List of UK Independent Singles Chart number ones of the 1980s
Appearance
These are the UK Official Indie Chart number-one hits of the 1980s, as compiled by MRIB.[1]
1980
Date first reached number one | Song | Artist | Duration[2] |
---|---|---|---|
19 January | Where's Captain Kirk? | Spizzenergi | 7 weeks |
8 March | Food for Thought / King | UB40 | 12 weeks |
31 May | Bloody Revolutions | Crass | 5 weeks |
5 July | Love Will Tear Us Apart | Joy Division | 10* weeks |
30 August | Paranoid | Black Sabbath | 5* weeks |
13 September | Can't Cheat Karma | Zounds | 2 weeks |
18 October | Requiem | Killing Joke | 1 week |
25 October | Atmosphere | Joy Division | 2 weeks |
8 November | Kill the Poor | Dead Kennedys | 1 week |
15 November | The Earth Dies Screaming / Dream a Lie | UB40 | 5* weeks |
6 December | Beer Drinkers and Hell Raisers | Motörhead | 1 week |
27 December | Cartrouble | Adam and the Ants | 7* weeks |
1981
Date first reached number one | Song | Artist | Duration[2] |
---|---|---|---|
24 January | Zerox | Adam and the Ants | 3 weeks |
7 March | Nagasaki Nightmare | Crass | 2 weeks |
21 March | Ceremony | New Order | 3 weeks |
11 April | Four from Toyah | Toyah | 3 weeks |
2 May | Dreaming of Me | Depeche Mode | 1 week |
9 May | Why | Discharge | 2 weeks |
23 May | I Want To Be Free | Toyah | 1 week |
30 May | Don't Let It Pass You By / Don't Slow Down | UB40 | 1 week |
6 June | Too Drunk to Fuck | Dead Kennedys | 5 weeks |
11 July | New Life | Depeche Mode | 7 weeks |
29 August | One in Ten | UB40 | 4 weeks |
26 September | Just Can't Get Enough | Depeche Mode | 2 weeks |
10 October | Procession | New Order | 3 weeks |
31 October | Thunder In The Mountains | Toyah | 4 weeks |
28 November | Six Guns | Anti-Pasti | 1 week |
5 December | Four More From Toyah | Toyah | 5* weeks |
19 December | Don't Let 'Em Grind You Down | The Exploited & Anti-Pasti | 1 week |
1982
Date first reached number one | Song | Artist | Duration[2] |
---|---|---|---|
16 January | Streets of London | Anti-Nowhere League | 2 weeks |
30 January | Do You Believe in the Westworld? | Theatre of Hate | 2 weeks |
13 February | See You | Depeche Mode | 7 weeks |
3 April | I Hate People | Anti-Nowhere League | 2 weeks |
17 April | Papa's Got a Brand New Pigbag | Pigbag | 4 weeks |
15 May | Only You | Yazoo | 5 weeks |
19 June | Temptation | New Order | 3 weeks |
10 July | Woman | Anti-Nowhere League | 2 weeks |
24 July | Don't Go | Yazoo | 8 weeks |
18 September | Leave in Silence | Depeche Mode | 6 weeks |
30 October | Shipbuilding | Robert Wyatt | 3* weeks |
6 November | How Does It Feel To Be The Mother Of 1000 Dead? | Crass | 3 weeks |
27 November | The Other Side of Love | Yazoo | 4 weeks |
25 December | Save Your Love | Renée and Renato | 3 weeks |
1983
Date first reached number one | Song | Artist | Duration[2] |
---|---|---|---|
15 January | Fat Man | Southern Death Cult | 2 weeks |
29 January | Heartache Avenue | The Maisonettes | 3 weeks |
19 February | Oblivious | Aztec Camera | 2 weeks |
12 March | Get the Balance Right! | Depeche Mode | 2 weeks |
26 March | Blue Monday | New Order | 13* weeks |
11 June | Nobody's Diary | Yazoo | 1 week |
18 June | Pills and Soap | The Imposter (Elvis Costello) | 2 weeks |
2 July | Sheep Farming In The Falklands | Crass | 2 weeks |
16 July | War Baby | Tom Robinson | 3 weeks |
6 August | Everything Counts | Depeche Mode | 5 weeks |
10 September | Confusion | New Order | 4 weeks |
5 November | Temple of Love | The Sisters of Mercy | 1 week |
26 November | This Charming Man | The Smiths | 7* weeks |
3 December | Never Never | The Assembly | 2 weeks |
1984
Date first reached number one | Song | Artist | Duration[2] |
---|---|---|---|
28 January | What Difference Does It Make? | The Smiths | 9 weeks |
31 March | You're Already Dead | Crass | 1 week |
7 April | People Are People | Depeche Mode | 3 weeks |
28 April | Hand in Glove | Sandie Shaw | 1 week |
5 May | Thieves Like Us | New Order | 2 weeks |
19 May | Pearly-Dewdrops' Drops | Cocteau Twins | 2 weeks |
2 June | Spiritwalker | The Cult | 1 week |
9 June | Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now | The Smiths | 3* weeks |
23 June | Thanks for the Night | The Damned | 2 weeks |
14 July | In the Ghetto | Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds | 4 weeks |
11 August | Walk Into The Sun | The March Violets | 2 weeks |
25 August | Agadoo | Black Lace | 2 weeks |
8 September | William, It Was Really Nothing | The Smiths | 2 weeks |
22 September | Master and Servant | Depeche Mode | 6 weeks |
3 November | Marimba Jive | Red Guitars | 2 weeks |
17 November | The Price | New Model Army | 1 week |
24 November | Blasphemous Rumours / Somebody | Depeche Mode | 3 weeks |
15 December | Nellie the Elephant | Toy Dolls | 7 weeks |
1985
1986
1987
Date first reached number one | Song | Artist | Duration[2] |
---|---|---|---|
3 January | Into the Groove | Ciccone Youth | 1 week |
10 January | Kiss | Age of Chance | 3 weeks |
31 January | Shoplifters of the World Unite | The Smiths | 4 weeks |
28 February | It Doesn't Have to Be | Erasure | 8 weeks |
25 April | Sheila Take a Bow | The Smiths | 3 weeks |
16 May | Nosedive Karma | Gaye Bykers on Acid | 3 weeks |
6 June | Victim of Love | Erasure | 2 weeks |
20 June | Can't Take No More | The Soup Dragons | 4 weeks |
18 July | Flowers In Our Hair | All About Eve | 2 weeks |
1 August | True Faith | New Order | 3 weeks |
22 August | Girlfriend in a Coma | The Smiths | 2 weeks |
5 September | Pump Up the Volume | M/A/R/R/S | 7 weeks |
24 October | Blue Water | Fields of the Nephilim | 2 weeks |
7 November | My Baby Just Cares for Me | Nina Simone | 5 weeks |
12 December | Touched by the Hand of God | New Order | 6 weeks |
1988
1989
See also
- List of UK Independent Albums Chart number ones of the 1980s
- 1980s in music
- List of UK Singles Chart number ones of the 1980s
References
- ^ "Indie Hits". Archived from the original on 16 October 2007 – via Cherry Red Records.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Total number of weeks at number one. * indicates the total of several non-consecutive runs at number one.