The single was hugely successful. It spent four consecutive weeks at number two in the UK Singles Chart without ever getting to number one; it was kept off the number one spot by John Lennon's "Woman" for a week, and then by Joe Dolce's "Shaddap You Face", for a further three weeks. "Vienna" is ranked as the fifth-best-selling UK single for 1981. The single was certified Gold by the British Phonographic Industry in February 1981, for UK sales exceeding 500,000 copies. It also won "Single of the Year" at the 1981 Brit Awards