1980 Points Chart

[Panda]

I wasn't originally going to compile a 1980 chart but I ended up doing it so I can do one for the whole decade eventually. This is going to be a quicker update without the commentary.

As a reminder, the list is compiled by awarding points to singles in the UK top 40 for each week during the year. No.40 scores 1 point, no.39 scores 2, and it follows that pattern upto no.4 which scores 37. No.3 scores 40, no.2 gets 45 and it's 50 points for no.1.


Before I start the top 40 countdown, here is a selection of songs that missed out.

(position in the end of year sales chart is in brackets)

42(42) VAPORS - Turning Japanese (242 points)




43(35) PRETENDERS - Brass In Pocket (241 points)




47(47) ORCHESTRA MANOEUVRES IN THE DARK - Enola Gay (233 points)




57(60) PETER GABRIEL - Games Without Frontiers (217 points)



60(84) KATE BUSH - Babooshka (212 points)




98(97) QUEEN - Another One Bites The Dust (169 points)

[Panda]

Part 1 (40-36):

40(44) DENNIS WATERMAN - I Could Be So Good For You (245 points)
Top 40 run: 31-19-4-4-3-6-14-26-30-30




39(36) THE GAP BAND - Oops Upside Your Head (246 points)
Top 40 run: 38-19-18-7-6-7-9-15-19-31-36




38(41) WHISPERS - And The Beat Goes On (246 points)
Top 40 run: 37-18-6-2-3-5-10-17-33




37(21) BLONDIE - Atomic (248 points)
Top 40 run: 3-1-1-2-7-18-35




36(49) LEO SAYER - More Than I Can Say (251 points)
Top 40 run: 22-10-3-2-4-8-14-23-40

[Panda]

Part 2 (35-31):

35(37) JOHNNY LOGAN - What's Another Year? (251 points)
Top 40 run: 15-2-1-1-3-10-32




34(52) BOB MARLEY & THE WAILERS - Could You Be Loved (252 points)
Top 40 run: 32-21-9-5-5-6-8-14-23-35




33(64) ROBERTA FLACK & DONNY HATHAWAY - Back Together Again (253 points)
Top 40 run: 34-22-14-6-4-3-4-13-18




32(32) MARTI WEBB - Take That Look Off Your Face (253 points)
Top 40 run: 14-6-3-3-3-6-21-26-40




31(16) THE JAM - Going Underground (254 points)
Top 40 run: 1-1-1-3-6-20-33

[Panda]

Part 3 (30-26):

30(24) THE JAM - Start (255 points)
Top 40 run: 3-2-1-2-5-11-32




29(25) STEVIE WONDER - Masterblaster (Jammin') (256 points)
Top 40 run: 30-4-3-2-4-6-14-24-34




28(30) SPECIALS - Too Much Too Young (256 points)
Top 40 run: 15-1-1-2-4-13-21




27(59) STACY LATTISAW - Jump To The Beat (258 points)
Top 40 run: 31-11-6-3-3-4-8-17-32




26(31) STATUS QUO - What You're Propsing (273 points)
Top 40 run: 27-5-4-2-2-5-10-21-32

[Panda]

Part 4 (25-21):

25(27) NOLANS - I'm In The Mood For Dancing (280 points)
Top 40 run: 20-6-4-4-3-3-11-15-27




24(18) ABBA - The Winner Takes It All (283 points)
Top 40 run: 9-1-1-2-4-8-16-30




23(10) JOHN LENNON - (Just Like) Starting Over (284 points)
Top 40 run: 30-20-13-8-10-21-1-2-2




22(14) DAVID BOWIE - Ashes To Ashes (287 points)
Top 40 run: 4-1-1-2-3-7-15-36




21(28) ODYSSEY - If You're Lookin' For A Way Out (288 points)
Top 40 run: 34-29-20-7-7-7-6-7-10-16-24-37

[Panda]

Part 5 (20-16):

20(22) DIANA ROSS - Upside Down (296 points)
Top 40 run: 31-8-3-2-2-5-7-14-23-33




19(13) MADNESS - Baggy Trousers (297 points)
Top 40 run: 36-21-5-4-3-3-5-7-13-23-38




18(19) LIQUID GOLD - Dance Yourself Dizzy (306 points)
Top 40 run: 23-14-5-4-2-2-3-8-17-40




17(38) OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN & ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA - Xanadu (306 points)
Top 40 run: 39-14-3-1-1-2-4-13-20-35




16(1) THE POLICE - Don't Stand So Close To Me (306 points)
Top 40 run: 1-1-1-1-3-10-16-31

[Panda]

Part 6 (15-11):

15(8) FERN KINNEY - Together We Are Beautiful (311 points)
Top 40 run: 23-9-2-1-2-2-5-14-28




14(9) KENNY ROGERS - Coward Of The County (315 points)
Top 40 run: 33-10-2-1-1-2-6-15-18-39




13(33) HOT CHOCOLATE - No Doubt About It (320 points)
Top 40 run: 31-9-6-2-2-2-4-5-15-32




12(15) MASH - Theme From M*A*S*H (Suicide Is Painless) (320 points)
Top 40 run: 23-6-1-1-1-2-4-15-32




11(12) SHEENA EASTON - 9 To 5 (323 points)
Top 40 run: 29-20-5-3-4-3-4-6-11-17-31-40

[Panda]

Part 7 (10-6):

10(6) BLONDIE - The Tide Is High (329 points)
Top 40 run: 5-1-1-2-2-7-14-20-20




9(4) ABBA - Super Trouper (332 points)
Top 40 run: 13-2-1-1-1-4-5-5




8(5) OTTAWAN - D.I.S.C.O. (333 points)
Top 40 run: 28-8-3-2-2-2-3-10-21-27-34




7(7) DEXYS MIDNIGHT RUNNERS - Geno (333 points)
Top 40 run: 40-37-29-12-2-1-1-2-5-10-17-35




6(23) ODYSSEY - Use It Up And Wear It Out (335 points)
Top 40 run: 30-12-2-2-1-1-3-9-18-31

[Panda]

Part 8 (5-1):

5(11) DETROIT SPINNERS - Working My Way Back To You/Forgive Me Girl (337 points)
Top 40 run: 31-20-8-5-3-1-1-3-7-18




4(26) LIPPS INC - Funkytown (340 points)
Top 40 run: 25-9-3-3-3-2-2-6-12-24-40




3(2) BARBRA STREISAND - Woman In Love (362 points)
Top 40 run: 22-9-1-1-1-2-3-6-14-27




2(3) KELLY MARIE - Feels Like I'm In Love (367 points)
Top 40 run: 29-16-8-5-3-1-1-4-7-12-27-34




1(17) DON McLEAN - Crying (367 points)
Top 40 run: 40-28-13-4-2-1-1-1-4-8-18





The closest list so far with Don McLean taking the top spot on a tie-breaker, thanks to him spending one more week at no.1 than Kelly Marie. Barbra Streisand looked like she would take the lead in December as she only needed one more week in the chart at no.36 or higher, but she dropped from 27 to 43. Had Abba's "Super Trouper" been released a fortnight earlier, it surely would have topped this list, given it picked up another 46 points in January 1981.

McLean's winning total wouldn't have been enough to make the top 5 in 1981, 82 or 83.

[Earl Purple]

The lack of Top of the Pops in the summer months caused sales to be far lower and thus we see Crying, Xanadu and Use It Up And Wear It Out were far lower in their sales than they appear to be through their chart runs.

I remember the apparently stupid fast runs of so many number ones, disappearing from the top 40 after 7 or 8 weeks. I have no idea why this happened so frequently in 1980.

[Panda]

Full top 100:

1(17) Don McLean - Crying
2(3) Kelly Marie - Feels Like I'm In Love
3(2) Barbra Streisand - Woman In Love
4(26) Lipps Inc - Funkytown
5(11) Detroit Spinners - Working My Way Back To You
6(23) Odyssey - Use It Up And Wear It Out
7(7) Dexys Midnight Runners - Geno
8(5) Ottawan - D.I.S.C.O.
9(4) Abba - Super Trouper
10(6) Blondie - The Tide Is High
11(12) Sheena Easton - 9 To 5
12(15) Mash - Theme From M*A*S*H (Suicide Is Painless)
13(33) Hot Chocolate - No Doubt About It
14(9) Kenny Rogers - Coward Of The County
15(8) Fern Kinney - Together We Are Beautiful
16(1) The Police - Don't Stand So Close To Me
17(38) Olivia Newton-John & Electric Light Orchestra - Xanadu
18(19) Liquid Gold - Dance Yourself Dizzy
19(13) Madness - Baggy Trousers
20(22) Diana Ross - Upside Down
21(28) Odyssey - If You're Lookin' For A Way Out
22(14) David Bowie - Ashes To Ashes
23(10) John Lennon - (Just Like) Starting Over
24(18) Abba - The Winner Takes It All
25(27) Nolans - I'm In The Mood For Dancing
26(31) Status Quo - What You're Proposing
27(59) Stacy Lattisaw - Jump To The Beat
28(30) Specials - Too Much Too Young
29(25) Stevie Wonder - Masterblaster (Jammin')
30(24) The Jam - Start
31(16) The Jam - Going Underground
32(32) Marti Webb - Take That Look Off Your Face
33(64) Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway - Back Together Again
34(52) Bob Marley & The Wailers - Could You Be Loved
35(37) Johnny Logan - What's Another Year?
36(49) Leo Sayer - More Than I Can Say
37(21) Blondie - Atomic
38(41) Whispers - And The Beat Goes On
39(36) Gap Band - Oops Upside Your Head
40(44) Dennis Waterman - I Could Be So Good For You
41(29) Randy Crawford - One Day I'll Fly Away
42(42) Vapors - Turning Japanese
43(35) Pretenders - Brass In Pocket
44(39) Bad Manners - Special Brew
45(46) Stephanie Mills - Never Knew Love Like This Before
46(43) Matchbox - When You Talk About Love
47(47) Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark - Enola Gay
48(40) UB40 - King/Food For Thought
49(58) David Essex - Silver Dream Racer
50(67) Roxy Music - Over You
51(54) Hazel O'Connor - Eighth Day
52(45) Madness - My Girl
53(48) Blondie - Call Me
54(55) Rainbow - All Night Long
55(57) Boomtown Rats - Banana Republic
56(78) Korgis - Everybody's Got To Learn Sometime
57(60) Peter Gabriel - Games Without Frontiers
58(53) Piranhas - Tom Hark
59(50) Madness - Embarrassment
60(84) Kate Bush - Babooshka
61(20) St. Winifred's School Choir - There's No-One Quite Like Grandma
62(73) Kool & The Gang - Celebration
63(51) Sheena Easton - Modern Girl
64(65) Dr. Hook - Sexy Eyes
65(61) David Bowie - Fashion
66(63) Mike Berry - The Sunshine Of Your Smile
67(94) Crown Heights Affair - You Gave Me Love
68(56) Paul McCartney - Coming Up
69(69) Spandau Ballet - To Cut A Long Story Short
70(66) Elvis Presley - It's Only Love/Beyond The Reef
71(62) Nolans - Gotta Pull Myself Together
72(80) Cliff Richard - Dreamin'
73(70) Michael Jackson - She's Out Of My Life
74(-) UB40 - My Way Of Thinking/I Think It's Going To Rain
75(72) Cliff Richard - Carrie
76(74) Lambrettas - Poison Ivy
77(96) Jermaine Jackson - Let's Get Serious
78(71) Billy Preston & Syreeta - With You I'm Born Again
79(92) Specials - Rat Race/Rude Boys Outa Jail
80(68) Adam & The Ants - Dog Eat Dog
81(75) Styx - Babe
82(-) Detroit Spinners - Cupid/I've Loved You For A Long Time
83(85) UB40 - The Earth Dies Screaming/Dream A Lie
84(76) Brothers Johnson - Stomp
85(34) Jona Lewie - Stop The Cavalry
86(81) George Benson - Give Me The Night
87(91) Jon & Vangelis - I Hear You Now
88(86) Diana Ross - My Old Piano
89(77) KC & The Sunshine Band - Please Don't Go
90(82) Michael Jackson - Rock With You
91(83) The Beat - Mirror In The Bathroom
92(87) Elvis Costello - I Can't Stand Up For Falling Down
93(90) Boomtown Rats - Someone's Looking At You
94(89) Roxy Music - Oh Yeah (On The Radio)
95(-) Teena Marie - Behind The Groove
96(-) Eddy Grant - Do You Feel My Love?
97(93) Joe Jackson - It's Different For Girls
98(97) Queen - Another One Bites The Dust
99(79) Captain Beaky - Captain Beaky/Wilfred The Weasel
100(-) Madness - Night Boat To Cairo

[o]

Some cracking songs missed out, and some turds got in, but can say that about most years I expect.