Justice and vindification has finally been achieved for Ultravox after thirty years as their 1981 hit “Vienna” has been voted the nation’s favourite number two single in a poll by Radio 2 listeners. It was the deserved winner, given the fact that it was prevented from being No1 by Joe Dolce’s “Shaddup Ya Face”, which is widely believed to be one of the biggest injustices in the 60 year history of the charts!

Ultravox’s “Vienna” topped the poll by BBC Radio 2 and the Official Charts Company to find the greatest track to miss out on the number one spot, with Xmas perennial “Fairytale of New York” by The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl being the runner up. At the time in 1987 it was originally beaten to No1 by the Pet Shop Boys’ cover of the Elvis Presley standard “Always On My Mind”.

Radio 2’s Tony Blackburn hosted the rundown of the nation’s favourite number two single and unveiled the Top 10 below ( The songs that prevented that cherished No1 status are listed in brackets afterwards ) –

Nation’s Favourite No2 Single Top 10

1. Ultravox – Vienna, 1981  (beaten to No1 by Shaddup Ya Face – Joe Dolce)

2. The Pogues ft. Kirsty MacColl – Fairytale Of New York, 1987  (Always On My Mind – Pet Shop Boys)

3. Don McLean – American Pie, 1972  (Son Of My Father – Chicory Tip, Without You – Nilsson)

4. James – Sit Down, 1991  (The One And Only – Chesney Hawkes)

5. The Stranglers – Golden Brown, 1982  (Town Called Malice – The Jam)

6. The Kinks – Waterloo Sunset, 1967  (Silence Is Golden -The Tremeloes)

7. The Beatles – Penny Lane/Strawberry Fields Forever, 1967  (Release Me – Engelbert Humperdinck)

8. Queen – We Are The Champions, 1977 (The Name Of The Game – Abba, Mull Of Kintyre/Girls’ School – Wings)

9. The Beach Boys – God Only Knows, 1966  (Yellow Submarine/Eleanor Rigby – The Beatles)

10. A-ha – Take On Me, 1985  (The Power Of Love – Jennifer Rush)

In July of last year, Recordpress collated a Top 10 Best No2 Singles ( Songs that should have been No1 ) and many of them appeared in the Radio 2 nation’s favourite number two single poll. To see the Recordpress Top 10, click on this link…… http://www.myfirstrecord.co.uk/recordpress/tv/itv-marks-60th-year-of-the-charts-with-nations-favourite-number-one-single/

Which is your favourite No2 song and why? Let us know in the Reply Box below.

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