List of UK singles chart number ones of the 1960s
The UK Singles Chart is the official record chart in the United Kingdom. Prior to 1969 there was no official singles chart;[1][2][3] however, The Official Charts Company and Guinness' British Hit Singles & Albums regard the canonical sources as New Musical Express (NME) before 10 March 1960 and Record Retailer from then until 15 February 1969 when Retailer and the BBC jointly commissioned the British Market Research Bureau (BMRB) to compile the charts.[1][4] The choice to use Record Retailer as the canonical source for the 1960s has been contentious because NME (which continued compiling charts beyond March 1960) had the biggest circulation of periodicals in the decade and was more widely followed.[1][2]
| UK singles chart number ones |
|---|
| UK singles chart |
| Other charts |
|
| Related |
As well as the chart compilers mentioned previously, Melody Maker, Disc and Record Mirror all compiled their own charts during the decade. Due to the lack of any official chart the BBC aggregated results from all these charts to announce its own Pick of the Pops chart.[1] One source explains that the reason for using the Record Retailer chart for the 1960s was that it was "the only chart to have as many as 50 positions for almost the entire decade".[3] The sample size of Record Retailer in the early 1960s was around 30 stores whereas NME and Melody Maker were sampling over 100 stores.[1] In 1969, the first BMRB chart was compiled using postal returns of sales logs from 250 record shops.[4]
In terms of number-one singles, The Beatles were the most successful group of the decade having seventeen singles reach the top spot.[5] The longest duration of a single at number-one was eight weeks and this was achieved on three occasions: "It's Now or Never" by Elvis Presley in 1960; "Wonderful Land" by The Shadows in 1962 and "Sugar, Sugar" by The Archies in 1969. The Beatles' song "She Loves You" became the best-selling single of all time in 1963, a record it held until 1977 when band member Paul McCartney's new band, Wings, surpassed it with "Mull of Kintyre".[6] "She Loves You" was the best-selling song of the decade and one of fourteen songs believed to have sold over one million copies in the 1960s.[7][8][9]
Number-one singles
The Beatles had seventeen number-one singles in the 1960s, more than any other artist. Their single "She Loves You" was the best-selling of the decade.
Elvis Presley had eleven number-ones throughout the decade. "It's Now or Never" was the best-selling single of 1960 and spent an unsurpassed (but equalled) eight weeks at number one during the 1960s.
Cliff Richard achieved seven of his number-one singles during the 1960s.
Tom Jones (pictured left with Janis Joplin) had two of his three number-one singles in the 1960s, the third was in 2009.[10]
| † | Best-selling single of the year[11] |
|---|---|
| ‡ | Best-selling single of the decade[11] |
| Contents |
|---|
| No. | Artist[nb 1] | Single[nb 1] | Record label[nb 2] | Week starting date[nb 1][nb 3] | Weeks at number one[nb 1] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | |||||
| 94 | Emile Ford and the Checkmates | "What Do You Want to Make Those Eyes at Me For?" | Pye | 18 December 1959 | 6 |
| 95 | Michael Holliday | "Starry Eyed" | Columbia | 29 January 1960 | 1 |
| 96 | Anthony Newley | "Why" | Decca | 5 February 1960 | 4 |
| 97 | Adam Faith | "Poor Me" | Parlophone | 3 March 1960 | 2 |
| 98 | Johnny Preston | "Running Bear" | Mercury | 17 March 1960 | 2 |
| 99 | Lonnie Donegan | "My Old Man's a Dustman" | Pye | 31 March 1960 | 4 |
| 100 | Anthony Newley | "Do You Mind?" | Decca | 28 April 1960 | 1 |
| 101 | The Everly Brothers | "Cathy's Clown" | Warner Bros. | 5 May 1960 | 7 |
| 102 | Eddie Cochran | "Three Steps to Heaven" | London | 23 June 1960 | 2 |
| 103 | Jimmy Jones | "Good Timin'" | MGM | 7 July 1960 | 3 |
| 104 | Cliff Richard and the Shadows | "Please Don't Tease" | Columbia | 28 July 1960 | 1 |
| 105 | Johnny Kidd and the Pirates | "Shakin' All Over" | HMV | 4 August 1960 | 1 |
| re | Cliff Richard and the Shadows | "Please Don't Tease" | Columbia | 11 August 1960 | 2 |
| 106 | The Shadows | "Apache" | Columbia | 25 August 1960 | 5 |
| 107 | Ricky Valance | "Tell Laura I Love Her" | Columbia | 29 September 1960 | 3 |
| 108 | Roy Orbison | "Only the Lonely" | London | 20 October 1960 | 2 |
| 109 | Elvis Presley | "It's Now or Never" † | RCA | 3 November 1960 | 8 |
| 110 | Cliff Richard and the Shadows | "I Love You" | Columbia | 29 December 1960 | 2 |
| 1961 | |||||
| 111 | Johnny Tillotson | "Poetry in Motion" | London | 12 January 1961 | 2 |
| 112 | Elvis Presley | "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" | RCA | 26 January 1961 | 4 |
| 113 | Petula Clark | "Sailor" | Pye | 23 February 1961 | 1 |
| 114 | The Everly Brothers | "Walk Right Back" / "Ebony Eyes" | Warner Bros. | 2 March 1961 | 3 |
| 115 | Elvis Presley | "Wooden Heart" † | RCA | 23 March 1961 | 6 |
| 116 | The Marcels | "Blue Moon" | Pye International | 4 May 1961 | 2 |
| 117 | Floyd Cramer | "On the Rebound" | RCA | 18 May 1961 | 1 |
| 118 | The Temperance Seven | "You're Driving Me Crazy" | Parlophone | 25 May 1961 | 1 |
| 119 | Elvis Presley | "Surrender" | RCA | 1 June 1961 | 4 |
| 120 | Del Shannon | "Runaway" | London | 29 June 1961 | 3 |
| 121 | The Everly Brothers | "Temptation" | Warner Bros. | 20 July 1961 | 2 |
| 122 | Eden Kane | "Well I Ask You" | Decca | 3 August 1961 | 1 |
| 123 | Helen Shapiro | "You Don't Know" | Columbia | 10 August 1961 | 3 |
| 124 | John Leyton | "Johnny Remember Me" | Top Rank | 31 August 1961 | 3 |
| 125 | Shirley Bassey | "Reach for the Stars" / "Climb Ev'ry Mountain" | Columbia | 21 September 1961 | 1 |
| re | John Leyton | "Johnny Remember Me" | Top Rank | 28 September 1961 | 1 |
| 126 | The Shadows | "Kon-Tiki" | Columbia | 5 October 1961 | 1 |
| 127 | The Highwaymen | "Michael" | HMV | 12 October 1961 | 1 |
| 128 | Helen Shapiro | "Walkin' Back to Happiness" | Columbia | 19 October 1961 | 3 |
| 129 | Elvis Presley | "(Marie's the Name) His Latest Flame" / "Little Sister" | RCA | 9 November 1961 | 4 |
| 130 | Frankie Vaughan | "Tower of Strength" | Philips | 7 December 1961 | 3 |
| 131 | Danny Williams | "Moon River" | HMV | 28 December 1961 | 2 |
| 1962 | |||||
| 132 | Cliff Richard and the Shadows | "The Young Ones" | Columbia | 11 January 1962 | 6 |
| 133 | Elvis Presley | "Can't Help Falling in Love" / "Rock-A-Hula Baby" | RCA | 22 February 1962 | 4 |
| 134 | The Shadows | "Wonderful Land" | Columbia | 22 March 1962 | 8 |
| 135 | B. Bumble and the Stingers | "Nut Rocker" | Top Rank | 17 May 1962 | 1 |
| 136 | Elvis Presley | "Good Luck Charm" | RCA | 24 May 1962 | 5 |
| 137 | Mike Sarne with Wendy Richard | "Come Outside" | Parlophone | 28 June 1962 | 2 |
| 138 | Ray Charles | "I Can't Stop Loving You" | HMV | 12 July 1962 | 2 |
| 139 | Frank Ifield | "I Remember You" † | Columbia | 26 July 1962 | 7 |
| 140 | Elvis Presley | "She's Not You" | RCA | 13 September 1962 | 3 |
| 141 | The Tornados | "Telstar" | Decca | 4 October 1962 | 5 |
| 142 | Frank Ifield | "Lovesick Blues" | Columbia | 8 November 1962 | 5 |
| 143 | Elvis Presley | "Return to Sender" | RCA | 13 December 1962 | 3 |
| 1963 | |||||
| 144 | Cliff Richard and the Shadows | "The Next Time" / "Bachelor Boy" | Columbia | 3 January 1963 | 3 |
| 145 | The Shadows | "Dance On!" | Columbia | 24 January 1963 | 1 |
| 146 | Jet Harris and Tony Meehan | "Diamonds" | Decca | 31 January 1963 | 3 |
| 147 | Frank Ifield | "The Wayward Wind" | Columbia | 21 February 1963 | 3 |
| 148 | Cliff Richard and the Shadows | "Summer Holiday" | Columbia | 14 March 1963 | 2 |
| 149 | The Shadows | "Foot Tapper" | Columbia | 28 March 1963 | 1 |
| re | Cliff Richard and the Shadows | "Summer Holiday" | Columbia | 4 April 1963 | 1 |
| 150 | Gerry and the Pacemakers | "How Do You Do It?" | Columbia | 11 April 1963 | 3 |
| 151 | The Beatles | "From Me to You" | Parlophone | 2 May 1963 | 7 |
| 152 | Gerry and the Pacemakers | "I Like It" | Columbia | 20 June 1963 | 4 |
| 153 | Frank Ifield | "Confessin'" | Columbia | 18 July 1963 | 2 |
| 154 | Elvis Presley | "(You're the) Devil in Disguise" | RCA | 1 August 1963 | 1 |
| 155 | The Searchers | "Sweets for My Sweet" | Pye | 8 August 1963 | 2 |
| 156 | Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas | "Bad to Me" | Parlophone | 22 August 1963 | 3 |
| 157 | The Beatles | "She Loves You" ‡ | Parlophone | 12 September 1963 | 4 |
| 158 | Brian Poole and the Tremeloes | "Do You Love Me" | Decca | 10 October 1963 | 3 |
| 159 | Gerry and the Pacemakers | "You'll Never Walk Alone" | Columbia | 31 October 1963 | 4 |
| re | The Beatles | "She Loves You" ‡ | Parlophone | 28 November 1963 | 2 |
| 160 | The Beatles | "I Want to Hold Your Hand" | Parlophone | 12 December 1963 | 5 |
| 1964 | |||||
| 161 | The Dave Clark Five | "Glad All Over" | Columbia | 16 January 1964 | 2 |
| 162 | The Searchers | "Needles and Pins" | Pye | 30 January 1964 | 3 |
| 163 | The Bachelors | "Diane" | Decca | 20 February 1964 | 1 |
| 164 | Cilla Black | "Anyone Who Had a Heart" | Parlophone | 27 February 1964 | 3 |
| 165 | Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas | "Little Children" | Parlophone | 19 March 1964 | 2 |
| 166 | The Beatles | "Can't Buy Me Love" † | Parlophone | 2 April 1964 | 3 |
| 167 | Peter and Gordon | "A World Without Love" | Columbia | 23 April 1964 | 2 |
| 168 | The Searchers | "Don't Throw Your Love Away" | Pye | 7 May 1964 | 2 |
| 169 | The Four Pennies | "Juliet" | Philips | 21 May 1964 | 1 |
| 170 | Cilla Black | "You're My World" | Parlophone | 28 May 1964 | 4 |
| 171 | Roy Orbison | "It's Over" | London | 25 June 1964 | 2 |
| 172 | The Animals | "The House of the Rising Sun" | Columbia | 9 July 1964 | 1 |
| 173 | The Rolling Stones | "It's All Over Now" | Decca | 16 July 1964 | 1 |
| 174 | The Beatles | "A Hard Day's Night" | Parlophone | 23 July 1964 | 3 |
| 175 | Manfred Mann | "Do Wah Diddy Diddy" | HMV | 13 August 1964 | 2 |
| 176 | The Honeycombs | "Have I the Right?" | Pye | 27 August 1964 | 2 |
| 177 | The Kinks | "You Really Got Me" | Pye | 10 September 1964 | 2 |
| 178 | Herman's Hermits | "I'm Into Something Good" | Columbia | 24 September 1964 | 2 |
| 179 | Roy Orbison | "Oh, Pretty Woman" | London | 8 October 1964 | 2 |
| 180 | Sandie Shaw | "(There's) Always Something There to Remind Me" | Pye | 22 October 1964 | 3 |
| re | Roy Orbison | "Oh, Pretty Woman" | London | 12 November 1964 | 1 |
| 181 | The Supremes | "Baby Love" | Stateside | 19 November 1964 | 2 |
| 182 | The Rolling Stones | "Little Red Rooster" | Decca | 3 December 1964 | 1 |
| 183 | The Beatles | "I Feel Fine" | Parlophone | 10 December 1964 | 5 |
| 1965 | |||||
| 184 | Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames | "Yeh, Yeh" | Columbia | 14 January 1965 | 2 |
| 185 | The Moody Blues | "Go Now" | Decca | 28 January 1965 | 1 |
| 186 | The Righteous Brothers | "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" | London | 4 February 1965 | 2 |
| 187 | The Kinks | "Tired of Waiting for You" | Pye | 18 February 1965 | 1 |
| 188 | The Seekers | "I'll Never Find Another You" | Columbia | 25 February 1965 | 2 |
| 189 | Tom Jones | "It's Not Unusual" | Decca | 11 March 1965 | 1 |
| 190 | The Rolling Stones | "The Last Time" | Decca | 18 March 1965 | 3 |
| 191 | Unit 4 + 2 | "Concrete and Clay" | Decca | 8 April 1965 | 1 |
| 192 | Cliff Richard | "The Minute You're Gone" | Columbia | 15 April 1965 | 1 |
| 193 | The Beatles | "Ticket to Ride" | Parlophone | 22 April 1965 | 3 |
| 194 | Roger Miller | "King of the Road" | Philips | 13 May 1965 | 1 |
| 195 | Jackie Trent | "Where Are You Now" | Pye | 20 May 1965 | 1 |
| 196 | Sandie Shaw | "Long Live Love" | Pye | 27 May 1965 | 3 |
| 197 | Elvis Presley | "Crying in the Chapel" | RCA | 17 June 1965 | 1 |
| 198 | The Hollies | "I'm Alive" | Parlophone | 24 June 1965 | 1 |
| re | Elvis Presley | "Crying in the Chapel" | RCA | 1 July 1965 | 1 |
| re | The Hollies | "I'm Alive" | Parlophone | 8 July 1965 | 2 |
| 199 | The Byrds | "Mr. Tambourine Man" | CBS | 22 July 1965 | 2 |
| 200 | The Beatles | "Help!" | Parlophone | 5 August 1965 | 3 |
| 201 | Sonny & Cher | "I Got You Babe" | Atlantic | 26 August 1965 | 2 |
| 202 | The Rolling Stones | "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" | Decca | 9 September 1965 | 2 |
| 203 | The Walker Brothers | "Make It Easy on Yourself" | Philips | 23 September 1965 | 1 |
| 204 | Ken Dodd | "Tears" † | Columbia | 30 September 1965 | 5 |
| 205 | The Rolling Stones | "Get Off of My Cloud" | Decca | 4 November 1965 | 3 |
| 206 | The Seekers | "The Carnival Is Over" | Columbia | 25 November 1965 | 3 |
| 207 | The Beatles | "Day Tripper" / "We Can Work It Out" | Parlophone | 16 December 1965 | 5 |
| 1966 | |||||
| 208 | The Spencer Davis Group | "Keep On Running" | Fontana | 20 January 1966 | 1 |
| 209 | The Overlanders | "Michelle" | Pye | 27 January 1966 | 3 |
| 210 | Nancy Sinatra | "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" | Reprise | 17 February 1966 | 4 |
| 211 | The Walker Brothers | "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore" | Philips | 17 March 1966 | 4 |
| 212 | The Spencer Davis Group | "Somebody Help Me" | Fontana | 14 April 1966 | 2 |
| 213 | Dusty Springfield | "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me" | Philips | 28 April 1966 | 1 |
| 214 | Manfred Mann | "Pretty Flamingo" | HMV | 5 May 1966 | 3 |
| 215 | The Rolling Stones | "Paint It Black" | Decca | 26 May 1966 | 1 |
| 216 | Frank Sinatra | "Strangers in the Night" | Reprise | 2 June 1966 | 3 |
| 217 | The Beatles | "Paperback Writer" | Parlophone | 23 June 1966 | 2 |
| 218 | The Kinks | "Sunny Afternoon" | Pye | 7 July 1966 | 2 |
| 219 | Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames | "Get Away" | Columbia | 21 July 1966 | 1 |
| 220 | Chris Farlowe | "Out of Time" | Immediate | 28 July 1966 | 1 |
| 221 | The Troggs | "With a Girl Like You" | Fontana | 4 August 1966 | 2 |
| 222 | The Beatles | "Yellow Submarine" / "Eleanor Rigby" | Parlophone | 18 August 1966 | 4 |
| 223 | Small Faces | "All or Nothing" | Decca | 15 September 1966 | 1 |
| 224 | Jim Reeves | "Distant Drums" | RCA | 22 September 1966 | 5 |
| 225 | Four Tops | "Reach Out I'll Be There" | Tamla Motown | 27 October 1966 | 3 |
| 226 | The Beach Boys | "Good Vibrations" | Capitol | 17 November 1966 | 2 |
| 227 | Tom Jones | "Green, Green Grass of Home" † | Decca | 1 December 1966 | 7 |
| 1967 | |||||
| 228 | The Monkees | "I'm a Believer" | RCA | 19 January 1967 | 4 |
| 229 | Petula Clark | "This Is My Song" | Pye | 16 February 1967 | 2 |
| 230 | Engelbert Humperdinck | "Release Me" † | Decca | 2 March 1967 | 6 |
| 231 | Frank and Nancy Sinatra | "Somethin' Stupid" | Reprise | 13 April 1967 | 2 |
| 232 | Sandie Shaw | "Puppet on a String" | Pye | 27 April 1967 | 3 |
| 233 | The Tremeloes | "Silence Is Golden" | CBS | 18 May 1967 | 3 |
| 234 | Procol Harum | "A Whiter Shade of Pale" | Deram | 8 June 1967 | 6 |
| 235 | The Beatles | "All You Need Is Love" | Parlophone | 19 July 1967 | 3 |
| 236 | Scott McKenzie | "San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)" | CBS | 9 August 1967 | 4 |
| 237 | Engelbert Humperdinck | "The Last Waltz" | Decca | 6 September 1967 | 5 |
| 238 | Bee Gees | "Massachusetts" | Polydor | 11 October 1967 | 4 |
| 239 | The Foundations | "Baby Now That I've Found You" | Pye | 8 November 1967 | 2 |
| 240 | Long John Baldry | "Let the Heartaches Begin" | Pye | 22 November 1967 | 2 |
| 241 | The Beatles | "Hello, Goodbye" | Parlophone | 6 December 1967 | 7 |
| 1968 | |||||
| 242 | Georgie Fame | "The Ballad of Bonnie and Clyde" | CBS | 24 January 1968 | 1 |
| 243 | Love Affair | "Everlasting Love" | CBS | 31 January 1968 | 2 |
| 244 | Manfred Mann | "Mighty Quinn" | Fontana | 14 February 1968 | 2 |
| 245 | Esther and Abi Ofarim | "Cinderella Rockefella" | Philips | 28 February 1968 | 3 |
| 246 | Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich | "The Legend of Xanadu" | Fontana | 20 March 1968 | 1 |
| 247 | The Beatles | "Lady Madonna" | Parlophone | 27 March 1968 | 2 |
| 248 | Cliff Richard | "Congratulations" | Columbia | 10 April 1968 | 2 |
| 249 | Louis Armstrong | "What a Wonderful World" | HMV | 24 April 1968 | 4 |
| 250 | Gary Puckett and the Union Gap | "Young Girl" | CBS | 22 May 1968 | 4 |
| 251 | The Rolling Stones | "Jumpin' Jack Flash" | Decca | 19 June 1968 | 2 |
| 252 | The Equals | "Baby, Come Back" | President | 3 July 1968 | 3 |
| 253 | Des O'Connor | "I Pretend" | Columbia | 24 July 1968 | 1 |
| 254 | Tommy James and the Shondells | "Mony Mony" | Major Minor | 31 July 1968 | 2 |
| 255 | The Crazy World of Arthur Brown | "Fire" | Track | 14 August 1968 | 1 |
| re | Tommy James and the Shondells | "Mony Mony" | Major Minor | 21 August 1968 | 1 |
| 256 | The Beach Boys | "Do It Again" | Capitol | 28 August 1968 | 1 |
| 257 | Bee Gees | "I've Gotta Get a Message to You" | Polydor | 4 September 1968 | 1 |
| 258 | The Beatles | "Hey Jude" † | Apple | 11 September 1968 | 2 |
| 259 | Mary Hopkin | "Those Were the Days" | Apple | 25 September 1968 | 6 |
| 260 | Joe Cocker | "With a Little Help from My Friends" | Regal Zonophone | 6 November 1968 | 1 |
| 261 | Hugo Montenegro | "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" | RCA | 13 November 1968 | 4 |
| 262 | The Scaffold | "Lily the Pink" | Parlophone | 11 December 1968 | 3 |
| 1969 | |||||
| 263 | Marmalade | "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" | CBS | 1 January 1969 | 1 |
| re | The Scaffold | "Lily the Pink" | Parlophone | 8 January 1969 | 1 |
| re | Marmalade | "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" | CBS | 15 January 1969 | 2 |
| 264 | Fleetwood Mac | "Albatross" | Blue Horizon | 29 January 1969 | 1 |
| 265 | The Move | "Blackberry Way" | Regal Zonophone | 5 February 1969 | 1 |
| 266 | Amen Corner | "(If Paradise Is) Half as Nice" | Immediate | 12 February 1969 | 2 |
| 267 | Peter Sarstedt | "Where Do You Go To (My Lovely)?" | United Artists | 26 February 1969 | 4 |
| 268 | Marvin Gaye | "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" | Tamla Motown | 26 March 1969 | 3 |
| 269 | Desmond Dekker and the Aces | "Israelites" | Pyramid | 16 April 1969 | 1 |
| 270 | The Beatles with Billy Preston | "Get Back" | Apple | 23 April 1969 | 6 |
| 271 | Tommy Roe | "Dizzy" | Stateside | 4 June 1969 | 1 |
| 272 | The Beatles | "The Ballad of John and Yoko" | Apple | 11 June 1969 | 3 |
| 273 | Thunderclap Newman | "Something in the Air" | Track | 2 July 1969 | 3 |
| 274 | The Rolling Stones | "Honky Tonk Women" | Decca | 23 July 1969 | 5 |
| 275 | Zager and Evans | "In the Year 2525" | RCA | 24 August 1969 | 3 |
| 276 | Creedence Clearwater Revival | "Bad Moon Rising" | Liberty | 14 September 1969 | 3 |
| 277 | Jane Birkin and Serge Gainsbourg | "Je t'aime... moi non plus" | Major Minor | 5 October 1969 | 1 |
| 278 | Bobbie Gentry | "I'll Never Fall in Love Again" | Capitol | 12 October 1969 | 1 |
| 279 | The Archies | "Sugar, Sugar" † | RCA | 19 October 1969 | 8 |
| 280 | Rolf Harris | "Two Little Boys" | Columbia | 14 December 1969 | 6 |
| Contents |
|---|
By artist
The following artists achieved three or more number-one hits during the 1960s.
| Artist | Number ones | Weeks at number one |
|---|---|---|
| The Beatles | 17 | 69 |
| Elvis Presley | 11 | 44 |
| The Rolling Stones | 8 | 18 |
| Cliff Richard | 7 | 20 |
| The Shadows | 5 | 16 |
| Frank Ifield | 4 | 17 |
| The Everly Brothers | 3 | 12 |
| Gerry and the Pacemakers | 3 | 11 |
| Sandie Shaw | 3 | 9 |
| Manfred Mann | 3 | 7 |
| Roy Orbison | 3 | 7 |
| The Searchers | 3 | 7 |
| The Kinks | 3 | 5 |
| Georgie Fame | 3 | 4 |
By record label
The following record labels had five or more number ones on the UK Singles Chart during the 1960s.
| Record label | Number ones |
|---|---|
| Columbia | 35 |
| Parlophone | 23 |
| Decca | 22 |
| Pye/Pye International | 19 |
| RCA | 17 |
| CBS | 7 |
| London | 7 |
| HMV | 7 |
| Philips | 7 |
| Fontana | 5 |
Million-selling and gold records
The Shadows instrumental, "Apache", is the oldest 1960s release to be awarded a gold record but not the first to actually receive the award.[14] The awarding of seventeen gold records to records released in the 1960s is documented and, notably, five were awarded to releases by The Beatles. Although The Righteous Brothers first released "Unchained Melody" in August 1965 it had more success after being re-released in the 1990s reaching number one and selling over one million copies.[15]
| Artist | Song | Year of millionth sale[7][8][16] |
|---|---|---|
| The Shadows | "Apache" | 1963 |
| Elvis Presley | "It's Now or Never" | 1960 |
| Acker Bilk | "Stranger on the Shore" | 1962 |
| Cliff Richard and The Shadows | "The Young Ones" | 1962 |
| Frank Ifield | "I Remember You" | 1962 |
| The Beatles | "She Loves You" | 1963 |
| The Beatles | "I Want to Hold Your Hand" | 1963 |
| The Beatles | "Can't Buy Me Love" | 1964 |
| The Beatles | "I Feel Fine" | 1964 |
| Ken Dodd | "Tears" | 1965 |
| The Seekers | "The Carnival Is Over" | 1965 |
| The Beatles | "Day Tripper" / "We Can Work It Out" | 1965–66 |
| Tom Jones | "Green, Green Grass of Home" | 1966 |
| Engelbert Humperdinck | "Release Me" | 1967 |
| Engelbert Humperdinck | "The Last Waltz" | 1967 |
| Cliff Richard | "Congratulations" | 1968[17] |
| The Archies | "Sugar, Sugar" | 1970.[18] |
Notes
- The artist, song name, dates and duration are those given by the Official Charts Company.[12]
- The record labels are those given by the OCC.[13]
- Due to different charts being used, the weekday varies prior to August 1969: Chart week starting Friday before 10 March 1960 (NME), Thursday before July 1967 (Record Retailer), Wednesday before August 1969, and chart week ending Saturday after that (BMRB). These are the dates by which the charts are usually referred to and so are the dates used in this table.
References
- Smith, Alan. "50s & 60s UK Charts – The Truth!". Dave McAleer's website. Archived from the original on 3 September 2011. Retrieved 4 November 2010.
- Leigh, Spencer (20 February 1998). "Music: Charting the number ones that somehow got away". The Independent. Retrieved 5 August 2010.
- Warwick, Neil; Kutner, Jon; Brown, Tony (2004). The Complete Book Of The British Charts: Singles and Albums (3rd ed.). London: Omnibus Press. p. v. ISBN 1-84449-058-0.
Until 15th February 1969, there was no officially compiled chart.
- "Key Dates in the History of the Official UK Charts". The Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 10 January 2008. Retrieved 16 May 2010.
- "Featured Artists: The Beatles". The Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 3 November 2013. Retrieved 6 August 2010.
- Leadbetter, Russell (17 May 2010). "Macca proves he's no sellout". The Herald. Retrieved 31 May 2010.
- "Stats and Facts: Million Sellers". The Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 16 April 2008. Retrieved 19 July 2010.
- "Million-Selling Singles". everyHit. Retrieved 12 June 2010.
- "BPI – Charts – 3. Top Twenty Chart Facts". British Phonographic Industry. Archived from the original on 4 June 2004. Retrieved 12 September 2010.
- "Artist Chart History: Tom Jones". The Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 October 2010.
- "The biggest song of every year revealed". Official Charts Company. 9 January 2016. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
- "All The Number 1 Singles". Official Charts Company. 30 January 2015. Retrieved 10 January 2016.
- "Artist Chart History". London: Official Charts Company. 2010. Archived from the original on 3 September 2011. Retrieved 6 August 2011.
- Murrells, Joseph (1985). Million selling records from the 1900s to the 1980s : an illustrated directory. Arco Pub. p. 146. ISBN 0668064595.
This disc was a chart topping disc for six weeks and a million seller by 1963 in Britain
- "Artist Chart History: Righteous Brothers". The Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 15 June 2011. Retrieved 5 October 2010.
- Smith, Alan. "UK First Charts & Silver Discs". Dave McAleer's website. Archived from the original on 2 September 2011. Retrieved 4 November 2010.
- "Disc News In Brief" (PDF). DISC and MUSIC ECHO. 6 July 1968. p. 6. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
- Murrells, Joseph (1985). Million selling records from the 1900s to the 1980s : an illustrated directory. Arco Pub. p. 276. ISBN 0668064595.
In Britain the disc (RCA label) was No 1 for eight weeks and sold over a million there
Further reading
- Davis, Sharon. Every Chart-Topper Tells a Story: The Sixties. Edinburgh: Mainstream Publishing, 1997 ISBN 1-85158-836-1, 288p.
External links
| UK singles |
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| UK albums |
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| Genre charts |
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| Other charts |
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| Related |
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 Record production portal | |||||||
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