Boy George (pictured in 2011) and his band Culture Club had the best-selling single of 1983 with "Karma Chameleon", which topped the chart for six weeks. The group had a total of four top 10 singles this year, all peaking in the top three.Billy Joel (pictured in 2009) scored two top 10 singles this year, including his only UK number-one hit, "Uptown Girl", which became the year's second best selling single.UB40 (band member Astro pictured in 2018) had two top 10 hits in 1983, including "Red Red Wine", which topped the chart for three weeks and went on to become the third best selling single of the year.
The UK Singles Chart is one of many music charts compiled by the Official Charts Company that calculates the best-selling singles of the week in the United Kingdom.[1] Before 2004, the chart was only based on the sales of physical singles.[2][3] This list shows singles that peaked in the Top 10 of the UK Singles Chart during 1983, as well as singles which peaked in 1982 and 1984 but were in the top 10 in 1983. The entry date is when the single appeared in the top 10 for the first time (week ending, as published by the Official Charts Company, which is six days after the chart is announced).
The 1982 Christmas number-one, "Save Your Love" by Renée and Renato, remained at number-one for the first two weeks of 1983. The first new number-one single of the year was "You Can't Hurry Love" by Phil Collins of Genesis. Overall, eighteen different singles peaked at number-one in 1983, with eighteen unique artists having singles hitting that position.
Background
Multiple entries
One-hundred and forty-nine singles charted in the top 10 in 1983, with one-hundred and thirty-nine singles reaching their peak this year.
Thirty-three artists scored multiple entries in the top 10 in 1983. Michael Jackson secured the record for most top 10 hits in 1983 with five hit singles.
The following table (collapsed on desktop site) does not include acts who had previously charted as part of a group and secured their first top 10 solo single.
Michael Jackson had five UK top 10 entries this year, the most of any artist. The most successful of these was the number-one hit "Billie Jean", which became the year's eighth best selling single.Sting (pictured in 2018) and his band The Police scored two top 10 singles in 1983, including their best-known and most successful song, "Every Breath You Take", which topped the chart for four weeks.Heaven 17 (band member Glenn Gregory pictured in 2019) achieved two top entries this year, including their biggest hit, "Temptation", which reached number two in May.Toto (band member Jeff Porcaro pictured) secured their only UK top 10 hit in 1983 with "Africa", which peaked at number three in February.
The following table shows artists who achieved two or more top 10 entries in 1983, including singles that reached their peak in 1982 or 1984. The figures include both main artists and featured artists, while appearances on ensemble charity records are also counted for each artist. The total number of weeks an artist spent in the top ten in 1983 is also shown.