "Up with People"
    • 2001Missy Elliott"Get Ur Freak On"
  • 2nd: Kylie Minogue – "Can't Get You Out of My Head"
  • 3rd: The Strokes – The Modern Age
  • 4th: Andrew W.K. – "Party Hard"
  • 5th: The White Stripes – "Hotel Yorba"
    • 2002Doves"There Goes the Fear"
  • 2nd: Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Yeah Yeah Yeahs
  • 3rd: The Hives – "Hate to Say I Told You So"
  • 4th: The Coral – "Dreaming of You"
  • 5th: Queens of the Stone Age – "No One Knows"
    • 2003Beyoncé"Crazy in Love"
  • 2nd: The White Stripes – "Seven Nation Army"
  • 3rd: Outkast – "Hey Ya!"
  • 4th: The Libertines – "Don't Look Back into the Sun"
  • 5th: Franz Ferdinand – "Darts of Pleasure"
    • 2004"Can't Stand Me Now"
  • 2nd: Franz Ferdinand – "Take Me Out"
  • 3rd: The Streets – "Dry Your Eyes"
  • 4th: Jay-Z – "99 Problems"
  • 5th: The Killers – "Mr Brightside"
    • 2005"Hounds of Love"
  • 2nd: Arcade Fire – "Rebellion "
  • 3rd: Arctic Monkeys – "I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor"
  • 4th: Kanye West – "Gold Digger"
  • 5th: The White Stripes – "My Doorbell"
    • 2006Hot Chip"Over and Over"
  • 2nd: Peter Bjorn and John – "Young Folks"
  • 3rd: The Gossip – "Standing in the Way of Control"
  • 4th: Muse – "Supermassive Black Hole"
  • 5th: Gnarls Barkley – "Crazy"
    • 2007Klaxons"Golden Skans"
  • 2nd: Glasvegas – "Daddy's Gone"
  • 3rd: The Cribs – "Men's Needs"
  • 4th: The Teenagers – "Homecoming"
  • 5th: Rihanna – "Umbrella"
    • 2008MGMT"Kids"
  • 2nd: Glasvegas – "Geraldine"
  • 3rd: Mystery Jets – "Two Doors Down"
  • 4th: MGMT – "Time to Pretend"
  • 5th: MGMT – "Electric Feel"
    • 2009Yeah Yeah Yeahs"Zero"
  • 2nd: The Horrors – "Sea Within a Sea"
  • 3rd: The Big Pink – "Dominos"
  • 4th: Dizzee Rascal – "Bonkers"
  • 5th: Animal Collective – "My Girls"
    • 2010Foals"Spanish Sahara"
  • 2nd: M.I.A. – "XXXO"
  • 3rd: Janelle Monáe – "Tightrope"
  • 4th: Kanye West – "Power"
  • 5th: Arcade Fire – "We Used to Wait"
    • 2011"Video Games"
  • 2nd: Tyler, the Creator – "Yonkers"
  • 3rd: The Horrors – "Still Life"
  • 4th: PJ Harvey – "The Words That Maketh Murder"
  • 5th: Wild Beasts – "Bed of Nails"
    • 2012Palma Violets"Best of Friends"
  • 2nd: M.I.A. – "Bad Girls"
  • 3rd: Blur – "Under the Westway"
  • 4th: Haim – "Forever"
  • 5th: Plan B – "Ill Manors"
    • 2013Daft Punk"Get Lucky"
  • 2nd: Arcade Fire – "Reflektor"
  • 3rd: Arctic Monkeys – "Do I Wanna Know?"
  • 4th: Disclosure – "White Noise"
  • 5th: Yeah Yeah Yeahs – "Sacrilege"
    • 2014Future Islands"Seasons "
  • 2nd: Caribou – "Can't Do Without You"
  • 3rd: Fat White Family – "Touch the Leather"
  • 4th: The War on Drugs – "Red Eyes"
  • 5th: Run the Jewels – "Blockbuster Night, Pt. 1"
    • 2015Skepta"Shutdown"
  • 2nd: The Weeknd – "Can't Feel My Face"
  • 3rd: Justin Bieber – "What Do You Mean"
  • 4th: Foals – "What Went Down"
  • 5th: The 1975 – "Love Me"
    • 2016Rihanna"Work"
  • 2nd: The 1975 – "Somebody Else"
  • 3rd: Chance the Rapper – "All Night"
  • 4th: Iggy Pop – "Gardenia"
  • 5th: Christine & the Queens – "Tilted"
    • 2017Lorde"Green Light"
  • 2nd: Charli XCX - "Boys"
  • 3rd: Paramore - "Hard Times"
  • 4th: Kendrick Lamar - "Humble"
  • 5th: Stormzy - "Big For Your Boots"
    • 2018Ariana Grande"No Tears Left to Cry"
  • 2nd: The 1975 - "Love It If We Made It"
  • 3rd: Parquet Courts - "Wide Awake!"
  • 4th: Arctic Monkeys - "Four Out of Five"
  • 5th: Childish Gambino - "This Is America"
    • 2019Mura Masa featuring Slowthai"Deal Wiv It"
  • 2nd: Billie Eilish – "Bad Guy"
  • 3rd: Georgia – "About Work the Dancefloor"
  • 4th: Lil Nas X – "Old Town Road"
  • 5th: Fontaines D.C. – "Big"