The UK Top 50 of 1983 Poll

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Continuing where I started, based on everyhit.com's year lists. I dunno what kind of data they base their lists on, but judging from "Blue Monday"'s performance it cannot be based on highest position alone, but must also have something to do with number of weeks on the chart. (Certainly not sales alone, or Band Aid would have been better than #19 on the forthcoming 1984 chart)

IMO the strongest year ever for hit singles. Same procedure as the other ones.

I already did one poll for August 1983 some time ago, but that one was just one month, and the poll winner ("Tour De France") isn't available for voting here.

Poll Results

Option	Votes
New Order Blue Monday	7
Toto Africa	4
Renee & Renato Save Your Love	3
Men At Work Down Under	3
Michael Jackson Billie Jean	3
David Bowie Modern Love	2
UB40 Red Red Wine	2
Tracey Ullman They Don't Know	2
Mike Oldfield Moonlight Shadow	2
Kajagoogoo Too Shy	2
The Human League (Keep Feeling) Fascination	2
New Edition Candy Girl	1
Heaven 17 Temptation	1
The Belle Stars Sign Of The Times	1
Eddy Grant Electric Avenue	1
Madness Wings Of A Dove	1
Culture Club Church Of The Poison Mind	1
Howard Jones New Song	1
JoBoxers Boxerbeat	1
Yazoo Nobody's Diary	1
Spandau Ballet Gold	1
Eurythmics Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)	1
David Bowie Let's Dance	1
Bonnie Tyler Total Eclipse Of The Heart	1
Shakin' Stevens Cry Just A Little Bit	1
The Flying Pickets Only You	1
Freeez IOU	1
The Police Every Breath You Take	1
Spandau Ballet True	1
Lionel Richie All Night Long (All Night)	1
Eurythmics Who's That Girl?	0
Rod Stewart Baby Jane	0
Slade My Oh My	0
Paul Young Wherever I Lay My Hat (That's My Home)	0
Billy Joel Uptown Girl	0
Elton John I'm Still Standing	0
Wham! Club Tropicana	0
KC & The Sunshine Band Give It Up	0
FR David Words	0
Duran Duran Is There Something I Should Know?	0
Paul Young Love Of The Common People	0
Irene Cara Flashdance... What A Feeling	0
Peabo Bryson & Roberta Flack Tonight I Celebrate My Love	0
Paul McCartney & Michael Jackson Say Say Say	0
Malcolm McLaren Double Dutch	0
Wham! Bad Boys	0
Culture Club Karma Chameleon	0
Phil Collins You Can't Hurry Love	0
Michael Jackson Beat It	0
Heaven 17 Come Live With Me	0

― Geir Hongro, Wednesday, 14 November 2007 23:12 (eighteen years ago)

My vote for "True". Probably would have voted for "Karma Chameleon" then although I love "True" already by then.

I will be very surprised if this poll isn't won by either "Billie Jean" or "Blue Monday" though.

― Geir Hongro, Wednesday, 14 November 2007 23:14 (eighteen years ago)

the kid is not my son

― Matos W.K., Wednesday, 14 November 2007 23:15 (eighteen years ago)

A much stronger group than '82. I voted for "Africa," but it was a hard choice over "Karma," "They Don't Know," "Total Eclipse," "Billie Jean" and several others.

― Fitzcarraldo, Thursday, 15 November 2007 03:24 (eighteen years ago)

I voted for Let's Dance. Billie Jean will still win the beauty pageant without my support, and thats one of my favorite Bowie songs. Question though: I don't know anything about its critical reception, do people think he'd lost it right at this point? In the cold light of day I can see the merit of such a judgment, but then, I forget all of that whenever I'm dancing the blues under the serious moonlight...

― walter benjamin, Thursday, 15 November 2007 06:43 (eighteen years ago)

A vote for "Electric Avenue" is a vote against "Billie Jean" (which DESERVES to win)

― Myonga Vön Bontee, Thursday, 15 November 2007 07:50 (eighteen years ago)

ew, Blue Monday because everything else hurts.

― Autumn Almanac, Thursday, 15 November 2007 10:16 (eighteen years ago)

except Moonlight Shadow, maybe

― Autumn Almanac, Thursday, 15 November 2007 10:17 (eighteen years ago)

"Billie Jean" won't likely need my vote (thanx for the heads-up, Geir), so them there men down undah get it instead.

― JN$OT, Thursday, 15 November 2007 10:24 (eighteen years ago)

"Blue Monday" yhup!

That's one strong list of singles tho!

― Mark G, Thursday, 15 November 2007 10:32 (eighteen years ago)

Question though: I don't know anything about its critical reception, do people think he'd lost it right at this point?

I think "Let's Dance"'s reception back then wasn't too bad. It is mainly in retrospect that it's often being seen as "the beginning of the end". There was some slight critizism of "not taking chances" and being a bit too "smooth", but it was still considered a solid song and a solid album at the time.

The critical backclash started with "Tonight" the year after, but many critics have later decided the downhill ride started already with "Let's Dance".

― Geir Hongro, Thursday, 15 November 2007 11:04 (eighteen years ago)

Yeah, it was seenas some sort of hypedupness as he'd just joined EMI and it was his big "comeback" with a madly commercial thing, which went to number one with ease. Along with the China Girl w/ Video, and the Iggy connection, and so on.

― Mark G, Thursday, 15 November 2007 11:07 (eighteen years ago)

I have never liked "Modern Love" though.

― Geir Hongro, Thursday, 15 November 2007 11:11 (eighteen years ago)

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

― ILX System, Friday, 23 November 2007 00:01 (eighteen years ago)

Nobody's Diary has my vote. so great!

― t0dd swiss, Friday, 23 November 2007 03:44 (eighteen years ago)

The Human League - (Keep Feeling) Fascination

I also love:

New Order - Blue Monday
Kajagoogoo - Too Shy
Eurythmics - Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)

― nicky lo-fi, Friday, 23 November 2007 04:03 (eighteen years ago)

Blue Monday

GREAT SONGS!!!!

― Curt1s Stephens, Friday, 23 November 2007 07:41 (eighteen years ago)

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

― ILX System, Saturday, 24 November 2007 00:01 (eighteen years ago)

No wonder "Blue Monday" wins. In this case, the spread probably reflects the fact that there are a lot of great songs.

― Geir Hongro, Saturday, 24 November 2007 00:25 (eighteen years ago)

I wouldn't call 'Save Your Love' a great song by any stretch.

― Nasty, Brutish & Short, Saturday, 24 November 2007 10:22 (eighteen years ago)

I agree with you on that. :)

― Geir Hongro, Saturday, 24 November 2007 16:01 (eighteen years ago)

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