This is a summary of 1980 in music in the United Kingdom, including the official charts from that year.
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).
| Chart date (week ending) | Song | Artist(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 January | "Another Brick in the Wall" | Pink Floyd | |
| 12 January | |||
| 19 January | "Brass in Pocket" | The Pretenders | |
| 26 January | |||
| 2 February | The Special AKA Live! | The Specials | |
| 9 February | |||
| 16 February | "Coward of the County" | Kenny Rogers | |
| 23 February | |||
| 1 March | "Atomic" | Blondie | |
| 8 March | |||
| 15 March | "Together We Are Beautiful" | Fern Kinney | |
| 22 March | "Going Underground" / "Dreams of Children" | The Jam | |
| 29 March | |||
| 5 April | |||
| 12 April | "Working My Way Back to You" | The Detroit Spinners | |
| 19 April | |||
| 26 April | "Call Me" | Blondie | |
| 3 May | "Geno" | Dexys Midnight Runners | |
| 10 May | |||
| 17 May | "What's Another Year" | Johnny Logan | |
| 24 May | |||
| 31 May | "Theme from M*A*S*H (Suicide Is Painless)" | The Mash | |
| 7 June | |||
| 14 June | |||
| 21 June | "Crying" | Don McLean | |
| 28 June | |||
| 5 July | |||
| 12 July | "Xanadu" | Olivia Newton-John/Electric Light Orchestra | |
| 19 July | |||
| 26 July | "Use It Up and Wear It Out" | Odyssey | |
| 2 August | |||
| 9 August | "The Winner Takes It All" | ABBA | |
| 16 August | |||
| 23 August | "Ashes to Ashes" | David Bowie | |
| 30 August | |||
| 6 September | "Start!" | The Jam | |
| 13 September | "Feels Like I'm in Love" | Kelly Marie | |
| 20 September | |||
| 27 September | "Don't Stand So Close to Me" | The Police | |
| 4 October | |||
| 11 October | |||
| 18 October | |||
| 25 October | "Woman in Love" | Barbra Streisand | |
| 1 November | |||
| 8 November | |||
| 15 November | "The Tide Is High" | Blondie | |
| 22 November | |||
| 29 November | "Super Trouper" | ABBA | |
| 6 December | |||
| 13 December | |||
| 20 December | "(Just Like) Starting Over" | John Lennon | |
| 27 December | "There's No One Quite Like Grandma" | St. Winifred's School Choir |
| Chart date (week ending) | Album | Artist |
|---|---|---|
| 5 January | Greatest Hits, Vol. 1 | Rod Stewart |
| 12 January | Greatest Hits Vol. 2 | ABBA |
| 19 January | Pretenders | The Pretenders |
| 26 January | ||
| 2 February | ||
| 9 February | ||
| 16 February | Last Dance | Various artists |
| 23 February | ||
| 1 March | String of Hits | The Shadows |
| 8 March | ||
| 15 March | ||
| 22 March | Tears and Laughter | Johnny Mathis |
| 29 March | ||
| 5 April | Duke | Genesis |
| 12 April | ||
| 19 April | Greatest Hits | Rose Royce |
| 26 April | ||
| 3 May | Sky 2 | Sky |
| 10 May | ||
| 17 May | The Magic of Boney M. – 20 Golden Hits | Boney M. |
| 24 May | ||
| 31 May | McCartney II | Paul McCartney |
| 7 June | ||
| 14 June | Peter Gabriel | Peter Gabriel |
| 21 June | ||
| 28 June | Flesh and Blood | Roxy Music |
| 5 July | Emotional Rescue | The Rolling Stones |
| 12 July | ||
| 19 July | The Game | Queen |
| 26 July | ||
| 2 August | Deepest Purple | Deep Purple |
| 9 August | Back in Black | AC/DC |
| 16 August | ||
| 23 August | Flesh + Blood | Roxy Music |
| 30 August | ||
| 6 September | ||
| 13 September | Telekon | Gary Numan |
| 20 September | Never for Ever | Kate Bush |
| 27 September | Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps) | David Bowie |
| 4 October | ||
| 11 October | Zenyatta Mondatta | The Police |
| 18 October | ||
| 25 October | ||
| 1 November | ||
| 8 November | Guilty | Barbra Streisand |
| 15 November | ||
| 22 November | Super Trouper | ABBA |
| 29 November | ||
| 6 December | ||
| 13 December | ||
| 20 December | ||
| 27 December |
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]
| scope=col | scope=col | Title | scope=col | Artist | scope=col | Peak position | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 1 | "Don't Stand So Close to Me" | 1 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 2 | "Woman in Love" | 1 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 3 | "Feels Like I'm in Love" | 1 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 4 | "Super Trouper" | ABBA | 1 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 5 | "D.I.S.C.O." | Ottawan | 2 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 6 | "The Tide Is High" | Blondie | 1 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 7 | "Geno" | Dexys Midnight Runners | 1 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 8 | "Together We Are Beautiful" | 1 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 9 | "Coward of the County" | 1 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 10 | "(Just Like) Starting Over" | 1 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 11 | "Working My Way Back to You" | 1 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 12 | "9 to 5" | 3 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 13 | "Baggy Trousers" | Madness | 3 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 14 | "Ashes to Ashes" | 1 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 15 | "Theme from M*A*S*H (Suicide Is Painless)" | MASH | 1 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 16 | "Going Underground"/"Dreams of Children" | 1 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 17 | "Crying" | 1 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 18 | "The Winner Takes It All" | ABBA | 1 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 19 | "Dance Yourself Dizzy" | Liquid Gold | 2 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 20 | "There's No One Quite Like Grandma" | St Winifred's School Choir | 1 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 21 | "Atomic" | Blondie | 1 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 22 | "Upside Down" | 2 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 23 | "Use It Up and Wear It Out" | Odyssey | 1 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 24 | "Start!" | 1 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 25 | "Master Blaster (Jammin')" | 2 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 26 | "Funkytown" | Lipps Inc. | 2 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 27 | "I'm in the Mood for Dancing" | 3 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 28 | "If You're Lookin' for a Way Out" | Odyssey | 6 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 29 | "One Day I'll Fly Away" | 2 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 30 | The Special AKA Live! EP | 1 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 31 | "What You're Proposing" | Status Quo | 2 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 32 | "Take That Look Off Your Face" | 3 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 33 | "No Doubt About It" | Hot Chocolate | 2 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 34 | "Stop the Cavalry" | 3 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 35 | "Brass in Pocket" | Pretenders | 1 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 36 | "Oops Up Side Your Head" | 6 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 37 | "What's Another Year" | 1 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 38 | "Xanadu" | /Electric Light Orchestra | 1 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 39 | "Special Brew" | Bad Manners | 3 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 40 | "King"/"Food for Thought" | UB40 | 4 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 41 | "And the Beat Goes On" | 2 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 42 | "Turning Japanese" | 3 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 43 | "When You Ask About Love" | Matchbox | 4 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 44 | "I Could Be So Good for You" | with the Dennis Waterman Band | 3 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 45 | "My Girl" | Madness | 3 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 46 | "Never Knew Love Like This Before" | 4 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 47 | "Enola Gay" | Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark | 8 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 48 | "Call Me" | Blondie | 1 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 49 | "More Than I Can Say" | 2 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 50 | "Embarrassment" | Madness | 4 |
| scope=col | scope=col | Title | scope=col | Artist | scope=col | Peak position (in 1980)[4] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 1 | Super Trouper | ABBA | 1 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 2 | Zenyatta Mondatta | 1 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 3 | Greatest Hits | Rose Royce | 1 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 4 | Guilty | 1 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 5 | Pretenders | Pretenders | 1 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 6 | Reggatta de Blanc | 2 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 7 | Flesh and Blood | Roxy Music | 1 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 8 | Manilow Magic: The Best of Barry Manilow | 4 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 9 | Off the Wall | 6 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 10 | Duke | Genesis | 1 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 11 | Sky 2 | Sky | 1 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 12 | Double Fantasy | and Yoko Ono | 2 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 13 | One Step Beyond... | Madness | 2 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 14 | 12 Gold Bars | Status Quo | 3 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 15 | String of Hits | 1 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 16 | The Last Dance | Various Artists | 1 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 17 | Greatest Hits Vol. 2 | ABBA | 1 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 18 | Outlandos d'Amour | 9 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 19 | The Magic of Boney M. – 20 Golden Hits | Boney M. | 1 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 20 | Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps) | 1 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 21 | Greatest Hits | Dr. Hook | 2 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 22 | Tell Me on a Sunday | 2 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 23 | Absolutely | Madness | 2 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 24 | Not the Nine O'Clock News | Not the Nine O'Clock News Cast | 5 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 25 | Tears and Laughter | 1 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 26 | Signing Off | UB40 | 2 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 27 | Never for Ever | 1 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 28 | The Wall | Pink Floyd | 3 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 29 | The Specials | 4 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 30 | I Just Can't Stop It | 3 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 31 | Greatest Hits | 1 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 32 | Give Me the Night | 3 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 33 | Get Happy!! | and the Attractions | 2 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 34 | Me Myself I | 5 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 35 | Bat Out of Hell | Meat Loaf | 20 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 36 | McCartney II | 1 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 37 | Emotional Rescue | 1 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 38 | Back in Black | AC/DC | 1 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 39 | Peter Gabriel | 1 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 40 | Eat to the Beat | Blondie | 7 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 41 | Autoamerican | Blondie | 3 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 42 | Parallel Lines | Blondie | 15 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 43 | Hotter than July | 2 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 44 | Sometimes You Win | Dr. Hook | 14 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 45 | Wheels of Steel | Saxon | 5 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 46 | The Game | Queen | 1 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 47 | Sound Affects | 2 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 48 | Kings of the Wild Frontier | Adam and the Ants | 3 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 49 | Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds | 32 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 50 | Breaking Glass | 5 |