Biggest Artists 1982
The UK's Top 20 best-performing artists in 1982 are listed below. They are ordered by their total Chart Measured Performance (CHAMP) scores for the year. Singles are listed per artist in chronological order (from left to right) with a symbol denoting peak position. The Jam have their best-ever year but it is their last. Yet the trio's two No. 1s and one unofficial No. 1 cannot overtake the "nutty boys", whose 41 weeks on the Top 40 see them crowned as year-end champs for a second time. After a five year absence, The Stranglers make a final return to the year-end Top 20 on the back of their No. 2 hit Golden Brown. Bucks Fizz, Dexys Midnight Runners and Duran Duran have strong years. As do Culture Club, but it is only a warm up for huge success in 1983.
★No. 1 ●Top Ten ○Top 40 (all on official chart) ☆Unofficial No. 1 (i.e. No. 1 only on NME Chart)
WKS: total weeks spent on the official Top 40
| WKS | CHAMP | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MADNESS●It Must Be Love ○Cardiac Arrest ★House Of Fun ●Driving In My Car ●Our House | 41 | 3,987 |
| 2 | THE JAM★Town Called Malice ●Just Who Is The 5 O’Clock Hero ☆The Bitterest Pill (I’ve Ever Had To Swallow) ★Beat Surrender | 25 | 2,929 |
| 3 | SHAKIN' STEVENS★Oh Julie ●Shirley ○Give Me Your Heart Tonight ●I'll Be Satisfied ●Blue Christmas1 | 33 | 2,917 |
| 4 | ADAM ANT●Ant Rap2 ○Deutscher Girls2 ★Goody Two Shoes ●Friend Or Foe ○Desperate But Not Serious | 27 | 2,884 |
| 5 | BUCKS FIZZ★The Land Of Make Believe ★My Camera Never Lies ●Now Those Days Are Gone | 25 | 2,720 |
| 6 | DEXY’S MIDNIGHT RUNNERS★Come On Eileen ●Jackie Wilson Said ○Let’s Get This Straight (From The Start) | 27 | 2,640 |
| 7 | CULTURE CLUB★Do You Really Want To Hurt Me ☆Time (Clock Of The Heart) | 21 | 2,443 |
| 8 | DURAN DURAN●Hungry Like The Wolf ●Save A Prayer ●Rio | 28 | 2,415 |
| 9 | SHALAMAR●I Can Make You Feel Good ●A Night To Remember ●There It Is ○Friends | 33 | 2,408 |
| 10 | SOFT CELL●Say Hello Wave Goodbye ●Torch ●What ○Where The Heart Is | 28 | 2,384 |
| 11 | YAZOO●Only You ●Don’t Go ○The Other Side Of Love | 28 | 2,345 |
| 12 | TIGHT FIT★The Lion Sleeps Tonight ●Fantasy Island | 21 | 2,215 |
| 13 | ABC●Poison Arrow ●The Look Of Love ●All Of My Heart | 24 | 2,161 |
| 14 | HAIRCUT 100●Love Plus One ●Fantastic Day ●Nobody’s Fool | 24 | 2,029 |
| 15 | KID CREOLE AND THE COCONUTS●I’m A Wonderful Thing Baby ●Stool Pigeon ●Annie I’m Not Your Daddy ○Dear Addy | 27 | 2,009 |
| 16 | DOLLAR●Mirror Mirror (Mon Amour) ●Give Me Back My Heart ○Videotheque ○Give Me Some Kinda Magic | 31 | 1,989 |
| 17 | KOOL AND THE GANG●Get Down On It ○Take My Heart ○Big Fun ●Ooh La La (Let’s Go Dancin') ○Hi De Hi Ho De Ho | 32 | 1,874 |
| 18 | IMAGINATION●Just An Illusion ●Music And Lights ○In The Heat Of The Night | 23 | 1,749 |
| 19 | THE STRANGLERS●Golden Brown ●Strange Little Girl | 18 | 1,662 |
| 20 | IRENE CARA★Fame | 18 | 1,566 |
Chart © Wow Vinyl 2023
★No.1 ●Top Ten ○Top 40 (all on official chart) ☆Unofficial No. 1 (i.e. No. 1 only on NME Chart)
WKS: total weeks spent on the official Top 40
† Part of the chart run was in 1981 or 1983, which has been included in calculating the CHAMP score
1 Lead track on The Shakin' Stevens EP
2 Credited as Adam & The Ants