1982 In Numbers
21 Chart Toppers
Over 20 singles climbed to the top spot on the official chart during the calendar year.
| Title | Artist | Weeks No.1 |
|---|---|---|
| The Land Of Make Believe | Bucks Fizz | 2 |
| Oh Julie | Shakin' Stevens | 1 |
| The Model | Kraftwerk | 1 |
| Town Called Malice | The Jam | 3 |
| The Lion Sleeps Tonight | Tight Fit | 3 |
| Seven Tears | Goombay Dance Band | 3 |
| My Camera Never Lies | Bucks Fizz | 1 |
| Ebony And Ivory | Paul Mccartney And Stevie Wonder | 3 |
| A Little Peace | Nicole | 2 |
| House Of Fun | Madness | 2 |
| Goody Two Shoes | Adam Ant | 2 |
| I've Never Been To Me | Charlene | 1 |
| Happy Talk | Captain Sensible | 2 |
| Fame | Irene Cara | 3 |
| Come On Eileen | Dexy's Midnight Runners | 4 |
| Eye Of The Tiger | Survivor | 4 |
| Pass The Dutchie | Musical Youth | 3 |
| Do You Really Want To Hurt Me | Culture Club | 3 |
| I Don't Wanna Dance | Eddy Grant | 3 |
| Beat Surrender | The Jam | 2 |
| Save Your Love | Renee And Renato | 4† |
| †Includes two weeks in 1983 | ||
7 Unofficial No. 1s
Seven songs topped the NME chart but not the official one used by the BBC. The Jam had three No. 1s on the NME chart during 1982.
| Title | Artist | BBC Chart |
|---|---|---|
| I Won't Let You Down | PhD | 3 |
| Abracadabra | Steve Miller Band | 2 |
| Private Investigations | Dire Straits | 2 |
| The Bitterest Pill | The Jam | 2 |
| Heartbreaker | Dionne Warwick | 2 |
| Mirror Man | The Human League | 2 |
| Time (Clock Of The Heart) | Culture Club | 3 |
11 Runners Up
Eighteen songs peaked at No. 2 for a total of 27 weeks. Golden Brown by The Stranglers was the biggest No.2 hit of the year (see Biggest Singles ’82).
| Title | Artist | Weeks No.2 |
|---|---|---|
| Golden Brown | The Stranglers | 2 |
| Mickey | Toni Basil | 2 |
| Just An Illusion | Imagination | 2 |
| Ain’t No Pleasing You | Chas And Dave | 1 |
| One Step Further | Bardo | 1 |
| This Time (We’ll Get It Right) | England World Cup Squad | 1 |
| Only You | Yazoo | 1 |
| Torch | Soft Cell | 1 |
| Abracadabra | Steve Miller Band | 2 |
| Da Da Da | Trio | 1 |
| Save A Prayer | Duran Duran | 1 |
| Private Investigations | Dire Straits | 1 |
| The Bitterest Pill | The Jam | 2 |
| Zoom | Fat Larry’s Band | 1 |
| Annie I'm Not Your Daddy | Kid Creole And The Coconuts | 1 |
| Heartbreaker | Dionne Warwick | 2 |
| Mirror Man | The Human League | 3 |
| Blue Christmas (EP) | Shakin’ Stevens | 2† |
| †Includes one week in 1983 | ||
78M Singles Shifted
Sales of singles edged up by 1M to reach the highest-ever level outside the peak years of 1978 and 1979.
Source: BPI
1 Million Seller
Come On Eileen by Dexy's Midnight Runners was the only single to sell a million copies during its chart run.
146 Top 10 Hits
Almost half of all official Top 40 hits reached the top quarter of the chart, more than any year other during The Golden Years (1977-85).
311 Top 40 Hits
A total of 311 singles peaked inside the official Top 40 during the calendar year. The biggest hit not to reach the Top 10 this year was Today by Talk Talk, which spent 12 weeks in the Top 40.
55 Top 3 Hits
More singles reached the Top 3 this year than any other during The Golden Years (1977-1985).
65 New Acts On TOTP
Groups appearing for the first time on Top Of The Pops this year included Simple Minds, Yazoo, Echo and the Bunnymen, Culture Club, Tears for Fears and Wham.
14 Hit Average
Half of all Top 40 singles peaked at No. 14 or higher this year - the highest median chart position during the Golden Years (1977-85). This reflects that 1982 was an egalitarian year with more singles reaching the top end of the charts than ever before.
21 Weeks In Top 10
Madness spent over 20 weeks in the Top 10, the most of any act this year, helping the "nutty boys" become the biggest chart act of 1982.