17TH DECEMBER

 

 

The Flying Pickets triumph for a second week today with "Only You" but worryingly for them the song hasn't exploded sales wise at the top experiencing a modest 23% increase to 119,493 copies and an overall total of 255,289 which would indicate that it is unlikely to end the year in the top 10 best sellers with just 3 weeks left of 1983. Paul Young remains in the runner up spot on a decreased tally of 76,772 after a TOTP performance which takes "Love Of The Common People" to almost 300,000 as he chases a personal best currently held by "Wherever I Lay My Hat" (naturally) on 468,000. Next week will be the announcement of the Christmas No 1 as the week after (w/e 31/12/83 will be a frozen chart as Gallup are unsure how much data they will collect), given the holiday season, and that it might not to produce a representative chart as many stores will be closed, however they promise that any data collected will be added to the yearly tallies for the singles for the first time!

 

 

 

Right on queue the bookies favourite for No 1 next week arrives 11-4 this week, Culture Club's "Victims". It is of course the follow up to the year's biggest seller "Karma Chameleon" and also features on the massive selling "Colour By Numbers" which hasn't left the top 10 since it was released 9 weeks ago and is currently at No 3 which is the only factor which may count against it. Confusingly the b-side is called "Colour By Numbers" as well though it isn't on the album, it will have to rapidly increase sales this week as it sold just 67,490 copies last week- can it do it? Nevertheless it's the groups fifth top 5 smash in a row and certainly as far as 1983 goes they can do no wrong it seems.

 

 

 

Billy Joel can celebrate this week as he grabs two hits in the top 10, the outgoing No 1 "Uptown Girl" slides 3-10 (41,922) taking that song over 700,000 and just 1,200 short of "Red Red Wine" as he year's second best selling single, but the re-issued "Tell Her About It" rockets 22-8 (47,107). The promo video for the track is a spoof of the "Ed Sullivan Show" a major US chat show in the 50s/60s and helps to recreate the Motown- esque feel to the track assisted by the legendary Phil Ramone on production duties, the whole package made No 1 stateside back in September and may be one to keep an eye on in January if Phil Collins's remake last December is anything to go on!

 

 

Also lining up for the Christmas push are Slade who press 5-3 (69,003) and will doubtless benefit from TOTP this week, The Thompson Twins also get a slight sales bounce but fall 4-5 (60,367), Cliff Richard meanwhile saunters 9-7 (47,107). Tina Turner holds steady at No 6 (52,581), and rounding off is Tracey Ullman who falls back 8-9 (45,373) with the competition being all too much and even increases sales.

 

NEXT WEEK: THE BIG ONE!

 

 

 

1- ONLY YOU- Flying Pickets (119,493)

2- LOVE OF THE COMMON PEOPLE- Paul Young (76,772)

3- MY OH MY- Slade (69,003)

4- VICTIMS- Culture Club (67,490)

5- HOLD ME NOW- Thompson Twins (60,367)

6- LET’S STAY TOGETHER- Tina Turner (52,581)

7- PLEASE DON’T FALL IN LOVE- Cliff Richard (47,362)

8- TELL HER ABOUT IT- Billy Joel (47,107)

9- MOVE OVER DARLING- Tracey Ullman (45,373)

10- UPTOWN GIRL- Billy Joel (41,922)

 

Cum Feel The Noise and Everyday are huge standouts for me still!

 

How Does It Feel is peak Slade IMO

My favourite Slade song is 'Coz I Luv You' I think, the menacing violin *.*

 

Mine too.

24TH DECEMBER

 

 

And so it is that "Only You" becomes the Christmas No 1 for 1983 as there is no chart next week as previously noted. The track sold 122,587 copies last week as it continues to grow at retail to now amount to 377,876 copies and was never in danger of being caught by the chasing pack who all underperformed considering the time of year. Slade take the silver medal for this year as they rise 3-2 with "My Oh My" which is now their biggest hit since 1974, their other Christmas favourite "Merry Xmas Everyone" also stands at No 20, it's first time in the top 20 since the original release 10 years ago, in the end though "My Oh My" only sold 81,294 copies to take that position. Bookies favourite Culture Club ended up in bronze rising 4-3 with a minimal sales bump to 75,956, though of course "Colour By Numbers" ended up No 3 on the album charts and detracted considerable sales from the single.

 

 

 

Back with their 17th top 10 hit Status Quo serge 25-5 (60,503) with the party themed "Marguerita Time". It comes with a special Christmas double pack of "Caroline/ Joanne" to keep fans entertained over the festive period and rounds another successful year for the rockers tHough all is not well in the camp as several noted. Guitarist Alan Lancaster has made it known that he personally dislikes the track thinking it too pop orientated and pointedly made a non-appearance at TOTP to promote the single, his place being taken by Jim Lea of Slade for proceedings.

 

 

 

Already a US No 1 single "Islands In The Stream" becomes a UK top 10 single this week rising 11-8 ( 51,323), it is penned by the Gibb brothers who seem to have become solely writers for other acts these days. The song was apparently written with Marvin Gaye in mind but passed on Rogers for his new album "Eyes That See In The Dark", as for Parton her only bigger UK single was 1976's "Jolene" which went one place better at No 7.

 

 

The only other climber is Billy Joel who creeps 8-7 (54,009). Not such good news for Paul Young who gives up the fight and drops 2-4 (69,649) but has the consolation of the Christmas No 2 album "No Parlez", also heading south are Thompson Twins (5-6, 55,114), Tina Turner 6-9 (45,866) and Cliff Richard 7-10 (39,287). I'll see you in two weeks with the final chart of 1983 and a run-down of the top 10 best selling singles acts of the year.

 

 

 

1- ONLY YOU- Flying Pickets (122,587)

2- MY OH MY- Slade (81,294)

3- VICTIMS- Culture Club (60,503)

4- LOVE OF THE COMMON PEOPLE- Paul Young (69,649)

5- MARGUERITA TIME- Status Quo (60,503)

6- HOLD ME NOW- Thompson Twins (55,114)

7- TELL HER ABOUT IT- Billy Joel (54,009)

8- ISLANDS IN THE STREAM- Dolly Parton & Kenny Rogers (51,323)

9- LET’S STAY TOGETHER- Tina Turner (45,866)

10- PLEASE DON’T FALL IN LOVE- Cliff Richard (39,287)

 

I always liked Marguerita Time by Status Quo.

Did Francis Rossi's microphone fall down during that performance? :lol:

7TH JANUARY

 

 

So 1983 produces its last chart which actually contains two weeks sales (though with all the shops shut for a significant part of last week it i really more like a week and a half). At any rate the Flying Pickets record their 5th week at the top, and without a doubt it is five weeks in a row as Gallup calculates "Only You" was easily the biggest seller of that period clocking in a mighty 168,623 copies- enough to raise its overall total to 546,499 and place as the 9th biggest seller of 1983.

 

 

The sales increase of 38% is only to be expected given that it includes the week before Christmas plus the few days between Christmas and New Year when the shops were open, the main challenge coming again from Slade who have now spent three weeks in the runner up spot they sold 110,245, but behind them only 11,000 separated No's 2 and 6. Paul Young swaps places with Culture Club at No's 3 & 4 selling 109,633 and 106,182 with the Quo holding down the No 5 spot (101,898) and Billy Joel edges closer 7-6 (99,416).

 

 

With a video recreating the famous Christmas Truce of 1914 Paul McCartney scores a second top 10 smash from his current album "Pipes Of Peace" which this week accelerates 22-9 (76,755) to cut through those lingering Christmas tracks. In terms of solo releases he has now reached the top 10 with 8 of his 10 releases and is still showing those younger popstars how to get chart longevity, the album has never left the top 30 since its release 9 weeks ago and is now back in the top 10 itself for the first time in 7 weeks.

 

 

 

Talking of those "New" popstars is Howard Jones who now has a second top 10 single to add to "New Song" which peaked at No 3 back in October, but the track has taken its time, now in its 7th week it creeps 11-10 (76,466) that should be enough to get a TOTP slot when the regular show returns to our screens this week. Incidentally if you're waiting for the album then it is now pencilled in for March.

 

 

Elsewhere Dolly Parton & Kenny Rogers lift 8-7 (92,803) all of which are facilitated by the fall of The Thompson Twins 6-8 (79,016). Next week we'll look at the top 10 biggest selling singles acts of the year!

 

 

 

1- ONLY YOU- Flying Pickets (168,623)

2- MY OH MY- Slade (110,245)

3- LOVE OF THE COMMON PEOPLE- Paul Young (109,633)

4- VICTIMS- Culture Club (106,182)

5- MARGUERITA TIME- Status Quo (101,898)

6- TELL HER ABOUT IT- Billy Joel (99,416)

7- ISLANDS IN THE STREAM- Dolly Parton & Kenny Rogers (92,803)

8- HOLD ME NOW- Thompson Twins (79,016)

9- PIPES OF PEACE- Paul McCartney (76,755)

10- WHAT IS LOVE- Howard Jones (76,466)

 

And that's it pretty much for 1983! Hope folks found it interesting!

'What Is Love?' is definitely my favourite of that embedded trio *.* not too fussed on 'Pipes Of Peace' despite being a Beatles nerd.

 

Thanks for this Gezza! It has been really interesting.

Wow at those sales! Love Of The Common People and What Is Love are my favourite of that final Top 10. Thanks Gezza.

What Is Love was a good follow-up to New Song. Victims is my favourite Culture Club single. Pipes Of Peace, Love Of The Common People and Hold Me Now are other highlights from that top 10.

Those are two weeks of sales, right? I think Islands In The Stream is my favourite there.

Thanks Gezza, the thread's been a very insightful read so far. Looking forward to 1984!

I despise Pipes of Peace. Paul was generally awful after he left The Beatles behind him

Those are two weeks of sales, right?

Ah sorry yes hadn’t read Gezza’s full post yet!

There were more classics in 1983 than I had realised! Wonderful thread.

I actually quite like Pipes of Peace, but I know it generally gets a little bit of a slating.

What Is Love was a good second single for Howard Jones, though I thought it escalated a lot quicker than it did.

 

I have loved reading and commenting on this thread. 1983 produced some absolute classics.