1983 In Numbers
17 Number Ones
In 1983, 17 singles climbed to the top spot on the official chart.
| Title | Artist | Weeks No.1 |
|---|---|---|
| You Can't Hurry Love | Phil Collins | 2 |
| Down Under | Men At Work | 3 |
| Too Shy | Kajagoogoo | 2 |
| Billie Jean | Michael Jackson | 1 |
| Total Eclipse Of The Heart | Bonnie Tyler | 2 |
| Is There Something I Should Know? | Duran Duran | 2 |
| Let's Dance | David Bowie | 3 |
| True | Spandau Ballet | 4 |
| Candy Girl | New Edition | 1 |
| Every Breath You Take | The Police | 4 |
| Baby Jane | Rod Stewart | 3 |
| Wherever I Lay My Hat | Paul Young | 3 |
| Give It Up | KC And The Sunshine Band | 3 |
| Red Red Wine | UB40 | 3 |
| Karma Chameleon | Culture Club | 6 |
| Uptown Girl | Billy Joel | 5 |
| Only You | The Flying Pickets | 5† |
| †Includes one week in 1984 | ||
4 Unofficial No. 1s
Four songs topped the NME chart but not the official one used by the BBC.
| Title | Artist | BBC Chart |
|---|---|---|
| China Girl | David Bowie | 2 |
| Vienna | Ultravox | 2 |
| Never Never | The Assembly | 4 |
| Love Of The Common People | Paul Young | 2 |
20 Runners Up
Twenty songs peaked at No. 2 on the official chart, the highest number during The Golden Years (1977-85).
| Title | Artist | Weeks No.2 |
|---|---|---|
| A Winter's Tale | David Essex | 1 |
| Electric Avenue | Eddie Grant | 1 |
| Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This) | Eurythmics | 1 |
| Church Of The Poisoned Mind | Culture Club | 2 |
| Words | F. R. David | 2 |
| Keep Feeling (Fascination) | The Human League | 1 |
| Temptation | Heaven 17 | 1 |
| Bad Boys | Wham! | 2 |
| China Girl | David Bowie | 1 |
| Flashdance (What A Feeling) | Irene Cara | 1 |
| I.O.U. | Freeze | 3 |
| Gold | Spandau Ballet | 2 |
| Wings Of A Dove | Madness | 1 |
| Tonight I Celebrate My Love For You | Peabo Bryson & Roberta Flack | 1 |
| Modern Love | David Bowie | 1 |
| They Don't Know | Tracey Ullman | 2 |
| All Night Long (All Night) | Lionel Ritchie | 2 |
| Say Say Say | Paul McCartney & Michael Jackson | 2 |
| Love Of The Common People | Paul Young | 3 |
| My Oh My | Slade | 3† |
| †Includes one week in 1984 | ||
74M Singles Shifted
Volumes fell by 4M from the previous year, yet the overall total was still the 6th highest for single sales to date.
Source: BPI
1 Million Seller
Karma Chameleon by Culture Club was the only single to sell a million copies during its chart run.
228 Top 20 Hits
More hits reached the official Top 20 this year than any other during The Golden Years (1977-85).
325 Top 40 Hits
A total of 325 singles peaked inside the official Top 40 during the calendar year. October was the busiest month with 34 records entering the Top 40.
1000 Top Of The Pops
On 5 May 1983, the BBC broadcast the 1,000th edition of Top Of The Pops. The 50-minute extended programme included clips from the previous 19 years.
55 New Acts On TOTP
Acts appearing for the first time on Top Of The Pops this year included The Thompson Twins, The Eurythmics, Big Country, New Order, The Style Council, Marillion, Paul Young, Howard Jones and The Smiths.