1989 in British music

This is a summary of 1989 in music in the United Kingdom, including the official charts from that year.

Summary

The very beginning of the year saw compilation albums excluded from the UK Albums Chart, and spun off into the new UK Compilations Chart. Albums such as the Now That's What I Call Music! series had regularly dominated the chart since 1984, with 4-5 of the number 1s each year being compilations.

In the UK Singles Chart, eighteen singles reached number one. The first was a duet between teen idols Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan, Especially For You, which had narrowly missed out on being 1988's Christmas number one single. The two would continue their success throughout the year, with Minogue getting another number 1 single (Hand On Your Heart in May) and album (Enjoy Yourself in November), and Donovan getting two number 1 singles (Too Many Broken Hearts in March, and Sealed With a Kiss in June) and one album (Ten Good Reasons in May, the biggest selling album of 1989). Like many artists this year, they were produced by Stock Aitken Waterman, who were at the peak of their popularity.

After a break the previous year, Madonna returned to number 1 in March with Like a Prayer, though the music video caused controversy. May saw The Christians, Holly Johnson, Paul McCartney, Gerry Marsden and producers Stock Aitken Waterman reach #1 with a charity cover of the Gerry & the Pacemakers song Ferry Cross the Mersey, released in aid of the Hillsborough disaster the previous month. The original reached number 8 in 1964.

Two sounds dominated the Summer and Autumn. The first came from Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers, where several old songs from the 1940s to 1960s were joined together to create a megamix, with 'Jive Bunny' (an animated rabbit) featuring in the music videos. Swing the Mood topped the charts for five weeks from July, That's What I Like for three weeks in October, and Let's Party for one week in December. Unlike the first two, the latter sampled Christmas songs from the 1970s and 1980s.

The second was the italo house sound of Black Box, who's Ride on Time was the biggest selling single of the year, and, at six weeks, spent the longest time at number 1. Though the song heavily sampled Loleatta Holloway's Love Sensation from 1980, the music video featured a different singer miming to Holloway's vocals. This prompted legal action, so later pressings of the single featured a different singer.

The year's Christmas number 1 single, and, indeed, the final number 1 of the 1980s, went to a new version of 1984's Christmas number 1 Do They Know It's Christmas?. Produced by Stock Aitken Waterman, Band Aid II, like the original Band Aid, featured numerous famous music stars of the day. This included Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan, meaning they became one of the few people to have appeared on both the first and last number 1s of the year.

Charts

Singles

Issue Date	Song Title	Artist
1 January	Especially For You	Kylie Minogue & Jason Donovan
8 January	Especially For You	Kylie Minogue & Jason Donovan
15 January	Especially For You	Kylie Minogue & Jason Donovan
22 January	Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart	Marc Almond with Gene Pitney
29 January	Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart	Marc Almond with Gene Pitney
5 February	Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart	Marc Almond with Gene Pitney
12 February	Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart	Marc Almond with Gene Pitney
19 February	Belfast Child	Simple Minds
26 February	Belfast Child	Simple Minds
5 March	Too Many Broken Hearts	Jason Donovan
12 March	Too Many Broken Hearts	Jason Donovan
19 March	Like a Prayer	Madonna
26 March	Like a Prayer	Madonna
2 April	Like a Prayer	Madonna
9 April	Eternal Flame	The Bangles
16 April	Eternal Flame	The Bangles
23 April	Eternal Flame	The Bangles
30 April	Eternal Flame	The Bangles
7 May	Hand On Your Heart	Kylie Minogue
14 May	Ferry 'Cross The Mersey	The Christians, Holly Johnson, Paul McCartney, Gerry Marsden, Stock Aitken Waterman
21 May	Ferry 'Cross The Mersey	The Christians, Holly Johnson, Paul McCartney, Gerry Marsden, Stock Aitken Waterman
28 May	Ferry 'Cross The Mersey	The Christians, Holly Johnson, Paul McCartney, Gerry Marsden, Stock Aitken Waterman
4 June	Sealed With a Kiss	Jason Donovan
11 June	Sealed With a Kiss	Jason Donovan
18 June	Back To Life (However Do You Want Me)	Soul II Soul featuring Caron Wheeler
25 June	Back To Life (However Do You Want Me)	Soul II Soul featuring Caron Wheeler
2 July	Back To Life (However Do You Want Me)	Soul II Soul featuring Caron Wheeler
9 July	Back To Life (However Do You Want Me)	Soul II Soul featuring Caron Wheeler
16 July	You'll Never Stop Me From Loving You	Sonia
23 July	You'll Never Stop Me From Loving You	Sonia
30 July	Swing the Mood	Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers
6 August	Swing the Mood	Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers
13 August	Swing the Mood	Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers
20 August	Swing the Mood	Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers
27 August	Swing the Mood	Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers
3 September	Ride On Time	Black Box
10 September	Ride On Time	Black Box
17 September	Ride On Time	Black Box
24 September	Ride On Time	Black Box
1 October	Ride On Time	Black Box
8 October	Ride On Time	Black Box
15 October	That's What I Like	Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers
22 October	That's What I Like	Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers
29 October	That's What I Like	Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers
5 November	All Around The World	Lisa Stansfield
12 November	All Around The World	Lisa Stansfield
19 November	You Got It (The Right Stuff)	New Kids on the Block
26 November	You Got It (The Right Stuff)	New Kids on the Block
3 December	You Got It (The Right Stuff)	New Kids on the Block
10 December	Let's Party	Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers
17 December	Do They Know It's Christmas?	Band Aid II
24 December	Do They Know It's Christmas?	Band Aid II
31 December	Do They Know It's Christmas?	Band Aid II

Albums

Issue Date	Album Title	Artist
1 January	Now That's What I Call Music 13	Various artist compilation (EMI/Virgin)
8 January	The Innocents	Erasure
15 January	The Legendary Roy Orbison	Roy Orbison
22 January	The Legendary Roy Orbison	Roy Orbison
29 January	The Legendary Roy Orbison	Roy Orbison
5 February	Technique	New Order
12 February	The Raw and the Cooked	Fine Young Cannibals
19 February	A New Flame	Simply Red
26 February	A New Flame	Simply Red
5 March	A New Flame	Simply Red
12 March	A New Flame	Simply Red
19 March	Anything for You	Gloria Estefan & Miami Sound Machine
26 March	Like a Prayer	Madonna
2 April	Like a Prayer	Madonna
9 April	When the World Knows Your Name	Deacon Blue
16 April	When the World Knows Your Name	Deacon Blue
23 April	A New Flame	Simply Red
30 April	Blast!	Holly Johnson
7 May	Street Fighting Years	Simple Minds
14 May	Ten Good Reasons	Jason Donovan
21 May	Ten Good Reasons	Jason Donovan
28 May	The Miracle	Queen
4 June	Ten Good Reasons	Jason Donovan
11 June	Ten Good Reasons	Jason Donovan
18 June	Flowers in the Dirt	Paul McCartney
25 June	Batman (OST)	Prince
2 July	Velveteen	Transvision Vamp
9 July	Club Classics Vol. I	Soul II Soul
16 July	A New Flame	Simply Red
23 July	A New Flame	Simply Red
30 July	Cuts Both Ways	Gloria Estefan
6 August	Cuts Both Ways	Gloria Estefan
13 August	Cuts Both Ways	Gloria Estefan
20 August	Cuts Both Ways	Gloria Estefan
27 August	Cuts Both Ways	Gloria Estefan
3 September	Cuts Both Ways	Gloria Estefan
10 September	Aspects of Love	London Stage Cast
17 September	We Too Are One	Eurythmics
24 September	Foreign Affair	Tina Turner
1 October	The Seeds of Love	Tears for Fears
8 October	Crossroads	Tracy Chapman
15 October	Enjoy Yourself	Kylie Minogue
22 October	Wild!	Erasure
29 October	Wild!	Erasure
5 November	The Road to Hell	Chris Rea
12 November	The Road to Hell	Chris Rea
19 November	The Road to Hell	Chris Rea
26 November	...But Seriously	Phil Collins
3 December	...But Seriously	Phil Collins
10 December	...But Seriously	Phil Collins
17 December	...But Seriously	Phil Collins
24 December	...But Seriously	Phil Collins
31 December	...But Seriously	Phil Collins
[84 September]]	...Your a cunt	Diana Ross