1984 in music

January–March

• January 11 – BBC Radio 1 DJ Mike Read announces on air that he will not play the single "Relax" by Frankie Goes to Hollywood because of its suggestive lyrics. The BBC places a total ban on the record at about the same time.
• January 21 – "Relax" reaches number one in the UK singles chart, despite the BBC ban; it will spend a total of 42 weeks in the Top 40.
• January 27 – Michael Jackson's scalp is burned during the filming of a Pepsi commercial and he is admitted to hospital. Around this time, Jackson also releases the title track from his album Thriller as the LP's final single.
• February 14
  • Elton John marries studio engineer Renate Blauel.
  • Joe Perry and Brad Whitford attend an Aerosmith concert and re-join the band, which embarks on a reunion tour "Back In The Saddle" later in the year.
• February 16 – Jerry Lee Lewis surrenders to federal authorities on charges of income tax evasion. Lewis is later acquitted.
• February 28 – Recovering from the scalp burns sustained a month earlier, Michael Jackson wins eight Grammy Awards out of twelve nominations, breaking the record for the most Grammys won in a single year. He wins seven for the album Thriller and one for his work on the audiobook for the film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.
• February 29 – German industrial band KMFDM is founded, and holds its first performance at the Grand Palais in Paris, France.
• March 1
  • Sting plays his last concerts with The Police at the end of the Synchronicity tour; the band takes a "pause" after the tour and only play a few special events together after this, until 2007, when they would organize a reunion tour.
  • Alice Cooper, who has not toured for his last two albums, parts ways with his longtime label Warner Bros. and goes on hiatus from the music industry. Cooper begins mulling over plans for a comeback, which he would carry out in 1986.

April–June

• April 1
  • New York rock and roll magazine Trouser Press folds after a decade, publishing its 96th and final issue.
  • In Los Angeles, Marvin Gaye is shot and killed during an argument with his father.
• May 1 – Mick Fleetwood, of Fleetwood Mac, files for bankruptcy in the United States.
• May 2 – Lionel Richie's hit "Hello" becomes Motown's first ever UK million-selling single.
• May 5
  • The Pretenders singer Chrissie Hynde marries Simple Minds singer Jim Kerr.
  • In Luxembourg, the Eurovision Song Contest 1984 is won by the Swedish entry, "Diggi-Loo Diggi-Ley", performed by the Herreys.
• June 8 – Billy Joel performs at Wembley Arena; the concert is later broadcast on BBC Television in two parts.
• June 16 – Frankie Goes to Hollywood begin a nine-week stay at the top of the UK singles chart with "Two Tribes".
• June 18 – At the climax of a Judas Priest concert at Madison Square Garden, fans begin ripping out the cushions from the seats and throwing them on stage. Judas Priest pay damages through insurance and are banned from Madison Square Garden for life over the incident.
• June 25 – Prince releases his sixth album Purple Rain; the album sells over 20 million copies and gives Prince two US number one singles with "When Doves Cry" and "Let's Go Crazy".

July–September

• July 1 – During his performance at the first ever Cornerstone Festival in Grayslake, Illinois, Steve Taylor jumps off the stage, breaking his ankle. Taylor hops back on stage and finishes his show. The next few shows on Taylor's tour were performed from a wheel chair.
• July 10 – The last original member of Menudo, Ricky Meléndez, leaves the group and is replaced by Ricky Martin. Meanwhile, Menudomania reaches Asia in 1984.
• July 14
  • Eddie Van Halen makes a special guest appearance at a concert by The Jacksons in Dallas, Texas, playing the guitar solo for "Beat It" live.
  • Selena y los Dinos release their first album Mis Primeras Grabaciones.
• August 9 – Iron Maiden kicks off the World Slavery Tour in Warsaw, Poland, with shows in Hungary and Yugoslavia soon to follow. This marks the first time a Western band has ever brought a full concert production behind the Iron Curtain.
• August 10 – Red Hot Chili Peppers release their debut album The Red Hot Chili Peppers.
• August 25 – Kathleen Battle makes her solo recital debut at the Salzburg Festival.
• August 31 – Canadian music video channel MuchMusic begins broadcasting. The first video played is Rush's "The Enemy Within".
• September 2 – Van Halen concludes its 1984 world tour with a show in Nuremberg, Germany as part of the Monsters of Rock festival tour. This would be the band's last concert with David Lee Roth as lead singer until 2007.
• September 7 – Janet Jackson elopes with fellow singer James DeBarge. The marriage would be annulled in 1985.
• September 11 – Country singer Barbara Mandrell suffers serious injuries in a head-on automobile collision on a Tennessee highway. She will make a comeback after spending over a year rehabilitating.
• September 14 – The first annual MTV Video Music Awards are held in New York City. Herbie Hancock wins the most awards with five, and The Cars take the highest prize of Video Of The Year for "You Might Think". Much attention is garnered by Madonna's controversial performance of her hit single "Like a Virgin" in which she rolls around on the stage, revealing lacy stockings and garters, and grinds her crotch against her veil.
• September 21 – The first compact disc manufacturing plant in North America opens in Terre Haute, Indiana. CDs have previously had to be expensively imported from Japan or West Germany. Bruce Springsteen's Born in the U.S.A. is designated as the first CD ever made in the United States.

October–December

• October 1 – The Canadian music video series Video Hits premieres on CBC Television.
• October 23 – A report on the Ethiopian famine by BBC journalist Michael Buerk is broadcast in the UK and receives an unprecedented public response. Among those watching is Bob Geldof, who is inspired to release a charity record to raise money to help with famine relief.
• October 26 – Turner Broadcasting System launches Cable Music Channel, a music video channel intended to compete directly with MTV. The first video played is "I Love L.A." by Randy Newman. The channel would only last 34 days.
• November 5 – Bryan Adams releases his breakout album called Reckless, spawning multiple hit singles, achieving diamond certification in Canada and topping the charts in the United States.
• November 20 – Michael Jackson receives a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame directly in front of Mann's Chinese Theater. Jackson leaves after only three minutes at the request of security, as the crush of 5,000 onlookers becomes a safety concern.
• November 25 – The Band Aid single "Do They Know It's Christmas?" is recorded at SARM Studios in Notting Hill, London, by a gathering of performers that includes Paul Young, Simon Le Bon, Bono, Phil Collins, Paul Weller, Sting, Boy George and Tony Hadley.
• November 28 – The Bring Me Sunshine charity concert at the London Palladium, in memory of Eric Morecambe, includes musical performances by Kenny Ball & His Jazzmen, Des O'Connor and Ernie Wise.
• December – Tipper Gore forms the Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC) in response to the "filth" she hears on her daughter's copy of Prince's Purple Rain.
• December 1 – Frankie Goes to Hollywood become the first act to take their first three singles to the UK #1 position since Gerry & The Pacemakers in 1963, when "The Power of Love" tops the chart.
• December 3 – Bob Geldof and Band Aid release the single "Do They Know It's Christmas", which becomes the fastest- selling single of all time in the UK.
• December 8
  • Mötley Crüe member Vince Neil is involved in a serious car accident. He is drunk at the time, and Razzle (Nicholas Dingley) of Hanoi Rocks is killed in the accident.
  • Cyndi Lauper, with the fourth single from her 1983 debut She's So Unusual, "All Through the Night", becomes the first woman in the 26-year history of the Billboard Hot 100 to have four singles from one album in the top five.^[1]
• December 9 – The Jacksons conclude their Victory Tour with the last of six concerts at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. At the end of their final show, lead singer Michael Jackson surprises not only his fans, but also his band members with the announcement that he would be permanently leaving the Jacksons, stating that this would be the last time that they all performed together. The tour, which consisted of 55 shows over five months, has reportedly grossed $75 million, a new industry record. As for the Jacksons, they would release one more album in 1989 before splitting up, occasionally regrouping in the years afterward for reunion performances with and without Michael.
• December 11 – While on tour, Bucks Fizz's tour bus crashes. All members of the group are injured and member Mike Nolan suffers brain damage after falling into a coma.
• December 13 – George Harrison makes a rare public appearance, joining Deep Purple on stage in Sydney, Australia for their encore rendition of "Lucille".
• December 31
  • Def Leppard's drummer Rick Allen loses his left arm in a car wreck.
  • The thirteenth annual New Year's Rockin' Eve special airs on ABC, with appearances by Jermaine Jackson, Ronnie Milsap, Night Ranger, Scandal, John Waite and Barry Manilow.
  • UK singles sales this year are the second highest ever, after 1978.

January–March

April–June

July–September

October–December

Release date unknown

Significant hits

• "2 Minutes to Midnight" – Iron Maiden
• "Aces High" – Iron Maiden
• "Agadoo" – Black Lace
• "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)" – Phil Collins
• "All Cried Out" – Alison Moyet
• "All Join Hands" – Slade
• "All Through the Night" (1983) – Cyndi Lauper
• "An Innocent Man" (1983) – Billy Joel
• "Automatic" – Jermaine Stewart
• "Baby You're Dynamite"/"Ocean Deep" – Cliff Richard (released in 1983)
• "Back for More" – Ratt
• "Be My Number Two" – Joe Jackson
• "Better Be Good to Me" – Tina Turner
• "Big City Nights" – The Scorpions
• "Big In Japan" – Alphaville
• "Body Electric" – Rush
• "Borderline" (1983) – Madonna
• "Born in the U.S.A." – Bruce Springsteen
• "Blue Jean" – David Bowie
• "Breakdance" – Irene Cara
• "Breakin'... There's No Stoppin' Us" – Ollie & Jerry
• "Break My Stride" – Matthew Wilder
• "Careless Whisper" – Wham!
• "Catch My Fall" (1983) – Billy Idol
• "Caribbean Queen (No More Love on the Run)" – Billy Ocean
• "Centipede" – Rebbie Jackson
• "Cherry Oh Baby" – UB40
• "Cool It Now" – New Edition
• "Cover Me" – Bruce Springsteen
• "Crazy" – Kenny Rogers
• "Cruel Summer" – Bananarama
• "Cry and Be Free" – Marilyn
• "Dance Hall Days" – Wang Chung
• "Dance Me Up" – Gary Glitter
• "Dancing in the Dark" – Bruce Springsteen
• "Dancing with Tears in My Eyes" – Ultravox
• "Desert Moon" – Dennis DeYoung
• "Distant Early Warning" – Rush
• "Dr. Beat" – Miami Sound Machine
• "Doctor! Doctor!" – Thompson Twins
• "Don't Blame It on Love" – Shakatak
• "Don't Tell Me" – Blancmange
• "Down on the Street" – Shakatak
• "Drive" – The Cars
• "Easy Lover" – Phillip Bailey duet with Phil Collins
• "Eighties" – Killing Joke
• "Eye to Eye" – Jermaine Stewart
• "Eyes Without a Face" (1983) – Billy Idol
• "Fade to Black" – Metallica
• "Femme libérée" – Cookie Dingler
• "Flame Trees" – Cold Chisel
• "Flesh for Fantasy" (1983) – Billy Idol
• "Footloose" – Kenny Loggins
• "For Whom the Bell Tolls" – Metallica
• "Forest Fire" – Lloyd Cole and the Commotions
• "Forever Young" – Alphaville
• "Freedom" – Wham!
• "Girls Just Want To Have Fun" (1983) – Cyndi Lauper
• "The Ghost in You" – The Psychedelic Furs
• "Ghostbusters" – Ray Parker, Jr.
• "God Bless the USA" – Lee Greenwood
• "Had a Dream (Sleeping with the Enemy)" – Roger Hodgson
• "Half A Boy Half A Man" – Nick Lowe
• "Hammer to Fall" – Queen
• "Heart from the Start" – Classix Nouveaux
• "Heaven's on Fire" – Kiss
• "Hello" (1983) – Lionel Richie
• "Here Comes the Rain Again" – Eurythmics
• "High on Emotion" – Chris De Burgh
• "Highly Strung" – Spandau Ballet
• "The Heart of Rock and Roll" (1983) – Huey Lewis and the News
• "Heaven" – Bryan Adams (charted in 1985 in the U.S.)
• "Heaven (Must Be There)" – Eurogliders
• "Hold Me Now" – Thompson Twins
• "Hold on to Love" – Gary Moore
• "Hot Water" – Level 42
• "House of Salome" – Kim Wilde
• "Human Touch" – Rick Springfield (released in 1983)
• "I Feel for You" – Chaka Khan
• "I Just Called to Say I Love You" – Stevie Wonder
• "I Scare Myself" – Thomas Dolby
• "I Wanna Rock" – Twisted Sister
• "I Want a New Drug" (1983) – Huey Lewis and the News
• "I Want to Break Free" – Queen
• "I Want to Know What Love Is" – Foreigner
• "I Won't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" – Nik Kershaw
• "If This Is It" (1983) – Huey Lewis and the News
• "Illegal Alien" (1983) – Genesis
• "I'll Fly for You" – Spandau Ballet
• "I'll Wait" – Van Halen
• "In Jeopardy" – Roger Hodgson
• "In Neon" – Elton John
• "Infatuation" – Rod Stewart
• "Invisible" – Alison Moyet
• "It's a Hard Life" – Queen
• "It's a Miracle" – Culture Club
• "It's My Life" – Talk Talk
• "Joanna" – Kool & the Gang
• "Jokerman" – Bob Dylan
• "Jump" – Van Halen
• "Jump (For My Love)" – The Pointer Sisters
• "Jungle Love" – The Time
• "Just Another Woman in Love" – Anne Murray
• "Kalimba De Luna" – Dalida
• "Karma Chameleon" – Culture Club
• "Keeping the Faith" (1983) – Billy Joel
• "The Killing Moon" – Echo & the Bunnymen
• "L'Innamorata" – Dalida
• "Leave a Tender Moment Alone" (1983) – Billy Joel
• "Legs" (1983) – ZZ Top
• "Let's Go Crazy" – Prince and the Revolution
• "Let's Hear It for the Boy" – Deniece Williams
• "Like a Virgin" – Madonna
• "Lights Out" – Peter Wolf
• "A Little Love" – Juice Newton
• "Locomotion" – Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
• "The Longest Time" (1983) – Billy Joel
• "Love Somebody" – Rick Springfield
• "Lovergirl" – Teena Marie
• "The Lucky One" – Laura Branigan
• "Lucky Star" (1983) – Madonna
• "Madam Butterfly" – Malcolm McLaren
• "Magic" – The Cars
• "Master and Servant" – Depeche Mode
• "Message to My Girl" – Split Enz
• "Michael Caine" – Madness
• "Middle of the Road" – The Pretenders
• "Missing You" – John Waite
• "Missing You" – Diana Ross
• "Miss Me Blind"- Culture Club
• "Mistake No. 3" – Culture Club
• "The More You Live, the More You Love" – A Flock of Seagulls
• "Mr. Telephone Man" – New Edition
• "My Ever Changing Moods" – The Style Council
• "My Oh My" – Slade
• "The NeverEnding Story" – Limahl
• "New Moon on Monday" (1983) – Duran Duran
• "No Mercy" – The Stranglers
• "No More Lonely Nights" – Paul McCartney
• "Nobody Loves Me Like You Do" – Anne Murray and Dave Loggins
• "Obsession" – Animotion
• "Oh Sherrie" – Steve Perry
• "One Love/People Get Ready" – Bob Marley & The Wailers
• "One Night in Bangkok" – Murray Head
• "On a Night Like This" – The Shadows
• "Only When You Leave" – Spandau Ballet
• "Original Sin" – INXS
• "Out of Touch" – Hall & Oates
• "Panama" – Van Halen
• "Passengers" – Elton John
• "Pearl In The Shell" – Howard Jones
• "Pearly Dewdrops' Drops" – Cocteau Twins
• "Penny Lover" (1983) – Lionel Richie
• "People Are People" – Depeche Mode
• "Perfect Skin" – Lloyd Cole and the Commotions
• "Pour te dire je t'aime" – Dalida
• "The Power of Love" – Frankie Goes to Hollywood
• "Pretty in Pink" – The Psychedelic Furs
• "Pride (In the Name of Love)" – U2
• "Purple Rain" – Prince and the Revolution
• "Radio Ga Ga" – Queen
• "Rattlesnakes" – Lloyd Cole and the Commotions
• "Read 'Em and Weep" – Barry Manilow
• "Red Sector A" – Rush
• "Rebel Yell" (1983) – Billy Idol
• "The Reflex" (1983) – Duran Duran
• "Relax" – Frankie Goes to Hollywood
• "The Riddle" – Nik Kershaw
• "Robert De Niro's Waiting..." – Bananarama
• "Rock You Like a Hurricane" – The Scorpions
• "Round and Round" – Spandau Ballet
• "Round and Round" – Ratt
• "Run Runaway" – Slade
• "Runaway" – Bon Jovi
• "Run to You" – Bryan Adams
• "Running with the Night" (1983) – Lionel Richie
• "Sad Songs (Say So Much)" – Elton John
• "Saturday Night" – Cold Chisel
• "The Second Time" – Kim Wilde
• "Self Control" – Laura Branigan
• "Seven Seas" – Echo & the Bunnymen
• "Sexcrime (Nineteen Eighty-Four)" – Eurythmics
• "She Bop" (1983) – Cyndi Lauper
• "She Was Hot" – The Rolling Stones
• "Shooting From the Heart" – Cliff Richard
• "Shout" – Tears for Fears
• "Shout to the Top" – The Style Council
• "Silver" – Echo & the Bunnymen
• "Sister Christian" – Night Ranger
• "Skin Deep" – Stranglers
• "Soul Kind of Feeling" – Dynamic Hepnotics
• "Smalltown Boy" – Bronski Beat
• "Smooth Operator" – Sade
• "So. Central Rain (I'm Sorry)" – R.E.M.
• "So Tired" – Ozzy Osbourne
• "Soleil" – Dalida
• "Somebody's Watching Me" – Rockwell featuring Michael Jackson
• "Some Guys Have All the Luck" – Rod Stewart
• "Sounds Like a Melody" – Alphaville
• "Special Girl" – America
• "State of the Nation" – Industry
• "Standing in the Shadow" – Whitesnake
• "Stranger in Town" – Toto
• "Strut" – Sheena Easton
• "Stuck on You" – Lionel Richie
• "Sugar Walls" – Sheena Easton
• "Summer of 69" – Bryan Adams
• "Sunglasses at Night" – Corey Hart
• "Take on Me" (1984 European version) – a-ha
• "Taking It All Too Hard" (1983) – Genesis
• "That's All" – Genesis (released in 1983)
• "That's Not the Way (It's S'posed to Be)" – Anne Murray
• "The Touch" – Kim Wilde
• "Thieves Like Us" – New Order
• "Thin Line Between Love and Hate" – The Pretenders
• "Thriller" (1982) – Michael Jackson
• "Ti Amo" – Laura Branigan
• "Time After Time" (1983) – Cyndi Lauper
• "Tinseltown in the Rain" – The Blue Nile
• "To All the Girls I've Loved Before" – Julio Iglesias and Willie Nelson
• "To France" – Mike Oldfield
• "Together in Electric Dreams" – Philip Oakey & Giorgio Moroder
• "Too Young to Fall in Love" (1983) – Motley Crue
• "Torture" – The Jacksons
• "TV Dinners" (1983) – ZZ Top
• "Twist of Fate" – Olivia Newton-John
• "Two Tribes" – Frankie Goes to Hollywood
• "Up on the Catwalk" – Simple Minds
• "Very Personal" – Ian Dury
• "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" – Wham!
• "Wanted Man" – Ratt
• "The War Song" – Culture Club
• "We Belong" – Pat Benatar
• "We Rock" – Dio
• "We're Not Gonna Take It" – Twisted Sister
• "What About Me?" – Kenny Rogers, Kim Carnes and James Ingram
• "What Difference Does It Make?" – The Smiths
• "What's Love Got to Do with It" – Tina Turner
• "When Am I Going to Make a Living" – Sade
• "When Doves Cry" – Prince
• "When Love Breaks Down" – Prefab Sprout
• "Where the Rose Is Sown" – Big Country
• "Whisper to a Scream (Birds Fly)" – Icicle Works
• "White Lines (Don't Don't Do It)" – Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five (released in 1983)
• "Who Wears These Shoes?" – Elton John
• "The Wild Boys" – Duran Duran
• "William, It Was Really Nothing" – The Smiths
• "Wood Beez" – Scritti Politti
• "Wouldn't It Be Good" – Nik Kershaw
• "You Don't Love Me" – Marilyn
• "You Might Think" – The Cars
• "You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)" – Dead or Alive
• "You Think You're a Man" – Divine
• "You Were Made for Me" – Irene Cara
• "You're the Best Thing" – The Style Council
• "Young at Heart" – The Bluebells
• "Your Love Is King" – Sade

Christmas songs

• "Do They Know It's Christmas" – Band Aid
• "Last Christmas" – Wham!
• "Thank God It's Christmas" – Queen
• "Another Rock N' Roll Christmas" – Gary Glitter

Grammy Awards

• Grammy Awards of 1984

Eurovision Song Contest

• Eurovision Song Contest 1984

List of no. 1 hits

• List of Hot 100 number-one singles of 1984 (U.S.)
• Cashbox Top 100 number-one singles of 1984
• List of number-one singles from the 1980s (UK)

US Top 40 Hits

• Billboard Top 40 of 1984

List of no. 1 albums

• List of number-one albums of 1984 (U.S.)