# 1989 in British music

This is a summary of 1989 in music in the United Kingdom, including the official charts from that year.

## Summary

The very beginning of the year saw compilation albums excluded from the UK Albums Chart, and spun off into the new UK Compilations Chart from the week commencing 8 January 1989. Albums such as the Now series had regularly dominated the chart since 1983, with often up to 4 of the Number 1s each year being hit compilations. Now 13 was knocked off the top spot of the albums chart as a result of this new implementation.
In the UK Singles Chart, eighteen singles reached number one. The first was a duet between teen idols Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan, "Especially for You", which had narrowly missed out on being 1988's Christmas number one single. The two would continue their success throughout the year, with Minogue getting her third number-one single, "Hand on Your Heart", in May followed by "Wouldn't Change a Thing", which peaked at number two in August; "Never Too Late" peaked at number four in October, and then her second number-one album, Enjoy Yourself, came in November. Donovan fared even better getting two number-one singles ("Too Many Broken Hearts" in March, and "Sealed With a Kiss" in June) and one number-one album (Ten Good Reasons in May). The two enjoyed a highly publicised romance throughout the year until Minogue ended the relationship and began dating Michael Hutchence from the band INXS.
Like many artists this year, Minogue and Donovan were produced by Stock Aitken Waterman, who were at the peak of their popularity in 1989. This year saw the production team re-launch Donna Summer's career, and she scored her first Top 10 hit for 10 years with "This Time I Know It's for Real", which made number three, and followed it up with two more Top 20 hits ("I Don't Wanna Get Hurt" and "Love's About to Change My Heart") both from her album Another Place and Time, written and produced entirely by the trio. Also, the Reynolds Girls and Sonia both got the Stock Aitken Waterman treatment with their respective top 10 singles "I'd Rather Jack", which reached number eight in March, and "You'll Never Stop Me Loving You", which got to number one in July. Big Fun kick-started their short-lived pop career with a Stock Aitken Waterman produced cover of "Blame it on the Boogie", which got to number five.
After a break the previous year, Madonna returned to number one for the sixth time in March with "Like a Prayer", though the music video caused controversy. Her album, from which this was the title track, also topped the charts and became one of her most critically acclaimed worldwide. The single was followed by three further top five hits in 1989: "Express Yourself" (number five), "Cherish" (number three) and "Dear Jessie", which peaked at number five over the Christmas period.
May saw the Christians, Holly Johnson, Paul McCartney, Gerry Marsden and producers Stock Aitken Waterman reach number one with a charity cover of the Gerry & The Pacemakers song "Ferry Cross the Mersey", released in aid of the Hillsborough disaster the previous month. The original reached number eight in 1964.
Two sounds dominated the summer and autumn. The first came from Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers: several old songs from the 1940s to 1960s were joined together to create a megamix, with "Jive Bunny" (an animated rabbit) featuring in the music videos. "Swing the Mood" topped the charts for five weeks from July, "That's What I Like" for three weeks in October, and "Let's Party" for one week in December. Unlike the first two, the last one sampled Christmas songs from the 1970s and 1980s. Jive Bunny became the third artist ever to have their first three singles reach number one, after Gerry & The Pacemakers and Frankie Goes to Hollywood.
The second was the italo house sound of Black Box, whose "Ride on Time" was the biggest-selling single of the year, and, at six weeks, spent the longest time at number one. Though the song heavily sampled Loleatta Holloway's "Love Sensation" from 1980, the music video featured a different singer miming to Holloway's vocals. This prompted legal action, so later pressings of the single featured a different singer – the then little-known Heather Small, who later went on to fame as the lead singer of M People in the 1990s. The same production team behind Black Box also reached number nine under the group name Starlight with the hit single "Numero Uno". The italo house sound continued with top ten hits from Mixmaster "Grand Piano" and FPI Project went to number nine with their version of "Going Back to My Roots/Rich in Paradise".
Along with italo, the House music genre was still going strong in 1989. Inner City released numerous house hits during the year, which all entered the Top 40, the biggest being "Good Life", which reached number four in January. Coldcut introduced Lisa Stansfield with her debut single "People Hold On", which reached number 11 in April and stayed in the Top 75 for 9 weeks. This was followed by her first solo hit, "This Is the Right Time", which hit number 13, but in October, she made it all the way to the top with "All Around the World", which stayed at number one for two weeks.
The Rebel MC created a second wave house craze in October 1989 with his number-two hit "Street Tuff", and from Belgium, genre-defining Technotronic stormed to number two in November with their huge debut hit "Pump Up the Jam". Like Black Box, there was minor controversy over who was the actual singer of the track. The label officially credited French model Felly as the vocalist (who also appeared in the video); however, it was, in fact, American rapper Ya Kid K providing all the vocals. A third scandal involving credited vocalists also continued this year with the duo Milli Vanilli, who hit the headlines when it was revealed that neither of them had performed vocals on any of their debut singles, including this year's number two smash from November "Girl I'm Gonna Miss You".
The teen-sensations of 1988, Bros, lost momentum and a band member this year, so a new boyband took their title. From the United States came New Kids on the Block and they soon became the latest pop sensations in Britain. Their debut single, "Hangin' Tough", initially stalled early in the summer, but it was the follow-up "You Got It (The Right Stuff)" that went straight in at number one in the autumn. It would stay there for three weeks, paving the way for a re-release of "Hangin' Tough" in January 1990, and the multi-platinum success of their debut album of the same name.
The year's Christmas number one single, and, indeed, the final number one of the 1980s, went to a new version of 1984's Christmas number one "Do They Know It's Christmas?". Produced by Stock Aitken Waterman, Band Aid II, like the original Band Aid, featured numerous famous music stars of the day, including both Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan, giving them the credit as appearing on both the first and last number one singles of the year. Donovan would also achieve the honour of the biggest selling album of the year with his "Ten Good Reasons" album going multi-platinum before the end of the year.
One of the highlights of the Proms was the première of John Tavener's The Protecting Veil, performed by Steven Isserlis and the London Symphony Orchestra. Two new works by John McCabe were also premièred during the year: Sam Variations for violin, viola, cello, doublebass and piano, commissioned and performed by the Schubert Ensemble of London, and String Quartet No 5, performed by the Gabrieli Quartet at the Fishguard Festival. A choral work by McCabe's, Proud Songsters, was written to celebrate the 70th birthday of Stephen Wilkinson.

## Events

* 7 January – The Chart Show moves from Channel 4 to ITV.
* 8 January – Compilation albums are moved from the UK Albums Chart into the new UK Compilation Chart.
* 14 January – Paul McCartney releases Снова в СССР (Back in the USSR) exclusively in the USSR.
* 21 January – The first performance of Walk By Quiet Water for orchestra, Op. 96 by British composer (but long-term US resident) Peter Racine Fricker, with the Santa Barbara Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Varujan Kojian, at the Arlington Theatre, Santa Barbara.
* 9 April – The Rolling Stones' Bill Wyman announces that he will marry 19-year-old Mandy Smith, his girlfriend for six years.
* 23 July – Former Beatle Ringo Starr forms his own band named Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band.
* 17 August – The 6th Brecon Jazz Festival opens, in Brecon, Wales. Guest performers include George Melly.
* 29 August – World premiere of Quatrain for wind, brass and percussion by Colin Matthews in San Sebastian, Spain, with the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas.
* 4 September – The premiere of John Tavener's The Protecting Veil took place at the Proms in the Royal Albert Hall, with soloist Steven Isserlis and the BBC Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Oliver Knussen.
* 10 September – Peter Maxwell Davies' Symphony No. 4 receives its premiere at a BBC Proms concert in the Royal Albert Hall, by the Scottish Chamber Orchestra conducted by the composer.
* November – Soprano Elizabeth Harwood, suffering from terminal cancer, makes her last stage performance, at the Bath Festival.
* date unknown – Peter Maxwell Davies succeeds David Willcocks as the President of the charity, Making Music.

## Charts
### Number-one singles

| Chart date (week ending) | Song | Artist(s) |
| 7 January | "Especially for You" | Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan |
| 14 January | "Especially for You" | Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan |
| 21 January | "Especially for You" | Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan |
| 28 January | "Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart" | Marc Almond with Gene Pitney |
| 4 February | "Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart" | Marc Almond with Gene Pitney |
| 11 February | "Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart" | Marc Almond with Gene Pitney |
| 18 February | "Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart" | Marc Almond with Gene Pitney |
| 25 February | "Belfast Child" | Simple Minds |
| 4 March | "Belfast Child" | Simple Minds |
| 11 March | "Too Many Broken Hearts" | Jason Donovan |
| 18 March | "Too Many Broken Hearts" | Jason Donovan |
| 25 March | "Like a Prayer" | Madonna |
| 1 April | "Like a Prayer" | Madonna |
| 8 April | "Like a Prayer" | Madonna |
| 15 April | "Eternal Flame" | The Bangles |
| 22 April | "Eternal Flame" | The Bangles |
| 29 April | "Eternal Flame" | The Bangles |
| 6 May | "Eternal Flame" | The Bangles |
| 13 May | "Hand on Your Heart" | Kylie Minogue |
| 20 May | "Ferry 'Cross the Mersey" | The Christians, Holly Johnson, Paul McCartney, Gerry Marsden and Stock Aitken Waterman |
| 27 May | "Ferry 'Cross the Mersey" | The Christians, Holly Johnson, Paul McCartney, Gerry Marsden and Stock Aitken Waterman |
| 3 June | "Ferry 'Cross the Mersey" | The Christians, Holly Johnson, Paul McCartney, Gerry Marsden and Stock Aitken Waterman |
| 10 June | "Sealed With a Kiss" | Jason Donovan |
| 17 June | "Sealed With a Kiss" | Jason Donovan |
| 24 June | "Back to Life (However Do You Want Me)" | Soul II Soul featuring Caron Wheeler |
| 1 July | "Back to Life (However Do You Want Me)" | Soul II Soul featuring Caron Wheeler |
| 8 July | "Back to Life (However Do You Want Me)" | Soul II Soul featuring Caron Wheeler |
| 15 July | "Back to Life (However Do You Want Me)" | Soul II Soul featuring Caron Wheeler |
| 22 July | "You'll Never Stop Me Loving You" | Sonia |
| 29 July | "You'll Never Stop Me Loving You" | Sonia |
| 5 August | "Swing the Mood" | Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers |
| 12 August | "Swing the Mood" | Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers |
| 19 August | "Swing the Mood" | Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers |
| 26 August | "Swing the Mood" | Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers |
| 2 September | "Swing the Mood" | Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers |
| 9 September | "Ride on Time" | Black Box |
| 16 September | "Ride on Time" | Black Box |
| 23 September | "Ride on Time" | Black Box |
| 30 September | "Ride on Time" | Black Box |
| 7 October | "Ride on Time" | Black Box |
| 14 October | "Ride on Time" | Black Box |
| 21 October | "That's What I Like" | Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers |
| 28 October | "That's What I Like" | Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers |
| 4 November | "That's What I Like" | Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers |
| 11 November | "All Around the World" | Lisa Stansfield |
| 18 November | "All Around the World" | Lisa Stansfield |
| 25 November | "You Got It (The Right Stuff)" | New Kids on the Block |
| 2 December | "You Got It (The Right Stuff)" | New Kids on the Block |
| 9 December | "You Got It (The Right Stuff)" | New Kids on the Block |
| 16 December | "Let's Party" | Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers |
| 23 December | "Do They Know It's Christmas?" | Band Aid II |
| 30 December | "Do They Know It's Christmas?" | Band Aid II |

### Number-one albums

| Chart date (week ending) | Album | Artist |
| 7 January | Now 13 | Various Artists |
| 14 January | The Innocents | Erasure |
| 21 January | The Legendary Roy Orbison | Roy Orbison |
| 28 January | The Legendary Roy Orbison | Roy Orbison |
| 4 February | The Legendary Roy Orbison | Roy Orbison |
| 11 February | Technique | New Order |
| 18 February | The Raw and the Cooked | Fine Young Cannibals |
| 25 February | A New Flame | Simply Red |
| 4 March | A New Flame | Simply Red |
| 11 March | A New Flame | Simply Red |
| 18 March | A New Flame | Simply Red |
| 25 March | Anything for You | Gloria Estefan & Miami Sound Machine |
| 1 April | Like a Prayer | Madonna |
| 8 April | Like a Prayer | Madonna |
| 15 April | When the World Knows Your Name | Deacon Blue |
| 22 April | When the World Knows Your Name | Deacon Blue |
| 29 April | A New Flame | Simply Red |
| 6 May | Blast! | Holly Johnson |
| 13 May | Street Fighting Years | Simple Minds |
| 20 May | Ten Good Reasons | Jason Donovan |
| 27 May | Ten Good Reasons | Jason Donovan |
| 3 June | The Miracle | Queen |
| 10 June | Ten Good Reasons | Jason Donovan |
| 17 June | Ten Good Reasons | Jason Donovan |
| 24 June | Flowers in the Dirt | Paul McCartney |
| 1 July | Batman | Prince |
| 8 July | Velveteen | Transvision Vamp |
| 15 July | Club Classics Vol. One | Soul II Soul |
| 22 July | A New Flame | Simply Red |
| 29 July | A New Flame | Simply Red |
| 5 August | Cuts Both Ways | Gloria Estefan |
| 12 August | Cuts Both Ways | Gloria Estefan |
| 19 August | Cuts Both Ways | Gloria Estefan |
| 26 August | Cuts Both Ways | Gloria Estefan |
| 2 September | Cuts Both Ways | Gloria Estefan |
| 9 September | Cuts Both Ways | Gloria Estefan |
| 16 September | Aspects of Love | London Stage Cast |
| 23 September | We Too Are One | Eurythmics |
| 30 September | Foreign Affair | Tina Turner |
| 7 October | The Seeds of Love | Tears for Fears |
| 14 October | Crossroads | Tracy Chapman |
| 21 October | Enjoy Yourself | Kylie Minogue |
| 28 October | Enjoy Yourself | Kylie Minogue |
| 4 November | Wild! | Erasure |
| 11 November | Wild! | Erasure |
| 18 November | The Road to Hell | Chris Rea |
| 25 November | The Road to Hell | Chris Rea |
| 2 December | The Road to Hell | Chris Rea |
| 9 December | ...But Seriously | Phil Collins |
| 16 December | ...But Seriously | Phil Collins |
| 23 December | ...But Seriously | Phil Collins |
| 30 December | ...But Seriously | Phil Collins |

### Number-one compilation albums

| Chart date (week ending) | Album |
| 14 January | Now 13 |
| 21 January | The Premiere Collection: The Best of Andrew Lloyd Webber |
| 28 January | The Premiere Collection: The Best of Andrew Lloyd Webber |
| 4 February | The Marquee – Thirty Legendary Years |
| 11 February | The Marquee – Thirty Legendary Years |
| 18 February | The Marquee – Thirty Legendary Years |
| 25 February | The Marquee – Thirty Legendary Years |
| 4 March | The Awards |
| 11 March | The Premiere Collection: The Best of Andrew Lloyd Webber |
| 18 March | Deep Heat |
| 25 March | Unforgettable 2 |
| 1 April | Now 14 |
| 8 April | Now 14 |
| 15 April | Now 14 |
| 22 April | Now 14 |
| 29 April | Now 14 |
| 6 May | Now 14 |
| 13 May | Now 14 |
| 20 May | Nite Flite 2 |
| 27 May | Nite Flite 2 |
| 3 June | Hits 10 |
| 10 June | Hits 10 |
| 17 June | Hits 10 |
| 24 June | Hits 10 |
| 1 July | Hits 10 |
| 8 July | Hits 10 |
| 15 July | Now Dance '89 |
| 22 July | Now Dance '89 |
| 29 July | Now Dance '89 |
| 5 August | Now Dance '89 |
| 12 August | Now Dance '89 |
| 19 August | Now Dance '89 |
| 26 August | Now 15 |
| 2 September | Now 15 |
| 9 September | Now 15 |
| 16 September | Now 15 |
| 23 September | Now 15 |
| 30 September | Deep Heat 4 – Play with Fire |
| 7 October | Deep Heat 4 – Play with Fire |
| 14 October | Deep Heat 4 – Play with Fire |
| 21 October | Deep Heat 4 – Play with Fire |
| 28 October | Deep Heat 4 – Play with Fire |
| 4 November | Smash Hits Party '89 |
| 11 November | Smash Hits Party '89 |
| 18 November | Smash Hits Party '89 |
| 25 November | The 80s – The Best Album of the Decade |
| 2 December | Now 16 |
| 9 December | Now 16 |
| 16 December | Now 16 |
| 23 December | Now 16 |
| 30 December | Now 16 |

## Year-end charts
### Best-selling singles

| No. | Title | Artist | Peak position | Estimated sales |
| 1 | "Ride on Time" | Black Box | 1 | 850,000 |
| 2 | "Swing the Mood" | Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers | 1 | 820,000 |
| 3 | "Eternal Flame" | The Bangles | 1 | 500,000 |
| 4 | "Too Many Broken Hearts" | Jason Donovan | 1 | |
| 5 | "Back to Life (However Do You Want Me)" | Soul II Soul featuring Caron Wheeler | 1 | |
| 6 | "Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart" | Marc Almond featuring Gene Pitney | 1 | |
| 7 | "That's What I Like" | Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers | 1 | |
| 8 | "Pump Up the Jam" | Technotronic featuring Felly | 2 | |
| 9 | "Do They Know It's Christmas?" | Band Aid II | 1 | 450,000 |
| 10 | "Hand on Your Heart" | Kylie Minogue | 1 | |
| 11 | "Like a Prayer" | Madonna | 1 | |
| 12 | "All Around the World" | Lisa Stansfield | 1 | |
| 13 | "If Only I Could" | Sydney Youngblood | 3 | |
| 14 | "Love Changes Everything" | Michael Ball | 2 | |
| 15 | "Girl I'm Gonna Miss You" | Milli Vanilli | 2 | |
| 16 | "You'll Never Stop Me Loving You" | Sonia | 1 | |
| 17 | "You Got It (The Right Stuff)" | New Kids on the Block | 1 | |
| 18 | "The Living Years" | Mike + the Mechanics | 2 | |
| 19 | "Ferry 'Cross the Mersey" | The Christians, Holly Johnson, Paul McCartney, Gerry Marsden and Stock, Aitken & Waterman | 1 | |
| 20 | "Miss You Like Crazy" | Natalie Cole | 2 | |
| 21 | "Wouldn't Change a Thing" | Kylie Minogue | 2 | |
| 22 | "This Time I Know It's for Real" | Donna Summer | 3 | |
| 23 | "Don't Know Much" | Linda Ronstadt featuring Aaron Neville | 2 | |
| 24 | "Let's Party" | Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers | 1 | |
| 25 | "Street Tuff" | Rebel MC and Double Trouble | 3 | |
| 26 | "Belfast Child" | Simple Minds | 1 | |
| 27 | "Requiem" | London Boys | 4 | |
| 28 | "French Kiss" | Lil Louis | 2 | |
| 29 | "Sealed with a Kiss" | Jason Donovan | 1 | |
| 30 | "Right Here Waiting" | Richard Marx | 2 | |
| 31 | "Straight Up" | Paula Abdul | 3 | |
| 32 | "Especially for You" | Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan | 1 | |
| 33 | "You Got It" | Roy Orbison | 3 | |
| 34 | "Lambada" | Kaoma | 4 | |
| 35 | "Help!" | Bananarama/Lananeeneenoonoo | 3 | |
| 36 | "Stop!" | Sam Brown | 4 | |
| 37 | "When You Come Back to Me" | Jason Donovan | 2 | |
| 38 | "If You Don't Know Me by Now" | Simply Red | 2 | |
| 39 | "London Nights" | London Boys | 2 | |
| 40 | "Poison" | Alice Cooper | 2 | |
| 41 | "The Best" | Tina Turner | 5 | |
| 42 | "Love Train" | Holly Johnson | 4 | |
| 43 | "If I Could Turn Back Time" | Cher | 6 | |
| 44 | "Leave Me Alone" | Michael Jackson | 2 | |
| 45 | "Room in Your Heart" | Living in a Box | 5 | |
| 46 | "Another Day in Paradise" | Phil Collins | 2 | |
| 47 | "Song for Whoever" | The Beautiful South | 2 | |
| 48 | "Get a Life" | Soul II Soul | 3 | |
| 49 | "Baby I Don't Care" | Transvision Vamp | 3 | |
| 50 | "Leave a Light On" | Belinda Carlisle | 4 | |

### Best-selling albums

| No. | Title | Artist | Peak position | Estimated sales |
| 1 | Ten Good Reasons | Jason Donovan | 1 | 1,500,000 |
| 2 | A New Flame | Simply Red | 1 | 1,400,000 |
| 3 | ...But Seriously | Phil Collins | 1 | 1,200,000 |
| 4 | Anything for You | Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine | 1 | 1,050,000 |
| 5 | Cuts Both Ways | Gloria Estefan | 1 | 900,000 |
| 6 | Enjoy Yourself | Kylie Minogue | 1 | 800,000 |
| 7 | The Raw and the Cooked | Fine Young Cannibals | 1 | |
| 8 | Foreign Affair | Tina Turner | 1 | |
| 9 | Like a Prayer | Madonna | 1 | |
| 10 | Club Classics Vol. One | Soul II Soul | 1 | 750,000 |
| 11 | Don't Be Cruel | Bobby Brown | 3 | |
| 12 | The Road to Hell | Chris Rea | 1 | |
| 13 | When the World Knows Your Name | Deacon Blue | 1 | |
| 14 | Jive Bunny: The Album | Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers | 2 | |
| 15 | Appetite for Destruction | Guns N' Roses | 5 | 600,000 |
| 16 | Street Fighting Years | Simple Minds | 1 | |
| 17 | The Miracle | Queen | 1 | |
| 18 | Wild! | Erasure | 1 | |
| 19 | The Twelve Commandments of Dance | London Boys | 2 | |
| 20 | We Too Are One | Eurythmics | 1 | |
| 21 | The Seeds of Love | Tears for Fears | 1 | |
| 22 | Raw Like Sushi | Neneh Cherry | 2 | |
| 23 | Affection | Lisa Stansfield | 2 | |
| 24 | Watermark | Enya | 5 | |
| 25 | Velveteen | Transvision Vamp | 1 | |
| 26 | The Legendary Roy Orbison | Roy Orbison | 1 | |
| 27 | Spark to a Flame: The Very Best of Chris de Burgh | Chris de Burgh | 4 | |
| 28 | Ancient Heart | Tanita Tikaram | 3 | |
| 29 | Holding Back the River | Wet Wet Wet | 2 | |
| 30 | Batman | Prince | 1 | |
| 31 | Pastpresent | Clannad | 5 | |
| 32 | Kylie | Kylie Minogue | 2 | 360,000 |
| 33 | The Best of Rod Stewart | Rod Stewart | 3 | |
| 34 | Bad | Michael Jackson | 4 | |
| 35 | Kick | INXS | 9 | |
| 36 | The Innocents | Erasure | 1 | |
| 37 | Paradise | Inner City | 3 | |
| 38 | Stronger | Cliff Richard | 7 | |
| 39 | The Sensual World | Kate Bush | 1 | |
| 40 | 2 X 2 | Milli Vanilli | 6 | |
| 41 | Everything | The Bangles | 5 | |
| 42 | Level Best | Level 42 | 5 | |
| 43 | Mystery Girl | Roy Orbison | 2 | |
| 44 | Crossroads | Tracy Chapman | 1 | |
| 45 | Remote/Bitter Suite | Hue & Cry | 10 | |
| 46 | Runaway Horses | Belinda Carlisle | 4 | |
| 47 | Greatest Hits | Billy Ocean | 4 | |
| 48 | Welcome to the Beautiful South | The Beautiful South | 2 | |
| 49 | Blast | Holly Johnson | 1 | |
| 50 | Aspects of Love | Original Cast Recording | 1 | |
Notes:
* ↑ Reached number 1 in 1988
* ↑ Reached number 1 in 1987

## Classical music

* Malcolm Arnold – Four Welsh Dances, Op. 138
* Harrison Birtwistle – Salford Toccata
* John McCabe – String Quartet No. 5
* Nicholas Maw – Music of Memory
* Mark-Anthony Turnage – Some Days (song cycle)

## Film and incidental music

* Christopher Gunning – When the Whales Came
* Michael Nyman – The Cook, the Thief, his Wife and her Lover, directed by Peter Greenaway.

## Births

* 4 January – Labrinth, singer-songwriter, guitarist and producer
* 28 January – Carly Paoli, mezzo-soprano
* 24 January – Calvin Goldspink, singer and actor (S Club 8)
* 17 February – Stacey McClean, singer and actress (S Club 8)
* 27 February – Sam Sweeney, folk musician
* 20 February – Freya Waley-Cohen, composer
* 8 April – Alex Day, singer-songwriter and guitarist (Chameleon Circuit)
* 23 June – Lauren Bennett, singer and dancer (G.R.L. and Paradiso Girls)
* 28 June – Lucy Rose, singer-songwriter and guitarist
* 29 June – Rebecca Jane, singer
* 2 July – Tom Zanetti, DJ, music producer, and musician
* 12 October – Aggro Santos, Brazilian-English rapper
* 20 October – Jess Glynne, pop singer-songwriter
* 30 November – Daisy Evans (S Club 8)

## Deaths

* 11 January – Ray Moore, DJ, 47 (throat cancer)
* 23 January – Angus Morrison, pianist, 86
* 14 February – Vincent Crane, keyboardist (The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, Atomic Rooster), 45 (overdose)
* 19 March – Alan Civil, horn player, 59
* 1 April – Richard Austin, conductor, 85
* 22 April – Paul Beard, violinist, 88
* 18 May – Geoffrey Gilbert, flautist, 74
* 14 June – Pete de Freitas, rock drummer (Echo & the Bunnymen), 27 (road accident)
* 15 July – Dennis Wilson, composer, 69
* 23 July – Henry Raynor, musicologist, 72
* 1 August – John Ogdon, pianist, 52 (diabetes-related pneumonia)
* 2 September – Clifton Parker, composer, 84
* 5 September – William Mann, music critic, 65
* 1 October – Eric Ball, composer, 85
* 19 October – Alan Murphy, guitarist, member of Level 42 and Go West, 35 (AIDS-related)
* 22 October – Ewan MacColl, folk singer, 74
* 28 October – Henry Hall, bandleader, 91
* 13 November – Arthur Hutchings, composer and musicologist, 83
* 1 December – Billy Lyall, keyboardist of Pilot and Bay City Rollers, 46 (AIDS-related)
* 5 December – Sir John Pritchard, conductor, 71
* 21 December – Elsie Griffin, operatic soprano, 94
* 26 December – Sir Lennox Berkeley, composer, 86

## Music awards
### BRIT Awards

The 1989 BRIT Awards winners were:
* Best classical recording: George Frideric Handel's – The Messiah
* Best music video: Michael Jackson – "Smooth Criminal"
* Best soundtrack: Buster
* British album: Fairground Attraction – The First of a Million Kisses
* British breakthrough act: Bros
* British female solo artist: Annie Lennox
* British group: Erasure
* British male solo artist: Phil Collins
* British single: Fairground Attraction – "Perfect"
* International breakthrough act: Tracy Chapman
* International female: Tracy Chapman
* International group: U2
* International male: Michael Jackson
* Outstanding contribution: Cliff Richard