1986 in British music

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This is a summary of 1986 in music in the United Kingdom, including the official charts from that year.

Summary

The first number 1 single of 1986 was the breakthrough hit for London synthpop duo the Pet Shop Boys. Their song "West End Girls" had climbed the charts during late 1985 and reached number 1 for two weeks in January. They would have three more top 20 hits this year as well as two top 20 albums, and were still reaching the top 10 in 2006, twenty years later. Another popular synthpop duo this year were Erasure, with their song "Sometimes" reaching number two in the autumn; this success would be followed by many more hits throughout the decade.

After four successful years, the band Wham! split up in the spring. Made up of George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley, they finished with a farewell concert at Wembley Stadium, a greatest hits album The Final which reached number 2, and the single "The Edge of Heaven", their fourth number one, and their last until "Last Christmas" finally reached No. 1 in 2021. George Michael also reached number 1 this year with a solo release, A Different Corner, and went on to have a highly successful solo career.

The formation of the charity Comic Relief provided an unusual song from Cliff Richard, a singer with several huge hits in the 1950s and '60s. He teamed up with the cast of the popular sitcom The Young Ones (itself named after a Richard song) for a new version of his 1959 single "Living Doll", half sung by Richard and half shouted by the Young Ones cast. With proceeds going to the charity, it reached number one for three weeks and was Richard's first number 1 of the decade. Another novelty number one was "The Chicken Song", sung by the cast of satirical puppet show Spitting Image. With lyrics such as "Hold a chicken in the air, stick a deckchair up your nose" it was intended as a parody of novelty holiday songs which were popular at the time, and also topped the chart for three weeks.

American singer Madonna had the biggest-selling album of the year with "True Blue". All singles released from it made the top five, including the number 1s "Papa Don't Preach", "True Blue", and "La Isla Bonita" which topped the chart the year after. The biggest-selling single of the year went to The Communards, with a hi-NRG cover of the disco song "Don't Leave Me This Way". The band included singer Jimmy Somerville who had previously enjoyed success with Bronski Beat, and later started a solo career.

The Christmas number one single was something of a surprise, a re-issue of Jackie Wilson's 1957 single "Reet Petite". Wilson had died in 1984, but the song been re-issued after being used in a television advert for Levi's, with a new video made of a Claymation version of Wilson. Having first been released 29 years earlier, it broke the record for the longest time between a single being released and it hitting number 1, a record that would last until 2005 when Tony Christie's 1971 song "(Is This the Way to) Amarillo" topped the chart.

Birtwistle's opera The Mask of Orpheus, including electronic music realised by Barry Anderson and a libretto by Peter Zinovieff, was staged in London by English National Opera to great critical acclaim. Michael Nyman also came up with a new opera, The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, a chamber work with a minimalist score. The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment was founded in London by a group of period music enthusiasts, going on to become one of the UK's leading orchestras.

Events

• January – The Adrian Boult Hall is opened at Birmingham Conservatoire by the Duchess of Gloucester. The Hall was demolished in June 2016.
• 14 March – Earth Dances for orchestra by Harrison Birtwistle is performed for the first time, at the Royal Festival Hall, London.
• 15 March – "Heartbeat '86", a charity concert for the Birmingham Children's Hospital, is held at the NEC. Performers include Roy Wood, UB40, The Moody Blues, Electric Light Orchestra and Robert Plant. George Harrison makes a surprise appearance playing Johnny B. Goode with everyone at the end of the show.
• 11 April – The Chart Show debuts on Channel 4.
• 10 May – A rare performance of Constant Lambert's 1936 choral work Summer's Last Will and Testament takes place at the Brighton Festival, St Bartholomew's Church, by the BBC Concert Orchestra and Brighton Festival Chorus, with baritone David Wilson-Johnson, conducted by Norman Del Mar.
• 15 May – The Spanish Lady, an opera by Edward Elgar is performed for the first time, in a concert setting, at St John's, Smith Square, London, approximately 53 years after it was composed. A staged performance has to wait until 24 November 1994.
• 21 May – The first performance of Harrison Birtwistle's opera The Mask of Orpheus, takes place at the London Coliseum by the English National Opera, Elgar Howarth and Paul Daniel conducting.
• 7 June – Queen start The Magic Tour, which becomes their final tour with all original members and also their most successful tour.
• 28 June – Wham! perform a final concert at London's Wembley Stadium just before their split. It is attended by 72,000 people.
• 28 July – The first performance of the Concerto for Orchestra, op 93 by Peter Racine Fricker takes place at the Cheltenham Festival, with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Andrew Litton.
• 27 October – Michael Nyman's chamber opera The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat is premiered at the Institute of Contemporary Arts, London.
• 28 October – The first performance of William Wordsworth's Symphony No 8 Pax Hominibus, op 117, the composer's last completed score. It was given by the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra under Jerzy Maksymiuk in Stirling.

Charts

Number one singles

Chart date (week ending)	Song	Artist(s)	Weeks
4 January	"Merry Christmas Everyone"	Shakin' Stevens	1
11 January	"West End Girls"	Pet Shop Boys	2
18 January
25 January	"The Sun Always Shines on TV"	a-ha	2
1 February
8 February	"When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough Get Going"	Billy Ocean	4
15 February
22 February
1 March
8 March	"Chain Reaction"	Diana Ross	3
15 March
22 March
29 March	"Living Doll"	Cliff Richard and The Young Ones	3
5 April
12 April
19 April	"A Different Corner"	George Michael	3
26 April
3 May
10 May	"Rock Me Amadeus"	Falco	1
17 May	"The Chicken Song"	Spitting Image	3
24 May
31 May
7 June	"Spirit in the Sky"	Doctor and the Medics	3
14 June
21 June
28 June	"The Edge of Heaven"	Wham!	2
5 July
12 July	"Papa Don't Preach"	Madonna	3
19 July
26 July
2 August	"The Lady in Red"	Chris de Burgh	3
9 August
16 August
23 August	"I Want to Wake Up with You"	Boris Gardiner	3
30 August
6 September
13 September	"Don't Leave Me This Way"	The Communards	4
20 September
27 September
4 October
11 October	"True Blue"	Madonna	1
18 October	"Every Loser Wins"	Nick Berry	3
25 October
1 November
8 November	"Take My Breath Away"	Berlin	4
15 November
22 November
29 November
6 December	"The Final Countdown"	Europe	2
13 December
20 December	"Caravan of Love"	The Housemartins	1
27 December	"Reet Petite"	Jackie Wilson	1

Number one albums

Chart date (week ending)	Album	Artist(s)	Weeks
4 January	Now 6	Various Artists	2
11 January
18 January	Brothers in Arms	Dire Straits	10
25 January
1 February
8 February
15 February
22 February
1 March
8 March
15 March
22 March
29 March	Hits 4	Various Artists	4
5 April
12 April
19 April
26 April	Street Life: 20 Great Hits	Bryan Ferry and Roxy Music	5
3 May
10 May
17 May
24 May
31 May	So	Peter Gabriel	2
7 June
14 June	A Kind of Magic	Queen	1
21 June	Invisible Touch	Genesis	3
28 June
5 July
12 July	True Blue	Madonna	6
19 July
26 July
2 August
9 August
16 August
23 August	Now 7	Various Artists	5
30 August
6 September
13 September
20 September
27 September	Silk & Steel	Five Star	1
4 October	Graceland	Paul Simon	5
11 October
18 October
25 October
1 November
8 November	Every Breath You Take: The Singles	The Police	2
15 November
22 November	Hits 5	Various Artists	2
29 November
6 December	Now 8		4
13 December
20 December
27 December

Year-end charts

Best-selling singles

Based on sales from 30 December 1985 to 3 January 1987.

No.	Title	Artist	Peak position
1	"Don't Leave Me This Way"	The Communards	1
2	"Every Loser Wins"		1
3	"I Want to Wake Up with You"		1
4	"Living Doll"	& The Young Ones	1
5	"Chain Reaction"		1
6	"The Lady in Red"		1
7	"When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going"		1
8	"Papa Don't Preach"	Madonna	1
9	"Take My Breath Away" (Love Theme from Top Gun)	Berlin	1
10	"So Macho"/"Cruising"	Sinitta	2
11	"True Blue"	Madonna	1
12	"A Different Corner"		1
13	"Rock Me Amadeus"	Falco	1
14	"We Don't Have to..."		2
15	"Spirit in the Sky"	Doctor and the Medics	1
16	"The Final Countdown"	Europe	1
17	"Reet Petite (The Sweetest Girl in Town)"		1
18	"Rain or Shine"	Five Star	2
19	"Caravan of Love"	The Housemartins	1
20	"The Chicken Song"	Spitting Image	1
21	"The Sun Always Shines on T.V."	a-ha	1
22	"On My Own"	and Michael McDonald	2
23	"Walk Like an Egyptian"	The Bangles	3
24	"In the Army Now"	Status Quo	2
25	"Lessons in Love"	Level 42	3
26	"Glory of Love"		3
27	"The Edge of Heaven"	Wham!	1
28	"Sledgehammer"		4
29	"All I Ask of You"	& Sarah Brightman	3
30	"Touch Me (I Want Your Body)"		3
31	"Wonderful World"		2
32	"A Kind of Magic"	Queen	3
33	"Holding Back the Years"	Simply Red	2
34	"You Keep Me Hangin' On"		2
35	"Let's Go All the Way"	Sly Fox	3
36	"Word Up!"	Cameo	3
37	"Manic Monday"	The Bangles	2
38	"I Can't Wait"	Nu Shooz	2
39	"My Favourite Waste of Time"		3
40	"You Can Call Me Al"		4
41	"Livin' on a Prayer"	Bon Jovi	4
42	"Sometimes"	Erasure	2
43	"Showing Out (Get Fresh at the Weekend)"	Mel & Kim	3
44	"(I Just) Died in Your Arms"	Cutting Crew	4
45	"You to Me Are Everything" (remix)	The Real Thing	5
46	"Happy Hour"	The Housemartins	3
47	"Starting Together"		2
48	"Thorn in My Side"	Eurythmics	5
49	"Walk of Life"	Dire Straits	2
50	"Borderline"	Madonna	2

Best-selling albums

Based on sales from 29 December 1985 to 3 January 1987.

No.	Title	Artist	Peak position
1	True Blue	Madonna	1
2	Brothers In Arms	Dire Straits	1
3	Now 8	Various Artists	1
4	Graceland		1
5	Whitney Houston		2
6	Now 7	Various Artists	1
7	Hunting High and Low	a-ha	2
8	A Kind of Magic	Queen	1
9	Silk & Steel	Five Star	1
10	Revenge	Eurythmics	3
11	Hits 5	Various Artists	1
12	Hits 4		1
13	The Final	Wham!	2
14	Invisible Touch	Genesis	1
15	Every Breath You Take: The Singles	The Police	1
16	The Whole Story		2Template:Efn
17	Into the Light		2
18	Street Life: 20 Great Hits	and Roxy Music	1
19	So		1
20	Picture Book	Simply Red	2
21	Once Upon a Time	Simple Minds	6Template:Efn
22	No Jacket Required		2Template:Efn
23	World Machine	Level 42	3
24	Dancing on the Ceiling		2
25	London 0 Hull 4	The Housemartins	3
26	Slippery When Wet	Bon Jovi	6
27	Top Gun Original Soundtrack	Various Artists	3
28	Like a Virgin	Madonna	3Template:Efn
29	Fore!	Huey Lewis and the News	8
30	Be Yourself Tonight	Eurythmics	3
31	Scoundrel Days	a-ha	2
32	Communards	The Communards	7
33	Go West/Bangs & Crashes	Go West	8
34	Please	Pet Shop Boys	3
35	Greatest Hits	Queen	17Template:Efn
36	Different Light	The Bangles	3
37	Love Zone		2
38	Live Magic	Queen	5Template:Efn
39	Riptide		5
40	Island Life		4
41	The Dream of the Blue Turtles	Sting	5Template:Efn
42	South Pacific	/José Carreras/Sarah Vaughan/ Mandy Patinkin/London Symphony Orchestra	5
43	The Broadway Album		3
44	Rocky IV Original Soundtrack	Various Artists	3
45	Luxury of Life	Five Star	12
46	Suzanne Vega		11
47	Hounds of Love	Kate Bush	6Template:Efn
48	Break Every Rule		2
49	In the Army Now	Status Quo	7
50	Every Beat of My Heart		5

Notes: Template:Notelist

Classical music: new works

• Malcolm Arnold – Symphony No. 9
• Harrison Birtwistle – Earth Dances
• Arthur Butterworth – Symphony No. 4
• Andrew Downes – The Marshes of Glynn
• Alun Hoddinott – Concerto for Orchestra
• Arwel Hughes – Gloria Patri
• Daniel Jones – Cello Concerto

Opera

• Harrison Birtwistle – Yan Tan Tethera
• Michael Nyman – The Man who Mistook his Wife for a Hat

Musical films

• Shanghai Surprise, starring Madonna

Births

• 6 January – Alex Turner, singer and musician (Arctic Monkeys, The Last Shadow Puppets)
• 21 February – Charlotte Church, singer
• 12 March
  • Danny Jones, singer (McFly)
  • Jade McGuire, singer (Pop!)
• 23 April – Laura Mvula, singer
• 7 May – Matt Helders, drummer (Arctic Monkeys)
• 14 July – Dan Smith, singer-songwriter (Bastille)
• 21 July – Rebecca Ferguson, singer-songwriter
• 21 September – Faris Badwan, singer (The Horrors)
• 20 November – Oliver Sykes, singer (Bring Me the Horizon)
• date unknown – Daniel Kidane, composer, Woke (2019 Proms)

Deaths

• 4 January – Phil Lynott, singer and musician (Thin Lizzy), 36 (overdose)
• 8 January
  • Sidney Harrison, pianist and composer, 82
  • Mansel Thomas, composer, 76
• 20 January – Elizabeth Nickell-Lean, operatic mezzo-soprano, 77
• 27 January – Ken Moule, jazz pianist, 60
• 1 February – Dick James, singer and record producer, 65
• 14 February – Edmund Rubbra, composer, 84
• 15 March – Martin Cooper, musicologist, 76
• 3 April – Peter Pears, operatic tenor and partner of Benjamin Britten, 75
• 25 April – Fred Hunt, jazz pianist, 62
• 3 June – Anna Neagle, actress, singer and dancer, 81
• 26 June – William Lovelock, composer, 86
• 29 June – Cliff Townshend, jazz saxophonist, 70
• 29 July – Gordon Mills, musician and songwriter, 51
• 2 September – Philip Radcliffe, composer, 81 (road accident)
• 12 September – Terence MacDonagh, oboist, 78
• 13 October – Eunice Crowther, singer, dancer and choreographer, 70
• 4 November – John Kelsall, conductor and composer, 39
• 6 November – Eddie Thompson, jazz pianist, 61
• 10 November – Mark Lubbock, conductor and composer, 87
• 16 December – Maurice Handford, horn player and conductor, 57
• date unknown
  • Myers Foggin, pianist and conductor, 77
  • Arthur Rosebery, pianist and singer

Music awards

BRIT Awards

The 1986 BRIT Awards winners were:

• Best British Producer: Dave Stewart
• Best International Solo Artist: Bruce Springsteen
• British Album: Phil Collins – No Jacket Required
• British Female Solo Artist: Annie Lennox
• British Group: Dire Straits
• British Male Solo Artist: Phil Collins
• British Single: Tears for Fears – "Everybody Wants to Rule the World"
• British Video: Paul Young – "Everytime You Go Away"
• Best British Newcomer: Go West
• International Group: Huey Lewis and the News
• Outstanding Contribution: Wham! and Elton John (joint winners)

See also

• 1986 in British radio
• 1986 in British television
• 1986 in the United Kingdom
• List of British films of 1986

External links

• BBC Radio 1's Chart Show
• The Official Charts Company