Frankie Laine's "I Believe" not only became the biggest-selling single of 1953, but also topped the chart for a record 18 non-consecutive weeks. Laine had five other top 10 hits this year, two of which also reached number-one: "Hey Joe!" and "Answer Me".Guy Mitchell was another artist who dominated the UK charts this year, securing six top 10 singles, including the number-one hits "She Wears Red Feathers" and "Look at That Girl".In January 1953, Jo Stafford scored the second ever UK number-one single with "You Belong to Me", which replaced Al Martino's "Here in My Heart" at the top of the chart after nine weeks.
The UK Singles Chart is one of many music charts compiled by the Official Charts Company that calculates the best-selling singles of the week in the United Kingdom.[1] Before 2004, the chart was only based on the sales of physical singles.[2][3]New Musical Express (NME) magazine had published the United Kingdom record charts for the first time in 1952.[4][5][6]NME originally published only a top 12 (although the first chart had a couple of singles that were tied so a top 15 was announced) but this was gradually extended to encompass a top 20 by October 1954.[7][8][9] This list shows singles that peaked in the top 10 of the UK Singles Chart during 1953, as well as singles which peaked in 1952 and 1954 but were in the top 10 in 1953. The entry date is when the single appeared in the top 10 for the first time (week ending, as published by the Official Charts Company, which is six days after the chart is announced).
Eighty singles charted in the top 10 in 1953, with sixty-three singles reaching their peak this year. Eleven songs were recorded by several artists with each version reaching the top 10:
Seventeen artists scored multiple entries in the top 10 in 1953. American Frankie Laine secured the record for most top 10 hits in 1953 with eight hit singles.
The following table (collapsed on desktop site) does not include acts who had previously charted as part of a group and secured their first top 10 solo single.
Until 1970 there was no universally recognised year-end best-sellers list. However, in 2011 the Official Charts Company released a list of the best-selling single of each year in chart history from 1952 to date. According to the list, "I Believe" by Frankie Laine is officially recorded as the biggest-selling single of 1953.
Top-ten singles
Key
Symbol
Meaning
‡
Single peaked in 1952 but still in chart in 1953.
♦
Single released in 1953 but peaked in 1954.
(#)
Year-end best-selling single.
Entered
The date that the single first appeared in the chart.
Peak
Highest position that the single reached in the UK Singles Chart.
The following table shows artists who achieved two or more top 10 entries in 1953, including singles that reached their peak in 1952 or 1954. The figures include both main artists and featured artists, while appearances on ensemble charity records are also counted for each artist. The total number of weeks an artist spent in the top 10 in 1953 is also shown.
a "Dragnet" reached its peak of number seven on 14 January 1954 (week ending).
b "Rags to Riches" reached its peak of number three on 14 January 1954 (week ending).
c "Oh Mein Papa" reached its peak of number one on 14 January 1954 (week ending).
d "Cowpuncher's Cantanta" re-entered the top 12 at number 8 on 8 January 1953; at number 6 on 29 January 1953 (week ending) for 5 weeks and at number 10 on 12 March 1953 (week ending).
e "Britannia Rag" re-entered the top 12 at number 12 on 15 January 1953 (week ending) for 5 weeks.
f "Because You're Mine" (Nat King Cole version) re-entered the top 12 at number 10 on 29 January 1953 (week ending) and at number 11 on 19 February 1953 (week ending).
g "Faith Can Move Mountains" (Johnnie Ray and The Four Lads version) re-entered the top 12 at number 9 on 15 January 1953 (week ending).
h "Walkin' to Missouri" re-entered the top 12 at number 7 on 15 January 1953 (week ending) for 5 weeks
i "Faith Can Move Mountains" (Nat King Cole version) re-entered the top 12 at number 12 on 22 January 1953 (week ending) for 2 weeks and at number 10 on 12 February 1953 (week ending).
j "Outside of Heaven" re-entered the top 12 at number 12 on 7 May 1953 (week ending).
k "Make It Soon" re-entered the top 12 at number 10 on 19 March 1953 (week ending) for 3 weeks.
l "Everything I Have Is Yours" re-entered the top 12 at number 8 on 12 February 1953 (week ending) for 4 weeks.
m "She Wears Red Feathers" re-entered the top 12 at number 12 on 18 June 1953 (week ending).
n "Broken Wings" (Stargazers version) re-entered the top 12 at number 12 on 5 March 1953 (week ending) for 11 weeks.
o "Somebody Stole My Gal" re-entered the top 12 at number 7 on 30 April 1953 (week ending) for 4 weeks; at number 12 on 4 June 1953 (week ending) and at number 11 on 13 August 1953 (week ending).
p "Tell Me a Story" re-entered the top 12 at number 12 on 17 September 1953 (week ending).
q "Coronation Rag" re-entered the top 12 at number 12 on 4 June 1953 (week ending) for 5 weeks.
r "The Song from the Moulin Rouge (Where Is Your Heart)" re-entered the top 12 at number 10 on 19 November 1953 (week ending) and at number 12 on 10 December 1953 (week ending).
s "Rachel" re-entered the top 12 at number 12 on 17 September 1953 (week ending).
t "Seven Lonely Days" re-entered the top 12 at number 11 on August 1953 (week ending) and at number 10 on 27 August 1953 (week ending) for 4 weeks.
u "Say You're Mine Again" re-entered the top 12 at number 7 on 10 September 1953 (week ending) for 4 weeks.
v "Can't I" re-entered the top 12 at number 11 on 24 September 1953 (week ending) for 4 weeks and at number 10 on 5 November 1953 (week ending).
w "Kiss" re-entered the top 12 at number 7 on 8 October 1953 (week ending) for 7 weeks.
x "Flirtation Waltz" re-entered the top 12 at number 19 on 15 October 1953 (week ending) and at number 12 on 12 November 1953 (week ending).
y "Answer Me" (David Whitfield version) re-entered the top 12 at number 12 on 4 February 1954 (week ending).
z "Swedish Rhapsody" (Mantovani version) re-entered the top 12 at number 12 on 4 March 1954 (week ending).
aa "Poppa Piccolino (Papaveri e papere)" re-entered the top 12 at number 5 on 14 January 1954 (week ending) for 2 weeks.
bb "Dragnet" (Ted Heath and His Music version) re-entered the top 12 at number 9 on 3 December 1953 (week ending); at number 11 on 17 December 1953 (week ending); at number 11 on 21 January 1954 (week ending) and at number 12 on 11 February 1954 (week ending).
cc "Chicka Boom" re-entered the top 12 at number 8 on 21 January 1954 (week ending) for 6 weeks.
dd "Crying in the Chapel" re-entered the top 12 at number 7 on 17 December 1953 (week ending) for 5 weeks.
ee "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" (The Beverley Sisters version) re-entered the top 12 at number 6 on 17 December 1953 (week ending) for 4 weeks.
ff "Swedish Rhapsody" (Ray Martin version) re-entered the top 12 at number 4 on 24 December 1953 (week ending) for 3 weeks.
gg "Ricochet" re-entered the top 12 at number 12 on 14 January 1954 (week ending) for 4 weeks.
hh "Rags to Riches" re-entered the top 12 at number 3 on 14 January 1954 (week ending) for 10 weeks.
"Answer Me" is a popular song, originally titled "Mütterlein", with German lyrics by Gerhard Winkler and Fred Rauch. "Mütterlein" was published on 19 April 1952. English lyrics were written by Carl Sigman, and the song was published as "Answer Me" in New York on October 13, 1953. Contemporary recordings of the English lyric by Frankie Laine and David Whitfield both topped the UK Singles Chart in 1953.
"I Believe" is a popular song written by Ervin Drake, Irvin Abraham, Jack Mendelsohn and Al Stillman in 1953. The most popular version was recorded by Italian-American singer Frankie Laine, and spent eighteen weeks at No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart.
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