Greatest Year of Music - Revealed

It is OFFICIAL - 1984 was the best year for music according to Greatest Hits Radio listeners.

The year of Prince’s Purple Rain album, The Red Hot Chilli Pepper’s debut and the notable Band Aid record ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas’ beat all other years from the 70s through to the 90s. George Michael achieved five top 10 singles and Frankie Goes to Hollywood spent five weeks at number one with “Relax” in 1984.

Second place went to 1985 with 45 per cent also choosing the colourful eighties as the top decade overall for music.

Among the top bands and artists from the winning decade were Queen, Madonna and U2.

Almost two thirds believe music ‘peaked’ during a certain era, and a further one quarter said that era was 1981-1985.

One third of respondents said their favourite year stood out to them because of ‘personal memories’ while over half said they remember it ‘purely because of the music’.

Of those who voted 1984 as the best year, many said this was because it was either the year they left school, their teenage years and it was a memorable, hot summer.

Greatest Hits Radio presenter Mark Goodier said:

“The results prove how defining the 80s were as a decade for music, artists like Queen, Wham! And Madonna were at their peak and Band Aid bought together some of the biggest acts. Songs released in the crucial year of 1984 are still recognised and celebrated today, as many respondents stated, the eighties was a time for classics."

“At Greatest Hits Radio we know that music and particularly great songs from a person’s formative years make you feel good and that’s why we so strongly feature the biggest songs of the 70s, 80s and 90s."

The study of 1,488 adults also found eight in 10 said music helps bring back nostalgic memories for them.

When it comes to the seventies 1970 came out top as the nation’s favourite year, Queen reigned both the 1970’s and 1980’s, with one in five voting them as the top band of each decade.

The rock quartet beat the likes of Blondie and Pink Floyd to the best single of the 1970’s with Bohemian Rhapsody, which stayed at the top of the charts for nine weeks.

And 65 per cent said Queen’s Live Aid performance in 1985 was the ‘best’ live event from the three decades:

Oasis came out as the top artist from the 1990’s showing the memorable rise in Brit-pop during that time, and many respondents who selected the nineties as their favourite decade did so because of the Oasis and Blur battle.

Top 20 years for music according to Brits:

1. 1984
2. 1985
3. 1970
4. 1999
5. 1987
6. 1996
7. 1976
8. 1980
9. 1977
10. 1986
11. 1979
12. 1983
13. 1995
14. 1982
15. 1994
16. 1974
17. 1975
18. 1981
19. 1998
20. 1988