Biggest Artists 1983
Culture Club and Paul Young battled it out for top spot, with Boy George and his gang coming out on top as having the greatest chart impact in the calendar year. Michael Jackson also makes the Top 3, and these three acts are heads and shoulders clear of the chasing pack, which includes the Eurhymics and Wham, both having breakout years. The Police return to the year's Top 20 - it is the group's fourth and final time (see also the Biggest Artists for 1979, 1980, 1981). Also appearing in the chart for the final time is Madness, the biggest chart act in 1982.
Artists are ranked by their Chart-Measured Performance (CHAMP) totals for the year. Singles are listed per artist in chronological order (from left to right) with a symbol denoting peak position. Key to icons: ★No. 1 ●Top Ten ○Top 40 (all on official chart) ☆Unofficial No. 1 (i.e. No. 1 only on NME Chart)
WKS: total weeks spent on the official Top 40
| WKS | CHAMP | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CULTURE CLUB●Church Of The Poisoned Mind ★Karma Chameleon ●Victims | 33 | 3,636 |
| 2 | PAUL YOUNG★Wherever I Lay My Hat ●Come Back And Stay ☆Love Of The Common People | 31 | 3,532 |
| 3 | MICHAEL JACKSON★Billie Jean ●Beat It ●Wanna Be Startin' Something ●Thriller | 39 | 3,464 |
| 4 | EURYTHMICS●Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This) ●Love Is A Stranger ●Who’s That Girl? ●Right By Your Side | 35 | 2,900 |
| 5 | WHAM!●Wham Rap ●Bad Boys ●Club Tropicana ○Club Fantastic Megamix | 35 | 2,860 |
| 6 | DAVID BOWIE★Let’s Dance ☆China Girl ●Modern Love | 23 | 2,812 |
| 7 | KAJAGOOGOO★Too Shy ●Ooh To Be Aah ○Hang On Now ●Big Apple | 29 | 2,341 |
| 8 | UB40★Red Red Wine ●Please Don’t Make Me Cry ○Too Many Rivers To Cross | 27 | 2,331 |
| 9 | THE THOMPSON TWINS● Love On Your Side ●We Are Detective ○Watching ●Hold Me Now | 33 | 2,327 |
| 10 | MODERN ROMANCE●Best Years Of Our Lives ●High Life Don’t Stop That Crazy Rhythm ●Walking In The Rain | 31 | 2,194 |
| 11 | THE STYLE COUNCIL●Speak Like A Child ●Money Go Round (Part 1) ●Long Hot Summer ●Solid Bond In Your Heart | 23 | 2,193 |
| 12 | TRACEY ULLMAN●Breakaway ●They Don't Know About Us ●Move Over Darling | 26 | 2,112 |
| 13 | HEAVEN 17●Temptation ●Come Live With Me ●Crushed By The Wheels Of Industry | 26 | 2,080 |
| 14 | NEW ORDER●Blue Monday ●Confusion | 25 | 1,955 |
| 15 | THE POLICE●Every Breath You Take ●Wrapped Around Your Finger ○Synchronicity II | 19 | 1,936 |
| 16 | ROD STEWART★Baby Jane ●What Am I Gonna Do | 19 | 1,866 |
| 17 | ELTON JOHN●I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues ●I'm Still Standing ●Kiss The Bride ○Cold As Christmas | 27 | 1,799 |
| 18 | MADNESS●Tomorrow’s (Just Another Day) ●Wings Of A Dove ●The Sun And The Rain | 21 | 1,787 |
| 19 | MEN AT WORK●Down Under ●Overkill ○It's A Mistake ○Dr Hekyll And Mr Jive | 22 | 1,616 |
| 20 | BILLY JOEL★Uptown Girl | 18 | 1,614 |
Chart © Wow Vinyl 2024
★No.1 ●Top Ten ○Top 40 (all on official chart) ☆Unofficial No. 1 (i.e. No. 1 only on NME Chart)
WKS: total weeks spent on the official Top 40
† Part of the chart run was in 1982 or 1984, which has been included in calculating the CHAMP score