1989 in British music

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

ummary

The very beginning of the year saw compilation albums excluded from the UK Albums Chart, and spun off into the new UK Compilations Chart from the week ending 14th January 1989. 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. "Now That's What I Call Music! 13" was knocked off the top spot of the albums chart as a result of this new implementation.

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 her third number one single ("Hand on Your Heart" in May) and second number one album ("Enjoy Yourself" in November), and Donovan getting two number one 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). The two enjoyed a highly publicised romance throughout the year until Minogue ended the relationship and began dating Michael Hutchence. Like many artists this year, Minogue and Donovan 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 for the sixth time in March with "Like a Prayer", though the music video caused controversy. Her album, from which this was the title track, also topped the charts and became one of her most critically acclaimed worldwide.

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. Jive Bunny became the third artist ever to have their first three singles reach number one, after Gerry and the Pacemakers and Frankie Goes to Hollywood.

The second was the italo house sound of Black Box, whose "Ride on Time" was the biggest selling single of the year, and, at six weeks, spent the longest time at number one. 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, including both Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan giving them the credit as appearing on both the first and last number one singles of the year.

One of the highlights of the Proms was the première of John Tavener's "The Protecting Veil", performed by Steven Isserlis and the London Symphony Orchestra. Two new works by John McCabe were also premièred during the year: "Sam Variations" for violin, viola, cello, doublebass and piano, commissioned and performed by the Schubert Ensemble of London, and "String Quartet No 5", performed by the Gabrieli Quartet at the Fishguard Festival. A choral work by McCabe's, "Proud Songsters", was written to celebrate the 70th birthday of Stephen Wilkinson.

Charts

Number One Singles

Music awards

BRIT Awards

The 1989 BRIT Awards winners were:

*Best classical recording: George Frideric Handel’s - "The Messiah"
*Best Music Video: Michael Jackson - "Smooth Criminal"
*Best soundtrack: "Buster"
*British album: Fairground Attraction - "The First of a Million Kisses"
*British breakthrough act: Bros
*British female solo artist: Annie Lennox
*British group: Erasure
*British male solo artist: Phil Collins
*British single: Fairground Attraction - "Perfect"
*International breakthrough act: Tracy Chapman
*International female: Tracy Chapman
*International group: U2
*International male: Michael Jackson
*Outstanding contribution: Cliff Richard

External links

* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/chart/ BBC Radio 1's Chart Show]
* [http://www.theofficialcharts.com/ The Official United Kingdom Charts Company]