1992 in British music
This is a summary of 1992 in music in the United Kingdom, including the official charts from that year.
Summary
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, 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 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". 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 shared the record with Elvis Presley for most UK Top 30 hits in a year, by releasing limited edition, 10,000 only 7" singles every month from January to December, out of this they achieved their first 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.
Events
- 12 February - The KLF perform a thrash metal version of "3am Eternal" with Extreme Noise Terror at the Brit Awards, the performance is rounded off with Bill Drummond firing blanks into the audience before Scott Piering announcing that "The KLF have now left the music business". And at the aftershow party, the band dump a dead sheep outside. The band then announce their retirement, deleting their back catalogue, and their Brit award statue was later found buried in a field near Stonehenge.
- 20 April – The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert takes place at Wembley Stadium in London, England. All proceeds go to AIDS research.
- 24 April – David Bowie marries fashion model Iman.
- 8 August - Morrissey is pelted with coins and missiles after performing at the Madstock Festival, whilst draped in a Union Jack flag and singing "National Front Disco" in front of Madness fans.
- 3 December - Bill Wyman announces he is quitting The Rolling Stones.
Charts
Number-one singles
Number-one albums
Year-end charts
Best-selling singles
| Title | Artist | Peak position | Estimated sales | |
| 1 | "I Will Always Love You" | 1 | 1,000,000+ | |
| 2 | "Rhythm Is a Dancer" | Snap! | 1 | 675,000 |
| 3 | "Would I Lie to You?" | Charles & Eddie | 1 | 600,000 |
| 4 | "Stay" | Shakespears Sister | 1 | |
| 5 | "Please Don't Go"/"Game Boy" | KWS | 1 | |
| 6 | "End of the Road" | Boyz II Men | 1 | |
| 7 | Abba-esque | Erasure | 1 | |
| 8 | "Ain't No Doubt" | 1 | ||
| 9 | "Heal the World" | 2 | ||
| 10 | "Goodnight Girl" | Wet Wet Wet | 1 | |
| 11 | "Baker Street" | Undercover | 2 | |
| 12 | "Deeply Dippy" | Right Said Fred | 1 | |
| 13 | "Ebeneezer Goode" | 1 | ||
| 14 | "Hazard" | 3 | ||
| 15 | "Bohemian Rhapsody"/"These Are the Days of Our Lives" | Queen | 1 | |
| 16 | "Sleeping Satellite" | 1 | ||
| 17 | "The Best Things in Life Are Free" | and Janet Jackson with special guests BBD and Ralph Tresvant | 2 | |
| 18 | "It's My Life" | Dr. Alban | 2 | |
| 19 | "Just Another Day" | 5 | ||
| 20 | "On a Ragga Tip" | SL2 | 2 | |
| 21 | "Achy Breaky Heart" | 3 | ||
| 22 | "My Girl" | 2 | ||
| 23 | "People Everyday" | Arrested Development | 2 | |
| 24 | "I Love Your Smile" | Shanice | 2 | |
| 25 | "Jump" | Kris Kross | 2 | |
| 26 | "Twilight Zone" | 2 Unlimited | 2 | |
| 27 | "Sesame's Treet" | Smart E's | 2 | |
| 28 | "I'm Doing Fine Now" | 4 | ||
| 29 | "I'm Gonna Get You" | Bizarre Inc featuring Angie Brown | 3 | |
| 30 | "Barcelona" | & Montserrat Caballé | 2 | |
| 31 | "To Be with You" | Mr. Big | 3 | |
| 32 | "My Destiny" | 7 | ||
| 33 | "Don't You Want Me" | Felix | 6 | |
| 34 | "Knockin' On Heaven's Door" | Guns N' Roses | 2 | |
| 35 | "Heartbeat" | 2 | ||
| 36 | "Something Good" | Utah Saints | 4 | |
| 37 | "Could It Be Magic" | Take That | 3 | |
| 38 | "I Wonder Why" | 5 | ||
| 39 | "Everything About You" | Ugly Kid Joe | 3 | |
| 40 | "I'll Be There" | featuring Trey Lorenz | 2 | |
| 41 | "Temptation" | Heaven 17 | 4 | |
| 42 | "This Used to Be My Playground" | Madonna | 3 | |
| 43 | "Out of Space" | 5 | ||
| 44 | "Shake Your Head" | Was | 4 | |
| 45 | "Too Much Love Will Kill You" | 5 | ||
| 46 | "Everybody in the Place" | 2 | ||
| 47 | "Slam Jam" | 4 | ||
| 48 | "Finally" | 2 | ||
| 49 | "Never Let Her Slip Away" | Undercover | 5 | |
| 50 | "Give Me Just a Little More Time" | 2 |
Best-selling albums
| Title | Artist | Peak position | |
| 1 | Stars | Simply Red | 1 |
| 2 | Back to Front | 1 | |
| 3 | ' | Cher | 1 |
| 4 | Glittering Prize 81/92 | Simple Minds | 1 |
| 5 | Dangerous | 4 | |
| 6 | Diva | 1 | |
| 7 | ' | 3 | |
| 8 | Divine Madness | Madness | 1 |
| 9 | We Can't Dance | Genesis | 2 |
| 10 | Up | Right Said Fred | 1 |
| 11 | ' | Erasure | 1 |
| 12 | ' | ABBA | 1 |
| 13 | Greatest Hits | 2 | |
| 14 | Hormonally Yours | Shakespears Sister | 3 |
| 15 | High on the Happy Side | Wet Wet Wet | 1 |
| 16 | Real Love | 3 | |
| 17 | Automatic for the People | R.E.M. | 1 |
| 18 | ' | Genesis | 3 |
| 19 | Greatest Hits II | Queen | 2 |
| 20 | Nevermind | Nirvana | 7 |
| 21 | Simply the Best | 2 | |
| 22 | Tubular Bells II | 1 | |
| 23 | Curtis Stigers | 7 | |
| 24 | The Commitments Original Soundtrack | Various Artists | 8 |
| 25 | Tears Roll Down | Tears for Fears | 2 |
| 26 | Boss Drum | 3 | |
| 27 | Erotica | Madonna | 2 |
| 28 | The Best of Belinda, Volume 1 | 1 | |
| 29 | The Freddie Mercury Album | 4 | |
| 30 | ' | 1 | |
| 31 | Achtung Baby | U2 | 8 |
| 32 | Take That and Party | Take That | 3 |
| 33 | Diamonds and Pearls | Prince and the New Power Generation | 8 |
| 34 | Greatest Hits | Queen | 6 |
| 35 | Adrenalize | Def Leppard | 1 |
| 36 | Shepherd Moons | Enya | 12 |
| 37 | Woodface | Crowded House | 6 |
| 38 | Use Your Illusion II | Guns N' Roses | 10 |
| 39 | Waking Up the Neighbours | 11 | |
| 40 | Out of Time | R.E.M. | 13 |
| 41 | Michael Crawford Performs Andrew Lloyd Webber | 7 | |
| 42 | Use Your Illusion I | Guns N' Roses | 18 |
| 43 | The Force Behind the Power | 15 | |
| 44 | The One | 2 | |
| 45 | ' | 4 | |
| 46 | Legend | and the Wailers | 18 |
| 47 | Keep the Faith | Bon Jovi | 1 |
| 48 | Symbol | Prince and the New Power Generation | 1 |
| 49 | Seal | Seal | 5 |
| 50 | Time, Love & Tenderness | 6 |
Notes''':
Music awards
BRIT Awards
The 1992 BRIT Awards winners were:- Best British producer: Trevor Horn
- Best international solo artist: Prince
- Best soundtrack: The Commitments
- British album: Seal: Seal
- British newcomer: Beverley Craven
- British female solo artist – Lisa Stansfield
- British group: Simply Red
- British male solo artist: Seal
- British single: Queen – "These Are the Days of Our Lives"
- British video: Seal – "Killer"
- International newcomer: P.M. Dawn
- International group: R.E.M.
- Outstanding contribution: Freddie Mercury
Mercury Music Prize
Classical music
- Alun Hoddinott – Symphony No.9 "Vision of Eternity"
- William Mathias – Flute Concerto
- David Sawer – Byrnan Wood
Opera
- Jonathan Harvey – Inquest of Love.
Film and incidental music
- Michael Nyman – The Piano directed by Jane Campion.
Births
- 10 February – Misha B, singer-songwriter
- 26 April – Danielle Hope, singer and actress
- 19 May – Sam Smith, singer-songwriter
- 4 July – Nick Hissom, singer
- 8 July – Benjamin Grosvenor, pianist
- 2 August – Charli XCX, singer-songwriter
- 5 October – Alex Prior, conductor and composer
- 21 November – Conor Maynard, singer
Deaths
- 8 February – Denny Wright, guitarist and songwriter, 67
- 29 April – Stephen Oliver, opera composer, 42
- 20 June – Sir Charles Groves, conductor, 77
- 5 July – Georgia Brown, singer and actress, the original Nancy in Oliver!, 58
- 29 July – William Mathias, composer, 57
- 3 August – Don Lang, trombonist and singer, 67
- 19 September – Sir Geraint Evans, operatic baritone, 70
- 7 October – Harold Truscott, pianist, composer, broadcaster and music writer, 78
- 7 November – Henri Temianka, virtuoso violinist, conductor, author and music educator, 85
- 29 November – Paul Ryan, singer, songwriter and record producer, 44
- 22 December – Harry Bluestone, violinist, 85
- date unknown
- *Paul Hammond, drummer of Atomic Rooster
- *Malcolm MacDonald, composer