Through most of the 1980s, I bought a copy of the music trade magazine Billboard every week. Friends and I pored over its singles and albums charts, seeking insights into that week’s most popular music. I also calculated the top artists each week, as well as the top singles, albums and artists of each year.
After buying an April 1980 edition of rival music CashBox, then the 1980 year-end issue of Billboard, I am fairly certain the first weekly Billboard I bought was for the week ending January 17, 1981, when I was a freshman in high school. While the number one single and album that week were by England-born John Lennon: “(Just Like) Starting Over” and Double Fantasy, the charts were dominated by American artists like Pat Benatar, Blondie, Neil Diamond, Kenny Rogers, Bruce Springsteen and Barbara Streisand – as well as classic rock acts like AC/DC and Rod Stewart.
Despite my reliance on whatever Philadelphia-area radio stations played, I was aware of an exciting new music – variously called new wave, post-punk, punk, ska and synthpop – being recorded in the United Kingdom; I already knew and liked similar American bands like Blondie, The Cars and Talking Heads. The first British recording in this vein I recall hearing was a top 30 single from the summer of 1979 called “Is She Really Going Out With Him?” by Joe Jackson. Later that year, I bought the 45 RPM single of “Pop Musik” by M, Robin Scott’s synth-pop collective, which hit #1 in the United States on November 3, 1979. Over the next few months, I heard “Cars” by Gary Numan, “Brass in Pocket” by The Pretenders – a British quartet fronted by a female singer from Ohio – and “Train in Vain” by The Clash; the 45 RPM single for the latter was backed by a powerful song called “London Calling.” I bought The Pretenders’ self-titled debut album and a compilation called Rock 80, which included the Joe Jackson and Gary Numan singles.
At midnight on Sunday evening, September 28, 1980, NBC premiered a half-hour music video show hosted by former Fleetwood Mac lead singer Bob Welch called Hollywood Heartbeat. On October 12, it began to air at 11:30 pm, which is likely when I started to watch it. Not only could I watch new music videos from The Cars (“Touch and Go”) and The Pretenders (“Talk of the Town”), I saw ones for artists I was just learning about, like New Zealand’s Split Enz and a female quintet Los Angeles called The Go-Go’s. By December 14, though, Hollywood Heartbeat had moved to a much later time slot, so I had to wait until January 1982 to watch music videos on HBO’s half-hour-long Video Jukebox, excepting the occasional filler between movies.
One music video I saw on Hollywood Heartbeat was for a song called “Don’t Stand So Close To Me” by a British trio called The Police; I still have my vinyl copy of its parent album, Zenyatta Mondatta. The first single released in the United States from it, “De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da,” entered the Billboard Hot 100 at #80 on October 25, 1980. Two earlier singles by The Police, “Roxanne” and “Message in a Bottle,” had peaked at #32 and #74, respectively, on the Billboard Hot 100, while eight other singles never charted in the United States.
Thus, when I saw “De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da” at #10 in the January 17, 1981 Billboard, I saw a turning point. The song spent two weeks at #10 before falling out of the top 10. On April 11, “Don’t Stand So Close to Me” entered the top 10, also spending two weeks at #10. No other British artist of this type had ever come close to having back-to-back top 10 singles.
This was not quite the start of the second British Invasion, though. While The Police had knocked down the first barricade with these singles, they then had to wait for reinforcements. No similar singles charted on the Billboard Hot 100 until August 1, when “Tempted” by Squeeze entered at #83 and “We Can Get Together” by Australian band Icehouse entered at #86, peaking at #49 and #62, respectively.
Then, on September 26, the first single released in the United States from The Police’s fourth album, Ghost In the Machine, entered the Billboard Hot 100 at #66. And, with that, I argue, the second British Invasion truly began, propelled by a revolutionary cable channel which had debuted at noon the previous August 1. MTV (Music Television) played music videos 24 hours a day, every day. While American musical artists were slow to realize its promotional potential, artists from the UK and Australasia correctly saw MTV as a new way to reach younger American record buyers like my friends and me. It helped that many of these bands had, like The Police, already developed a unique visual style.
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A total of 171 second British Invasion singles charted between September 26, 1981 and December 22, 1984, when “Do Know They It’s Christmas?” by BandAid entered the Billboard Hot 100 at #65, eventually peaking at #13. So many members of key second British invasion bands came together to record this song that it makes a perfect coda – even though some British (etc.) artists who first charted in the United States between 1982 and 1984, such as ABC, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, INXS, Howard Jones, Simple Minds, Tears For Fears, U2, Wang Chung, Kim Wilde and Paul Young, plus George Michael as a solo artist, had yet to reach their commercial peak in the United States. I included Australian bands Icehouse, INXS, Men at Work and Real Life, as well as Ireland’s Dexy’s Midnight Runners and U2; New Zealand’s Split Enz and Scotland’s Big Country; all released videos which garnered substantial airplay on MTV. I excluded already-established artists like David Bowie, Elton John, Roxy Music, Rod Stewart and former members of The Beatles – while I included questionable artists like Musical Youth and Tracey Ullman, deciding they “rode the coattails” of other British artists to one-time top 10 success in the United States.
I used this formula to calculate a score for each song:
POINTS = Σ(101 – weekly chart position) + #weeks in Top 40 + 2 * #weeks in Top 10 + 5 * #weeks #1
For example, “King of Pain” by The Police entered the Billboard Hot 100 at #37, advancing to #25 the next week. For the first week, it earned 101-37=64 points. For the second week, it earned 101-25=76 points. And so forth. During its 16 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, it garnered 1,174 points. It earned an additional 23 points for spending 13 weeks in the top 40 and five weeks in the Top 10 (5*2 =10), peaking at #3 for two weeks, for a total of 1,197 points.
Here, then, are the top 100 singles of the second British invasion. Songs in italics were still on the Billboard Hot 100 on December 22, 1984. Billboard repeats its charts for the last week of the year; I exclude data from these charts. Ties were broken by highest chart position.
[There is now a companion YouTube video.]
#100. “Don’t Let Go” by Wang Chung
Debut: February 4, 1984 (#89)
Peak Position: #38, 2 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 11
Weeks in Top 40: 3
Total Points: 444
#99. “Wouldn’t It Be Good” by Nik Kershaw
Debut: March 31, 1984 (#93)
Peak Position: #46, 1 week
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 13
Total Points: 455
#98. “(Pride) In the Name of Love” by U2
Debut: October 27, 1984 (#85)
Peak Position: #33, 1 week
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 9
Weeks in Top 40: 4
Total Points: 459 (rises to 620 with 5 additional weeks)
#97. “Catch Me I’m Falling” by Real Life
Debut: March 24, 1984 (#75)
Peak Position: #40, 1 week
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 11
Weeks in Top 40: 1
Total Points: 469
#96. “Rebel Yell” by Billy Idol
Debut: January 28, 1984 (#87)
Peak Position: #46, 2 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 14
Total Points: 506
#95. “Right By Your Side” by Eurythmics
Debut: July 21, 1984 (#67)
Peak Position: #29, 1 week
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 10
Weeks in Top 40: 4
Total Points: 519
#94. “(what) In the Name of Love” by Naked Eyes
Debut: August 11, 1984 (#73)
Peak Position: #39, 2 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 12
Weeks in Top 40: 2
Total Points: 528
#93. “Whisper to a Scream (Birds Fly)” by Icicle Works
Debut: April 21, 1984 (#85)
Peak Position: #37, 2 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 12
Weeks in Top 40: 4
Total Points: 542
#92. “When the Lights Go Out” by Naked Eyes
Debut: October 22, 1983 (#85)
Peak Position: #37, 1 week
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 13
Weeks in Top 40: 2
Total Points: 548
#91. “Dr. Heckyll and Mr. Jive” by Men At Work
Debut: September 17, 1983 (#67)
Peak Position: #28, 2 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 11
Weeks in Top 40: 5
Total Points: 548
#90. “Mirror Man” by Human League
Debut: October 1, 1983 (#79)
Peak Position: #30, 1 week
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 12
Weeks in Top 40: 5
Total Points: 578
#89. “It Must Be Love” by Madness
Debut: August 20, 1983 (#85)
Peak Position: #33, 2 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 12
Weeks in Top 40: 5
Total Points: 596
#88. “Only When You Leave” by Spandau Ballet
Debut: July 28, 1984 (#68)
Peak Position: #34, 2 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 12
Weeks in Top 40: 4
Total Points: 598
#87. “What Is Love” by Howard Jones
Debut: April 21, 1984 (#84)
Peak Position: #33, 3 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 13
Weeks in Top 40: 4
Total Points: 603
#86. “The Sign of Fire” by The Fixx
Debut: November 26, 1983 (#75)
Peak Position: #35, 2 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 12
Weeks in Top 40: 6
Total Points: 609
#85. “Gold” by Spandau Ballet
Debut: November 19, 1983 (#68)
Peak Position: #29, 2 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 11
Weeks in Top 40: 5
Total Points: 610
#84. “Everyday I Write the Book” by Elvis Costello & the Attractions
Debut: August 20, 1983 (#82)
Peak Position: #36, 1 week
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 14
Weeks in Top 40: 2
Total Points: 611
83. “White Wedding, Pt. 1” by Billy Idol
Debut: May 21, 1983 (#71)
Peak Position: #36, 2 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 13
Weeks in Top 40: 3
Total Points: 619
82. “Flesh For Fantasy” by Billy Idol
Debut: August 25, 1984 (#64)
Peak Position: #29, 2 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 12
Weeks in Top 40: 5
Total Points: 630
81. “Just Got Lucky” by JoBoxers
Debut: September 10, 1983 (#93)
Peak Position: #36, 2 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 15
Weeks in Top 40: 4
Total Points: 636
80. “The One Thing” by INXS
Debut: March 26, 1983 (#90)
Peak Position: #30, 2 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 14
Weeks in Top 40: 5
Total Points: 646
79. “My Ever Changing Moods” by Style Council
Debut: April 7, 1984 (#92)
Peak Position: #29, 1 week
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 14
Weeks in Top 40: 6
Total Points: 657
78. “Show Me” by The Pretenders
Debut: March 17, 1984 (#74)
Peak Position: #28, 1 week
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 13
Weeks in Top 40: 6
Total Points: 663
77. “Red Red Wine” by UB40
Debut: January 28, 1984 (#83)
Peak Position: #34, 2 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 15
Weeks in Top 40: 4
Total Points: 672
76. “It’s My Life” by Talk Talk
Debut: March 24, 1984 (#79)
Peak Position: #31, 2 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 14
Weeks in Top 40: 6
Total Points: 691
75. “Love Is a Stranger” by Eurythmics
Debut: September 17, 1983 (#81)
Peak Position: #23, 1 week
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 13
Weeks in Top 40: 6
Total Points: 696
74. “The Wild Boys” by Duran Duran
Debut: November 3, 1984 (#38)
Peak Position: #2, 2 weeks (3 overall)
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 8 (17 overall)
Weeks in Top 40: 8 (13 overall)
Weeks in Top 10: 4 (7 overall)
Total Points: 696 (rises to 1,262 with 9 more weeks)
73. “The War Song” by Culture Club
Debut: October 6, 1984 (#56)
Peak Position: #17, 1 week
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 12
Weeks in Top 40: 7
Total Points: 713
72. “Love Plus One” by Haircut 100
Debut: May 15, 1982 (#89)
Peak Position: #37, 1 week
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 17
Weeks in Top 40: 4
Total Points: 724
71. “New Song” by Howard Jones
Debut: January 21, 1984 (#73)
Peak Position: #27, 1 week
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 15
Weeks in Top 40: 6
Total Points: 737
70. “Lies” by Thompson Twins
Debut: January 22, 1983 (#80)
Peak Position: #30, 3 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 16
Weeks in Top 40: 5
Total Points: 768
69. “Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You)” by A Flock of Seagulls
Debut: May 14, 1983 (#83)
Peak Position: #26, 2 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 14
Weeks in Top 40: 7
Total Points: 772
68. “Who’s That Girl?” by Eurythmics
Debut: May 5, 1984 (#61)
Peak Position: #21, 2 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 13
Weeks in Top 40: 6
Total Points: 772
67. “Should I Stay or Should I Go?” by The Clash
Debut: July 17, 1982 (#92); reentered February 18, 1983 (#79)
Peak Position: #45, 2 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 23 (13, 10)
Total Points: 790
66. “Rio” by Duran Duran
Debut: April 2, 1983 (#58)
Peak Position: #14, 2 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 13
Weeks in Top 40: 9
Total Points: 805
65. “Synchronicity II” by The Police
Debut: November 5, 1983 (#54)
Peak Position: #16, 3 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 13
Weeks in Top 40: 8
Total Points: 813
64. “Romancing the Stone” by Eddy Grant
Debut: May 19, 1984 (#93)
Peak Position: #26, 2 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 17
Weeks in Top 40: 5
Total Points: 815
63. “Send Me an Angel” by Real Life
Debut: November 12, 1983 (#95)
Peak Position: #29, 2 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 18
Weeks in Top 40: 6
Total Points: 821
62. “It’s a Miracle” by Culture Club
Debut: May 12, 1984 (#42)
Peak Position: #13, 2 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 13
Weeks in Top 40: 8
Total Points: 842
61. “Poison Arrow” by ABC
Debut: January 29, 1983 (#72)
Peak Position: #25, 3 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 15
Weeks in Top 40: 8
Total Points: 845
60. “Space Age Love Song” by A Flock of Seagulls
Debut: November 13, 1982 (#83)
Peak Position: #30, 2 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 18
Weeks in Top 40: 7
Total Points: 856
59. “Come Back and Stay” by Paul Young
Debut: February 4, 1984 (#74)
Peak Position: #22, 1 week
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 15
Weeks in Top 40: 8
Total Points: 857
58. “Middle of the Road” by The Pretenders
Debut: December 17, 1983 (#50)
Peak Position: #19, 2 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 13
Weeks in Top 40: 9
Total Points: 859
57. “In a Big Country” by Big Country
Debut: October 22, 1983 (#73)
Peak Position: #17, 3 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 14
Weeks in Top 40: 8
Total Points: 869
56. “Spirits in the Material World” by The Police
Debut: January 16, 1982 (#76)
Peak Position: #11, 2 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 13
Weeks in Top 40: 10
Total Points: 878
55. “Are We Ourselves?” by The Fixx
Debut: August 18, 1984 (#60)
Peak Position: #15, 1 week
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 15
Weeks in Top 40: 8
Total Points: 879
54. “Saved By Zero” by The Fixx
Debut: May 28, 1983 (#80)
Peak Position: #20, 1 week
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 16
Weeks in Top 40: 8
Total Points: 944
53. “Kids In America” by Kim Wilde
Debut: May 22, 1982 (#88)
Peak Position: #25, 4 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 18
Weeks in Top 40: 8
Total Points: 954
52. “The Politics of Dancing” by Re-Flex
Debut: November 26, 1983 (#89)
Peak Position: #24, 1 week
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 20
Weeks in Top 40: 5
Total Points: 954
51. “You Can’t Get You Want (‘til You Know What You Want)” by Joe Jackson
Debut: April 21, 1984 (#60)
Peak Position: #15, 1 week
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 16
Weeks in Top 40: 9
Total Points: 955
50. “Hot in the City” by Billy Idol
Debut: July 3, 1982 (#77)
Peak Position: #23, 4 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 17
Weeks in Top 40: 9
Total Points: 963
49. “Breaking Us in Two” by Joe Jackson
Debut: January 15, 1983 (#73)
Peak Position: #18, 1 week
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 16
Weeks in Top 40: 10
Total Points: 993
48. “Doctor! Doctor!” by Thompson Twins
Debut: May 26, 1984 (#60)
Peak Position: #11, 1 week
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 16
Weeks in Top 40: 9
Total Points: 1,017
47. “Pass the Dutchie” by Musical Youth
Debut: December 11, 1982 (#80)
Peak Position: #10, 2 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 17
Weeks in Top 40: 10
Weeks in Top 10: 2
Total Points: 1,040
46. “Wrapped Around Your Finger” by The Police
Debut: January 7, 1984 (#61)
Peak Position: #8, 1 week
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 16
Weeks in Top 40: 10
Weeks in Top 10: 2
Total Points: 1,073
45. “Church of the Poison Mind” by Culture Club
Debut: October 22, 1983 (#54)
Peak Position: #10, 3 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 16
Weeks in Top 40: 11
Weeks in Top 10: 3
Total Points: 1,079
44. “They Don’t Know” by Tracey Ullman
Debut: March 3, 1984 (#48)
Peak Position: #8, 2 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 16
Weeks in Top 40: 11
Weeks in Top 10: 3
Total Points: 1,122
43. “I’ll Tumble 4 Ya” by Culture Club
Debut: July 2, 1983 (#64)
Peak Position: #9, 2 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 16
Weeks in Top 40: 12
Weeks in Top 10: 4
Total Points: 1,126
42. “It’s a Mistake” by Men At Work
Debut: July 2, 1983 (#42)
Peak Position: #6, 2 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 15
Weeks in Top 40: 12
Weeks in Top 10: 4
Total Points: 1,130
41. “Cruel Summer” by Bananarama
Debut: July 21, 1984 (#76)
Peak Position: #9, 1 week
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 18
Weeks in Top 40: 11
Weeks in Top 10: 2
Total Points: 1,131
40. “New Moon on Monday” by Duran Duran
Debut: January 14, 1984 (#58)
Peak Position: #10, 1 week
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 17
Weeks in Top 40: 11
Weeks in Top 10: 1
Total Points: 1,132
39. “Miss Me Blind” by Culture Club
Debut: March 3, 1984 (#40)
Peak Position: #5, 2 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 16
Weeks in Top 40: 12
Weeks in Top 10: 6
Total Points: 1,154
38. “Dance Hall Days” by Wang Chung
Debut: April 21, 1984 (#88)
Peak Position: #16, 1 week
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 22
Weeks in Top 40: 11
Total Points: 1,172
37. “King of Pain” by The Police
Debut: September 27, 1983 (#37)
Peak Position: #3, 2 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 16
Weeks in Top 40: 13
Weeks in Top 10: 5
Total Points: 1,197
36. “Union of the Snake” by Duran Duran
Debut: November 5, 1983 (#59)
Peak Position: #3, 2 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 16
Weeks in Top 40: 11
Weeks in Top 10: 5
Total Points: 1,207
35. “I Ran (So Far Away)” by A Flock of Seagulls
Debut: July 10, 1982 (#86)
Peak Position: #9, 2 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 22
Weeks in Top 40: 10
Weeks in Top 10: 4
Total Points: 1,235
34. “Is There Something I Should Know” by Duran Duran
Debut: June 4, 1983 (#57)
Peak Position: #4, 1 week
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 17
Weeks in Top 40: 12
Weeks in Top 10: 6
Total Points: 1,263
33. “Promises, Promises” by Naked Eyes
Debut: July 16, 1983 (#71)
Peak Position: #11, 1 week
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 19
Weeks in Top 40: 12
Total Points: 1,269
32. “Goody Two Shoes” by Adam Ant
Debut: November 13, 1982 (#85)
Peak Position: #12, 3 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 20
Weeks in Top 40: 13
Total Points: 1,274
31. “Our House” by Madness
Debut: May 7, 1983 (#76)
Peak Position: #7, 1 week
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 19
Weeks in Top 40: 13
Weeks in Top 10: 4
Total Points: 1,277
30. “Overkill” by Men At Work
Debut: April 9, 1983 (#28)
Peak Position: #3, 1 week
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 16
Weeks in Top 40: 13
Weeks in Top 10: 8
Total Points: 1,281
29. “Too Shy” by Kajagoogoo
Debut: April 23, 1983 (#81)
Peak Position: #5, 1 week
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 19
Weeks in Top 40: 12
Weeks in Top 10: 4
Total Points: 1,282
28. “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” by Wham!
Debut: September 8, 1984 (#80)
Peak Position: #1, 3 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 16 (23 overall)
Weeks in Top 40: 12 (13 overall)
Weeks in Top 10: 8
Weeks at #1: 3
Total Points: 1,321 (1,570 with 7 more weeks)
27. “One Thing Leads to Another” by The Fixx
Debut: September 27, 1983 (#65)
Peak Position: #4, 1 week
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 18
Weeks in Top 40: 13
Weeks in Top 10: 7
Total Points: 1,327
26. “Always Something There to Remind Me” by Naked Eyes
Debut: March 12, 1983 (#85)
Peak Position: #8, 2 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 22
Weeks in Top 40: 13
Weeks in Top 10: 2
Total Points: 1,330
25. “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic” by The Police
Debut: September 26, 1981 (#66)
Peak Position: #3, 2 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 18
Weeks in Top 40: 13
Weeks in Top 10: 4
Total Points: 1,332
24. “The Look of Love (Part 1)” by ABC
Debut: September 11, 1982 (#77)
Peak Position: #18, 3 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 24
Weeks in Top 40: 12
Total Points: 1,350
23. “Here Comes the Rain Again” by Eurythmics
Debut: January 28, 1984 (#53)
Peak Position: #4, 2 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 20
Weeks in Top 40: 14
Weeks in Top 10: 7
Total Points: 1,390
22. “True” by Spandau Ballet
Debut: August 6, 1983 (#67)
Peak Position: #4, 4 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 18
Weeks in Top 40: 13
Weeks in Top 10: 6
Total Points: 1,396
21. “(Keep Feeling) Fascination” by Human League
Debut: May 28, 1983 (#72)
Peak Position: #8, 2 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 20
Weeks in Top 40: 13
Weeks in Top 10: 3
Total Points: 1,414
20. “Eyes Without a Face” by Billy Idol
Debut: May 5, 1984 (#63)
Peak Position: #4, 2 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 22
Weeks in Top 40: 14
Weeks in Top 10: 6
Total Points: 1,419
19. “Time (Clock of the Heart)” by Culture Club
Debut: April 16, 1983 (#59)
Peak Position: #2, 2 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 18
Weeks in Top 40: 13
Weeks in Top 10: 9
Total Points: 1,426
18. “Rock the Casbah” by The Clash
Debut: October 2, 1982 (#90)
Peak Position: #8, 4 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 23
Weeks in Top 40: 14
Weeks in Top 10: 5
Total Points: 1,446
17. “Der Kommissar” by After the Fire
Debut: February 12, 1983 (#75)
Peak Position: #5, 2 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 21
Weeks in Top 40: 14
Weeks in Top 10: 5
Total Points: 1,456
16. “Back on the Chain Gang” by The Pretenders
Debut: December 11, 1982 (#88)
Peak Position: #5, 3 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 23
Weeks in Top 40: 14
Weeks in Top 10: 5
Total Points: 1,523
15. “The Reflex” by Duran Duran
Debut: April 21, 1984 (#46)
Peak Position: #1, 2 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 21
Weeks in Top 40: 14
Weeks in Top 10: 8
Weeks at #1: 2
Total Points: 1,524
14. “Hold Me Now” by Thompson Twins
Debut: February 11, 1984 (#73)
Peak Position: #3, 2 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 21
Weeks in Top 40: 15
Weeks in Top 10: 7
Total Points: 1,541
13. “Karma Chameleon” by Culture Club
Debut: December 3, 1983 (#52)
Peak Position: #1, 3 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 21
Weeks in Top 40: 15
Weeks in Top 10: 9
Weeks at #1: 3
Total Points: 1,559
12. “She Blinded Me With Science” by Thomas Dolby
Debut: February 19, 1983 (#77)
Peak Position: #5, 4 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 22
Weeks in Top 40: 15
Weeks in Top 10: 8
Total Points: 1,561
11. “Come on Eileen” by Dexy’s Midnight Runners
Debut: January 22, 1983 (#79)
Peak Position: #1, 1 week
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 23
Weeks in Top 40: 14
Weeks in Top 10: 6
Weeks at #1: 1
Total Points: 1,583
10. “Electric Avenue” by Eddy Grant
Debut: April 16, 1983 (#89)
Peak Position: #2, 5 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 22
Weeks in Top 40: 15
Weeks in Top 10: 8
Total Points: 1,584
9. “Steppin’ Out” by Joe Jackson
Debut: August 21, 1982 (#88)
Peak Position: #6, 3 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 26
Weeks in Top 40: 14
Weeks in Top 10: 7
Total Points: 1,595
8. “Hungry Like the Wolf” by Duran Duran
Debut: December 25, 1982 (#77)
Peak Position: #3, 3 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 22
Weeks in Top 40: 16
Weeks in Top 10: 9
Total Points: 1,653
7. “Do You Really Wanna Hurt Me” by Culture Club
Debut: December 4, 1982 (#80)
Peak Position: #2, 3 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 24
Weeks in Top 40: 18
Weeks in Top 10: 9
Total Points: 1,801
6. “Who Can It Be Now?” by Men at Work
Debut: July 10, 1982 (#83)
Peak Position: #1, 1 week
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 26
Weeks in Top 40: 17
Weeks in Top 10: 9
Weeks at #1: 1
Total Points: 1,805
5. “Down Under” by Men at Work
Debut: November 6, 1982 (#79)
Peak Position: #1, 4 weeks (non-consecutive)
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 24
Weeks in Top 40: 18
Weeks in Top 10: 9
Weeks at #1: 4
Total Points: 1,861
4. “Tainted Love” by Soft Cell
Debut: March 13, 1982 (#90)
Peak Position: #8, 2 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 43
Weeks in Top 40: 15
Weeks in Top 10: 3
Total Points: 1,894
3. “Every Breath You Take” by The Police
Debut: June 4, 1983 (#36)
Peak Position: #1, 8 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 22
Weeks in Top 40: 20
Weeks in Top 10: 13
Weeks at #1: 8
Total Points: 1,959
2. “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” by Eurythmics
Debut: May 14, 1983 (#90)
Peak Position: #1, 1 week
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 27
Weeks in Top 40: 18
Weeks in Top 10: 10
Weeks at #1: 1
Total Points: 1,964
1. “Don’t You Want Me” by Human League
Debut: March 6, 1982 (#86)
Peak Position: #1, 3 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 28
Weeks in Top 40: 21
Weeks in Top 10: 12
Weeks at #1: 3
Total Points: 2.090
***********
The 171 second British Invasion singles were recorded by 63 artists, with means of 2.7 singles and 1,839.5 points; medians are 2.0 and 1,199, respectively. As of the end of 1984, 99 second British Invasion singles had reached the top 40, 44 had reached the top 10, and 9 had hit number 1; Men At Work lead with two #1 singles, while Culture Club and Duran Duran lead with six top 10 singles each. After peaking at #67 in 7 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 in the spring of 1984, “Relax” by Frankie Goes to Hollywood reentered at #70 on January 19, 1985, eventually peaking at #10 for two weeks. “Careless Whisper” by Wham! featuring George Michael entered the Billboard Hot 100 at #37 on December 22, 1984; it spent three weeks at #1.
Twenty-one artists, meanwhile totaled more points than average; Bananarama and INXS also placed four songs on the Billboard Hot 100:
21. Thomas Dolby (1,853 points; 3 tracks)
20. Adam Ant (1,860; 3)
19. Soft Cell (1,894; 1)
18. Madness (1,969; 3)
17. ABC (2,222; 3)
16. The Clash (2,236; 2)
15. Eddy Grant (2,641; 3)
14. Spandau Ballet (2,787; 3)
13. The Pretenders (3,115; 4)
12. A Flock of Seagulls (3,117; 4)
11. Naked Eyes (3,675; 4)
10. Joe Jackson (3,788; 5)
9. The Fixx (3,987; 6)
8. Thompson Twins (4,170; 6)
7. Human League (4,209; 4)
6. Billy Idol (4,423; 6)
5. Eurythmics (5,396; 6)
4. Men At Work (6,625; 5)
3. The Police (7,544; 7)
2. Duran Duran (9,216; 7)
1. Culture Club (9,791; 9)
The dominance of Culture Club and Duran Duran is not surprising. While a handful of tracks – including “Steppin’ Out,” “Who Can It Be Now,” “Down Under,” “Tainted Love” and “Don’t You Want Me” – had been huge hits in 1982 and early 1983, the release of Do You Really Wanna Hurt Me” and “Hungry Like the Wolf” in December 1982 opened the floodgates for good. Equally unsurprising: The Police rank just behind; including “De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da” and “Don’t Stand So Close to Me” would make it an effective three-way tie.
Perhaps more surprising is the second British invasion singles chart dominance of Eurythmics, led by “Here Comes the Rain Again” and “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This),” Billy Idol, led by “Eyes Without a Face,” and Naked Eyes, led by “Promises, Promises” and “Always Something There to Remind Me,” a cover of a song written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David for Dionne Warwick in 1963.
The 171 second British Invasion singles had a median chart stay of 13 weeks. Five singles spent at least twice that many weeks –half a year – on the Billboard Hot 100: “Steppin’ Out” and “Who Can It Be Now” (26 weeks each), “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” (27), “Don’t You Want Me” (28) and “Tainted Love” (43). “Tainted Love” is the little single that could. Climbing to #64 in its 6th week on the Billboard Hot 100, it then dropped to #100 for two weeks. Three weeks later it reached #64 again. Eight weeks later, it reached the top 40 (#39). Four weeks after that, it reached the top 20 (#17). During the week of July 9, 1982 – a full 26 weeks after entering the chart – “Tainted Love” reached #9, followed by two weeks at #8. Its descent was also slow: three more weeks in the top 20, followed by two more weeks in the top 40. In its 34th week, “Tainted Love” dropped from #31 to #86, which should have signaled its imminent departure. However, it spent nine additional weeks bouncing between #96 and #99 before finally exiting the Billboard Hot 100 on November 13, 1982.
Figure 1: Second British Invasion singles over time
As Figure 1 shows, numbers of charting singles and total points rose steadily through 1982 until the week of July 3, 1982, when “Don’t You Want Me” hit #1 – the first such single to do so since “Pop Muzik.” Over the next six months, though, these values plateaued at an average of nine second British Invasion singles on the Billboard Hot 100.
On January 8, 1983, however, these values began to rise dramatically. I suspect MTV was now available in a critical mass of American homes – it appeared in my suburban Philadelphia bedroom around June 1982 – while “Rock of the 80s” stations were debuting in cities like Philadelphia (92.5 FM). By the week of March 12, 20 second British Invasion singles were on the Billboard Hot 100, with 11 in the Top 40, and “Do You Really Wanna Hurt Me,” “Hungry Like the Wolf” and “Back on the Chain Gang” at #4 through #6. One month later, on the week of April 23, 1983, a record-tying 25 second British Invasion singles were on the Billboard Hot 100; fully 18 are in the top 100 overall.
#1. “Come On Eileen”
#6. “Der Kommissar”
#10. “She Blinded Me With Science”
#11. “Hungry Like the Wolf”
#14. “Do You Really Wanna Hurt Me”
#15. “Overkill”
#21. “Back on the Chain Gang”
#31. “Rio”
#40. “Always Something There to Remind Me”
#44. “Love My Way” by The Psychedelic Furs
#46. “Time (Clock of the Heart)”
#47. “Poison Arrow”
#54. “Lies”
#57 “The One Thing”
#63. “Breaking Us in Two”
#70. “New Year’s Day” by U2
#72. “Reap the Wild Wind” by Ultravox
#74. “I Eat Cannibals” by Total Coelho
#81. “Too Shy” (debut)
#82. “Electric Avenue”
#85. “Do You Wanna Hold Me?” by Bow Wow Wow (debut)
#89. “Down Under”
#91. “I Melt With You” by Modern English
#97. “Desperate But Not Serious” by Adam Ant
#99. “Should I Stay or Should I Go”
Three weeks topped 1,300 total points – which, when divided by 100, Figure 1 shows tracks almost perfectly with number of second British Invasion singles in the top 40: July 16, 1983 (1,307; 21 top 100, 13 top 40, 6 top 10), June 11, 1983 (1,325; 22, 10, 4) and June 4, 1983 (1,336; 22, 11, 3). “Every Breath You Take” began its 8-week run at #1 on July 9; it was replaced by “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” on September 3.
By December 1983, the number of second British Invasion singles had dropped to an average of 15 on the Billboard Hot 100, with 6.5 in the top 40 and either one or two in the top 10. Fittingly these were a Culture Club song – “Church of the Poison Mind” – and a Duran Duran song – “Union of the Snake.”
After that, however, came a resurgence – a kind of second wave of the second British Invasion – possibly sparked by “Karma Chameleon” spending three weeks at #1 in February 1984. For the second and last time, 25 second British Invasion singles were on the Billboard Hot 100 the week of April 21, 1984:
#4. “Hold Me Now”
#5. “Miss Me Blind”
#9. “Here Comes the Rain Again
#10. “They Don’t Know”
#29. “Show Me”
#38. “Come Back and Stay”
#40. “It’s My Life”
#41. “Catch Me I’m Falling”
#46. “The Reflex”
#59. “Communication” by Spandau Ballet
#60. “You Can’t Get What You Want (‘til You Know What You Want)”
#63. “Wouldn’t It Be Good”
#67. “My Ever Changing Moods”
#68. “Relax” by Frankie Goes to Hollywood
#73. “Red Red Wine”
#77. “New Moon on Monday” (debut)
#84. “What is Love” (debut)
#85. “Whisper to a Scream (Birds Fly)” (debut)
#87. “Rebel Yell”
#88. “Dance Hall Days” (debut)
#90. “Karma Chameleon”
#92. “Strip” by Adam Ant
#96. “Wrapped Around Your Finger” (last appearance of The Police before splitting)
#99. “Hands Across the Sea” by Modern English
From April 7 to June 16, 1984, an average 23 such singles were on the Billboard Hot 100, with 8.6 in the top 40 and two in the top 10: some combination of the four above plus the Duran Duran songs “New Moon on Monday” and “The Reflex,” which began its two-week run at #1 on June 23.
Then came another precipitous drop, followed by a small surge in November and December, when “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” (starting October 27) spent eight weeks in the top 10, three at #1. And, of course, songs by Duran Duran (“The Wild Boys”) and Culture Club (“The War Song”) also charted highly.
Looking ahead to 1985, finally, besides “Careless Whisper,” second British Invasion artists Duran Duran, Simple Minds, Tears For Fears and Paul Young hit #1 with “A View to a Kill,” “Don’t You (Forget About Me”), “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” and “Shout,” and “Everytime You Go Away,” respectively. Still, the Duran Duran and Simple Minds songs were written for film soundtracks, while the Paul Young song was a cover of a song on Hall and Oates’ 1980 album Voices. Even with ABC reaching #9 with “Be Near Me” and Howard Jones reaching #5 with “Things Can Only Get Better,” the second British Invasion was over. The July 13 Live Aid concerts in London and Philadelphia, PA – featuring performances by Adam Ant, The Boomtown Rats, Elvis Costello, Thomas Dolby (backing David Bowie), Duran Duran, INXS (from Australia), Howard Jones, Nik Kershaw, George Michael (with Elton John), The Pretenders, Simple Minds, Spandau Ballet, Sting (solo with The Police breaking up), Style Council, Thompson Twins, U2, Ultravox and Paul Young – were simply the exclamation point.
Well, an exclamation point in pencil. Over the next few years, new British artists like Depeche Mode, Erasure, Pet Shop Boys and Sade would achieve high levels of commercial success in the United States, while Elvis Costello finally hit the American top 20 with “Veronica” in 1989.
In a later essay, I hope to address the top albums – and overall artists – of this period. Until then…if you like what you read on this website, please consider making a donation. Thank you.
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