Number 2 Hits of The 1980s

A list of songs that tried to reach the top, but failed at the final hurdle. Some classic songs in this list, how they didn’t get to No1 is a mystery for some, Vienna anyone.

1980

 

ottawan-disco

 

1-Nov-1980 Status Quo What You’re Proposing
11-Oct-1980 Ottawan D.I.S.C.O.
4-Oct-1980 Stevie Wonder Masterblaster (Jammin’)
20-Sep-1980 Randy Crawford One Day I’ll Fly Away
9-Aug-1980 Diana Ross Upside Down
2-Aug-1980 Leo Sayer More Than I Can Say
28-Jun-1980 Lipps Inc Funkytown
24-May-1980 Hot Chocolate No Doubt About It
3-May-1980 Paul McCartney Coming Up
5-Apr-1980 Liquid Gold Dance Yourself Dizzy
23-Feb-1980 Whispers And The Beat Goes On
19-Jan-1980 Billy Preston And Syreeta With You I’m Born Again

 

1981

 

cliff-richard-daddys-home

 

12-Dec-1981 Cliff Richard Daddy’s Home
31-Oct-1981 Altered Images Happy Birthday
24-Oct-1981 Laurie Anderson O Superman
10-Oct-1981 Tweets The Birdie Song (Birdie Dance)
3-Oct-1981 Police Invisible Sun
15-Aug-1981 Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Hooked On Classics
8-Aug-1981 Stevie Wonder Happy Birthday
18-Jul-1981 Starsound Stars On 45 Vol. 2
13-Jun-1981 Kate Robbins And Beyond More Than In Love
16-May-1981 Shakin’ Stevens You Drive Me Crazy
9-May-1981 Starsound Stars On 45
25-Apr-1981 Ennio Morricone Chi Mai (Theme From The TV Series ‘The Life And Times Of David Lloyd George’)
28-Mar-1981 Kim Wilde Kids In America
14-Mar-1981 Adam And The Ants Kings Of The Wild Frontier
14-Feb-1981 Ultravox Vienna
7-Feb-1981 Phil Collins In The Air Tonight
17-Jan-1981 Adam And The Ants Ant Music
10-Jan-1981 John And Yoko And The Plastic Ono Band With The Harlem Community Choir Happy Xmas (War Is Over)

 

1982

 

blue-christmas-shakin-stevens

 

25-Dec-1982 Shakin’ Stevens The Shakin’ Stevens EP (Blue Christmas; Que Sera Sera; Josephine; Lawdy Miss Clawdy)
27-Nov-1982 Human League Mirror Man
13-Nov-1982 Dionne Warwick Heartbreaker
30-Oct-1982 Kid Creole And The Coconuts Annie I’m Not Your Daddy
9-Oct-1982 Fat Larry’s Band Zoom
25-Sep-1982 Jam The Bitterest Pill (I Ever Had To Swallow)
18-Sep-1982 Dire Straits Private Investigations
11-Sep-1982 Duran Duran Save A Prayer
24-Jul-1982 Trio Da Da Da
10-Jul-1982 Steve Miller Band Abracadbra
19-Jun-1982 Soft Cell Torch
22-May-1982 Yazoo Only You
8-May-1982 England World Cup Squad This Time (We’ll Get It Right) / England We’ll Fly The Flag
1-May-1982 Bardo One Step Further
17-Apr-1982 Chas & Dave Ain’t No Pleasing You
3-Apr-1982 Imagination Just An Illusion
6-Mar-1982 Toni Basil Mickey
13-Feb-1982 Stranglers Golden Brown

 

1983

 

my-oh-my-slade

 

24-Dec-1983 Slade My Oh My
3-Dec-1983 Paul Young Love Of The Common People
19-Nov-1983 Paul McCartney And Michael Jackson Say Say Say
29-Oct-1983 Lionel Richie All Night Long (All Night)
15-Oct-1983 Tracey Ullman They Don’t Know
8-Oct-1983 David Bowie Modern Love
17-Sep-1983 Peabo Bryson And Roberta Flack Tonight I Celebrate My Love
10-Sep-1983 Madness Wings Of A Dove
20-Aug-1983 Spandau Ballet Gold
23-Jul-1983 Freeez I.O.U.
9-Jul-1983 Irene Cara Flashdance… What A Feeling
18-Jun-1983 David Bowie China Girl
4-Jun-1983 Wham! Bad Boys
21-May-1983 Heaven 17 Temptation
14-May-1983 Human League (Keep Feeling) Fascination
30-Apr-1983 FR David Words
16-Apr-1983 Culture Club Church Of The Poison Mind
19-Mar-1983 Eurythmics Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)
5-Feb-1983 Eddy Grant Electric Avenue
15-Jan-1983 David Essex A Winter’s Tale

 

1984

 

last-christmas-wham

 

15-Dec-1984 Wham! Last Christmas / Everything She Wants
17-Nov-1984 Duran Duran Wild Boys
27-Oct-1984 Paul McCartney No More Lonely Nights (Ballard)
13-Oct-1984 Culture Club The War Song
22-Sep-1984 Ray Parker Jr Ghostbusters
18-Aug-1984 Black Lace Agadoo
21-Jul-1984 Neil Hole In My Shoe
30-Jun-1984 Nik Kershaw I Won’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me (Re-Issue)
2-Jun-1984 Deniece Williams Let’s Hear It For The Boy
19-May-1984 Pointer Sisters Automatic
28-Apr-1984 Phil Collins Against All Odds (Take A Look At Me Now)
21-Apr-1984 Thompson Twins You Take Me Up
7-Apr-1984 Shakin’ Stevens A Love Worth Waiting For
31-Mar-1984 Weather Girls It’s Raining Men
10-Mar-1984 Kool And The Gang Joanna / Tonight
11-Feb-1984 Queen Radio Gaga
4-Feb-1984 Cyndi Lauper Girls Just Want To Have Fun
14-Jan-1984 Howard Jones What Is Love

 

1985

 

take-on-me-aha

 

26-Oct-1985 A-Ha Take On Me
14-Sep-1985 Bonnie Tyler Holding Out For A Hero
17-Aug-1985 Madonna Holiday
6-Jul-1985 Harold Faltermeyer Axel F
29-Jun-1985 Madonna Crazy For You
15-Jun-1985 Marillion Kayleigh
25-May-1985 Duran Duran A View To A Kill
20-Apr-1985 Tears For Fears Everybody Wants To Rule The World
6-Apr-1985 Frankie Goes To Hollywood Welcome To The Pleasure Dome
23-Mar-1985 Alison Moyet That Ole Devil Called Love
9-Feb-1985 King Love And Pride
26-Jan-1985 Prince 1999 / Little Red Corvette (Re-Issue)

 

1986

 

sometimes-erasure

 

13-Dec-1986 Erasure Sometimes
15-Nov-1986 Kim Wilde You Keep Me Hangin’ On
1-Nov-1986 Status Quo In The Army Now
4-Oct-1986 Five Star Rain Or Shine
20-Sep-1986 Jermaine Stewart We Don’t Have To…
9-Aug-1986 Sinitta So Macho/Cruising
19-Jul-1986 Rod Stewart Every Beat Of My Heart
28-Jun-1986 Nu Shooz I Can’t Wait
7-Jun-1986 Simply Red Holding Back The Years
17-May-1986 Patti LaBelle And Michael McDonald On My Own
10-May-1986 Madonna Live To Tell
5-Apr-1986 Sam Cooke Wonderful World (Re-Issue)
22-Mar-1986 David Bowie Absolute Beginners
15-Mar-1986 Bangles Manic Monday
22-Feb-1986 Su Pollard Starting Together
15-Feb-1986 Madonna Borderline
1-Feb-1986 Nana Mouskouri Only Love
25-Jan-1986 Dire Straits Walk Of Life

 

1987

 

fairytale-of-new-york-pogues-with-kirsty-maccoll

 

26-Dec-1987 The Pogues Featuring Kirsty MacColl Fairytale Of New York
12-Dec-1987 Rick Astley When I Fall In Love / My Arms Keep Missing You
14-Nov-1987 George Harrison Got My Mind Set On You
31-Oct-1987 George Michael Faith
24-Oct-1987 Jan Hammer Crockett’s Theme
10-Oct-1987 Abigail Mead & Nigel Goulding Full Metal Jacket (I Wanna Be Your Drill Instructor)
12-Sep-1987 Fat Boys And The Beach Boys Wipeout
29-Aug-1987 Pet Shop Boys And Dusty Springfield What Have I Done To Deserve This
22-Aug-1987 Spagna Call Me
11-Jul-1987 Bruce Willis Under The Boardwalk
13-Jun-1987 Johnny Logan Hold Me Now
23-May-1987 Tom Jones A Boy From Nowhere
25-Apr-1987 Judy Boucher Can’t Be With You Tonight
28-Feb-1987 Percy Sledge When A Man Loves A Woman (Re-Issue)
7-Feb-1987 Pepsi & Shirlie Heartache

 

1988

 

cat-among-the-pigeons-bros

 

3-Dec-1988 Bros Cat Among The Pigeons / Silent Night
26-Nov-1988 Inxs Need You Tonight
19-Nov-1988 Yazz Stand Up For Your Love Rights
29-Oct-1988 Kylie Minogue Je Ne Sais Pas Pourquoi
22-Oct-1988 Bobby McFerrin Don’t Worry Be Happy
3-Sep-1988 Brother Beyond The Harder I Try
6-Aug-1988 Kylie Minogue The Loco-motion
16-Jul-1988 Salt-N-Pepa Push It / Tramp
2-Jul-1988 Fat Boys And Chubby Checker The Twist (Yo Twist)
28-May-1988 Kylie Minogue Got To Be Certain
23-Apr-1988 Climie Fisher Love Changes Everything
26-Mar-1988 Bros Drop The Boy
12-Mar-1988 Rick Astley Together Forever
27-Feb-1988 Bomb The Bass Beat Dis
6-Feb-1988 Bros When Will I Be Famous
23-Jan-1988 Terence Trent D’arby Sign Your Name

 

1989

 

when-you-come-back-to-me-jason-donovan

 

16-Dec-1989 Jason Donovan When You Come Back To Me
2-Dec-1989 Linda Ronstadt Featuring Aaron Neville Don’t Know Much
18-Nov-1989 Phil Collins Another Day In Paradise
28-Oct-1989 Milli Vanilli Girl I’m Gonna Miss You
7-Oct-1989 Technotronic Featuring Felly Pump Up The Jam
23-Sep-1989 Richard Marx Right Here Waiting
16-Sep-1989 Jason Donovan Everyday (I Love You More)
26-Aug-1989 Alice Cooper Poison
19-Aug-1989 Lil’ Louis French Kiss
5-Aug-1989 Kylie Minogue Wouldn’t Change A Thing
29-Jul-1989 Bros Too Much
22-Jul-1989 London Boys London Nights
8-Jul-1989 Beautiful South Song For Whoever
1-Jul-1989 Prince Batdance
10-Jun-1989 Cliff Richard The Best Of Me
3-Jun-1989 Natalie Cole Miss You Like Crazy
15-Apr-1989 Simply Red If You Don’t Know Me By Now
4-Mar-1989 Michael Jackson Leave Me Alone
25-Feb-1989 Michael Ball Love Changes Everything
28-Jan-1989 Mike And The Mechanics The Living Years
7-Jan-1989 Erasure Crackers International EP (Stop; The Hardest Part; Knocking On Your Door; She Won’t Be Home)

 

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