List of UK top-ten singles in 1959

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Cliff Richard had the best-selling single of 1959 with "Living Doll", which spent six weeks at number-one. He secured three other top 10 entries during the year, including a second number-one hit with "Travellin' Light", which topped the chart for five weeks. Cliff Richard 1960.jpg
Cliff Richard had the best-selling single of 1959 with "Living Doll", which spent six weeks at number-one. He secured three other top 10 entries during the year, including a second number-one hit with "Travellin' Light", which topped the chart for five weeks.
Russ Conway achieved six top 10 entries this year, the most of any artist, including the number-one singles "Side Saddle" and "Roulette". Russ Conway.jpg
Russ Conway achieved six top 10 entries this year, the most of any artist, including the number-one singles "Side Saddle" and "Roulette".

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] This list shows singles that peaked in the Top 10 of the UK Singles Chart during 1959, as well as singles which peaked in 1958 and 1960 but were in the top 10 in 1959. 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).

Contents

Eighty singles were in the top ten in 1959. Eight singles from 1958 remained in the top 10 for several weeks at the beginning of the year, while "Little White Bull" by Tommy Steele, "Rawhide" by Frankie Laine, "Seven Little Girls Sitting in the Backseat" by The Avons and "Staccato's Theme" by Elmer Bernstein were all released in 1959 but did not reach their peak until 1960. "Love Makes the World Go 'Round" by Perry Como, "Tea for Two Cha Cha" by The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra starring Warren Covington, "The Day the Rains Came" by Jane Morgan and "Tom Dooley" by The Kingston Trio were the singles from 1958 to reach their peak in 1959. Nineteen artists scored multiple entries in the top 10 in 1959. Adam Faith, Anthony Newley, Johnny and the Hurricanes, Neil Sedaka and Russ Conway were among the many artists who achieved their first UK charting top 10 single in 1959.

The 1958 Christmas number-one, "It's Only Make Believe" by Conway Twitty, remained at number-one for the first three weeks of 1959. The first new number-one single of the year was "The Day the Rains Came" by Jane Morgan. Overall, sixteen different singles peaked at number-one in 1959, with Elvis Presley, Russ Conway, Bobby Darin and Cliff Richard (2) having the joint most singles hit that position.

Background

Multiple entries

Eighty singles charted in the top 10 in 1959, with seventy singles reaching their peak this year. Three songs were recorded by several artists with each version reaching the top 10:

Nineteen artists scored multiple entries in the top 10 in 1959. Russ Conway secured the record for most top 10 hits in 1959 with six hit singles.

Shirley Bassey was one of a number of artists with two top-ten entries, including the number-one single "As I Love You". Anthony Newley, Frankie Vaughan, Neil Sedaka and Shirley Bassey were among the other artists who had multiple top 10 entries in 1959.

Chart debuts

Twenty-five artists achieved their first top 10 single in 1959, either as a lead or featured artist. Of these, four went on to record another hit single that year: Anthony Newley, Bobby Darin, Lloyd Price and Neil Sedaka. Russ Conway had five other entries in his breakthrough year.

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.

ArtistNumber of top 10sFirst entryChart positionOther entries
Russ Conway 6"More Party Pops"10"Side Saddle" (1), "Roulette" (1), "China Tea" (5), "Snow Coach" (7), "More and More Party Pops" (5)
The Teddy Bears 1"To Know Him is to Love Him"2—
Slim Dusty 1"A Pub with No Beer"3—
Chris Barber's Jazz Band 1"Petite Fleur"3—
Lloyd Price 2"Stagger Lee"7"Personality" (9)
Eddie Cochran 1"C'mon Everybody"6—
The Coasters 1"Charlie Brown"6—
The Fleetwoods 1"Come Softly to Me"6—
Anthony Newley 2"I've Waited So Long"3"Personality" (6)
Neil Sedaka 2"I Go Ape"9"Oh! Carol" (3)
Bert Weedon 1"Guitar Boogie Shuffle"10—
Bobby Darin 2"Dream Lover"1"Mack the Knife" (1)
Duane Eddy 1"Peter Gunn"6—
Craig Douglas 1"Only Sixteen"1—
Jerry Keller 1"Here Comes Summer"1—
The Browns 1"The Three Bells (Les trois cloches)"6—
Sarah Vaughan 1"Broken Hearted Melody"7—
Johnny and the Hurricanes 1"Red River Rock"3—
Emile Ford & The Checkmates 1"What Do You Want to Make Those Eyes at Me For?"1—
Floyd Robinson 1"Makin' Love"9—
Adam Faith 1"What Do You Want?"1—
The Avons 1"Seven Little Girls Sitting in the Backseat" [A] 3—
Sandy Nelson 1"Teen Beat"9—
Elmer Bernstein 1"Staccato's Theme" [B] 4—
Notes

Tommy Steele had his first officially credited single in 1959 without his band The Steelmen when "Come On, Let's Go" reached number 10 in January. A second single, "Little White Bull", made number 6 later in the year.

Cliff Richard's backing group previously charted under the name The Drifters, including three entries in 1959, but they changed their name to The Shadows towards the end of this year. "Travellin' Light" was the first song to reach the top 10 under their new identity, topping the chart for five weeks from 5 November.

Songs from films

Original songs from various films entered the top 10 throughout the year. These included "Living Doll" (from Serious Charge ), "Lonely Boy" ( Girls Town ), "The Heart of a Man" ( The Heart of a Man ) and "High Hopes" ( A Hole in the Head ).

Best-selling singles

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, "Living Doll" by Cliff Richard and The Drifters is officially recorded as the biggest-selling single of 1959. "What Do You Want to Make Those Eyes at Me For?" (4), "What Do You Want?" (6), "Living Doll" (7) and "It Doesn't Matter Anymore" (10) all ranked in the top 10 best-selling singles of the decade.

Top-ten singles

Key
SymbolMeaning
‡Single peaked in 1958 but still in chart in 1959.
♦Single released in 1959 but peaked in 1960.
(#)Year-end best-selling single.
EnteredThe date that the single first appeared in the chart.
PeakHighest position that the single reached in the UK Singles Chart.
Entered
(week ending)		Weeks
in
top
10		SingleArtistPeakPeak reached
(week ending)		Weeks
at
peak
Singles in 1958
24 October 195811"It's All in the Game" ‡ Tommy Edwards 17 November 19583
31 October 195813"Hoots Mon" ‡ Lord Rockingham's XI 128 November 19583
21 November 195812"It's Only Make Believe" ‡ Conway Twitty 119 December 19585
9"Tea for Two Cha Cha" The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra starring Warren Covington 32 January 19591
28 November 19589"Tom Dooley" ‡ [C] Lonnie Donegan 35 December 19585
8"Love Makes the World Go 'Round" Perry Como 69 January 19591
5 December 19587"Tom Dooley" [D] The Kingston Trio 52 January 19591
7"High Class Baby" ‡ Cliff Richard & The Drifters [E] 712 December 19581
26 December 19589"The Day the Rains Came" Jane Morgan 123 January 19591
2"Come On, Let's Go" ‡ [F] Tommy Steele 1026 December 19582
Singles in 1959
2 January 19591"More Party Pops" Russ Conway 102 January 19591
9 January 19597"Baby Face" Little Richard 223 January 19591
8"To Know Him Is to Love Him" The Teddy Bears 230 January 19592
16 January 19599"Kiss Me, Honey Honey, Kiss Me" Shirley Bassey 36 February 19592
23 January 19597"One Night"/"I Got Stung" Elvis Presley 130 January 19593
12"As I Love You" Shirley Bassey 120 February 19594
30 January 19595"Problems" The Everly Brothers 66 February 19591
14"Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" The Platters 120 March 19591
6 February 19596"Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavour (On the Bedpost Overnight?)" Lonnie Donegan 327 February 19591
13 February 19592"(All Of a Sudden) My Heart Sings" [G] Paul Anka 1013 February 19592
20 February 19598"A Pub with No Beer" Slim Dusty 36 March 19592
27 February 195915"Petite Fleur" Chris Barber's Jazz Band 317 April 19593
5"The Little Drummer Boy" The Beverley Sisters 613 March 19591
6 March 195918"Side Saddle" Russ Conway 127 March 19594
8"My Happiness" Connie Francis 427 March 19592
20 March 19596"Stagger Lee" Lloyd Price 720 March 19595
5"Gigi" Billy Eckstine 820 March 19593
15"It Doesn't Matter Anymore" Buddy Holly 124 April 19593
3 April 19591"Tomboy" Perry Como 103 April 19591
10 April 19599"Donna" Marty Wilde 315 May 19591
17 April 19593"C'mon Everybody" Eddie Cochran 617 April 19591
5"Charlie Brown" The Coasters 624 April 19592
24 April 195913"(Now and Then There's) A Fool Such as I"/"I Need Your Love Tonight" Elvis Presley 115 May 19595
1 May 195911"It's Late" [H] Ricky Nelson 322 May 19592
6"Come Softly to Me" [I] The Fleetwoods 615 May 19591
8 May 195911"I've Waited So Long" Anthony Newley 35 June 19591
5"Come Softly to Me" Frankie Vaughan & The Kaye Sisters 922 May 19592
22 May 19591"Mean Streak" Cliff Richard & The Drifters [E] 1022 May 19591
29 May 195914"Roulette" Russ Conway 119 June 19592
2"I Go Ape" [J] Neil Sedaka 912 June 19591
5 June 19592"Guitar Boogie Shuffle" [K] Bert Weedon 105 June 19592
12 June 195913"Dream Lover" Bobby Darin 13 July 19594
11"A Teenager in Love" Marty Wilde 210 July 19592
19 June 19591"May You Always" Joan Regan 919 June 19591
26 June 195913"The Battle of New Orleans" Lonnie Donegan 224 July 19592
6"Peter Gunn" Duane Eddy 610 July 19592
3 July 19597"Personality" Anthony Newley 63 July 19591
3"Personality" [L] Lloyd Price 910 July 19591
10 July 19591"Goodbye Jimmy, Goodbye" Ruby Murray 1010 July 19591
17 July 195915"Living Doll" (#1) Cliff Richard & The Drifters [E] 131 July 19596
11"Lipstick on Your Collar" Connie Francis 321 August 19591
24 July 19596"A Big Hunk o' Love" Elvis Presley 47 August 19591
7 August 195910"Lonely Boy" Paul Anka 328 August 19593
14 August 19597"The Heart of a Man" Frankie Vaughan 54 September 19591
21 August 195911"Only Sixteen" Craig Douglas 111 September 19594
28 August 19597"China Tea" Russ Conway 511 September 19592
7"Someone" Johnny Mathis 611 September 19593
4 September 19599"Here Comes Summer" Jerry Keller 19 October 19591
11 September 19595"Mona Lisa" [M] Conway Twitty 525 September 19591
25 September 195911"(Till) I Kissed You" The Everly Brothers 223 October 19591
2 October 195911"Mack the Knife" Bobby Darin 116 October 19592
7"The Three Bells" [N] The Browns 616 October 19592
9 October 19597"High Hopes" Frank Sinatra 66 November 19591
16 October 19597"Sea of Love" Marty Wilde 330 October 19592
13"Travellin' Light" Cliff Richard & The Shadows [E] 130 October 19595
6"Broken Hearted Melody" [O] Sarah Vaughan 730 October 19592
30 October 195910"Red River Rock" Johnny and the Hurricanes 313 November 19591
6 November 195915"What Do You Want to Make Those Eyes at Me For?" Emile Ford & The Checkmates 118 December 19596
7"Put Your Head on My Shoulder" Paul Anka 720 November 19595
13 November 19591"Makin' Love" Floyd Robinson 913 November 19591
20 November 195912"Oh! Carol" Neil Sedaka 318 December 19594
27 November 195911"What Do You Want?" Adam Faith 14 December 19593
4 December 19598"Seven Little Girls Sitting in the Backseat" ♦ The Avons 31 January 19601
2"Teen Beat" Sandy Nelson 911 December 19591
11 December 19594"Snow Coach" Russ Conway 725 December 19591
18 December 19594"Rawhide" ♦ [P] Frankie Laine 61 January 19601
2"More and More Party Pops" Russ Conway 525 December 19591
1"Piano Party" Winifred Atwell 1018 December 19591
25 December 19597"Staccato's Theme" ♦ Elmer Bernstein 415 January 19601
6"Little White Bull" ♦ [Q] Tommy Steele 68 January 19601

Entries by artist

Bobby Darin (pictured in 1972) earned two number-one hits with his two top 10 entries of 1959: "Dream Lover" and "Mack the Knife". Bobby Darin 1972.JPG
Bobby Darin (pictured in 1972) earned two number-one hits with his two top 10 entries of 1959: "Dream Lover" and "Mack the Knife".
Following his death in a plane crash on 3 February this year, Buddy Holly became the first artist to secure a posthumous number-one hit in the UK Singles Chart with "It Doesn't Matter Anymore". Buddy Holly Brunswick Records (cropped).jpg
Following his death in a plane crash on 3 February this year, Buddy Holly became the first artist to secure a posthumous number-one hit in the UK Singles Chart with "It Doesn't Matter Anymore".

The following table shows artists who achieved two or more top 10 entries in 1959, including singles that reached their peak in 1958 or 1960. The figures include both main artists and featured artists. The total number of weeks an artist spent in the top ten in 1959 is also shown.

EntriesArtistWeeksSingles
6 Russ Conway 44"China Tea", "More and More Party Pops", "More Party Pops", "Roulette", "Side Saddle", "Snow Coach"
4 Cliff Richard [R] 29"High Class Baby", "Living Doll", "Mean Streak", "Travellin' Light"
The Shadows/The Drifters [E] [R] 29"High Class Baby", "Living Doll", "Mean Streak", "Travellin' Light"
3 Elvis Presley 26"A Big Hunk o' Love", "(Now and Then There's) A Fool Such as I"/"I Need Your Love Tonight", "One Night"/"I Got Stung"
Lonnie Donegan [R] 24"The Battle of New Orleans", "Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavour (On the Bedpost Overnight?)", "Tom Dooley"
Marty Wilde 27"A Teenager in Love", "Donna", "Sea of Love"
Paul Anka 19"(All Of a Sudden) My Heart Sings", "Lonely Boy", "Put Your Head on My Shoulder"
2 Anthony Newley 18"I've Waited So Long", "Personality"
Bobby Darin 24"Dream Lover", "Mack the Knife"
Connie Francis 19"Lipstick on Your Collar", "My Happiness"
Conway Twitty [R] 10"It's Only Make Believe", "Mona Lisa"
The Everly Brothers 16"Problems", "(Till) I Kissed You"
Frankie Vaughan 12"Come Softly to Me", "The Heart of a Man"
Lloyd Price 9"Personality", "Stagger Lee"
Neil Sedaka 6"I Go Ape", "Oh! Carol"
Perry Como [S] 5"Love Makes the World Go Round", "Tomboy"
Shirley Bassey 21"As I Love You", "Kiss Me, Honey Honey, Kiss Me"
Tommy Steele [T] 3"Come On, Let's Go", "Little White Bull"

Notes

See also

References

General

Specific

  1. ↑ "The Official UK Charts Company". Official Charts Company . Retrieved 1 January 2012.
  2. ↑ Roberts, David (2005). Guinness World Records: British Hit Singles and Albums (18th edition). Guinness World Records Limited. p. 14. ISBN   1-904994-00-8.
  3. ↑ "New singles formats to save the charts". BBC News . 16 October 2003. Retrieved 21 February 2010.
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