The 1981 Ultravox classic ‘Vienna’ has been voted the favourite number two single of all-time in the UK.
Midge Ure
The Official Charts Company and BBC Radio 2 conducted the survey of songs that reached number two with a panel including Radio 2 presenters Ken Bruce, Tony Blackburn and Janice Long, the Official Charts Company’s Managing Director Martin Talbot and Charts Director Omar Maskatiya, Radio 1 presenter Annie Nightingale, BBC Radio 6 Music presenter Steve Lamacq, Head Of Music for Radio 1 and 1Xtra George Ergatoudis, and a number of other key industry figures.
A total of 941 songs have reached number two in the UK including Oasis ‘Wonderwall’, The Beatles ‘Let It Be’, Elton John ‘Rocket Man’ and The Rolling Stones ‘Brown Sugar’.
Midge Ure of Ultravox is impressed by the classics his song beat. “We are extremely pleased and very humbled to have been given this honorary Number 1, especially knowing the outstanding records which were also in the running. Strawberry Fields, Hound Dog and Wonderwall to name just a few. A huge thanks to everyone who took the time and effort to vote for Vienna. It has restored our faith in the idea that the public will always recognise the good in music, and that this song has proved this,” he told officialcharts.com.
The Top 10 Number Two songs are:
1. Ultravox – Vienna
2. The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl – Fairytale of New York
3. Don McLean – American Pie
4. James – Sit Down
5. The Stranglers – Golden Brown
6. The Kinks – Waterloo Sunset
7. The Beatles – Penny Lane/Strawberry Fields Forever
8. Queen – We Are The Champions
9. The Beach Boys – God Only Knows
10. Aha – Take On Me
