NME (or New Musical Express) is a British weekly pop music newspaper which now exists only online. NME was the first record chart in the United Kingdom based on sales having imitated an idea started in American Billboard magazine on 14 November 1952. From 1960, Record Retailer began compiling a chart and this is regarded by The Official Charts Company and Guinness' British Hit Singles & Albums as the canonical source for the British singles chart. Prior to 15 February 1969, when the British Market Research Bureau (BMRB) chart was established as part of a joint commission by Record Retailer and the BBC,[1] there was no one universally accepted or official source and many periodicals compiled their own chart.[2][3][4] Nevertheless, in the 1960s, NME had the biggest circulation of charts in the decade and was most widely followed.[2][3] Although not regarded as the primary source for UK charts, NME continued to compile an independent chart until 11 June 1988 (Melody Maker ended its own independently compiled chart the preceding week on 4 June).[5] It was the longest independently complied chart and, when it ceased, NME published the Market Research Information Bureau chart.[6] From 19 February 1983 to 22 September 1984, the new NME chart was broadcast weekly on Capital Radio's Pick of the Pops Take Two, presented by Alan Freeman; this show also featured archive NME charts.
Notable differences when compared to the official chart run by BMRB and, later, Gallup are an additional two number-one singles in the decade for Rick Astley, David Bowie, Spandau Ballet and Phil Collins. Significantly, Tears for Fears' song "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" spent three weeks at the top of the NME chart although it never topped the Gallup chart. Additionally, as well as making number one on the NME chart and not the official chart, a-ha's "Take On Me" and Ultravox's "Vienna" were also in the top five best-selling singles of their year.[7] Eighteen acts achieved a number-one single on the NME chart but never had an official number-one single[nb 1] although two of these had songs they had written reach number one when performed by another artist.[nb 2]
Number-one singles
Dionne Warwick was one of 18 acts in the 1980s who made number one in NME but never had a number one on the Official Charts.The Steve Miller Band (pictured in 2009) had their first number one on the NME chart (with "Abracadabra") a decade before they had their first "official" number one.
^ abcdThe names, singles, week-ending dates and consecutive duration of the number-ones are from NME.[8]
^This number-one record was not a single but a five-track extended play (EP) with "Too Much Too Young" as the lead track.[9] The rules now require at most four distinct songs to be eligible for the UK Singles Chart.[10] Although the EP is credited to The Special A.K.A. on the record sleeve the record label credits The Specials.[11]
^ abThere was no chart published for the week ending 27 December 1980. In the preceding week, "Stop the Cavalry" was the number-one single. In the next published chart, "(Just Like) Starting Over" claimed the top spot.
^ abThere was no chart published for the week ending 26 December 1981. In the preceding week, "Don't You Want Me" was the number-one single. In the next published chart, "One of Us" claimed the top spot.
^ abThere was no chart published for the week ending 1 January 1983. In the preceding week, "Time (Clock of the Heart)" was the number-one single. In the next published chart, "Save Your Love" claimed the top spot.
^There was no chart published for the week ending 31 December 1983. For the two weeks preceding and succeeding the omitted chart week, "Only You" held the number-one spot.
^There was no chart published for the week ending 29 December 1984. For the two weeks preceding and succeeding the omitted chart week, "Do They Know It's Christmas?" held the number-one spot.
^"Last Christmas" peaked at number two in the UK Singles Chart on its original release in December 1984, but eventually reached number one on the chart week ending 7 January 2021.
^There was no chart published for the week ending 28 December 1985. For the weeks preceding and succeeding the omitted chart week, "Saving All My Love for You" held the number-one spot.
^There was no chart published for the week ending 27 December 1986. For the weeks preceding and succeeding the omitted chart week, "Caravan of Love" held the number-one spot.
^ abThere was no chart published for the week ending 26 December 1987. In the preceding week, "When I Fall in Love" was the number-one single. In the three next published charts, "Always on My Mind" claimed the top spot.
^Warwick, Neil; Kutner, Jon; Brown, Tony (2004). The Complete Book Of The British Charts: Singles and Albums (3rd ed.). London: Omnibus Press. p. v. ISBN1-84449-058-0. Until 15th February 1969, there was no officially compiled chart.
