1990s in music in the UK |
Events |
---|
By location |
---|
By genre |
By topic |
| |||
---|---|---|---|
+... |
This is a summary of 1992 in music in the United Kingdom, including the official charts from that year.
1992 was a bleak time for the UK Singles Chart, with sales at a very low level. Due to several long chart runs, only 12 singles topped the chart this year (not counting the Queen single, which was a holdover from Christmas 1991), the lowest number since 1962, which also saw 12. In addition, none of them only lasted a week – all lasted at least two, the first time this had happened since 1971.
In the album charts Simply Red had continued success with Stars which would prove to be the second best selling album of the 90's and the best of 91 and 92. Although none of its singles reached no.1, title track Stars peaked at no.8 with all others making the top 40.
Shakespears Sister's hit "Stay" was the longest chart topper of 1992, holding onto the No 1 slot for 8 weeks.
The year saw the start of the ABBA revival, though, with Erasure grabbing the top spot for five weeks in June with their Abba-esque EP, which featured covers of ABBA songs. This was followed by ABBA tribute band Björn Again releasing Erasure-ish in October, which featured covers of Erasure songs. This reached number 25. ABBA's ABBA Gold: Greatest Hits album reached No. 1 for a week in September.
September also saw the Shamen attract controversy with the rave song "Ebeneezer Goode", which, though apparently a song about a fictional character, contained many jokey allusions to the drug Ecstasy, including the chorus "Eezer Goode, Eezer Goode, he's Ebeneezer Goode" (which sounded like "E's are good, E's are good", 'E' being a slang term for Ecstasy). The controversy ensured the song reached number 1 and stayed there for four weeks.
The biggest selling single of the year, and also the only one to sell over a million, was Whitney Houston's cover of "I Will Always Love You", taken from the film The Bodyguard . Originally charting in November, the song hit number 1 later that month, and stayed there until February next year.
The Wedding Present equalled the all-time record of Elvis Presley for most UK Top 30 hits in a year (12), by releasing limited edition, 10,000-copies-only 7" singles every month from January to December. Out of this they achieved their first (and only) ever top ten single, "Come Play With Me" in May of that year.
In the field of classical music, British composer John Palmer won the City of Lucerne Cultural Prize for Music. New classical works by British composers included the Flute Concerto by William Mathias and the String Quartet No. 1 by Mathias's former pupil John Pickard. Classic FM, the first national classical music station to launch since the opening of BBC Radio 3, 25 years earlier, began broadcasting in September.
Chart date (week ending) | Song | Artist(s) |
---|---|---|
4 January | "Bohemian Rhapsody/These Are the Days of Our Lives" | Queen |
11 January | ||
18 January | ||
25 January | "Goodnight Girl" | Wet Wet Wet |
1 February | ||
8 February | ||
15 February | ||
22 February | "Stay" | Shakespear's Sister |
29 February | ||
7 March | ||
14 March | ||
21 March | ||
28 March | ||
4 April | ||
11 April | ||
18 April | "Deeply Dippy" | Right Said Fred |
25 April | ||
2 May | ||
9 May | "Please Don't Go" | K.W.S. |
16 May | ||
23 May | ||
30 May | ||
6 June | ||
13 June | Abba-esque | Erasure |
20 June | ||
27 June | ||
4 July | ||
11 July | ||
18 July | "Ain't No Doubt" | Jimmy Nail |
25 July | ||
1 August | ||
8 August | "Rhythm Is a Dancer" | Snap! |
15 August | ||
22 August | ||
29 August | ||
5 September | ||
12 September | ||
19 September | "Ebeneezer Goode" | The Shamen |
26 September | ||
3 October | ||
10 October | ||
17 October | "Sleeping Satellite" | Tasmin Archer |
24 October | ||
31 October | "End of the Road" | Boyz II Men |
7 November | ||
14 November | ||
21 November | "Would I Lie to You?" | Charles & Eddie |
28 November | ||
5 December | "I Will Always Love You" | Whitney Houston |
12 December | ||
19 December | ||
26 December |
Notes:
The 1992 Brit Awards winners were:
The 1992 Mercury Music Prize was awarded to Primal Scream – Screamadelica .
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1979.
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1992.
Erasure are an English synth-pop duo formed in London in 1985, consisting of lead vocalist and songwriter Andy Bell with songwriter, producer and keyboardist Vince Clarke, previously co-founder of the band Depeche Mode and a member of synth-pop duo Yazoo. From their fourth single, "Sometimes" (1986), Erasure established themselves on the UK Singles Chart, becoming one of the most successful acts of the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s. From 1986 to 2007, the pair achieved 24 consecutive top-40 entries in the UK singles chart. By 2009, 34 of their 37 chart-eligible singles and EPs had made the UK top 40, including 17 climbing into the top 10. At the 1989 Brit Awards, Erasure won the Brit Award for Best British Group.
This is a summary of 1997 in music in the United Kingdom, including the official charts from that year.
This is a summary of 1995 in music in the United Kingdom, including the official charts from that year.
This is a summary of 1994 in music in the United Kingdom, including the official charts from that year.
This is a summary of 1991 in music in the United Kingdom, including the official charts from that year.
This is a summary of 1989 in music in the United Kingdom, including the official charts from that year.
This is a summary of 1982 in music in the United Kingdom, including the official charts from that year.
"Take a Chance on Me" is a song by Swedish pop group ABBA, released in January 1978 as the second single from their fifth studio album, ABBA: The Album (1977). Agnetha Fältskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad share the lead vocals on the verses and choruses, with Fältskog singing two bridge sections solo. The song reached the top ten in both the UK and US, and was notably covered by the British band Erasure in 1992.
"Ebeneezer Goode" is a song by British electronic music group the Shamen which, heavily remixed by the Beatmasters, became their biggest hit when released as a single on 24 August 1992 by One Little Indian. The group's original version featured on the vinyl edition of their fifth album, Boss Drum (1992).
The Beatmasters are an English electronic music group who gained success in the UK in the late 1980s with four top 20 hit singles. They then went on to produce and remix records for other artists, including Pet Shop Boys, Erasure and Marc Almond. The group's string of chart hit singles include "Burn It Up", "Hey DJ! ", "Who's in the House" and "Rok da House". The latter, having been recorded in 1986, is one of the earliest examples of hip house and most likely the first song of the genre. Hip house is a subgenre of house music which features rap vocals performed over a house rhythm track.
"A Little Respect" is a song written and recorded by British synth-pop duo Erasure, released in September 1988 by Mute. It was written by Vince Clarke and Andy Bell. The lyrics are a plea to a lover to show compassion and respect. The heavily synthesized instrumentation is accentuated by acoustic guitar and Bell's vocal falsetto in the chorus. It was their tenth single and was taken from their third studio album, The Innocents (1988). Known as one of their signature songs, the single reached number four on the UK Singles Chart and was Erasure's second consecutive top-20 hit on the US Billboard Hot 100, where it made number 14, and reached number two on the US Billboard Dance Club Play chart.
This is a summary of 1983 in music in the United Kingdom, including the official charts from that year.
This is a summary of 1988 in music in the United Kingdom, including the official charts from that year.
This is a summary of 1987 in music in the United Kingdom, including the official charts from that year.
This is a summary of 1986 in music in the United Kingdom, including the official charts from that year.
This is a summary of 1985 in music in the United Kingdom, including the official charts from that year.
This is a summary of 1984 in music in the United Kingdom, including the official charts from that year.
This is a summary of 1980 in music in the United Kingdom, including the official charts from that year.