UK Number One Songs from the 1980s Quiz

"Geno" is a song by Dexys Midnight Runners, released 14 March 1980. The song was the lead single from their debut album, "Searching for the Young Soul Rebels". The song spent two weeks at number one on the UK Singles Chart.

In 1978, Dexys Midnight Runners formed in Birmingham, England. Kevin Rowland was the lead singer and frontman in the band. Dexys topped the charts both in the UK and the US with their big hit "Come On Eileen", released in 1982.

"Prince Charming" spent four weeks at the top of the UK Singles Chart in 1981. The song was written by Adam Ant and Marco Pirroni. The name of the song was also the name of Adam's third album, released in the same year. Adam and the Ants released three albums between 1977 and 1982.

The two other albums were called "Dirk Wears White Sox" (1979) and "Kings of the Wild Frontier" (1980). After the band broke up, Adam went solo and released his first solo album "Friend or Foe". The 1982 album reached number five on the UK Albums Chart and number 16 on the US Billboard 200.

Eddy Grant was the artist who sang the reggae song, "I Don't Wanna Dance". The single was released on 13 November 1982. The single topped the charts in the UK, Belgium, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa and Switzerland. Eddy wrote and produced the song himself.

"Every Breath You Take" was recorded by the UK band The Police. The single was released on 20 May 1983. Members of the band were Sting, Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland. Chart-wise, the single reached the number one position on several worldwide record charts, including the UK and the US. The track also featured on the band's final studio album, "Synchronicity", released in June of the same year.

Frankie Goes to Hollywood recorded the song "Relax". The song was the band's first single and helped to put the band in the eye of the public. The song was banned by the BBC Radio in the UK because of the lyrics and the nature of the song. The result was it helped the song to maybe become more popular as people wanted to know what all the fuss was about.

The band led by Holly Johnson went from strength to strength with songs like "Two Tribes" (1984), "The Power of Love" (1984), and "Welcome to the Pleasuredome" (1985).

"19" was a massive hit for Paul Hardcastle. The single was released in May 1985. The song topped the charts in several countries and stayed at number one for five weeks on the UK Singles Chart. "19" was about the average age of a combat soldier in the Vietnam War, while "26" was the average age in World War II.

The age gap is now disputed, as it can't be confirmed. Another part of the lyrics suggests that while the tour of duty was longer in World War II, the soldiers in Vietnam were under fire more often, in fact every day.

The song compares the differences between the two wars, rightly or wrongly.

The song from Billy Ocean spent four weeks at the top of the charts in the UK. "When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Gets Going" was released on February 8, 1986. The song was written in a joint effort between Wayne Brathwaite, Barry Eastmond, and Mutt Lange. For film buffs, the song was also the theme for "The Jewel of the Nile", released in 1985.

Billy Ocean was born on 21 January 1950 in Fyzabad, Trinidad and Tobago. He moved to England in 1960. In 1976, he recorded his first album as Billy Ocean, as previously he had been known as Les Charles and had also been a member of the band Scorched Earth. The album was just called "Billy Ocean". The album failed to chart, but three singles from the album did chart, with "Love Really Hurts Without You" reaching number two on the UK Singles Chart.

What can you really say about Rick Astley's song "Never Gonna Give You Up"? The song reached number one in 25 countries. In 1987 the song topped the charts for five weeks on the UK Singles Chart. The song was also the lead single from Rick's debut album "Whenever You Need Somebody".

Rick Astley retired from the music scene in 1993 to spend more time with his family. In 2000, Rick returned to the music industry to record and release his seventh studio album, titled "50", to celebrate his 50th birthday in 2016. In 2007, he became an internet sensation with an old video of his worldwide hit song. Back in 2021 he became only the fourth person to get one billion hits on YouTube with his song "Never Gonna Give You Up".

The Australian singer Kylie Minogue sang the song "I Should Be So Lucky". The single was released on 20 February 1988 on the PWL label. The single topped the charts for five weeks. Kylie was 19 years old when the record was released. It was also a track from her debut album, "Kylie" (1988).

The record was written and produced by the British trio of Stock Aitken Waterman, who were well known in the music industry.

One of my favourite songs from the 1980s. "Eternal Flame" was a song from the American girl band The Bangles. The song was released on 15 April 1989 and spent four weeks at the top of the charts. Band members were Susanna Hoffs, Vicki Peterson, Michael Steele and Debbi Peterson. Susanna Hoffs was the voice behind the power ballad; she also co-wrote the song with Tom Kelly and Billy Steinberg.

The band enjoyed success in the 1980s with songs like "Walk Like an Egyptian" (1986), "Manic Monday" (1986), and "Hazy Shade of Winter" (1987).