1980_in_British_music

1980 in British music

1980 in British music

Overview of the events of 1980 in British music

This is a summary of 1980 in music in the United Kingdom, including the official charts from that year.

Quick Facts List of years in British music ...

Events

Pop music

The 1980s got off to an odd start with a very varied list of artists reaching No. 1 in the singles chart. Kenny Rogers, The Jam and Odyssey were among those vying for the top position. The Guinness Book of British Hit Singles & Albums stated that the year had a very dated appearance, because of a number of songs reaching No. 1 which had been recorded years previously, such as the "Theme from M*A*S*H*" and Don McLean's cover of Roy Orbison's "Crying". The Ska and Mod revivals reached their peak this year, with strong chart showings by The Jam, The Specials and Madness. 1970s favourites ABBA and Blondie both had their last years as chart heavyweights, clocking up 5 No.1 singles between them. David Bowie scored his second No.1 this year, while the death of John Lennon at the end of the year gave him his first chart topper (and would dominate the early months of 1981). Kate Bush became the first British female artist to have a No.1 album, and The Police finished the year as the top selling act. "Brass in Pocket" by The Pretenders became the first number 1 single of the 80s (not counting "Another Brick in the Wall" by Pink Floyd" which was a holdover from 1979).

Charts

Number-one singles

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Number-one albums

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Year-end charts

The tables below include sales between 31 December 1979 and 31 December 1980: the year-end charts reproduced in the issue of Music Week dated 27 December 1980 and played on Radio 1 on 4 January 1981 only include sales figures up until 6 December 1980.[1]

Best-selling singles

[2]

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Best-selling albums

[3]

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Classical music: new works

Opera

Musical theatre

Births

Deaths

See also

References

  1. [1]
    "Top 100 Albums/Top 100 Singles". Music Week. 27 December 1980. pp. 21–22.
  2. [2]
    "Chart File". Record Mirror. 21 March 1981. p. 37.
  3. [3]
    "Chart File". Record Mirror. 4 April 1981. p. 38.
  4. [4]
    Official UK Albums Chart, 1980
  5. [5]
    Allen, Paul (2004) A Pocket Guide to Alan Ayckbourn Plays, Faber & Faber ISBN 0-571-21492-4
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