List of Billboard Hot 100 number-ones by European artists

Last updated

This is a list of number-one hits by non-British European artists in the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. It excludes number-one hits by British artists that can be found in the list of songs by British artists which reached number-one in the United States. The only non-British, European artist to have a pre-Hot 100 number-one was Anton Karas, with "The Third Man Theme" holding the top spot for 11 weeks, starting from April 29, 1950.

Contents

DateNationalitySong titleArtistWks at #1
August 18, 1958Italy"Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu (Volare)" Domenico Modugno 5
January 9, 1961West Germany"Wonderland by Night" Bert Kaempfert 3
December 7, 1963Belgium"Dominique" The Singing Nun 4
February 10, 1968France"Love Is Blue" Paul Mauriat 5
February 7, 1970Netherlands"Venus" Shocking Blue 1
July 29, 1972Ireland"Alone Again (Naturally)" Gilbert O'Sullivan 6 (2 runs)
April 6, 1974Sweden"Hooked on a Feeling" Blue Swede 1
November 29, 1975West Germany"Fly, Robin, Fly" Silver Convention 3
April 9, 1977Sweden"Dancing Queen" ABBA 1
June 20, 1981Netherlands"Stars on 45 Medley" Stars on 45 1
May 8, 1982Greece"Chariots of Fire" Vangelis 1
October 19, 1985Norway"Take On Me" a-ha 1
November 9, 1985Czechoslovakia"Miami Vice Theme" Jan Hammer 1
March 29, 1986Austria"Rock Me Amadeus" Falco 3
May 16, 1987Ireland"With or Without You" U2 3
August 8, 1987"I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For"2
April 8, 1989Sweden"The Look" Roxette 1
July 1, 1989West Germany"Baby Don't Forget My Number" Milli Vanilli 1
September 23, 1989"Girl I'm Gonna Miss You"2
November 4, 1989Sweden"Listen to Your Heart"Roxette1
November 25, 1989West Germany"Blame It on the Rain"Milli Vanilli2
April 21, 1990Ireland"Nothing Compares 2 U" Sinéad O'Connor 4
June 16, 1990Sweden"It Must Have Been Love"Roxette2
May 11, 1991"Joyride"1
March 12, 1994"The Sign" Ace of Base 6
August 3, 1996Spain"Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix)" Los del Rio 14
September 4, 1999"Bailamos" Enrique Iglesias 2
June 24, 2000"Be with You"3
May 5, 2007Canada/France"Girlfriend" Avril Lavigne 1
July 9, 2011Netherlands"Give Me Everything" (Pitbull feat. Ne-Yo, Afrojack & Nayer) Afrojack 1
April 28, 2012Belgium / Australia"Somebody That I Used to Know" (Gotye feat. Kimbra) Gotye 8
October 12, 2013Croatia / New Zealand"Royals" Lorde 9
January 7, 2017France"Starboy" (The Weeknd feat. Daft Punk) Daft Punk 1
October 29, 2022Germany"Unholy" (Sam Smith and Kim Petras) Kim Petras 1
April 27, 2024Ireland"Too Sweet" Hozier 1

Trivia

Most number ones by country

CountryNumber one hits
Sweden7
Germany / West Germany6
Ireland5
France3
Netherlands3
Spain3
Belgium2
Austria1
Croatia1
Czechoslovakia1
Greece1
Italy1
Norway1

Most number ones by artist

ArtistCountryNumber one hits
Roxette Sweden4
Milli Vanilli West Germany3
Enrique Iglesias Spain2
U2 Ireland2

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Fab Morvan is French, Rob Pilatus was West German (later German). But generally it was a project originated in Munich, West Germany
  2. ^ Avril Lavigne is a Canadian born to a French father, making her a Canadian-French dual citizen.
  3. ^ Afrojack is Dutch and a featured artist, Pitbull, Ne-Yo and Nayer are American.
  4. ^ Gotye is a Belgian-Australian dual citizen, Kimbra is a New Zealander.
  5. ^ Daft Punk were French and a featured artist, The Weeknd is Canadian.
  6. ^ Kim Petras is German, Sam Smith is British.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bette Davis Eyes</span> 1981 single by Kim Carnes

"Bette Davis Eyes" is a song written and composed by Donna Weiss and Jackie DeShannon in 1974. It was recorded by DeShannon that year but made popular by Kim Carnes in 1981 when it spent nine non-consecutive weeks at the top of the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. It won the 1981 Grammy Awards for Song of the Year and Record of the Year. The music video was directed by Australian film director Russell Mulcahy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Funkytown</span> 1980 single by Lipps Inc.

"Funkytown" is a song by American disco-funk group Lipps Inc., released by Casablanca Records in March 1980. It was written and produced by Steven Greenberg and released as the second single from the group's debut studio album, Mouth to Mouth (1979).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">You Keep Me Hangin' On</span> 1966 single by the Supremes

"You Keep Me Hangin' On" is a song written and composed by Holland–Dozier–Holland. It was first recorded in 1966 by American Motown group the Supremes, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100. American rock band Vanilla Fudge released a cover version in June the following year, which reached number six on the Billboard Hot 100. Wilson Pickett recorded it in 1969. English singer Kim Wilde covered "You Keep Me Hangin' On" in 1986, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in June 1987. In the first 32 years of the Billboard Hot 100 rock era, "You Keep Me Hangin' On" became one of the six songs to reach number one by two different musical acts. In 1996, American country singer Reba McEntire's version reached number two on the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. The BBC ranked the Supremes' original song at number 78 on The Top 100 Digital Motown Chart, which ranks Motown releases by their all-time UK downloads and streams.

"Always on My Mind" is a ballad written by Wayne Carson, Johnny Christopher, and Mark James, first recorded by Brenda Lee and first released by Gwen McCrae in March 1972. Lee's version was released three months later in June 1972. The song has been a crossover hit, charting in both the country and western and pop categories. Elvis Presley's recording was the first commercially successful version of the song.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lady Marmalade</span> 1974 song by Bob Crewe and Kenny Nolan

"Lady Marmalade" is a song written by Bob Crewe and Kenny Nolan, originally for Nolan's disco group the Eleventh Hour. The song is famous for the repeated refrain of "Voulez-vous coucher avec moi?" in French as part of the chorus, a sexually suggestive line that translates into English as: "Do you want to sleep with me?" The song first became a popular hit when it was recorded in 1974 by the American funk rock group Labelle and held the number-one spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for one week, and also topped the Canadian RPM national singles chart. In 2021, the Library of Congress selected Labelle's version for preservation in the National Recording Registry for being "culturally, historically, or artistically significant".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tears in Heaven</span> 1992 single by Eric Clapton

"Tears in Heaven" is a song by English guitarist, singer, and songwriter Eric Clapton and Will Jennings, written about the death of Clapton's four-year-old son, Conor. It appeared on the 1991 Rush film soundtrack. In January 1992, Clapton performed the song in front of an audience at Bray Studios, Berkshire, England for MTV Unplugged, with the recording appearing on his Unplugged album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sugar, Sugar</span> 1969 single by the Archies

"Sugar, Sugar" is a song written by Jeff Barry and Andy Kim. It was originally recorded by the Archies, a fictional band of studio musicians linked to the 1968–69 US Saturday morning TV cartoon The Archie Show, inspired by the Archie Comics. In the autumn of 1969 the single topped both Billboard's Hot 100 and the UK Singles Chart, ranking number one for the year in both America and the UK. "Sugar, Sugar" is the most successful bubblegum pop single of all time, and is widely regarded as the apotheosis of the late-1960s/early-1970s bubblegum music genre. In mid-1970 R&B/soul singer Wilson Pickett achieved success on both the US soul and pop charts with a cover version.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">It's a Heartache</span>

"'It's a Heartache'" is a song recorded by Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler. Written by Ronnie Scott and Steve Wolfe, and co-produced with David Mackay, the single was released in November 1977 through RCA Records. The song topped the charts in Australia, Canada, and numerous European countries, and reached No. 3 in the US and No. 4 in the UK. Worldwide, "It's a Heartache" sold around six million copies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">My Love Is Your Love (song)</span> 1999 single by Whitney Houston

"My Love Is Your Love" is a song by American singer Whitney Houston. It was written and produced by Wyclef Jean and Jerry Duplessis for Houston’s fourth studio album of the same name (1998). Released on May 31, 1999, as the album's fourth single, it received positive reviews and was successful worldwide, hitting the top 10 in 23 international markets. The song peaked at number four on the US Billboard Hot 100, number two in the United Kingdom, and number one in New Zealand. It was later certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

"If I Can't Have You" is a disco song written by the Bee Gees in 1977. The song initially appeared on the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack in a version by Yvonne Elliman, released in November 1977. The Bee Gees' own version appeared a month later as the B-side of "Stayin' Alive".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Help Me Make It Through the Night</span> 1970 country song by Kris Kristofferson

"Help Me Make It Through the Night" is a country ballad written and composed by Kris Kristofferson and released on his 1970 album Kristofferson. It was covered later in 1970 by Sammi Smith, on the album Help Me Make It Through the Night. It has been covered since by many other artists from Tammy Wynette and Johnny Cash to Elvis Presley and Joan Baez.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Woman in Love</span> 1980 single by Barbra Streisand

"Woman in Love" is a song performed by Barbra Streisand and taken from her 1980 album Guilty. The song was written by Barry and Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees, who received the 1980 Ivor Novello award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically. It is her fourth of four Platinum records, and is considered her greatest international hit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Respectable (Mel and Kim song)</span> 1987 single by Mel and Kim

"Respectable" is a song by English musical duo Mel and Kim from their only studio album, F.L.M. (1987). It was released on 18 February 1987 as the album's second single. The song reached number one on the UK Singles Chart for one week in March 1987, becoming the second UK number-one single produced by Stock Aitken Waterman (SAW), following Dead or Alive's "You Spin Me Round " (1985), and the first UK number one that the trio had written themselves. The single also topped the charts in many European countries, as well as in Oceania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">No One (Alicia Keys song)</span> 2007 single by Alicia Keys

"No One" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Alicia Keys for her third studio album As I Am (2007). It was written and produced by Keys and Kerry Brothers Jr., with additional writing by DJ Dirty Harry. The song was released as the lead single from As I Am on October 9, 2007, by J Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Never Leave You (Uh Oooh, Uh Oooh)</span> 2003 single by Lumidee

"Never Leave You " is a song by American recording artist Lumidee, released as her debut single on May 12, 2003, from her first album, Almost Famous (2003). The official remix features Busta Rhymes and Fabolous. "Never Leave You " peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100. Outside of the United States, "Never Leave You " topped the charts in Belgium (Flanders), Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Switzerland, and peaked within the top ten of the charts in many other countries, including Austria, Belgium (Wallonia), Denmark, and the United Kingdom.

Swedish popular music, or shortly Swedish pop music, refers to music that has swept the Swedish mainstream at any given point in recent times. After World War II, Swedish pop music was heavily influenced by American jazz, and then by rock-and-roll from the U.S. and the U.K. in the 1950s and 1960s, before developing into dansband music. Since the 1970s, Swedish pop music has come to international prominence with bands singing in English, ranking high on the British, New Zealand, American, and Australian charts and making Sweden one of the world's top exporter of popular music by gross domestic product.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kim Petras discography</span>

German singer and songwriter Kim Petras has released two studio albums, two mixtapes, one compilation album, one demo album, four extended plays (EPs), 22 singles, and eighteen promotional singles. Petras began releasing several promotional singles from 2008 to 2014. Petras's debut single "I Don't Want It at All" was released in 2017 and reached the top 60 on Billboard's Dance Club Songs chart, as would her 2018 single "Heart to Break". The singer premiered her second extended play Turn Off the Light, Vol. 1 on October 1, 2018, charting on the US Independent and Heatseekers Albums charts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Unholy (Sam Smith and Kim Petras song)</span> 2022 single by Sam Smith and Kim Petras

"Unholy" is a song by English singer-songwriter Sam Smith and German singer-songwriter Kim Petras. It was released on 22 September 2022 through EMI Records and Capitol Records as the second single from Smith's fourth studio album Gloria (2023) and as a bonus track on Petras's debut studio album Feed the Beast (2023). It was teased by Smith on their TikTok account a month before its release and went viral due to its use in thirst trap-style videos. Produced by Ilya, Omer Fedi, Blake Slatkin, Jimmy Napes, and Cirkut and written by them alongside Smith and Petras, "Unholy" is a sexually charged electropop, dance-pop, and synth-pop song with choral and hyperpop influences, which marked a shift away from ballads for Smith. It uses the Phrygian dominant scale and its lyrics are about a family man who cheats on his wife at a strip club.