Part of a series of articles on
British Music |
| BPI • OCC
Charts
Singles Chart (#1s; Records)
Album Chart (#1s)
Download Chart (#1s)
Music from the United Kingdom has achieved great international popularity since the 1960s, when the British Invasion peaked. ...
Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom. ...
The British Phonographic Industry was founded in 1973 to represent the interests of British music companies and to fight the growing problem of music piracy. ...
Previously Chart Information Network (CIN). ...
The UK Singles Chart is currently compiled by The Official UK Charts Company (OCC) on behalf of the British record industry. ...
This is a list of the number one hits in the UK Singles Chart, from its inception in 1952 to the present. ...
The UK Albums Chart is a chart of the sales positions of albums in the United Kingdom. ...
This is a list of the number one hits in the UK Albums Chart, from its inception in 1956 to the present. ...
The UK Official Download Chart is compiled by The Official UK Charts Company on behalf of the music industry. ...
This is a list of the number one hits in the UK Official Download Chart, from its inception on 1 September 2004 to the present. ...
| | Awards
Brit Awards • Mercury Prize
Kaiser Chiefs collecting one of their three Brit Awards, 2006 with Vic Reeves. ...
The Mercury Music Prize is a music award given annually for the best British album of the previous 12 months. ...
| | Periods
Pre-1950 • 1950s & 60s
1970s • 1980s
1990s - Present
The diverse nations that now make up the United Kingdom were much more distinct from each other prior to modern times. ...
Indigenous styles of music production and performance dominated the United Kingdom until the late 1950s, when imported American rock and roll, pop-folk and rockabilly gained fans among British youth, while American roots music, especially the blues, found its own devoted fanbase. ...
In the 1970s, music from the United Kingdom further diversified. ...
In the early 1980s, the death of Sid Vicious (of the Sex Pistols) and the alleged selling-out of bands like The Clash and The Jam led to still-frequent cries that punk is dead. ...
In the early 1990s, American alternative rock bands became mainstream in the US and achieved great popularity in the UK as well. ...
| | Origins
England • Scotland • Wales
(Northern) Ireland • Caribbean Template:Englishmusic England has a long musical history. ...
Scotland is a Celtic-Germanic country, located to the north of England on the island of Great Britain. ...
Wales is a part of the United Kingdom, but is a culturally and politically separate Celtic country. ...
An Irish band playing in the Hetzel Union Building, Penn State University. ...
Jamaican music in the United Kingdom // White Reggae White reggae has very low artistic credibility, but it laid a path for genuine reggae in Britain. ...
| | Genres
Classical • Britpop • Hip-hop
Opera • Rock • Jazz This article, Classical music of the United Kingdom, includes a history of the form and discussion of its most notable composers and musicians. ...
Britpop was a British alternative rock and cultural movement which gained popularity in Great Britain in the mid 1990s, characterised by the prominence of bands influenced by British guitar pop music of the 1960s and 1970s. ...
To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...
British opera is opera which was composed either in Britain or by a composer of British nationality. ...
British rock was born out of the influence of rock and roll and rhythm and blues from the United States, but added a new drive and urgency, exporting the music back and widening the audience for black R & B in the U.S. as well as spreading the gospel world...
Britain has been home to a number of noted jazz musicians. ...
| | Other links
Bands • Festivals • Venues There are a large number of music festivals in the United Kingdom, covering a wide variety of genres. ...
| | Timeline
1991 • 1992 • 1993 • 1994 • 1995
1996 • 1997 • 1998 • 1999 • 2000
2001 • 2002 • 2003 • 2004 • 2005
2006 • (full list)
1991 The Simpsons reached number 1 with Do The Bartman in January 1991, even though the actual series wasnt to premiere on UK Terrestrial TV until 1996 Enigma - Sadness Part 1 January 13 for 1 week Queen - Innuendo January 20 for 1 week The KLF featuring Children of The...
This is a summary of 1992 in music in the United Kingdom, including the official charts from that year. ...
1993 These are the UK number one albums of the year: Genesis - Live - The Way We Walk Volume 2: The Longs January 23 for 2 weeks Little Angels - Jam February 6 for 1 week The Cult - Pure Cult February 13 for 1 week Buddy Holly & The Crickets - Words Of Love...
This is a summary of 1994 in music in the United Kingdom, including the official charts from that year. ...
This is a summary of 1995 in music in the United Kingdom, including the official charts from that year. ...
This is a summary of 1996 in music in the United Kingdom, including the official charts from that year. ...
This is a summary of 1997 in music in the United Kingdom, including the official charts from that year. ...
This is a summary of 1998 in music in the United Kingdom, including the official charts from that year. ...
This is a summary of 1999 in music in the United Kingdom, including the official charts from that year. ...
This is a summary of 2000 in music in the United Kingdom, including the official charts from that year. ...
This is a summary of 2001 in music in the United Kingdom, including the official charts from that year. ...
This is a summary of 2002 in music in the United Kingdom, including the official charts from that year. ...
This is a summary of 2003 in music in the United Kingdom, including the official charts from that year. ...
This is a summary of 2004 in music in the United Kingdom, including the official charts from that year. ...
This is a summary of 2005 in music in the United Kingdom, including the official charts. ...
This is a summary of the current year in the United Kingdom including the official single and album charts. ...
| | | Since the inception of the UK Singles Chart in 1952 there have been various records to break, including most chart toppers, longest run at number one, biggest selling single etc. All the records have changed hands over the years, some more than others and many have certain reasons as to why the records have been held by a certain act. Here are some of the most important records held by acts in the UK:- The UK Singles Chart is currently compiled by The Official UK Charts Company (OCC) on behalf of the British record industry. ...
1952 (MCMLII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ...
Most Number Ones One of the most important records over the years has been which act could obtain the most UK Chart toppers. The record is held by a US act. However, many UK acts do dominate this list. Here is a list of all the acts to gain 5 or more UK chart toppers: See also List of artists by total number of UK number one singles Elvis Aron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), often known simply as Elvis and also called The King of Rock n Roll or simply The King, was an American singer and actor. ...
The Beatles (1960-1970), were an English musical group from Liverpool, and are usually regarded as the most critically acclaimed, commercially successful popular music artists in history. ...
Sir Cliff Richard OBE, (born Harry Rodger Webb; 14 October 1940; Lucknow, India) is a major pop star and singer from England. ...
Westlife are an Irish boy band created in 1998 (signed by Simon Cowell), managed by music mogul Louis Walsh. ...
The Shadows are an English instrumental rock n roll group active from the 1950s to the 2000s. ...
Madonna Louise Ciccone (born August 16 1958), better known worldwide by only her first name, is an iconic American pop singer, songwriter, musician, record and film producer, dancer, actress, author, and peace advocate whose level of fame and success has earned her superstar status for over two decades. ...
This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...
The Spice Girls were an all-female English pop group who formed in 1994 in London, England. ...
Rolling Stones redirects here. ...
Take That. ...
British rock band Oasis, formed in Manchester in 1991, led by lead guitarist and principal songwriter Noel Gallagher and his younger brother Liam are one of the most successful and prominent British rock and roll bands ever. ...
For other people named Michael Jackson, see Michael Jackson (disambiguation). ...
George Michael (born 25 June 1963) is an English born singer/songwriter of Greek descent who performs Blue-eyed soul-influenced pop, and who (as a solo artist and half of the duo WHAM!)has enjoyed phenomenal global succes since 1982. ...
Kylie Ann Minogue (born May 28, 1968) is an Australian singer-songwriter and occasional actress. ...
U2 are a rock band from Dublin, Ireland, featuring Bono (Paul David Hewson) on vocals, rhythm guitar and harmonica; The Edge (David Howell Evans) on lead guitar, keyboards and vocals; Adam Clayton on bass guitar; and Larry Mullen, Jr. ...
Sir Elton Hercules[1] John, CBE[2] (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight on 25 March 1947) is an English pop/rock singer, composer and pianist. ...
Eminem (born Marshall Bruce Mathers III on October 17, 1972) is a Grammy and Academy Award-winning American rapper, producer and occasional actor. ...
Robbie Williams (born Robert Peter Williams on February 13, 1974 in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire) is an English pop artist/songwriter. ...
McFly are an English pop band who broke into the music scene in early 2004 with their number one single, Five Colours in Her Hair. ...
Queen are a British rock band formed by Freddie Mercury, Brian May, and Roger Taylor in London, England in 1970 from the remains of Smile, with John Deacon completing the lineup the following year. ...
Blondie is an American rock band that first gained fame in the late 1970s and early 1980s. ...
Slade were an English glam rock and hard rock band. ...
Rod Stewart (born January 10, 1945) is an British singer who likes to think of himself as a Scot although he was born and raised in England and has never lived north of the border. ...
Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is a Grammy Award-winning American pop singer, dancer, occasional songwriter and actress, and author. ...
It has been suggested that All Saints 1. ...
The Bee Gees: Maurice, Barry and Robin The Bee Gees were a British and Australian band, originally a pop singer-songwriter combination, reborn as funk and disco. ...
David Bowie (born David Robert Jones on January 8, 1947) is an English singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer, arranger and audio engineer, whose work spans more than four decades. ...
The Police was a three-piece British Rock band, which was strongly influenced by ska and reggae. ...
This is a list of artists and the titles of their number one singles in order of total number one singles in the UK Singles Chart. ...
The record has changed hands a few times, although after the massive success of Elvis, it was mainly him and the Beatles in the race for this chart record. Obviously, being the first ever number one, Al Martino was the first act to have one number one single, with "Here In My Heart". In June 1953, Eddie Fisher became the first act to have two number one singles, with "Outside Of Heaven" and "I'm Walking Behind You" both reaching the top spot. However, the record was quickly beaten in November, when Frankie Laine scored a third number one single with "Answer Me" after "I Believe" and "Hey Joe" had reached the top. He broke his own record when "A Woman In Love" hit the top in October 1956. 1953 (MCMLIII) was a common year starting on Thursday. ...
Eddie Fisher (born August 10, 1928) is an American singer and entertainer. ...
Frankie Laine, born Francesco Paolo LoVecchio on March 30, 1913, is one of the most successful American singers of the twentieth century. ...
1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
Elvis finally scored his first UK number one single in 1957 with "All Shook Up", and quickly became a phenomenon. It was in 1960 when the million selling "It's Now Or Never" hit the top giving Elvis his fifth number one single after "Jailhouse Rock", "One Night/I Got Stung" and "A Fool Such As I" had all hit the top. He kept breaking his own record another ten times by June 1965 with "Are You Lonesome Tonight", "Wooden Heart", "Surrender", "His Latest Flame", "Can't Help Falling In Love/Rock-A-Hula Baby", "Good Luck Charm", "She's Not You", "Return To Sender", "Devil In Disguise" & "Crying In The Chapel". He had now achieved 15 #1 singles, a record that seemed very difficult to beat. 1957 (MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1965 calendar). ...
However, in 1963, the biggest phenomenon to sweep the UK began when the Beatles started recording. Ever since "From Me To You" hit #1 in 1963, they accumulated a total of 17 chart toppers by 1969. These consisted of "She Loves You", "I Want To Hold Your Hand", "Can't Buy Me Love", "A Hard Day's Night", "I Feel Fine", "Ticket To Ride", "Help!", "Day Tripper/We Can Work It Out", "Paperback Writer", "Yellow Submarine/Eleanor Rigby", "All You Need Is Love", "Hello Goodbye", "Lady Madonna", "Hey Jude", "Get Back" & "The Ballad Of John & Yoko".
Elvis fought back when he revived his career in Las Vegas. "The Wonder Of You" became his 16th #1 single in August 1970 and was a live recording taken from one of his shows. Upon his death in August 1977, Elvis scored a 17th chart topper with a single made shortly before his death, "Way Down". The two greatest acts in UK chart history were now neck and neck. Hundreds of re-issues happened over the next few decades including a massive anthology project of Beatles re-issues during the 1980's. However, it wasn't until 2002, 25 years after Elvis equalled the Beatles' record that he went one step forward. For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ...
Having been used in a Nike World Cup advertisement, an old Elvis song "A Little Less Conversation" was remixed as Elvis vs JXL and went straight to the top for 4 weeks, giving Elvis his 18th #1 single. Celebrating the 70th anniversary of his birthday, all of Elvis' 18 #1's were re-issued in 2005. "All Shook Up"'s format didn't allow it to qualify to take a place in the singles chart, so "Jailhouse Rock" hit the top and the following week it was replaced by "One Night/I Got Stung", which consequently also became the 1000th #1 on the UK singles chart. Despite being re-issues, they were given different catalogue numbers and therefore count as separate singles, giving Elvis 20 #1 singles overall. Although "A Fool Such As I" was kept off the top spot the following week, "It's Now Or Never" was able to reach the top giving Elvis 21 #1 singles.
↑ Note: The Shadows, or The Drifters as they were originally called, are credited on twelve #1 singles. Seven of these share credit with Cliff Richard and some lists recognise only their 5 chart-topping singles without Richard. Sir Cliff Richard OBE, (born Harry Rodger Webb; 14 October 1940; Lucknow, India) is a major pop star and singer from England. ...
Longest Run at Number One Another equally important record is how many weeks a record can stay at the top of the UK charts in a consecutive run (records that go back to the top are excluded from this section). This record hasn't changed much over the years. In 1952, the first Number 1, "Here In My Heart" by Al Martino, topped the UK charts for 9 weeks. This set quite a difficult record to beat, however in the summer of 1954 David Whitfield broke the record when "Cara Mia" held on for 10 weeks. It seemed difficult for a song to stay on longer than Cara Mia, but during the 1950's, songs did manage to stay at the top of the charts for very lengthy periods of time. Therefore, the following year, US country singer, Slim Whitman held on to the top for 11 weeks with his only No.1 single, "Rose Marie". This record remained for 36 years and seemed impossible to beat, but in 1991, Bryan Adams spent 16 weeks at the top with his hit single, "(Everything I Do) I Do It For You", the theme song from the movie Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. Cover of the album Come Share the Wine Al Martino (born October 7, 1927 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as Alfred Cini) is an Italian-American singer and actor. ...
David Whitfield was born on 2 February 1925 in Kingston Upon Hull. ...
Slim Whitman (born January 20, 1924 in Tampa, Florida) is an American country music singer and songwriter. ...
Bryan Adams, OC, OBC (born 5 November 1959, Kingston, Ontario) is a Canadian rock singer, guitarist and songwriter. ...
(Everything I Do) I Do It for You is a song co-written and performed by Bryan Adams, featured on Waking up the Neighbours and on the soundtrack for the film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves in 1991. ...
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves was a 1991 film directed by Kevin Reynolds. ...
To date, no-one has beaten this record, but during the 90's there were some close contenders. In 1992, Whitney Houston spent 10 weeks at the top with the hit single from her movie, The Bodyguard, "I Will Always Love You". In 1994, the closest contender for most weeks at the top came from Wet Wet Wet's recording of "Love Is All Around", featured in the movie Four Weddings and a Funeral, which spent 15 weeks at the top. The charts started transforming from the mid 90s and songs began spending less time at the top. In 1998, Cher's "Believe" spent 7 weeks at the top becoming the last single to spend more than 6 weeks at the top until 2005 when Tony Christie's "(Is This The Way To) Amarillo", managed 7 weeks at the top. The addition of digital singles into the chart seems to have affected the charts in a positive manner in terms of how long a single stays at #1. In 2006 US duo Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy" became the first artist in 12 years to spend 9 weeks at number one with its first week based solely on downloads (and being the first artist to do so). "Crazy" might have been able to spend additional weeks in the top position but it was deleted so that Gnarls Barkley could start promoting their upcoming single. Whitney Elizabeth Houston (born on August 9, 1963) is an American pop and R&B singer and occasional actress. ...
For other uses, see The Bodyguard (disambiguation). ...
I Will Always Love You is a song originally written and performed by American country singer-songwriter Dolly Parton, first released as a single in 1974. ...
Wet Wet Wet were a successful Scottish pop band of the 1980s and 1990s and scored a number of hits in the British charts, and around the world. ...
Love Is All Around is a flower power pop song composed by Reg Presley and performed by the Troggs. ...
Four Weddings and a Funeral is a 1994 British romantic comedy film directed by Mike Newell. ...
Cher[1] (born Cheryl Sarkisian LaPiere on May 20, 1946) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, director, author and all-around entertainer. ...
Believe is a 1999 hit song by Cher, taken from the album of the same name, Believe. ...
2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
Tony Christie (born Antony Fitzgerald; April 25, 1943) is an English male singer from Conisbrough, South Yorkshire. ...
(Is This the Way to) Amarillo is a song written by Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield, referring to Amarillo, Texas. ...
2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
Gnarls Barkley is a collaboration between Baltimore, Maryland-based DJ and producer Danger Mouse (Brian Burton) and rapper/singer Cee-Lo (Thomas Callaway), from Atlanta. ...
Crazy is the first single from Gnarls Barkley, a musical collaboration between Danger Mouse and Cee-Lo, and is taken from their 2006 debut album St. ...
The record for most non consecutive weeks at No.1 is held by Frankie Laine's "I Believe". In 1953, it spent 9 weeks at No.1, dropped down for a week, returned to No.1 for 6 weeks, dropped down for a further week and returned to No.1 a second time for 3 weeks. This totalled its run at 18 weeks. It is also the only song to return to #1 more than once under the same catalogue number. Frankie Laine, born Francesco Paolo LoVecchio on March 30, 1913, is one of the most successful American singers of the twentieth century. ...
Most Successful Debut The most successful debut is also considered to be an important record. Obviously Al Martino scored the first No.1 hit, meaning he was the first act to have his first single reach No.1 (although it was not the first single he ever released, it was the first single to chart). Eddie Calvert took "Oh Mein Papa" to the top in 1954 and "Cherry Pink And Apple Blossom White" the following year. Eddie Calvert became the first act to have his first two singles reach No.1. Over 8 years later, in 1963, Gerry & The Pacemakers became the first act to have their first 3 singles reach No.1 when "How Do You Do It?", "I Like It" & "You'll Never Walk Alone" all hit the top spot. Albert Edward Calvert (15 March 1922) Had the first United Kingdom number one single in 1953 with Oh Mein Papa. ...
O Mein Papa is a German language song, written by Paul Burkhard in 1939 for a musical called Der Schwarze Hecht or Feuerwerk (Fireworks). ...
This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ...
Gerry & the Pacemakers were an English rock and roll group during the 1960s, and one of the few groups to initially challenge The Beatles in popularity. ...
Youll Never Walk Alone is a song written by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II for their 1945 musical, Carousel. ...
Gerry & The Pacemakers remained the only act to have achieved this until 1984, when Frankie Goes To Hollywood's first single "Relax" (which coincidentally had Gerry Marsden's "Ferry Cross the Mersey" as one of its B-sides) climbed up to No.1 after being banned by the BBC and a frenzy followed. It dropped out of the charts only to return to No.2 six months later. Through all of this, the single managed to sell 1.91 million copies. The band's second single, "Two Tribes" sold in excess of 1.5 million copies and spent 9 weeks at No.1, 4 weeks longer than their first single. Their third single, "The Power Of Love" did not quite manage to equal the success of its predecessors, but spent a week at the top and was only knocked off by Band Aid, which went on to sell over 3.5 million copies. Their next release stalled at No.2, ending their consecutive run making their record the same as Gerry & The Pacemakers, but it would be fair to say that Frankie Goes To Hollywood were a more "successful" debut, because of incredibly high sales. 5 years later, Jive Bunny & The Mastermixers equalled the record of an act having their first 3 singles reaching No.1 (and, in May 1998, Aqua also achieved the feat). Frankie Goes to Hollywoods biggest selling single, Relax. Frankie Goes To Hollywood (FGTH) was one of the most controversial and commercially successful UK pop acts of the early 1980s. ...
Relax was the first single from Frankie Goes to Hollywood, released in October 1983. ...
Gerry Marsden (born Gerard Marsden, on September 24, 1942 in Liverpool, England) is an English musician and television personality, most known for being leader of the British Invasion band Gerry & the Pacemakers. ...
Two Tribes is the title track of the second single by Frankie Goes To Hollywood, released in the UK by ZTT Records in May 1984 (see 1984 in music). ...
The Power Of Love is the title of the third single from Frankie Goes to Hollywood, released in November 1984. ...
Cover art for the original Do They Know Its Christmas? release – artist Peter Blake Band Aid is a British and Irish charity supergroup founded in 1984 by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure in order to raise by releasing a record Do They Know Its Christmas? for the Christmas...
1998 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ...
Aqua in 1997, from left to right: Claus Norreen, Lene Grawford Nystrøm, René Dif and Søren Rasted Aqua was a Danish pop group, best-known for their 1997 breakthrough single Barbie Girl. The group formed in 1994, and achieved huge success across the globe in the late 1990s...
In 1997, 34 years after Gerry & The Pacemakers achieved their 3rd No.1, the Spice Girls took their first 4 singles to No.1. Promoting "Girl Power" and carrying music onto new levels, they were hugely successful and proved so by extending this record to having their first 6 singles ("Wannabe", "Say You'll Be There", "2 Become 1", "Who Do You Think You Are", "Spice up Your Life" & "Too Much") reaching No.1. Their run was eventually broken by "Stop", their seventh single stalling at No.2. The Spice Girls were an all-female English pop group who formed in 1994 in London, England. ...
A 2002 anime DVD The phrase Girl Power, as a term of empowerment, expressed a cultural phenomenon of the mid-late 1990s to the early 2000s and is also linked to third-wave feminism. ...
Wannabe was the first single from the Spice Girls first album, Spice. ...
Say Youll Be There was the second single from the Spice Girls first album Spice. ...
2 Become 1 was the third single released from the Spice Girls first album Spice in 1996/1997. ...
Who Do You Think You Are was the fourth single released from the Spice Girls first album, Spice in March 1997 in the U.K. Song information Who Do You Think You Are became the official Comic Relief song of 1997, and of course with the Spice Girls massive popularity...
Spice Up Your Life is a song by the Spice Girls, and was the first single from their second album, Spiceworld, released in October 1997. ...
Too Much was the Spice Girls sixth single release in the United Kingdom (fifth in the United States) and the second release from their second album, Spiceworld. ...
By this time it had become more common for singles to enter at No.1. "Wannabe" did not enter at No.1, so the Spice Girls could not claim the record for the first act to achieve their first six singles entering at No.1. This was a new record. B*Witched became the first act to have their first four singles ("C'est La Vie", "Rollercoaster", "To You I Belong" & "Blame It On The Weatherman") all enter at No.1. Westlife, became the most successful boyband in Britain and became the first act to have their first seven singles ("Swear It Again", "If I Let You Go", "Flying Without Wings", "I Have A Dream / Seasons In The Sun", "Fool Again", "Against All Odds" & "My Love") all enter at No.1. This record was achieved in 2000. B*Witched were a late 1990s girl group from Ireland who were wildly popular in Europe, but only enjoyed mild success in the United States. ...
Westlife are an Irish boy band created in 1998 (signed by Simon Cowell), managed by music mogul Louis Walsh. ...
Biggest Selling Single See also List of best-selling singles (UK) This is a list of best-selling singles in the United Kingdom. ...
The biggest selling singles in most countries tend to be charity singles. A lot of novelty singles clock up high sales and many one hit wonders manage to sell many copies with their sole hit. Since sales also increase during the Christmas season, a Christmas number one single is sometimes able to sell in excess of a million copies simply due to the season. However, many large selling singles don't actually reveal what the public consider to be the best songs released because they usually obtain high sales for reasons other than the track being of good quality.
Rock & Roll became a massive craze in the mid-1950's and the first massive hit and most certainly the first number one to come from this genre in both the UK and the US was the second single released by Bill Haley & The Comets, "Rock Around The Clock". The single received massive airplay all around the world and was received very well across the globe. Breaking many records in various countries, it became the biggest selling single of all time in the UK after topping the charts for a total of 5 weeks in late 1955 and early 1956 and returning to the charts several times until 1957, when it clocked up its millionth sale. Spending 36 weeks in the charts, it sold 1.39 million copies and remained the biggest selling single of the 1950's. The record took the greatest phenomenon in the UK to be broken. Rock and roll (also spelled Rock n Roll, especially in its first decade), also called rock, is a form of popular music, usually featuring vocals (often with vocal harmony), electric guitars and a strong back beat; other instruments, such as the saxophone, are common in some styles. ...
The original members of Bill Haley and His Comets, c. ...
Their first single only reached #17 in the UK charts in 1962, but by 1969, they had scored that many UK #1's, become a global phenomenon and clocked up 7 million selling singles in the UK, of which their first was their largest. The Beatles' "She Loves You" was their 2nd UK #1 and was a worldwide success. With an incredibly catchy chorus and a different sound to their previous singles, it became the track that catapulted them to superstardom. Selling 1.89 million copies after spending 29 weeks in the UK chart, it became the biggest selling single of not only the year and the decade, but also of all time, a record which remained so for another 14 years. The Beatles other million selling singles were I Want To Hold Your Hand, Can't Buy Me Love, A Hard Days Night, I Feel Fine, Help and the double A side We Can Work It Out/Day Tripper. The Beatles (1960-1970), were an English musical group from Liverpool, and are usually regarded as the most critically acclaimed, commercially successful popular music artists in history. ...
In 1971, Paul McCartney had formed a group called Wings also including his wife Linda McCartney. They enjoyed great success over the decade and in 1977 scored a massive hit with their single "Mull Of Kintyre". It topped the charts for 9 weeks, becoming the longest stay at the top all decade (joint with "Bohemian Rhapsody") and sold in excess of 2.05 million copies, becoming the first single to break the 2 million mark and the biggest selling single in Britain. It remained so for another 7 years and seemed to increase sales in general, as during the following year with the success of films, Saturday Night Fever & Grease, sales were at their ultimate high when singles from their soundtracks were released and the success of relatively new calypso group, Boney M also clocked up high sales. Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, (born June 18, 1942) is an English songwriter, musician and singer, best known as a member of The Beatles and one half of the songwriting partnership known as Lennon-McCartney. ...
Wings was a rock music band led by Paul McCartney, formed a couple of years after the dissolution of The Beatles. ...
McCartney on the cover of her 1998 album, Wide Prairie Linda, Lady McCartney (September 24, 1941 – April 17, 1998), born Linda Louise Eastman in New York, New York, to a Jewish family, was an American photographer, best known for her marriage to Sir Paul McCartney, of The Beatles. ...
Mull of Kintyre is a popular 1977 song by former Beatle Paul McCartney and his band Wings. ...
Saturday Night Fever is a 1977 movie starring John Travolta as Tony Manero, a troubled Brooklyn youth whose weekend activities are dominated by visits to a New York discotheque. ...
Grease (1978) is the name of a film directed by Randal Kleiser and based on Jim Jacobs and Warren Caseys musical, Grease. ...
Boney M Boney M is a Eurodance, Pop, and disco group, which was phenomenally successful during the 70s and 80s. ...
When lead singer of his former group, the Boomtown Rats, Bob Geldof saw images of what was happening to the Ethiopian people due to the devastating famine, it inspired him to form the most successful charity act ever in UK history, Band Aid. Comprising of a number of very successful artists at the time (1984), the single "Do They Know It's Christmas" entered the charts at #1 and topped the charts for 5 weeks, selling over 3.55 million copies during its chart run. This made it the biggest selling single in the UK, but this was not all that came from Band Aid. The famous Live Aid concert of 1985 clocked up huge sales and saw many successful and popular artists perform in the UK and the US to millions of fans either there in person or watching on TV. The USA also made their own charity record, "We Are The World", which topped the charts in the UK, but was a much bigger success in the US selling over 4 million copies. The Boomtown Rats The Boomtown Rats (1975-1985) were a punk rock/new wave group headed by Bob Geldof, who was later known for organizing charity rock concerts such as Band Aid (intended to help famine victims in Ethiopia), Live Aid, Live 8, and Hands Across America (intended to help...
To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...
Cover art for the original Do They Know Its Christmas? release – artist Peter Blake Band Aid is a British and Irish charity supergroup founded in 1984 by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure in order to raise by releasing a record Do They Know Its Christmas? for the Christmas...
Live Aid (not to be confused with Live 8) was a multi-venue rock music concert held on July 13, 1985. ...
Breaking a record, which it will probably hold for the rest of time as single sales are rapidly declining was the 1997 release of Elton John's "Something About The Way You Look Tonight / Candle In The Wind 1997", which became the biggest selling single in the world ever and also became the biggest selling single in Britain with 4.86 million copies sold. Candle In The Wind was re-written and re-released to commemorate Diana, Princess of Wales who died shortly before the song's release. It topped the UK charts for 5 weeks and topped the US charts for 14 weeks, where it sold 11 million copies. It is highly unlikely this record will be broken anytime soon, with the biggest selling single since then being Will Young's debut single "Evergreen" selling only 1.78 million copies, and with single sales declining year-on-year, things will probably never go back the way things were in the charts for singles to still clock up such high sales. Something About the Way You Look Tonight was the first single from Elton Johns The Big Picture. ...
Candle in the Wind 1997 is a specially released single from Elton John released as a tribute to the late Diana, Princess of Wales. ...
Diana, Princess of Wales (Diana Frances Mountbatten-Windsor; née Lady Diana Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997) was the first wife of The Prince of Wales, eldest son and heir-apparent of Elizabeth II. Her two sons, Princes William and Harry, are second and third, respectively, in line...
Posthumous Number Ones The first artist to score a number one single after their death was Buddy Holly in April 1959 with "It Doesn't Matter Anymore". It became common for artists to top the charts after their death, but only those who made a significant contribution to the music industry were generally able to make it to the top. Singer Eddie Cochran made #1 after being killed in a taxi crash with "Three Steps To Heaven" in June 1960. Being killed in a plane crash just like Buddy Holly, Jim Reeves scored a #1 single with "Distant Drums" in September 1966. Amazingly this was two years after his death. Charles Hardin Holley (September 7, 1936 – February 3, 1959), better known as Buddy Holly, was an American singer, songwriter, and a pioneer of Rock and Roll. ...
April is the fourth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of four with the length of 30 days. ...
1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
Eddie Cochran Edward Ray Eddie Cochran (October 3, 1938 – April 17, 1960) was an early American rockabilly musician and an important influence on popular music during the late 1950s and early 1960s. ...
June is the sixth month of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with a length of 30 days. ...
1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1960 calendar). ...
Jim Reeves is also the name of a competitive eater. ...
Look up September in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...
1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1966 calendar). ...
Dying from drugs in 1970, Jimi Hendrix scored his only chart topping single with "Voodoo Chile" two months after his death, in November. After this the only other artists to receive one posthumous number one single were Jackie Wilson who died of pneumonia in 1986 and hit the top with "Reet Petite (The Sweetest Girl In Town)", Aaliyah who died aged 22 in a plane crash and hit the top with "More Than A Woman" ex-Beatle, George Harrison who died of cancer in 2001 and hit the top with "My Sweet Lord", which had previously been a #1 single for him in 1971, rapper Tupac Shakur with "Ghetto Gospel" in 2005, and The Notorious B.I.G. with "Nasty Girl" in 2006. Amazingly, Harrison took over from Aaliyah at the top, marking the only time in UK chart history one posthumous act has replaced a different posthumous act at number one. 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1970 calendar). ...
This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ...
Voodoo Chile is a song performed by Jimi Hendrix, found on his album Electric Ladyland. ...
Jackie Wilson Jack Leroy Jackie Wilson (June 9, 1934–January 21, 1984) was an American soul and R&B singer born in Detroit, Michigan, where he became active in the music business. ...
Aaliyah Dana Haughton (January 16, 1979 – August 25, 2001), better known simply as Aaliyah, was an American R&B singer, dancer, fashion model, actress, and a teen idol. ...
This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...
Tupac Amaru Shakur (June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rap artist, actor, and poet. ...
2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...
2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
Elvis Presley and John Lennon have both accumulated 3 or more posthumous chart toppers. John Lennon did not receieve any #1 singles during his lifetime, but after his death there was a massive frenzy of buying his singles, as a result of which he became the act to obtain 3 chart toppers quicker than any other. "(Just Like) Starting Over" hit the top in late 1980 and was replaced at the top after a week by "There's No-one Quite Like Grandma", which became the Christmas number one. Then after 2 weeks, it was knocked off the top by a re-entry of a #6 hit from 1975, "Imagine" which is the biggest selling posthumous hit with over 1.5 million copies sold. Remaining at the top for 4 weeks, Lennon became the second act to replace themselves at the top of the UK charts when "Woman" took over for a 2 week spell at the top. Shortly after this Roxy Music's version of "Jealous Guy" also reached #1, meaning that from December 1980 to March 1981 four out of six chart toppers were written by Lennon. Elvis Aron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), often known simply as Elvis and also called The King of Rock n Roll or simply The King, was an American singer and actor. ...
John Winston Ono Lennon, MBE (October 9, 1940 – December 8, 1980), (born John Winston Lennon, known as John Ono Lennon) was an iconic English 20th century rock and roll songwriter and singer, best known as the founding member of The Beatles. ...
1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ...
Roxy Music is a British art rock group founded in the early 1970s as a collaborative project between art school graduates Bryan Ferry (vocals, keyboards) and Brian Eno (electronic music specialist). ...
Jealous Guy is a song written and performed by John Lennon. ...
Elvis holds the record for the most posthumous chart toppers. Following his death in September 1977, "Way Down" instantly shot to the top for 5 weeks. Then 25 years later, an old song "A Little Less Conversation" was remixed by JXL and used in a Nike World Cup advert. It became so popular, it shot straight to the top of the charts and remained there for 4 weeks. Then in 2005, RCA decided to re-issue all 18 of his #1 singles for his 70th birthday anniversary. "Jailhouse Rock", "One Night/I Got Stung" & "It's Now Or Never" became 3 more chart toppers for the superstar giving him 21 chart toppers and 5 posthumous chart toppers. RCAs logo as seen today on many products. ...
American rapper Tupac Shakur died in September 1996. His rival, the Notorious B.I.G., was killed a few months later in 1997. Neither reached the top of the UK charts during their lifetimes, but in 2005, Tupac reached number one with "Ghetto Gospel" sharing the credit with Elton John. A few months later, in 2006 the Notorious B.I.G. matched his rival with "Nasty Girl" (sharing the credit with Diddy, Nelly, Jagged Edge & Avery Storm). Tupac Amaru Shakur (June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rap artist, actor, and poet. ...
1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ...
Christopher Wallace (May 21, 1972 - March 9, 1997), also known as Biggie Smalls (after a stylish gangster in the 1975 comedy, Lets Do it Again), but best known as The Notorious B.I.G. (Business Instead of Game). ...
Sir Elton Hercules[1] John, CBE[2] (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight on 25 March 1947) is an English pop/rock singer, composer and pianist. ...
Lowest Selling Number One Unfortunately we cannot take into account many #1 singles from the 1950's and early 1960's as precise sales records were not kept. It was only in 1969 that cumulative totals for the entire UK were kept and although at their lowest then, they quickly rose. Therefore, the lowest selling number one by the time the 90's spun around was Iron Maiden's "Bring Your Daughter...To The Slaughter". It was the heavy metal band's only #1 single and hitting the top for one week after Christmas of 1990, it sold only 100,000 copies. After a boom of sales in the 1990's with many tracks breaking the 1 million mark and Elton John setting a massive record, singles sales declined as the 21st century began. After 2002, things got steadily worse, and Kylie Minogue was able to roughly equal Iron Maiden's record with her 7th UK #1, "Slow". This was broken in 2004 by Ja Rule featuring R. Kelly and Ashanti on their #1 single, "Wonderful", which only sold around 65,000 copies during its chart run. As of February 2005, this is the lowest selling number one single, however with sales being at their absolute worst in early 2005, this record is likely to have been broken several times. Subsequently, things have improved with the introduction of digital downloads into the UK chart. Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band from East London. ...
Sir Elton Hercules[1] John, CBE[2] (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight on 25 March 1947) is an English pop/rock singer, composer and pianist. ...
Kylie Ann Minogue (born May 28, 1968) is an Australian singer-songwriter and occasional actress. ...
This article or section may contain original research or unverified claims. ...
Robert Sylvester Kelly (born January 8, 1967 in Chicago, Illinois), who goes by the stage name of R. Kelly, is an American R&B singer-songwriter and record producer who first burst out of the music scene as the founder and lead singer of Public Announcement and later became one...
Ashanti Shequoiya Douglas (born October 13, 1980), professionally known as Ashanti, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, dancer, poet, actress, and fashion designer who rose to fame in the early 2000s. ...
A digital download (also known as a digital single or a paid digital download) is an official legally released music single released by artists to the public. ...
Lowest weekly sale for a number one single is 17,694 copies. Before 2003, the average #1 single would sell around 132,000 copies. This showed how bad things had become for the single. The record is held by Orson's "No Tomorrow". This was previously held by re-issue of Elvis Presley's "One Night/I Got Stung", which sold 20,463 copies in its one week at #1. It broke its own record in doing so; the week before it had set an alltime low sales record with only 23,159 copies sold. Before this, the lowest weekly sale was from Eric Prydz's single, "Call On Me", which sold 23,000 copies upon its return to number one in October 2004. Eric Prydz is a Swedish DJ and producer best known for his 2004 hit single Call On Me, which topped the UK singles charts for 5 weeks, stopping the Manic Street Preachers from reaching number one with The Love of Richard Nixon. ...
"No Tomorrow" is also the lowest selling number one in its first week at the top, destroying the records held by Elvis's "One Night".
The addition of downloads to the UK charts has made it harder to sell such low amounts overall, but has meant that singles can now reach number one with zero physical sales. The first, but probably not last, single to achieve this was Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy" in early 2006. Gnarls Barkley is a collaboration between Baltimore, Maryland-based DJ and producer Danger Mouse (Brian Burton) and rapper/singer Cee-Lo (Thomas Callaway), from Atlanta. ...
Crazy is the first single from Gnarls Barkley, a musical collaboration between Danger Mouse and Cee-Lo, and is taken from their 2006 debut album St. ...
Self Replacement At Number One It is extremely difficult for an act to replace themselves at the top of the UK charts seeing as one single must be popular enough to last at the top until the next song is released, however releases can come quicker due to posthumous releases and re-issues marking certain occasions, including deaths of an act. No non-posthumous act has replaced themselves on top of the UK charts with both songs at consecutive runs at the top, however this is not required to be classed as a self replacement.
Since the inception of the UK Singles Chart in 1952 only three acts have ever replaced themselves at the top of the UK charts. These are in order of replacement:-
In 1963, the Beatles became a national phenomenon. They broke several chart and sales records across the world and became the biggest selling group of all time and one of the top selling music acts, based on both singles and albums sales. However, during this year, the Beatles had only just started receiving fame in the UK and were not a worldwide phenomenon. None the less, it didn't stop them from being a massive craze in the UK and breaking several records. In week ending the 14th September, the Beatles' 4th single, "She Loves You" became their 2nd #1 single, storming to the top of the charts. It remained there for 4 weeks and then fell from the top spot and began to decline down the charts. Knocking the song off the top were Brian Poole and The Tremeloes, which topped the charts for 3 weeks, who were in turn taken over by Gerry & The Pacemakers who hit #1 for the third time with their third release. Amazingly, after a total of 7 weeks, becoming the longest gap between a song falling from the top and returning, "She Loves You" returned to the top of the UK charts for 2 weeks. It became the biggest selling single in the UK on its chart run of 29 weeks, selling over 1.89 million copies. Since the Beatles had already planned to release "I Want To Hold Your Hand" for Christmas, on the week ending 4th December, the song was released and it overtook "She Loves You" at the top. They became the first act to replace themselves at the top of the charts and the only as of January 2005 to not be posthumous when replacing themselves at the top. Some people do argue that they did not properly replace themselves at #1 because "She Loves You" had returned to the top and was not on its original run at the top, however the technical definition of a self replacement is when an act is #1 one week with one title and the following week they are also at #1 under a different title, therefore the Beatles do qualify as a self replacement. The Beatles (1960-1970), were an English musical group from Liverpool, and are usually regarded as the most critically acclaimed, commercially successful popular music artists in history. ...
John Winston Ono Lennon, MBE (October 9, 1940 – December 8, 1980), (born John Winston Lennon, known as John Ono Lennon) was an iconic English 20th century rock and roll songwriter and singer, best known as the founding member of The Beatles. ...
Elvis Aron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), often known simply as Elvis and also called The King of Rock n Roll or simply The King, was an American singer and actor. ...
Here Comes My Baby: The Ultimate Collection cover. ...
Here Comes My Baby: The Ultimate Collection cover. ...
Gerry & the Pacemakers were an English rock and roll group during the 1960s, and one of the few groups to initially challenge The Beatles in popularity. ...
The death of ex-Beatle John Lennon shocked the world due to his iconic influence during the 60's and afterwards and with the addition of the cause for his death (he was shot), the impact of this moment was huger than ever. Although never being hugely successful chartwise as a solo artist, his death caused him to become the act to receive 3 chart toppers quicker than any other (having not had any previously). A week after he was shot dead in New York, a track from his comeback album, Double Fantasy was released. "(Just Like) Starting Over" topped the charts for 1 week, but was eventually taken over by sentimental release for the Christmas market, "There's No-one Quite Like Grandma". Interesingly enough, in 1980, the Christmas chart was compiled, however due to the record industry taking a break, the chart was never aired. This was usually not a problem seeing as over the festive season, songs usually stayed at #1 for lengthy periods of time and the #1 spot would not change, however due to John Lennon's death, the chart showed that John & Yoko's Christmas song, "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" actually became the biggest selling single. By the time regular charts began again, John Lennon's #6 hit from 1981, "Imagine" re-entered the charts and was on top, so accoding to technicality, Lennon has actually replaced himself at the top 3 times consecutively, but because of this chart tendency, he never got the Christmas number one, making it so he only replaced himself once at the top. "Imagine" topped the charts for 4 weeks and went onto sell 1.51 million copies and was replaced by another track from Double Fantasy, "Woman" which topped the charts for 2 weeks. It made Lennon the second act to replace themselves at the top of the UK charts and the first to do it posthumously and with both songs in consecutive runs at the top. Yoko Ono Yoko Ono Lennon (born February 18, 1933) is a Japanese musician and artist probably best known as the widow of John Lennon of The Beatles. ...
A re-issue of Elvis' 18 #1 singles to celebrate his 70th birthday anniversary by RCA led Elvis to score more posthumous #1's after "A Little Less Conversation" hit the top in 2002. His first to be re-issued was "Jailhouse Rock", previously at #1 in 1958. The song became his first chart topper in 2005 and his second posthumous chart topper. The following week was the competition for the 1000th #1 single which he scored yet again when "One Night/I Got Stung", previously at #1 in 1959 hit the top. This is the only time that an artist has replaced himself at the top with both songs being at the top for just 1 week each (the minimum time possible for this to happen). Elvis also became the second act to replace themselves at #1 posthumously. RCAs logo as seen today on many products. ...
Fastest Selling Single In the 90s record companies became much more focused at promoting singles and producing ones with maximum chart impact. The fastest selling single became the new phenomenon. This is basically how many copies a single shifts in its first full week of sale.
The record is held by Elton John with "Candle In The Wind" which sold 1.55 million copies in its first week (it sold 658,000 on the first day of release). It is also the biggest selling single in the UK as well as the fastest selling. Obviously both records were achieved by the fact that the death of Diana, Princess of Wales had saddened the UK greatly and clocked up such high sales. Being the biggest selling single in the world also (37m copies), it is the fastest selling single in many other countries also - it went platinum (sold a million copies) in 24 hours in the US. Elton outsold Dario G's 'Sunchyme' by a clear margin, and this is the biggest ratio between #1 and #2 to date. Dario G sold 85,000 to hit the #2 slot that week.
The fastest selling debut single is "Anything is Possible/Evergreen" by Will Young. It sold 1.11 million copies in its first week of sale. Massive publicity had built up in his single due to Pop Idol and the massive phone vote of 8.7 million people phoning in the final showed how popular the show was, with he himself receiving over 4 million votes. He is one of the few people to receive longstanding and great success from a talent show in the UK. Anything is Possible / Evergreen was the debut single from Pop Idol series 1 winner Will Young. ...
Pop Idol was a British television series which debuted on ITV1 on October 5, 2001; the show was a talent contest to find the best new young singer or pop idol in the United Kingdom. ...
The fastest selling single from a group (and also fastest selling debut from a group) is Hear'Say's debut single, "Pure And Simple". Winning ITV's first series of Popstars, massive interest in the group had built up and their debut single proved to be incredibly successful, selling 0.55 million copies in its first week. This is only true if we discount Band Aid from being classified as a group whose single "Do They Know It's Christmas?" sold 0.75 million copies in its first week due to the pictures shown of the distressing famine in Ethiopia. HearSay were a British pop group created from the winners of the ITV reality TV show Popstars in February 2001. ...
Countries which had a version of Popstars Popstars is an international reality television program and a precursor to the Idol series. ...
The fastest selling single from a female solo artist is Britney Spears' debut single, "...Baby One More Time". Due to massive exposure of the video and radio play, the song sold 464,000 copies in its first week at the top in February 1999 (with many stores running out after day one, so underestimated was demand). Interestingly enough, the song was neither a charity record nor was she the product of a talent search, making this single hold this record truly on its own merit. It became the biggest selling single of the year. Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is a Grammy Award-winning American pop singer, dancer, occasional songwriter and actress, and author. ...
...Baby One More Time is the debut single from pop music singer Britney Spears, released from her debut album . ...
Biggest Selling Single Not To Top The Chart The record is held by Wham and their 1984 Christmas release, "Last Christmas / Everything She Wants". It hit #2 being kept off the top by Band Aid's huge sales. The single itself sold 1.45 million copies and even managed a first week sale of 0.5 million, meaning it would have easily topped the chart any other week. Wham! can mean one of two things: Wham!, a 1980s British pop duo formed by George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley. ...
Cover art for the original Do They Know Its Christmas? release – artist Peter Blake Band Aid is a British and Irish charity supergroup founded in 1984 by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure in order to raise by releasing a record Do They Know Its Christmas? for the Christmas...
Biggest selling single to peak at #3 is New Order's "Blue Monday", which has sold just over a million copies. However, it could be said this was not achieved on its own merit, because its two remixes caused the single to be re-issued twice, pushing up sales. If we are talking about the biggest selling single to peak at #3 where sales from re-issues are not counted, then Everything But The Girl's "Missing" takes the record. It sold 870,000 copies during its chart run in 1995-97. New Order are an English rock group formed in 1980 by the surviving members of Joy Division following the suicide of singer Ian Curtis. ...
Blue Monday is an electronica track recorded and released as a single in 1983 by British band New Order. ...
Everything But The Girls Tracey Thorn and Ben Watt in a publicity photo, c. ...
Shipping a million to shops and selling in excess of 860,000 is the biggest selling single to peak at #4, which is "Angels" by Robbie Williams. It is his largest selling single to date, despite having 6 chart toppers and various Top 3 hits throughout his career. Robbie Williams (born Robert Peter Williams on February 13, 1974 in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire) is an English pop artist/songwriter. ...
In 1942, Christmas classic "White Christmas" by Bing Crosby was released which became the second biggest selling single in the world (30 million copies sold). It peaked at #5 in 1977 after Crosby's death and is believed to have sold a million copies (if it has, it has been the million seller taking the longest to achieve the millionth sale - a total of 33 years). It is incredibly likely to have sold a million copies, seeing as it is so popular and has clocked up high sales around the world, but with the inception of the singles chart happening 10 years after the release, we can never be sure. If this is excluded due to uncertainty, "I Love You Because" by Jim Reeves is the biggest selling single to peak at #5. Although total sales are hard to come by, it seems to be the only #5 to have exceeded 750,000 copies with such a high degree of certainty. White Christmas is an Irving Berlin song whose lyrics reminisce about White Christmases. ...
Harry Lillis Bing Crosby (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer and actor whose career lasted from 1926 until his death in 1977. ...
Jim Reeves is also the name of a competitive eater. ...
Biggest selling single to peak at #6 is most likely to be "Just Loving You" by Anita Harris. In 1967, it is believed to have sold around 625,000 copies. Interestingly enough, the only peak position of a single that exceeds the highest selling singles' sales from the previous position is LeAnn Rimes' "How Do I Live" which despite selling around 714,000 copies during 1998, it only managed to peak at #7 (it did however spend 33 weeks in the UK Top 40). LeAnn Rimes Margaret LeAnn Rimes (born August 28, 1982 in Jackson, Mississippi) is a popular American country music singer. ...
Biggest selling single not to make the top 10 is the line-dancing classic "5,6,7,8" by Steps, which spent 14 weeks in the Top 40, but only managed to make #14. It has sold in excess of 300,000 copies. As for lower peaking singles, sales get so close, it is hard to make out which singles have sold more overall, and it is usually not in a chart researchers interest to be aware of lower peaking singles sales. The best-selling single not to make the Top 20 is perhaps Amazed by Lonestar, which has sold 180,000 copies despite only peaking at #21. Steps, who formed on May 7, 1997 and disbanded on December 26, 2001, were a highly successful British pop group who achieved a series of top hit singles during the late nineties and into the third millennium. ...
Lonestar also refers to a Rock Band that released a self titled album in 1976 under the UK CBS label Lonestar poses for pictures before a show Lonestar is an American country music band consisting of Richie McDonald (lead vocals) (born Richard Vance McDonald, on 6 February 1962, in Mesquite...
Other Records
General NB: In the following statistics, Elvis Presley's 17 re-issues in 2005, which all made the Top 5, count as separate hits. - Most Top 75 hits: Elvis Presley (152). Runner-up: Cliff Richard (131)
- Most Top 40 hits: Elvis Presley (128). Runner-up: Cliff Richard (120)
- Most Top 20 hits: Elvis Presley (100). Runner-up: Cliff Richard (95)
- Most Top 10 hits: Elvis Presley (77). Runner-up: Cliff Richard (66)
- Most Top 5 hits: Elvis Presley (54). Runner-up: Madonna (44)
- Most weeks on singles chart: Elvis Presley (1277 wks). Runner-up: Cliff Richard (1166 weeks)
Elvis Aron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), often known simply as Elvis and also called The King of Rock n Roll or simply The King, was an American singer and actor. ...
Sir Cliff Richard OBE, (born Harry Rodger Webb; 14 October 1940; Lucknow, India) is a major pop star and singer from England. ...
Madonna Louise Ciccone (born August 16 1958), better known worldwide by only her first name, is an iconic American pop singer, songwriter, musician, record and film producer, dancer, actress, author, and peace advocate whose level of fame and success has earned her superstar status for over two decades. ...
Most hits without reaching... - Most Top 75 hits without reaching No 1: Depeche Mode (43)
- Most Top 40 hits without reaching No 1: Depeche Mode (40)
- Most Top 10 hits without reaching No 1: Bon Jovi and Janet Jackson (17)
- Most Top 5 hits without reaching No 1: Janet Jackson (9)
- Most No 2 hits without a No 1: Sash! (5)
- Most Top 75 hits without reaching Top 5: Chris Rea (32)
- Most Top 40 hits without reaching Top 5: Gloria Estefan (27)
- Most Top 10 hits without reaching Top 5: Gloria Estefan (5)
- Most Top 75 hits without reaching Top 10: AC/DC (28)
- Most Top 40 hits without reaching Top 10: Super Furry Animals (20)
- Most Top 20 hits without reaching Top 10: The Levellers and Super Furry Animals (8)
- Most Top 75 hits without reaching Top 20: PJ Harvey (15)
- Most Top 40 hits without reaching Top 20: The Almighty (8)
Depeche Mode are an English electronic music band formed in 1980 in Basildon, Essex, UK. They have been one of the longest-lived and most successful bands to have emerged during the New Wave and New Romantic era, though they are more akin to what was known as the Futurist...
Bon Jovi is an influential rock band from New Jersey, USA. Fronted by lead singer and namesake Jon Bon Jovi, the group originally achieved large-scale success in the 1980s as a metal band. ...
now. ...
Sascha Lappessen on the cover of his album S4 Sash Sash! is a German DJ / producer team, fronted by Sascha Lappessen (born on 10 June 1970, in Nettetal, Germany), who works in the studio with Ralf Kappmeier and Thomas Alisson Lüdke. ...
Christopher Anton Rea (born 4 March 1951) is a successful English singer-songwriter, from Middlesbrough. ...
Gloria Estefan (born Gloria MarÃa Milagrosa Fajardo GarcÃa on September 1, 1957 in Havana, Cuba) is a five-time Grammy Award-winning Cuban-American singer and songwriter. ...
AC/DC are a hard rock band which formed in Sydney, Australia in 1973 (see 1973 in music) by brothers Angus and Malcolm Young. ...
Super Furry Animals (also known as SFA, the Furries and the Super Furries) are a Welsh rock band, with leanings towards psychedelic rock and electronic experimentation. ...
The Levellers are a popular English band that plays Folk-rock or Indie rock influenced by Punk and traditional English music. ...
PJ Harvey in concert. ...
The Almighty are a rock band, known for such songs as Free N Easy. They are from Glasgow in Scotland and formed in 1988. ...
Gorkys Zygotic Mynci are a Welsh popular music band. ...
Weeks On Chart By Individual Singles - Fewest weeks on chart by a No 1 single: "It's Now Or Never" (2005 re-issue) by Elvis Presley (4 weeks).
- Fewest weeks on chart by a No 1 single (excluding re-issues): "Bring Your Daughter… To The Slaughter" by Iron Maiden (5 weeks)
- Fewest weeks in Top 75 by a Top 10 single: 2 weeks, most notably by "Raving I'm Raving" by Shut Up And Dance, which peaked at No 2 in 1992 (before being banned for using an uncleared sample).
- Fewest weeks in Top 75 by a Top 20 single: 1 week - this feat has been achieved by The Wedding Present 6 times and by Garbage once (with "Shut Your Mouth").
Francis Albert Sinatra (December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was a popular and highly acclaimed male vocalist and actor. ...
Release Me is a song recorded by Wilson Phillips. ...
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