Some more great tracks here that didn’t make it to the very top. Most notably, Yazoo and their beautiful synth ballad Only You. They were fighting a losing battle against the Eurovision winner, Germany’s Nicole. Of course, it’s perhaps only noteworthy because in 1983 a gang of actors would record an acapella version of the song and make it the Christmas number 1. Them’s the rubs, eh?
In a case of art imitating life, the England World Cup squad for the FIFA World Cup in Spain could do no better than number 2. And to think, at this point in history, it was only 16 years of hurt.
| Song at Number 2 | Week Ending | Song at Number 1 |
| Cliff Richard – Daddy’s Home | 2 Jan 1982 | Human League – Don’t You Want Me |
| Stranglers – Golden Brown | 13 Feb 1982 | The Jam – Town Called Malice / Precious |
| 20 Feb 1982 | ||
| Toni Basil – Mickey | 6 Mar 1982 | Tight Fit – The Lion Sleeps Tonight |
| 13 Mar 1982 | ||
| Imagination – Just An Illusion | 3 Apr 1982 | Goombay Dance Band – Seven Tears |
| Chas & Dave – Ain’t No Pleasing You | 17 Apr 1982 | Bucks Fizz – My Camera Never Lies |
| Bardo – One Step Further | 1 May 1982 | Paul McCartney with Stevie Wonder – Ebony And Ivory |
| England World Cup Squad – This Time (We’ll Get It Right) | 8 May 1982 | |
| Yazoo – Only You | 22 May 1982 | Nicole – A Little Peace |
| Soft Cell – Torch | 19 Jun 1982 | Adam Ant – Goody Two Shoes |
| Steve Miller Band – Abracadabra | 10 Jul 1982 | Captain Sensible – Happy Talk |
| 17 Jul 1982 | Irene Cara – Fame | |
| Trio – Da Da Da | 24 Jul 1982 | |
| Duran Duran – Save A Prayer | 11 Sep 1982 | Survivor – Eye Of The Tiger |
| Dire Straits – Private Investigations | 18 Sep 1982 | |
| The Jam – The Bitterest Pill (I Ever Had To Swallow) | 25 Sep 1982 | |
| 2 Oct 1982 | Musical Youth – Pass The Dutchie | |
| Fat Larrys Band – Zoom | 9 Oct 1982 | |
| Kid Creole & The Coconuts – Annie I’m Not Your Daddy | 30 Oct 1982 | Culture Club – Do You Really Want To Hurt Me |
| Dionne Warwick – Heartbreaker | 13 Nov 1982 | Eddy Grant – I Don’t Wanna Dance |
| 20 Nov 1982 | ||
| Human League – Mirror Man | 27 Nov 1982 | |
| 4 Dec 1982 | The Jam – Beat Surrender | |
| 11 Dec 1982 | ||
| Shakin’ Stevens – The Shakin’ Stevens EP | 25 Dec 1982 | Renee & Renato – Save Your Love |