Number Ones |
| Week Ending | ACT + Links | TITLE | Weeks | TALLY | COMMENT |
| 19 Jan 1985 | Foreigner | I Want To Know What Love Is | 3 | Only No 1 | New York soft rock band led by London-born Mick Jones, who wrote the song. |
| 9 Feb 1985 | Elaine Paige & Barbara Dickson | I Know Him So Well | 4 | Only No 1 | From the musical "Chess", written by Tim Rice with Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus of Abba. It gave Benny and Bjorn their 10th No 1 as writers. |
| 9 Mar 1985 | Dead Or Alive | You Spin Me Round (Like A Record) | 2 | Only No 1 | The Liverpool group was led by Pete Burns. First No 1 for producers Stock, Aitken & Waterman. |
| 23 Mar 1985 | Philip Bailey & Phil Collins | Easy Lover | 4 | 2nd No 1 (Collins) Only No 1 (Bailey) |
Bailey was a former vocalist with Earth Wind & Fire. Collins produced, drummed and sang on this. |
| 20 Apr 1985 | USA For Africa | We Are The World | 2 | Only No 1 | US artists' answer to Band Aid. Written by Lionel Richie and Michael Jackson, who performed with Stevie Wonder, Tina Turner, Diana Ross and many others. |
| 4 May 1985 | Phillis Nelson | Move Closer | 1 | Only No 1 | US soul singer who wrote the song herself. She became a One-hit Wonder, but Tom Jones returned the song to the charts in 1989. |
| 11 May 1985 | Paul Hardcastle | 19 | 5 | Only No 1 | British producer and synth player with his commentary on the age of US service men in the Viet Nam war. |
| 15 June 1985 | Crowd | You'll Never Walk Alone | 2 | Only No 1 | Charity record, fund raising for the Bradford football fire. Gerry Marsden returned, with others, to remake his 1963 No 1. |
| 29 Jun 1985 | Sister Sledge | Frankie | 4 | Only No 1 | Long-established soul trio from Philadelphia, produced by Nile Rodgers from Chic. |
| 27 Jul 1985 | Eurythmics | There Must Be An Angel (Playing With My Heart) | 1 | Only No 1 | Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart were one of the most successful acts of the 1980s, with 22 hits in that decade. They split in 1991, but reformed in 1999. |
| 3 Aug 1985 | Madonna | Into The Groove | 4 | 1st No 1 (of 10 by 2000) | From her movie "Desperately Seeking Susan". Often controversial, she became an international mega star. |
| 31 Aug 1985 | UB 40 & Chrissie Hynde | I Got You Babe | 1 | 2nd No 1 for both acts | A No 1 hit for Sonny & Cher exactly 20 years earlier. This collaboration also had a No 6 hit in 1988. |
| 7 Sep 1985 | David Bowie & Mick Jagger | Dancing In The Street | 4 | 5th & last No 1 (Bowie); Only solo No 1 (Jagger) | The video was featured on Live Aid and the record went straight to No 1 upon release. All royalties went to the Live Aid Trust for famine relief. |
| 5 Oct 1985 | Midge Ure | If I Was | 1 | Only solo No 1 | He had a No 1 in 1976 with Slik, and in 1984 with Band Aid. His association with top act Ultravox took him only as high as No 2. |
| 12 Oct 1985 | Jennifer Rush | The Power Of Love | 5 | Only No 1 | New Yorker, recorded in Germany. This million seller became the biggest single ever for a woman in the UK. |
| 16 Nov 1985 | Feargal Sharkey | A Good Heart | 2 | Only No 1 | Ulsterman who had been with the Undertones. He gave up music and became a UK Radio Authority executive. |
| 30 Nov 1985 | Wham! | I'm Your Man | 2 | 3rd No 1 | Back at the top after their "Last Christmas" was held at No 2 by the Band Aid hit (on which they performed). |
| 14 Dec 1985 | Whitney Houston | Saving All My Love For You | 2 | 1st No 1 | She came from a musical family in New Jersey, and launched a major career with this debut solo single. |
| 28 Dec 1985 Xmas No 1 |
Shakin' Stevens | Merry Christmas Everyone | 2 | 4th & last No 1 | He was a major UK star at this time. Hits continued into the 1990s and he performed into the 2000s. |
| 11 Jan 1986 | Pet Shop Boys | West End Girls | 2 | 1st No 1 | This duo of Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe produced a series of catchy pop tunes which made them stars. |
| 25 Jan 1986 | a-ha | The Sun Always Shines On TV | 2 | Only No 1 | Norwegian band who became teenage heart throbs for a couple of years. |
| 8 Feb 1986 | Billy Ocean | When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough Get Going | 4 | Only No 1 | He had disco hits in the 70s, but enjoyed greater success in the 80s. Boyzone took the song to No 1 in 1999. |
| 8 Mar 1986 | Diana Ross | Chain Reaction | 3 | 3rd & last No 1 (1st was with Supremes) | Written and produced by the Bee Gees. She was in the Top 10 in the 90s, and remained a major act into the next century. |
| 29 Mar 1986 | Cliff Richard & The Young Ones | Living Doll | 3 | 11th No 1 | Anarchic charity remake (for Comic Relief) of his 1959 No1, with the cast of the tv show "The Young Ones". |
| 19 Apr 1986 | George Michael | A Different Corner | 3 | 2nd No 1 | He was still with Wham!, but produced a further solo chart topper, and another love song classic. |
| 10 May 1986 | Falco | Rock Me Amadeus | 1 | Only No 1 | Falco was the individual Johann Holzel, and was the first Austrian act to have a UK No 1. |
| 17 May 1986 | Spitting Image | The Chicken Song | 3 | Only No 1 | The voices of a satirical tv puppet show made this parody of Mediterranean holiday disco hits. |
| 7 Jun 1986 | Doctor & The Medics | Spirit In The Sky | 3 | Only No 1 | Remake of the 1970 No 1 from Norman Greenbaum. He is a One-hit Wonder, and subsequently, this act failed to get higher than No 29. |
| 28 Jun 1986 | Wham! | The Edge Of Heaven | 2 | 4th & last No 1 | They split soon after this, and Ridgely faded away. Michael went on to become an international superstar. |
| 12 Jul 1986 | Madonna | Papa Don't Preach | 3 | 2nd No 1 | From her album "True Blue". She was now on the way to super stardom. |
| 2 Aug 1986 | Chris de Burgh | The Lady In Red | 3 | Only No 1 | He had been a successful album artist since the 70s, and this love song classic did not change the pattern. |
| 23 Aug 1986 | Boris Gardiner | I Want To Wake Up With You | 3 | Only No 1 | Jamaican, who had reggae hits in the 70s. This lovers' rock ballad was his only major success. |
| 13 Sep 1986 | Communards | Don't Leave Me This Way | 4 | Only No 1 | Led by Jimmy Somerville, formerly of Bronski Beat. Dance remake of Harold Melvin's 1977 Top 5 hit. |
| 11 Oct 1986 | Madonna | True Blue | 1 | 3rd No 1 | Title track from her album. She co-wrote and co-produced all her No 1s during this time. |
| 18 Oct 1986 | Nick Berry | Every Loser Wins | 3 | Only No 1 | "EastEnders" star with a song featured in the show. In 1992 he hit No 2 with music from "Heartbeat". |
| 8 Nov 1986 | Berlin | Take My Breath Away | 4 | Only No 1 | US rock band with the love theme from film "Top Gun". Written and produced by Giorgio Moroder. |
| 6 Dec 1986 | Europe | The Final Countdown | 2 | Only No 1 | Swedish rock band who took this to No 1 throughout Europe. |
| 20 Dec 1986 | Housemartins | Caravan Of Love | 1 | Only No 1 | Christmas season 'A-Cappella' hit by the group from Hull. They soon broke up to form several other successful acts. |
| 27 Dec 1986 Xmas No 1 |
Jackie Wilson | Reet Petite | 4 | Only No 1 | Originally a 1957 Top 10 hit for Wilson. Reissued on a minor label, it captured the seasonal party-record sales. |
| 24 Jan 1987 | Steve 'Silk' Hurley | Jack Your Body | 2 | Only No 1 | First US 'house music' recording to make it to the UK No 1 spot. |
| 7 Feb 1987 | George Michael & Aretha Franklin | I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me) | 2 | 3rd No 1 (George) Only No 1 (Aretha) |
First No 1 for George that he did not write or produce. The legendary soul diva had Top 10 hits 1967 to 1994. |
| 21 Feb 1987 | Ben E King | Stand By Me | 3 | Only No 1 | This was a minor hit for the former Drifters lead singer in 1961. Reissued after use in a Levis jeans tv ad. |
| 14 Mar 1987 | Boy George | Everything I Own | 2 | Only solo No 1 | Culture Club singer with his first solo hit. It was a note-for-note remake of Ken Boothe's 1974 chart topper. |
| 28 Mar 1987 | Mel & Kim | Respectable | 1 | Only No 1 | London sisters with a Stock, Aitken & Waterman (SAW) song and production. |
| 4 Apr 1987 | Ferry Aid | Let It Be | 3 | Only No 1 | Charity record, fund raising for the Zeebrugge Ferry disaster. Beatles song that had peaked at No 2 for them. Produced by SAW. |
| 25 Apr 1987 | Madonna | La Isla Bonita | 2 | 4th No 1 | This 4th chart topper gave her more No 1s than any other solo female artist. |
| 9 May 1987 | Starship | Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now | 4 | Only No 1 | With lead singer Grace Slick, they had been around as Jefferson Airplane and Jefferson Starship since 1967. At 48, she was the oldest female to reach No 1. (This was broken by Debbie Harry who, with Blondie, hit No 1 in 1999, aged 53). |
| 6 Jun 1987 | Whitney Houston | I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me) | 2 | 2nd No 1 | Taken from her second album "Whitney". Her mother, Cissy, in Sweet Sensations in the late 1960s, sang on the album. |
| 20 Jun 1987 | The Firm | Star Trekkin' | 2 | Only No 1 | Novelty song parodying the characters of "Star Trek", the long running tv series. |
| 4 Jul 1987 | Pet Shop Boys | It's A Sin | 3 | 2nd No 1 | From their album "Actually", which established the duo as a major music force. |
| 25 Jul 1987 | Madonna | Who's That Girl | 1 | 5th No 1 | From her movie of the same name. She was now a major music star, but her films always disappointed. |
| 1 Aug 1987 | Los Lobos | La Bamba | 2 | Only No 1 | Written by Richie Valens, and from a film about the singer who died in the plane crash that also claimed Buddy Holly. |
| 15 Aug 1987 | Michael Jackson with Siedah Garrett |
I Just Can't Stop Loving You | 2 | 3rd No 1 | From his album "Bad". Siedah is a studio singer who backed Madonna on some of her No 1s. |
| 29 Aug 1987 | Rick Astley | Never Gonna Give You Up | 5 | Only No 1 | Stock, Aitken & Waterman prodigy with a strong soulful voice. Best selling single of 1987. His next 7 singles made the Top 10. |
| 3 Oct 1987 | M/A/R/R/S | Pump Up The Volume | 2 | Only No 1 | Dance hit that heavily sampled other recordings which resulted in litigation. |
| 17 Oct 1987 | Bee Gees | You Win Again | 4 | 5th & last No 1 | 20 years after their first No 1, they had their last. They remained recording stars and producers into the 21st century. |
| 14 Nov 1987 600th No 1 |
T'Pau | China In Your Hand | 5 | Only No 1 | UK band led by Carol Decker which found success in the US first. |
| 19 Dec 1987 Xmas No 1 |
Pet Shop Boys | Always On My Mind | 4 | 3rd No 1 | Elvis hit ballad from 1972, which the PSB made into a dance smash. |
| 16 Jan 1988 | Belinda Carlisle | Heaven Is A Place On Earth | 2 | Only No 1 | First solo hit for former member of female band The Go-Gos. Her success continued into the 1990s. |
| 30 Jan 1988 | Tiffany | I Think We're Alone Now | 3 | Only No 1 | Californian teenager with a Tommy James & The Shondells song from 1967. |
| 20 Feb 1988 | Kylie Minogue | I Should Be So Lucky | 5 | 1st No 1 | Aussie soap star who made a successful music career with help from ace producers Stock, Aitken & Waterman. |
| 26 Mar 1988 | Aswad | Don't Turn Around | 2 | Only No 1 | British reggae band with their first major hit. They continued into the mid 90s. |
| 9 Apr 1988 | Pet Shop Boys | Heart | 3 | 4th & last No 1 | They enjoyed Top 10 hits throughout the 1990s and even into 2000. |
| 30 Apr 1988 | S'Express | Theme from S'Express | 2 | Only No 1 | London DJ Mark Moore with a major House dance track. |
| 14 May 1988 | Fairground Attraction | Perfect | 1 | Only No 1 | Scottish band led by folk/jazz songstress, Eddi Reader. She quit in 1990 for a solo career. |
| 21 May 1988 | Wet Wet Wet | With A Little Help From My Friends | 4 | 1st No 1 | They were teeny bopper heart-throbs at the time. Lennon/McCartney song that had been at No 1 in 1968 (Joe Cocker). |
| 18 Jun 1988 | Timelords | Doctorin' The Tardis | 1 | Only No1 | Scottish duo Bill Drummond and Jimmy Cauty, who formed KLF and had a No 1 in 1991 . |
| 25 Jun 1988 | Bros | I Owe You Nothing | 2 | Only No 1 | Boy band comprising twins Luke & Matt Goss and Craig Logan. Popular for a couple of years with 8 Top 10 hits. |
| 9 Jul 1988 | Glenn Medeiros | Nothing's Gonna Change My Love For You | 4 | Only No 1 | 18 year old from Hawaii. One of the youngest males to reach the top, but almost a One-hit Wonder. |
| 6 Aug 1988 | Yazz & The Plastic Population | The Only Way Is Up | 5 | Only No 1 | London singer Yasmin Evans, who started as a vocalist with Coldcut. Her initial popularity soon waned. |
| 10 Sep 1988 | Phil Collins | A Groovy Kind Of Love | 2 | 3rd & last No 1 | From his film "Buster". He remained an international star throughout the 1990s. |
| 24 Sep 1988 | Hollies | He Ain't Heavy He's My Brother | 2 | 2nd & last No 1 | Originally No 3 for them in 1969, but shot to the top after use in a Miller Lite tv ad. They were still touring at the end of the century. |
| 8 Oct 1988 | U2 | Desire | 1 | 1st No 1 | Highly revered, and internationally famous Irish rock band led by Bono. |
| 15 Oct 1988 | Whitney Houston | One Moment In Time | 2 | 3rd No 1 | This song was recorded to celebrate the Seoul Olympic Games of 1988. |
| 29 Oct 1988 | Enya | Orinoco Flow | 3 | Only No 1 | Originally with family act, Clannad, she went solo and specialised in Celtic and New Age recordings. |
| 19 Nov 1988 | Robin Beck | First Time | 3 | Only No 1 | Studio singer from New York. Like the New Seekers' No 1 of 1971, this started as a tv jingle for Coca Cola. |
| 10 Dec 1988 Xmas No 1 |
Cliff Richard | Mistletoe & Wine | 4 | 12th No 1 | His first solo No 1 for 9 years, and the first to associate him with Christmas chart toppers. This late starter was the best selling single of 1988. |
| 7 Jan 1989 | Kylie Minogue & Jason Donovan | Especially For You | 3 | 2nd No 1 (Kylie); 1st No 1 (Jason) |
They were popular co-stars in an Aussie soap, and this duet from the Stock, Aitken & Waterman team grabbed the Xmas/New Year sales. |
| 28 Jan 1989 | Marc Almond with Gene Pitney | Something's Gotten Hold Of My Heart | 4 | 2nd & last No 1 (Marc); Only No 1 (Gene) | Marc recorded this old Pitney hit (1967, No 5) in London. Gene recorded his bit in the US. They did meet up for tv promos. |
| 25 Feb 1989 | Simple Minds | Belfast Child | 2 | Only No 1 | Scottish band led by Jim Kerr. They had 29 hits over two decades. Kerr was married to Chrissie Hynde. |
| 11 Mar 1989 | Jason Donovan | Too Many Broken Hearts | 2 | 2nd No 1 | By the time of this first solo chart topper, he was already a major teeny-bopper heart-throb. A SAW production. |
| 25 Mar 1989 | Madonna | Like A Prayer | 3 | 6th No 1 | Taking an anti-catholic stance, the controversial video brought much condemnation in the US. |
| 15 Apr 1989 | Bangles | Eternal Flame | 4 | Only No 1 | US all-girl band, who were much bigger at home. Led by Susanna Hoffs who had solo hits in 1991. |
| 13 May 1989 | Kylie Minogue | Hand On Your Heart | 1 | 3rd No 1 | Sticking to the same SAW formula, she got her hat trick of chart toppers. |
| 20 May 1989 | Gerry Marsden, Paul McCartney, Holly Johnson & Christians | Ferry 'Cross The Mersey | 3 | Only No 1 | Liverpool artists' charity record, fund raising for the Hillsborough football disaster. Marsden's second football charity No 1 - both remakes of his former hits. |
| 10 Jun 1989 | Jason Donovan | Sealed With A Kiss | 2 | 3rd No 1 | Remake of the Brian Hyland hit from 1962 (No 3) and 1975 (No 7). SAW production. First Australian act to enter at No 1. |
| 24 Jun 1989 | Soul II Soul featuring Caron Wheeler | Back To Life | 4 | Only No 1 | London dance/soul band led by Jazzie B. One of the most successful UK black acts with US hits as well. |
| 22 Jul 1989 | Sonia | You'll Never Stop Me Loving You | 2 | Only No 1 | Effervescent songstress from Liverpool, produced by Stock, Aitken & Waterman. |
| 5 Aug 1989 | Jive Bunny & The Mastermixers | Swing The Mood | 5 | 1st No 1 | Yorkshire DJs who put together a string of old hits (including Glenn Miller's "In The Mood"), overlaid with a dance beat. |
| 9 Sep 1989 | Black Box | Ride On Time | 6 | Only No 1 | Italian producers who heavily sampled Loleatta Holloway's song "Love Sensation". She objected, and further pressings had a different singer. Best selling single of 1989. |
| 21 Oct 1989 | Jive Bunny & The Mastermixers | That's What I Like | 3 | 2nd No 1 | Back with more of the same, this time based around the theme from "Hawaii 5-O". |
| 11 Nov 1989 | Lisa Stansfield | All Around The World | 2 | 1st No 1 | British R&B singer from Rochdale who also had her first hit with Coldcut. She cracked the US and remained popular through the 90s. |
| 25 Nov 1989 | New Kids On The Block | You Got It (The Right Stuff) | 3 | 1st No 1 | US boy band from Boston, which became hot property for a couple of years. |
| 16 Dec 1989 | Jive Bunny & The Mastermixers | Let's Party | 1 | 3rd & last No 1 | The inevitable Christmas edition. Their first three releases made No 1, equalling Gerry & The Pacemakers (1963) and Frankie Goes To Hollywood (1984). |
| 23 Dec 1989 Xmas No 1 |
Band Aid II | Do They Know It's Christmas | 3 | 2nd & last No 1 | Remake of the Xmas No 1 from 1984, with different artists, headed by Cliff Richard. This bridged Cliff's solo Christmas No 1s of 1988 and 1990. |
NOTES: