UK Singles Chart records and statistics

The UK Singles Chart was first compiled in 1969. However the records and statistics listed here date back to 1952 because the Official Charts Company counts a selected period of the New Musical Express chart (only from 1952 to 1960) and the Record Retailer chart from 1960 to 1969 as predecessors for the period prior to 11 February 1969, where multiples of competing charts coexisted side by side. For example, the BBC compiled its own chart based on an average of the music papers of the time; many songs announced as having reached number one on BBC Radio and Top of the Pops prior to 1969 may not be listed here as chart-toppers since they do not meet the legacy criteria of the Charts Company.

Most number ones

The following is a list of all the acts who are on five or more UK number one songs with an individual credit (meaning, the main artist or named separately as a featured artist – being part of a group does not count towards an individual's total).[1]

Simply playing or singing on a single without credit will not count, or the top positions would almost certainly belong to session musicians such as Clem Cattini who is reported to have played drums on over 40 number ones.[2]

TotalArtist
21Elvis Presley
17The Beatles
14Cliff Richard
Westlife
13Madonna
12The Shadows
Take That
10Calvin Harris
9ABBA
Spice Girls
Rihanna
Eminem
8The Rolling Stones
Oasis
7George Michael
Michael Jackson
Kylie Minogue
U2
Elton John
McFly
Robbie Williams
Tinie Tempah
Jess Glynne
Sam Smith
6Slade
Rod Stewart
Blondie
Boyzone
Queen
Sugababes
JLS
Britney Spears
David Guetta
Justin Bieber
5The Police
David Bowie
Bee Gees
All Saints
Beyoncé
Dizzee Rascal
The Black Eyed Peas
Ne-Yo
Flo Rida
will.i.am
Cheryl
Bruno Mars
One Direction
Katy Perry
Ed Sheeran
Drake

Most Number One appearances by an individual (solo or as part of a group)

Progression of the record

Al Martino was the first act to have a number one single, with "Here in My Heart" in November 1952. Seven months later Eddie Fisher became the first act to have two number one singles, with "I'm Walking Behind You" following "Outside of Heaven". In November 1953 Frankie Laine scored a third number one single with "Answer Me" and a fourth with "A Woman in Love" in October 1956. In 1960 "It's Now or Never" gave Elvis Presley his fifth number-one single. He increased the record ten times until June 1965 when "Crying in the Chapel" became his 15th number one. The Beatles then took the record with a 16th, "Get Back", and 17th, "The Ballad of John and Yoko", their last number one to date. After his death in August 1977, Elvis scored a 17th chart topper with "Way Down" to tie.

Westlife hold the record for getting into double-figure number-ones in the shortest time (2 years and 10 months [ie. 149 weeks] - more than 3 months quicker than The Beatles (who took 165 weeks). Unlike Westlife, however, The Beatles tended to spend several weeks at the summit, slowing down their release rate.)

In 2002, having been used in a Nike World Cup advertisement, a 1968 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 number one single. Celebrating the 70th anniversary of his birthday, all of Elvis' 18 number ones were re-issued in 2005. Despite being re-issues, they were given different catalogue numbers and therefore count as separate singles, giving Elvis 21 number one singles.[3]

^ 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.

Paul McCartney (25) is the highest charting male and British performer, Geri Halliwell (14) is the highest charting British female performer, Mark Feehily of Westlife (15) is the highest charting male performer from the LGBT group, Elvis Presley (21) is the highest charting solo, male, non-British and American performer, Madonna (13) is the highest charting female non-British and American female performer, Spice Girls (9) is the highest charting girl group, Beatles (17) is the highest charting group, male group and British group, ABBA (9) is the highest charting Swedish and mixed group and act making Agnetha Fältskog (9), Anni-Frid Lyngstad (9), Benny Andersson (10) and Bjorn Ulvaeus (10) the highest charting male and female Swedish acts. Shane Filan of Westlife (16) is the highest charting solo Irish act, Westlife (15) is the highest charting non-British group, pop group and Irish group and act with most number one appearances in the UK Singles Chart.

Most combined weeks at number one on the UK singles charts

Rank Artist Weeks at #1
1 Elvis Presley 80
2 The Beatles 69
3 Cliff Richard 46
4 The Shadows 44
5 Frankie Laine 32
6 ABBA 31
7 Justin Bieber 30
Drake
Calvin Harris
8 Madonna 29
Take That
9 Rihanna 25
10 Ed Sheeran 24

Most weeks at number one

The record for most non-consecutive weeks at number one is 18 by Frankie Laine's "I Believe" in 1953. It spent nine weeks at number one, dropped down for a week, returned to number one for six weeks, dropped down for a further week and returned to number one for a third time for three weeks.

The longest unbroken run at number one is "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" by Bryan Adams, which spent 16 consecutive weeks in 1991.

Below is a table of all singles that have spent 10 or more weeks at the top of the charts:

Position Artist Single Year Weeks
1 Frankie Laine "I Believe"* 1953 18 weeks
2 Bryan Adams "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" 1991 16 weeks
3 Wet Wet Wet "Love Is All Around" 1994 15 weeks
Drake (feat. Wizkid and Kyla) "One Dance" 2016
5 Queen "Bohemian Rhapsody"* 1975/76 & 1991/92 14 weeks
Ed Sheeran "Shape of You"* 2017
7 Slim Whitman "Rose Marie" 1955 11 weeks
Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee (feat. Justin Bieber) "Despacito"* 2017
9 David Whitfield "Cara Mia" 1954 10 weeks
Whitney Houston "I Will Always Love You" 1992
Rihanna (feat. Jay-Z) "Umbrella" 2007

Note: Songs denoted with an asterisk (*) spent non-consecutive weeks at number one.[4]

Number ones by different artists

Currently two songs have reached number one four times by different artists: "Unchained Melody" and "Do They Know It's Christmas?". Three of the versions of "Unchained Melody" sold over a million copies, while two of the versions of "Do They Know It's Christmas?" achieved this. The lyrics of the Band Aid 30 version were changed to give it relevance to the 2014 Ebola crisis. Numerous artists appear on more than one version of "Do They Know It's Christmas?".

Four artists

Three artists

Two artists

Most number ones from chart debut

In 1963, Gerry & the Pacemakers became the first act to have their first three singles reach number one when "How Do You Do It?", "I Like It" & "You'll Never Walk Alone" all hit the top spot.

The record was equalled by Frankie Goes to Hollywood in 1984 and five years later by Jive Bunny & The Mastermixers.

During 1996 and 1997, the Spice Girls took their first six singles to number one from "Wannabe" to "Too Much".

Westlife became the first music act, group, male group and pop band 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") to reach number one from 1999 to 2000.[5] With this, Westlife broke an unexpected record of the most consecutive number-one singles in the UK, having their first seven singles debut at the top and became the fastest number one music act beating Elvis Presley's previous record of three years versus 23 months of Westlife getting each its first seven number-one singles and second music act to have the longest string of number ones in UK history.[6]

Biggest-selling singles

Best-selling singles in the UK
No. Single Artist Record label[lower-alpha 1] Released[lower-alpha 1] Chart
peak[lower-alpha 1]		 Sales[lower-alpha 2]
1 "Candle in the Wind 1997" / "Something
About the Way You Look Tonight"		 Elton John Rocket September 1997 1 4,920,000
2 "Do They Know It's Christmas?" Band Aid Mercury November 1984 1 3,750,000
3 "Bohemian Rhapsody" Queen EMI October 1975 1 2,440,000
4 "Mull of Kintyre" / "Girls' School" Wings Parlophone November 1977 1 2,080,000
5 "You're the One That I Want" John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John RSO May 1978 1 2,050,000
6 "Relax" Frankie Goes to Hollywood ZTT January 1984 1 2,030,000
7 "Rivers of Babylon" / "Brown Girl in the Ring" Boney M. Atlantic / Hansa April 1978 1 2,020,000
8 "She Loves You" The Beatles Parlophone August 1963 1 1,930,000
9 "Love Is All Around" Wet Wet Wet PolyGram May 1994 1 1,860,000
10 "Mary's Boy Child – Oh My Lord" Boney M. Atlantic / Hansa November 1978 1 1,860,000
  1. 1 2 3 The record labels, dates and chart peaks are those given by the OCC.[7]
  2. ↑ The sales are those given by the OCC as of 27 June 2013, except where a more recent OCC figure is available.[8][9]

Biggest-selling singles artists

Artists with references have been updated as the original list was published by the Official Charts Company during 2012. This means that positions on this list may not be 100% accurately reflected as most of the artists are still active and releasing new singles. This includes all singles (solo, duets and as featuring artists) and in all formats (vinyl, cassette, CD, digital). All singles with collaborations are counted multiple times on the list. Collaborations are important especially for artists of the 21 century. For instance, Rihanna is number 2 on the list but if only solo singles were counted or her shared sales were split she would not even be among the TOP 10 best selling artists as around 70% of her sales are from collaborations.

  1. Madonna (28,345,000)
  2. Rihanna (27,100,000)
  3. Michael Jackson (26,995,000)[10]
  4. The Beatles (22,100,000)[11]
  5. Elton John (21,635,000)
  6. Cliff Richard (21,500,000)
  7. Queen (12,800,000) [12]
  8. Elvis Presley (12,205,000)
  9. David Bowie (12,000,000)[13]
  10. ABBA (11,300,000) [14]
  11. Paul McCartney (10,200,000)
  12. Kylie Minogue (10,100,000)
  13. The Rolling Stones (10,100,000) [15]
  14. Rod Stewart
  15. Take That
  16. Stevie Wonder
  17. Oasis (9,079,000) [16]
  18. Eminem
  19. Whitney Houston
  20. Spice Girls (8,500,000) [17]
  21. George Michael
  22. Robbie Williams
  23. Bee Gees (7,600,000) [18]
  24. U2 (7,500,000) [19]
  25. Shakin' Stevens
  26. Britney Spears
  27. Lady Gaga (7,357,000)[20]
  28. Status Quo (7,200,000) [21]
  29. Boyzone (7,100,000) [22]
  30. Blondie (7,037,000) [23]
  31. The Black Eyed Peas (7,034,000) [24]
  32. Boney M (6,859,000) [25]
  33. Slade (6,856,000) [26]
  34. Westlife (6,830,000) [27]
  35. Celine Dion
  36. Beyoncé
  37. UB40 (6,600,000) [28]
  38. Olivia Newton-John
  39. Mariah Carey
  40. Tom Jones

Posthumous number ones

Lowest selling number one

The lowest weekly sale for a number one single is 17,694 copies held by Orson's "No Tomorrow" in 2006.[29]

The addition of downloads to the UK charts meant that singles could reach number one with no physical copy being released. The first single to achieve this was Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy" in early 2006. Since 2014, audio streaming has been included in the calculation of chart position, so it is now possible for a single to reach number one without selling any copies (if it were only available on streaming services). In the week ending 24 September 2015, "What Do You Mean?" by Justin Bieber became the first number one with over half of its chart sales made up of streaming points, with sales of 30,000 and 36,000 points from 3.6 million streams.

Since the incorporation of streaming into the singles chart, the Official Charts Company have continued to compile a sales only chart. In week ending 27 April 2017 "Sign of the Times" by Harry Styles became the first number one in the sales only chart to sell less than "No Tomorrow" by Orson, with 16,686 copies.[30]

Acts to occupy number one and number two

In addition, in the final week that Justin Bieber was at #1 and #2 with "Love Yourself" and "Sorry", "What Do You Mean" was at #3. For the first three weeks that Ed Sheeran was at #1 and #2 with "Shape of You" and "Galway Girl", "Castle on the Hill" was at #3, and for the first of these three weeks Sheeran's "Perfect", "New Man" and "Happier" were at #4, #5 and #6 respectively.[31]

Self-replacement at number one

Since the inception of the UK Singles Chart in 1952 only five acts have replaced themselves at the top of the UK charts with exactly the same billing (as opposed to any named artist, for example 'Cliff Richard and the Shadows' and 'The Shadows' have had back to back number ones on four occasions):

Fastest selling single

The fastest selling single in chart history is "Candle in the Wind 1997" by Elton John which sold 1.55 million copies in its first week (it sold 658,000 on the first day of release, 13 September 1997).[33]

The fastest selling debut single is "Anything Is Possible/Evergreen" by Will Young, which sold 1.11 million copies in its first week on sale.[34] Publicity had built up due to the televised talent contest Pop Idol with 8.7 million people phoning in to vote for the finalists.[35]

The fastest selling single by a British group is the Spice Girls "2 Become 1" which sold over 462,000 copies during its first week on sale and over 763,000 copies in a fortnight. In total, the single sold over 1.1 million copies to date.[36]

The fastest number one single music act and band is Westlife with its first seven consecutive number one singles and fourteen number one singles in total. They are also the second music act to have the longest string of number ones in UK history.[37]

Non-English language number-ones

[38]

Most Number One appearances by a non-British act or band

Biggest selling single not to top the chart

The record is held by Wham! with their 1984 Christmas release, "Last Christmas" / "Everything She Wants", which peaked at number two, being kept off the top by Band Aid's "Do They Know It's Christmas?".[39] It has sold 1.77 million copies following first week sales of half a million.[40] In December 2017, a year after George Michael's death, fans tried to get "Last Christmas" to number one, but again it peaked at number two.[41]

The biggest selling single to peak at number three is New Order's "Blue Monday", which has sold over a million copies.[39] However, it garnered its total sales via two further remixes of the track, meaning its one million sales are attributed over all three releases. The biggest selling release to peak at number three is Ed Sheeran's "The A Team", which has sold over 1,067,000 copies since its 2011 release.[42] The biggest selling single to never make the top 5 is "Chasing Cars" by Snow Patrol, which peaked at number 6 and has sold more copies than "The A Team".[43] The biggest selling single not to reach the top 10 is "Numb" by Linkin Park which never charted higher than #14.

Most number two peaks

Artists with most songs peaked number two and missed the top spot:

  • Madonna - 12 songs that peaked number two without reaching number one.
  • Elvis Presley - 9 songs that peaked number two without reaching number one (yet another 8 singles of songs that were re-issues and previous number one hits also peaked at 2)

Male Artist with most number 2 peak singles: Elvis Presley - 17 singles (includes 8 posthumous re-issues that previously peaked number one); runner up Cliff Richard - 11 singles

Female Artist with most number 2 peak singles: Madonna - 12 singles; runner up Kylie Minogue - 11 singles

Group with most number 2 peak singles: Queen and Oasis are tied with 6 singles each.

Sash! holds the record as the artist to have the most number 2s without ever making it to number 1 (5 singles peaked number two and never had a number one single).

Most weeks at number two

Johnnie Ray's "Such a Night" spent eight consecutive weeks at number two behind Doris Day's "Secret Love" having spent a single week at the top. "Terry's Theme from Limelight" by Frank Chacksfield spent a total of eight weeks at number two (in four separate spells) without ever reaching number one. All-4-One's "I Swear" and "Moves like Jagger" by Maroon 5 featuring Christina Aguilera both spent seven consecutive weeks at number two without reaching number one. "These Days" by Rudimental featuring Jess Glynne, Macklemore and Dan Caplen also spent seven consecutive weeks at number two behind Drake's "God's Plan" having spent a single week at the top.

Downloads

Downloads grew steadily in popularity after first being integrated into the chart in 2004. In early September the UK Official Download Chart was launched, and a new live recording of Westlife's "Flying Without Wings" was the first number-one.[44] The first number one to chart without ever receiving a UK physical release was Coldplay's "Viva la Vida" in June 2008. As of 2012, very few songs are given a physical release, and almost the entire chart is released solely on digital download.

On 22 June 2008, both songs in the top two were there on downloads alone:[45]

  1. "Viva la Vida" by Coldplay
  2. "Closer" by Ne-Yo

On 31 August 2008, the top three were download-only at the time:[46]

  1. "I Kissed a Girl" by Katy Perry
  2. "Pjanoo" by Eric Prydz
  3. "Disturbia" by Rihanna

On 1 March 2009, the top four were all download-only:[47]

  1. "My Life Would Suck Without You" by Kelly Clarkson
  2. "Love Story" by Taylor Swift
  3. "Poker Face" by Lady Gaga
  4. "Dead and Gone" by T.I. (feat. Justin Timberlake)

By 13 February 2010, the whole top 9 consisted of download-only songs:[48]

  1. "Fireflies" by Owl City
  2. "Under Pressure (Ice Ice Baby)" by Jedward (feat. Vanilla Ice)
  3. "If We Ever Meet Again" by Timbaland (feat. Katy Perry)
  4. "Don't Stop Believin'" by Glee Cast
  5. "Empire State of Mind (Part II) Broken Down" by Alicia Keys
  6. "Replay" by Iyaz
  7. "Starstrukk" by 3OH!3 (feat. Katy Perry)
  8. "One Shot" by JLS
  9. "Don't Stop Believin'" by Journey

Most weeks on UK Singles Chart by decade

1950s

1. Elvis Presley 298 weeks
2. Frankie Laine 268 weeks
3. Pat Boone 239 weeks
4. Lonnie Donegan 213 weeks
5. Perry Como 191 weeks
6. David Whitfield 189 weeks
7. Bill Haley & his Comets 173 weeks
8. Johnnie Ray 163 weeks
9. Guy Mitchell 153 weeks
10. Nat "King" Cole 147 weeks

1960s

1. The Shadows 631 weeks
2. Cliff Richard 537 weeks
3. Elvis Presley 444 weeks
4. The Beatles 333 weeks
5. Roy Orbison 309 weeks
6. Jim Reeves 292 weeks
7. Billy Fury 258 weeks
8. Adam Faith 246 weeks
9. The Hollies 231 weeks
10. The Everly Brothers 222 weeks

1970s

1. Elvis Presley 331 weeks
2. Elton John 223 weeks
3. Diana Ross 220 weeks
4. Paul McCartney/Wings 216 weeks
5. Rod Stewart 209 weeks
6. Marc Bolan/T. Rex 196 weeks
7. David Bowie 196 weeks
8. Cliff Richard 185 weeks
9. Hot Chocolate 176 weeks
10. Abba 173 weeks

1980s

  1. Shakin' Stevens 254 weeks
  2. Madonna 252 weeks
  3. Michael Jackson 241 weeks
  4. Cliff Richard 234 weeks
  5. Madness 217 weeks
  6. UB40 217 weeks
  7. Kool & the Gang 196 weeks
8. David Bowie 190 weeks
9. Elton John 190 weeks
10. Adam Ant (& the Ants) 185 weeks

1990s

  1. Oasis 282 weeks
  2. Madonna 258 weeks
  3. Mariah Carey 219 weeks
  4. Celine Dion 215 weeks
  5. Boyzone 201 weeks
  6. Janet Jackson 177 weeks
  7. Michael Jackson 175 weeks
  8. East 17/E17 170 weeks
  9. Whitney Houston 169 weeks
  10. Bryan Adams 163 weeks

2000s

  1. Kanye West 320 weeks
  2. Rihanna 300 weeks
  3. Justin Timberlake 289 weeks
  4. Beyoncé 287 weeks
  5. Akon 280 weeks
  6. Britney Spears 278 weeks
  7. Pink 268 weeks
  8. Sugababes 265 weeks
  9. Girls Aloud 255 weeks
  10. Eminem 250 weeks

2010s (up to and including week ending 17 November 2016)

  1. Rihanna 782 weeks
  2. Ed Sheeran 526 weeks
  3. David Guetta 507 weeks
  4. Justin Bieber 481 weeks
  5. Drake 414 weeks
  6. Tinie Tempah 406 weeks
  7. Calvin Harris 397 weeks
  8. Bruno Mars 385 weeks
  9. Nicki Minaj 365 weeks
  10. Chris Brown 361 weeks

Top chart acts per year by total weeks on the singles chart

Year Artist Weeks on chart
1952 Frankie Laine 13
1953 84
1954 66
1955 Ruby Murray 85
1956 Bill Haley & His Comets 110
1957 Elvis Presley 118
1958 Pat Boone 76
1959 Russ Conway 81
1960 The Shadows 107
1961 118
1962 92
1963 116
1964 75
1965 54
1966 Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich 51
1967 Engelbert Humperdinck 97
1968 Tom Jones 58
1969 Marvin Gaye 60
1970 Elvis Presley 59
1971 66
1972 T. Rex 58
1973 David Bowie 55
1974 The Wombles 65
1975 Mud 45
1976 Rod Stewart 48
1977 Elvis Presley 49
1978 John Travolta 60
1979 Donna Summer 46
1980 Madness 46
1981 Adam & The Ants 91
1982 Soft Cell 49
1983 Michael Jackson 60
1984 Frankie Goes to Hollywood 68
1985 Madonna 84
1986 59
1987 41
1988 Kylie Minogue 54
1989 Bobby Brown 52
1990 New Kids on the Block 56
1991 R.E.M 36
1992 Michael Jackson 38
1993 Whitney Houston 50
1994 Mariah Carey 45
1995 Oasis 64
1996 134
1997 Spice Girls 57
1998 Aqua 52
1999 Steps 76
2000 Craig David 58
2001 Shaggy 54
2002 Gareth Gates/Ja Rule 57
2003 Sean Paul 58
2004 Kelis 47
2005 Elvis Presley 81
2006 The Pussycat Dolls 71
2007 Amy Winehouse 119
2008 Rihanna 129
2009 Lady Gaga 150
2010 123
2011 Rihanna 224
2012 151
2013 will.i.am 100
2014 Ed Sheeran 159
2015 173

Totals include all instances where an artist is actually credited as part of the act. Therefore, for example, The Shadows score for their own hits as well as those where they backed Cliff Richard, and Diana Ross scores for both her solo hits and those as Diana Ross & the Supremes. However, Paul McCartney, for example, is not credited for any of The Beatles' hits as he does not have a separate credit, (although his hits with Wings do count towards his total as they are classed together in the Guinness Book of Hit Singles).

Age records

Youngest

Oldest

  • The oldest artist to have a number 1 single is Tom Jones, who was 68 when "(Barry) Islands in the Stream" reached the top in 2009.
  • The oldest female solo artist to have a number 1 single is Cher, who was 52 when her single "Believe" reached number 1. It spent 7 weeks at the top and became the best selling single by a female artist in the UK.
  • The oldest artist to achieve their first number 1 is TV actor Clive Dunn with "Grandad" in 1971 on the week of his 51st birthday.

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 hits without reaching...

Weeks on chart by individual singles

  • Most weeks in the chart by a single:

Top 100: "Mr Brightside" by The Killers (203 weeks)
Top 75: "My Way" by Frank Sinatra (124 weeks) (122 weeks when only a top 50 was compiled followed by two more in the top 75)
Top 40: "My Way" (75 weeks)[50]

  • Longest consecutive run in the chart by a single*

Top 100: "Thinking Out Loud" by Ed Sheeran (95 weeks)
Top 75: "Rather Be" by Clean Bandit and "Thinking Out Loud" by Ed Sheeran (73 weeks)
Top 40: "Thinking Out Loud" by Ed Sheeran (54 weeks)[51]

Most singles in a year

Simultaneously charting song

Longest time between number one hit singles for an artist

Tom Jones went 43 years between his second number one "Green Green Grass Of Home" in 1966 and his next top hit, "(Barry) Islands in the Stream". He had fourteen other singles in the top 10 in that interim time, including four singles to reach the number 2 spot.

Album with most original number-one hits

There are three albums which have produced four number-one original hits: Westlife by Westlife ("Swear It Again, "If I Let You Go", Flying Without Wings", and "Fool Again"), Spice by Spice Girls ("Wannabe", "Say You'll Be There", "2 Become 1" and "Mama" / "Who Do You Think You Are") and B*Witched by B*Witched ("C'est la Vie", "Rollercoaster", "To You I Belong" and "Blame It on the Weatherman").

Biggest jump to number one

Biggest drop out of the Top 10 into elsewhere in the top 200

This table does not include the six Christmas records in the top ten of the chart of the week ended 11 January 2018 which fell out of the top 200 the following week. These are Wham!'s Last Christmas (#2), Mariah Carey's All I Want For Christmas Is You (#4), Pogues ft. Kirsty MacColl's Fairytale of New York (#5), Band Aid's Do They Know It's Christmas? (#7), Brenda Lee's Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree (#9) and Shakin' Stevens' Merry Christmas Everyone (#10). Additionally, Fairytale of New York fell 98 places from #9 to #107 on the chart in the week ending 12 January 2008.

Ten biggest drops out of the Top 10, not counting Christmas songs
No. Artist Single Top 10
position		 Chart position the
following week		 Total drop
in places		 Week-ending
date
1 Alex Day "Forever Yours" 4 112 108 7 January 2012
2 Leeds United Team & Supporters "Leeds Leeds Leeds (Marching On Together)" 10 112 102 30 May 2010
3 Baddiel & Skinner & The Lightning Seeds "Three Lions" 1 97 96 26 July 2018
4 Wet Wet Wet "Weightless" 10 96 86 23 February 2008
5 Captain SKA "Liar Liar GE2017" 4 88 84 9 June 2017
6 Prince "Purple Rain" 6 88 82 6 May 2016
7 AC/DC "Highway to Hell" 4 81 77 4 January 2014
8 Precision Tunes "Payphone" 9 85 76 23 June 2012
9 Union J "Tonight (We Live Forever)" 9 74 65 6 September 2014
10 The Wizard of Oz Film Cast "Ding-Dong! The Witch Is Dead" 2 65 63 21 April 2013

Some singles have been deleted from the charts due to technicalities, and have thus "dropped" out of the Top 10 and the singles chart entirely. Such singles include: "Mrs. Robinson" by Simon & Garfunkel (1969), "Crazy" by Gnarls Barkley (2006) and "Maneater" by Nelly Furtado (2006). In addition, in the chart for the week ending 19 July 2018, Drake's "Emotionless" fell out of the top ten from #5 after falling foul of a rule that an act may only have three singles in any one chart.

Singles to have stalled at Number 2 twice

This distinction has been achieved five times in chart history:

"Honey" by Bobby Goldsboro on 1 June 1968 then, on reissue, on 26 April 1975
"Crazy for You" by Madonna on 29 June 1985 then, on reissue, on 29 March 1991
"One for Sorrow" by Steps on 5 September 1998 then, on reissue, on 6 October 2001
"All I Want For Christmas Is You" by Mariah Carey on 17 December 1994 then, on 15 December 2017
"Last Christmas" by Wham! on 15 December 1984 then, on 4 January 2018

Additionally, "When You Tell Me That You Love Me" has been a Christmas number two twice, 1st in 1991 for Diana Ross, and then in 2005 for Westlife featuring Diana Ross.

Longest playing singles to reach Number 1

11 songs have reached No. 1 with a longer playing time than "Bohemian Rhapsody" (5:55):

"All Around the World" by Oasis 9:38
"Mirrors" by Justin Timberlake 8:05
"I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That)" by Meat Loaf 7:48
"D'You Know What I Mean?" by Oasis 7:21
"Hey Jude" by The Beatles 7:11
"We Are the World" by USA for Africa 7:05
"Jesus to a Child" by George Michael 6:51
"Belfast Child" by Simple Minds 6:39
"Innuendo" by Queen 6:30
"Frozen" by Madonna 6:12
"I'm Not in Love" by 10cc 6:04

Shortest playing single to reach Number 1

"What Do You Want?" by Adam Faith 1:35 (1959) [56]

Acts to peak across the entire top ten

Acts who have peaked at every position in the Top 10[57]
Artist #1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6 #7 #8 #9 #10
Lonnie Donegan Cumberland Gap Lost John/Stewball Tom Dooley Don't You Rock Me Daddy-O I Wanna Go Home The Grand Coolie Dam Bring A Little Water Sylvie/Dead or Alive Rock Island Line/John Henry The Party's Over My Dixie Darling
Elvis Presley All Shook Up Heartbreak Hotel (Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear A Big Hunk o' Love Until It's Time for You to Go Too Much Santa Bring My Baby Back (To Me) Paralyzed Blue Suede Shoes Kissin' Cousins
Madonna Into the Groove Crazy For You Like a Virgin Gambler Angel Holiday Rain Human Nature The Look of Love Bad Girl
Mariah Carey Without You I'll Be There Endless Love Fantasy Heartbreaker One Sweet Day Hero Anytime You Need a Friend Vision of Love Thank God I Found You
Tom Jones It's Not Unusual I'll Never Fall In Love Again Sexbomb Mama Told Me Not to Come Help Yourself The Young New Mexican Puppeteer Funny Familiar Forgotten Feelings Detroit City Love Me Tonight Without Love (There Is Nothing)
Elton John Don't Go Breaking My Heart Rocket Man Nikita Daniel Crocodile Rock Goodbye Yellow Brick Road Your Song Blue Eyes I Want Love Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds
U2 Desire Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me Pride (In the Name of Love) With or Without You Walk On The Unforgettable Fire One Even Better Than the Real Thing Angel of Harlem New Year's Day
Cliff Richard Living Doll Move It Nine Times Out of Ten Gee Whiz It's You Santa's List In the Country High Class Baby I'm the Lonely One It's All Over Mean Streak
Usher You Make Me Wanna... Pop Ya Collar U Remind Me U Don't Have to Call U Got It Bad Without You DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love I Don't Mind Caught Up Good Kisser
Nine out of ten
#1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6 #7 #8 #9 #10
  1. ↑ Bon Jovi band member Jon Bon Jovi did peak at #1 as part of the charity single Everybody Hurts in 2010.
  2. ↑ Michael Jackson did peak at #6 as a fifth of The Jackson 5.
  3. ↑ Beyoncé did peak at #6 as a quarter of Destiny's Child.
  4. ↑ Frankie Bridge and Rochelle Humes of The Saturdays did peak at #6 as two eighths of S Club 8.
  5. ↑ Kimberley Walsh of Girls Aloud did peak at #8 as a solo artist.
  6. ↑ Diana Ross did peak at #8 as one third of The Supremes.

First to...

  • Eden Kane (real name Richard Sarstedt) and Peter Sarstedt are the first pair of siblings to score no. 1s as solo artists. Eden Kane scored a no. 1 with "Well I Ask You" in 1961 and Peter Sarstedt got a no. 1 with "Where Do You Go To (My Lovely)" in 1969. A third brother Robin Sarstedt (real name Clive Sarstedt) made the Top 3 in 1976 with "My Resistance Is Low" making them the only set of three brothers to have separate solo Top Three singles.
  • The first song recorded completely in a foreign language to reach number-one on the UK Singles Charts is "Je t'aime... moi non plus" by Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin in 1969 (French).
  • The first artist to reach No.1 on the UK Official Singles Chart based on both sales and streaming figures was Ariana Grande with "Problem" on 6 July 2014.
  • The first artist to have singles debut at numbers 1 and 2 simultaneously was Ed Sheeran on 13 January 2017 with "Shape of You" and "Castle on the Hill".
  • The first artist to have every song from their album enter the top 20 on the singles chart was Ed Sheeran with ÷.
  • The first female artist to have a top ten single in five consecutive decades is Cher (1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and 2000s). Kylie Minogue follows with a top ten single in four consecutive decades (1980s, 1990s, 2000s and 2010s).
  • Melanie C is the first female performer to top the charts as a solo artist, as part of a duo, quartet and quintet.[58]
  • The first song to have four separate spells at number one with the same artist line-up was "Three Lions" by Baddiel & Skinner and The Lightning Seeds. The original 1996 version had two one-week stints in 1996, while the 1998 re-work had one three-week spell at the top. 2018 FIFA World Cup has propelled it to a record-breaking fourth outing at the top in July 2018.[59]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Record-Breakers and Trivia". EveryHit.com. Retrieved 2016-07-23.
  2. ↑ Wilson, John. "Clem Cattini, Britain's record chart topper, keeps that backbeat going strong at 72". The Guardian. Retrieved 2015-05-21.
  3. ↑ "Elvis Presley | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com. Retrieved 2016-07-23.
  4. ↑ "The songs that spent the longest at Number 1". Official Charts Company. 2017-08-04. Retrieved 2017-11-11.
  5. ↑ British Hit Singles. Virgin Books. 4 November 2010.
  6. ↑ Inc, Nielsen Business Media (18 November 2000). "ACTUAL ARTICLE TITLE BELONGS HERE!". Billboard – via Google Books.
  7. ↑ "Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. 2010. Retrieved 10 April 2012.
  8. ↑ "Daft Punk's Get Lucky becomes one of the UK's biggest selling singles of all-time!". Official Charts Company. 27 June 2013.
  9. ↑ Lane, Dan (10 June 2014). "Naughty Boy and Sam Smith smash 1 million UK sales with La La La". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  10. ↑ "Certified Awards Search". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved March 13, 2013.
  11. ↑ "The Official Top 20 Biggest selling groups of all time revealed". Official Charts Company.
  12. ↑ "The Official Top 20 Biggest selling groups of all time revealed". Official Charts Company.
  13. ↑ "Official Charts Analysis: David Bowie's UK chart life". Music Week. Retrieved 2016-04-16.
  14. ↑ "The Official Top 20 Biggest selling groups of all time revealed". Official Charts Company.
  15. ↑ "The Official Top 20 Biggest selling groups of all time revealed". Official Charts Company.
  16. ↑ "The Official Top 20 Biggest selling groups of all time revealed". Official Charts Company.
  17. ↑ "The Official Top 20 Biggest selling groups of all time revealed". Official Charts Company.
  18. ↑ "The Official Top 20 Biggest selling groups of all time revealed". Official Charts Company.
  19. ↑ "The Official Top 20 Biggest selling groups of all time revealed". Official Charts Company.
  20. ↑ "The Official Top 20 Biggest selling groups of all time revealed". Official Charts Company.
  21. ↑ "The Official Top 20 Biggest selling groups of all time revealed". Official Charts Company.
  22. ↑ "The Official Top 20 Biggest selling groups of all time revealed". Official Charts Company.
  23. ↑ "The Official Top 20 Biggest selling groups of all time revealed". Official Charts Company.
  24. ↑ "The Official Top 20 Biggest selling groups of all time revealed". Official Charts Company.
  25. ↑ "The Official Top 20 Biggest selling groups of all time revealed". Official Charts Company.
  26. ↑ "The Official Top 20 Biggest selling groups of all time revealed". Official Charts Company.
  27. ↑ "The Official Top 20 Biggest selling groups of all time revealed". Official Charts Company.
  28. ↑ "The Official Top 20 Biggest selling groups of all time revealed". Official Charts Company.
  29. ↑ Masterton, James (13 April 2013). "Hey, What Does It Take".
  30. ↑ Jones, Alan (21 April 2017). "Official Charts Analysis: Ed Sheeran topples Harry Styles to reclaim singles top spot". Music Week.
  31. ↑ "Acts that have held number 1 and 2 on the Official Singles Chart". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  32. ↑ "The acts who outperformed themselves, knocking their own hit off Number 1". Official Charts Company. 2018-01-19. Retrieved 2018-01-19.
  33. ↑ Walker-Arnott, Ellie (14 November 2012). "60 years of singles charts... in numbers". Radio Times. Immediate Media Company. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
  34. ↑ Wells, Matt (4 March 2002). "Pop Idol Will faces Top of the Pops ban". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
  35. ↑ "Pop Idol's career hots up". BBC News. BBC. 11 February 2002. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
  36. ↑ Myers, Justin (14 December 2017). "Classic Christmas Number Ones". Official Charts. Official Charts Company. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
  37. ↑ https://books.google.com.ph/books?id=0BAEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA124&lpg=PA124&dq=billboard+books+westlife&source=bl&ots=mgFAFwLtO2&sig=mKn0SwaHYPOdOt_RZVya3LOeFls&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjphe3IvqjbAhVHNJQKHTzVC5sQ6AEIgwEwBw#v=onepage&q=billboard%20books%20westlife&f=false
  38. ↑ Myers, Justin (2017-05-13). "Foreign language songs that got to Number 1". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2017-06-04.
  39. 1 2 "The million-selling songs that never made it to Number 1". Official Charts Company. 24 August 2014. Retrieved 12 December 2014.
  40. ↑ Myers, Justin (17 October 2015). "Ask Official Charts: Your questions on Demi, Selena, Britney and more answered". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  41. ↑ Copsey, Rob (29 December 2017). "Ed Sheeran caps off a hugely successful 2017 by claiming a new Official Charts record". Official Charts. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
  42. ↑ Jones, Alan (2 January 2015). "Official Charts Analysis: Sheeran's x scores 12th week at No.1 with sales of 211,168". Music Week. Intent Media. Retrieved 13 October 2015. (Subscription required (help)).
  43. ↑ Moss, Liv (19 June 2015). "Official Biggest Selling Singles of the decade so far revealed". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
  44. ↑ "Download chart waits for youth: while its beginnings may be modest, the new rundown has an important future ahead". Music Week. 11 September 2004. ISSN 0265-1548.
  45. ↑ "Official Chart for the 22nd June 2008". Official Charts Company.
  46. ↑ "Official Chart for the 31st August 2008". Official Charts Company.
  47. ↑ "Official Chart for the 1st March 2009". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
  48. ↑ "Official Chart for the 13th of Feb 2010". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
  49. ↑ http://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/the-curse-of-number-11-big-songs-that-missed-the-top-10__16375/
  50. ↑ "Ed Sheeran's Thinking Out Loud sets chart record". BBC News. 22 June 2015.
  51. ↑ Copsey, Rob (22 June 2015). "Ed Sheeran's Thinking Out Loud becomes first single ever to spend one year inside the Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 22 June 2015.
  52. ↑ Philip Dodd, Paul Du Noyer (1999). The encyclopedia of singles. p. 222. ISBN 0752533371.
  53. ↑ Adam Bychawski (21 December 2008). "Alexandra Burke, Jeff Buckley storm Christmas charts with 'Hallelujah'". Nme.com.
  54. ↑ http://www.everyhit.com/record5.html
  55. ↑ http://www.jorgenelofsson.com/biography/billboard-no-1-with-kelly-clarkson/
  56. ↑ "Adam Faith - What do You want? (78rpm - 1959)". YouTube. Retrieved 2016-02-23.
  57. ↑ "BINGO! Acts who have peaked at every position in the Top 10". The Official Charts Company. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  58. ↑ "Melanie C." Peermusic.com. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
  59. ↑ Copsey, Rob (13 July 2018). "Football may not have come home, but Three Lions has on the UK's Official Chart - and it's broken an all-time chart record". Official Charts Company.
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