Biggest Artists 1982
The UK's Top 20 best-performing artists in 1982 are listed below. 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.
Artists are ranked by their Chart-Measured Performance (CHAMP) totals for the year. Singles are listed per artist in chronological order (from left to right) with a symbol denoting peak position. Key to icons: ★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 2025
★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