List of UK top-ten singles in 1963

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The Beatles had the biggest-selling single of 1963 with "She Loves You", which topped the chart for six non-consecutive weeks and was one of four top 10 singles in their breakthrough year, which included two other number-ones: "From Me to You" and "I Want to Hold Your Hand". "She Loves You" would also rank as the best-selling single of the decade and remains the 8th highest selling song of all time. The Beatles i Hotorgscity 1963.jpg
The Beatles had the biggest-selling single of 1963 with "She Loves You", which topped the chart for six non-consecutive weeks and was one of four top 10 singles in their breakthrough year, which included two other number-ones: "From Me to You" and "I Want to Hold Your Hand". "She Loves You" would also rank as the best-selling single of the decade and remains the 8th highest selling song of all time.
Gerry and the Pacemakers became the very first act to reach number-one in the UK charts with their first three singles: "How Do You Do It?", "I Like It" and "You'll Never Walk Alone". Gerry and the Pacemakers group photo 1964.JPG
Gerry and the Pacemakers became the very first act to reach number-one in the UK charts with their first three singles: "How Do You Do It?", "I Like It" and "You'll Never Walk Alone".
The Searchers entered the top 10 for the first time in 1963 with two singles making the countdown, including their debut release, "Sweets for My Sweet", which reached number-one for two weeks in August. The Searchers (1965).jpg
The Searchers entered the top 10 for the first time in 1963 with two singles making the countdown, including their debut release, "Sweets for My Sweet", which reached number-one for two weeks in August.

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 1963, as well as singles which peaked in 1962 and 1964 but were in the top 10 in 1963. 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

One-hundred and three singles were in the top ten in 1963. Nine singles from 1962 remained in the top 10 for several weeks at the beginning of the year, while "Glad All Over" by The Dave Clark Five, "I Only Want to Be with You" by Dusty Springfield and "Twenty Four Hours From Tulsa" by Gene Pitney were all released in 1963 but did not reach their peak until 1964. "The Next Time"/"Bachelor Boy" by Cliff Richard and The Shadows and "Dance On!" by The Shadows were the singles from 1962 to reach their peak in 1963. Twenty-nine artists scored multiple entries in the top 10 in 1963. The Beatles, The Dave Clark Five, Dusty Springfield, Gerry and the Pacemakers and The Searchers were among the many artists who achieved their first UK charting top 10 single in 1963.

The first new number-one single of the year was "The Next Time"/"Bachelor Boy" by Cliff Richard and The Shadows. Overall, seventeen different singles peaked at number-one in 1963, with The Beatles and Gerry and the Pacemakers (3) having the joint most singles hit that position.

Background

Multiple entries

One-hundred and three singles charted in the top 10 in 1963, with ninety-three singles reaching their peak this year.

Twenty-seven artists scored multiple entries in the top 10 in 1963. The Shadows secured the record for most top 10 hits in 1963 with nine hit singles, four of which were with Cliff Richard.

The Searchers were one of a number of artists with two top-ten entries, including the number-one single "Sweets for My Sweet". Del Shannon, Joe Brown and the Bruvvers, Kenny Lynch and Tommy Roe were among the other artists who had multiple top 10 entries in 1963.

Chart debuts

Thirty-seven artists achieved their first top 10 single in 1963, either as a lead or featured artist. Of these, eight went on to record another hit single that year: Brian Poole, The Crystals, Gerry and the Pacemakers, Kenny Lynch, Paul & Paula, The Searchers, The Springfields and The Tremeloes. Billy J. Kramer & The Dakotas, Dusty Springfield, Freddie and the Dreamers all had two more top 10 singles in 1963. The Beatles had three other entries in their 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
Maureen Evans 1"Like I Do (Danza delle ore)"3
Mike Berry & the Outlaws 1"Don't You Think It's Time"6
Kenny Lynch 2"Up on the Roof"10"You Can Never Stop Me Loving You" (10)
The Beatles 4"Please Please Me"2"From Me to You" (1), "She Loves You" (1), "I Want to Hold Your Hand" (1)
The Springfields 2"Island of Dreams"5"Say I Won't Be There" (5)
Dusty Springfield 3"Say I Won't Be There" (5), "I Only Want to Be with You" (4) [A]
The Rooftop Singers 1"Walk Right In"10
Paul & Paula 2"Hey Paula"8"Young Lovers" (9)
Billie Davis 1"Tell Him"10
The Bachelors 1"Charmaine"6
Ned Miller 1"From a Jack to a King"2
The Cascades 1"Rhythm of the Rain"5
Gerry and the Pacemakers 3"How Do You Do It?"1"I Like It" (1), "You'll Never Walk Alone" (1)
Billy J. Kramer 3"Do You Want to Know a Secret?"2"Bad to Me" (1), "I'll Keep You Satisfied" (4)
The Dakotas
Wink Martindale 1"Deck of Cards"5
Freddie and the Dreamers 3"If You Gotta Make a Fool of Somebody"3"I'm Telling You Now" (2), "You Were Made for Me" (3)
Jim Reeves 1"Welcome to My World"6
Lesley Gore 1"It's My Party"9
The Crystals 2"Da Doo Ron Ron"5"Then He Kissed Me" (2)
The Searchers 2"Sweets for My Sweet"1"Sugar and Spice" (2)
Brian Poole 2"Twist and Shout"4"Do You Love Me" (1)
The Tremeloes
Kyu Sakamoto 1"Sukiyaki"6
Ken Thorne & His Orchestra 1"Theme from The Legion's Last Patrol"4
The Surfaris 1"Wipe Out"5
The Caravelles 1"You Don't Have to Be a Baby to Cry"6
Trini Lopez 1"If I Had a Hammer"4
The Fourmost 1"Hello Little Girl"9
Chuck Berry 1"Let It Rock"/"Memphis, Tennessee"6
The Ronettes 1"Be My Baby"4
Kathy Kirby 1"Secret Love"4
Los Indios Tabajaras 1"María Elena"5
The Dave Clark Five 1"Glad All Over" [B] 1
The Singing Nun 1"Dominique" [C] 7
Gene Pitney 1"Twenty Four Hours from Tulsa" [D] 5
Notes

Jet Harris and Tony Meehan scored three chart hits as a duo in 1963, including number-one single "Diamonds" in February. They had both been members of The Shadows (formerly The Drifters) since its inception, as well as joining The Vipers Skiffle Group before going solo. "Just Like Eddie" was Heinz's first foray into the chart under his own name, but he had been a bassist in The Tornados, the group debuting with the number-one hit "Telstar" at the end of 1962.

Songs from films

Original songs from various films entered the top 10 throughout the year. These included "Summer Holiday" (from Summer Holiday ), "Theme from The Legion's Last Patrol (Concerto disperato)" ( The Legion's Last Patrol ), "She Loves You" ( A Hard Day's Night ), "You'll Never Walk Alone" ( Carousel ) and "Dominique" ( The Singing Nun ).

Additionally, a melody used in "Never on Sunday" was turned into a hit single recorded by Brenda Lee as "All Alone Am I". "Do You Want to Know a Secret?", written by Lennon-McCartney and performed by The Beatles and taken into the top 10 by Billy J. Kramer and The Dakotas, was inspired by the tune "I'm Wishing" from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs . "Secret Love" had first been heard in the 1953 film Calamity Jane , sang by Doris Day. Kathy Kirby took her cover version to number four. "María Elena" started as an instrumental featured in the film Bordertown .

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, "She Loves You" by The Beatles is officially recorded as the biggest-selling single of 1963. "She Loves You" (1) was also ranked as the best-selling single of the decade, while "I Want to Hold Your Hand" (2) also ranked in the top 10 best-selling singles of the 1960s. "She Loves You" also stands as the 8th biggest-selling single of all time in the UK (as of December 2017).

Top-ten singles

Key
SymbolMeaning
Single peaked in 1962 but still in chart in 1963.
Single released in 1963 but peaked in 1964.
(#)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 1962
27 September 196216"Telstar" ‡ [E] The Tornados 14 October 19625
25 October 196210"Let's Dance" ‡ [F] Chris Montez 21 November 19624
1 November 196212"Lovesick Blues" ‡ Frank Ifield 18 November 19625
15 November 19629"Bobby's Girl" ‡ Susan Maughan 329 November 19621
22 November 196210"(Dance with the) Guitar Man" ‡ Duane Eddy 427 December 19622
29 November 19628"Sun Arise" ‡ Rolf Harris 313 December 19621
6 December 19629"Return to Sender" ‡ Elvis Presley 113 December 19623
13 December 196211"The Next Time"/"Bachelor Boy" Cliff Richard & The Shadows 13 January 19633
27 December 19627"Dance On!" The Shadows 124 January 19631
Singles in 1963
3 January 19632"It Only Took A Minute" Joe Brown & the Bruvvers 610 January 19631
10 January 19633"Go Away Little Girl" Mark Wynter 617 January 19631
6"Like I Do" Maureen Evans 324 January 19632
17 January 19634"Globetrotter" The Tornados 524 January 19632
24 January 19637"Diamonds" Jet Harris & Tony Meehan 131 January 19633
4"Don't You Think It's Time" Mike Berry & the Outlaws 624 January 19631
1"Up on the Roof" Kenny Lynch 1024 January 19631
31 January 19635"Little Town Flirt" Del Shannon 414 February 19631
8"The Wayward Wind" Frank Ifield 121 February 19633
1"Some Kinda Fun" Chris Montez 1031 January 19631
7 February 19638"Please Please Me" The Beatles 221 February 19633
7"Island of Dreams" [G] The Springfields 528 March 19631
14 February 19634"Loop-De-Loop" Frankie Vaughan 528 February 19631
2"All Alone Am I" Brenda Lee 721 February 19631
3"Sukiyaki" Kenny Ball & His Jazzmen 1014 February 19633
21 February 19635"The Night Has a Thousand Eyes" Bobby Vee 328 February 19631
28 February 19636"That's What Love Will Do" Joe Brown & the Bruvvers 314 March 19632
8"Summer Holiday" Cliff Richard & The Shadows 114 March 19633
7 March 19636"Like I've Never Been Gone" Billy Fury 328 March 19631
1"Walk Right In" The Rooftop Singers 107 March 19631
14 March 19632"Hey Paula" Paul & Paula 814 March 19631
8"Foot Tapper" The Shadows 128 March 19631
1"Tell Him" Billie Davis 1014 March 19631
21 March 19634"Charmaine" The Bachelors 628 March 19631
28 March 19638"From a Jack to a King" Ned Miller 211 April 19633
6"Rhythm of the Rain" The Cascades 511 April 19632
9"How Do You Do It?" Gerry and the Pacemakers 111 April 19633
4 April 19633"Say Wonderful Things" [H] Ronnie Carroll 64 April 19631
5"Brown-Eyed Handsome Man" Buddy Holly 318 April 19631
11 April 19633"The Folk Singer" Tommy Roe 418 April 19632
18 April 19634"Say I Won't Be There" The Springfields 525 April 19632
8"In Dreams" [I] Roy Orbison 69 May 19632
25 April 196311"From Me to You" The Beatles 12 May 19637
4"Nobody's Darlin' But Mine" Frank Ifield 42 May 19632
2 May 19636"Can't Get Used to Losing You" Andy Williams 216 May 19631
9 May 19637"Scarlett O'Hara" Jet Harris & Tony Meehan 223 May 19631
5"Two Kinds of Teardrops" Del Shannon 516 May 19631
2"Losing You" [J] Brenda Lee 109 May 19632
16 May 19636"Lucky Lips" Cliff Richard & The Shadows 423 May 19632
7"Do You Want to Know a Secret?" Billy J. Kramer & The Dakotas 230 May 19632
23 May 19632"Young Lovers" Paul & Paula 923 May 19632
30 May 19635"When Will You Say I Love You" Billy Fury 36 June 19631
9"Deck of Cards" Wink Martindale 54 July 19631
6 June 19638"Take These Chains from My Heart" Ray Charles 56 June 19633
10"I Like It" Gerry and the Pacemakers 120 June 19634
13 June 19635"If You Gotta Make a Fool of Somebody" Freddie and the Dreamers 320 June 19632
20 June 19638"Atlantis" The Shadows 227 June 19632
27 June 19634"Bo Diddley" Buddy Holly 411 July 19631
2"Falling" Roy Orbison 927 June 19631
4 July 19639"Confessin'" Frank Ifield 118 July 19632
3"Welcome to My World" [K] Jim Reeves 611 July 19631
11 July 19634"It's My Party" Lesley Gore 911 July 19633
6"(You're the) Devil in Disguise" Elvis Presley 11 August 19631
18 July 19636"Da Doo Ron Ron" The Crystals 518 July 19633
8"Sweets for My Sweet" The Searchers 18 August 19632
25 July 19635"Twist and Shout" Brian Poole & The Tremeloes 41 August 19633
1 August 19633"Sukiyaki" Kyu Sakamoto 68 August 19631
8 August 19634"In Summer" Billy Fury 522 August 19631
1"You Can Never Stop Me Loving You" Kenny Lynch 108 August 19631
15 August 19636"Bad to Me" Billy J. Kramer & The Dakotas 122 August 19633
4"Theme from The Legion's Last Patrol" [L] Ken Thorne 429 August 19631
6"Wipe Out" The Surfaris 529 August 19631
22 August 19635"I'm Telling You Now" Freddie and the Dreamers 229 August 19632
7"I'll Never Get Over You" Johnny Kidd & the Pirates 412 September 19631
29 August 19634"You Don't Have to Be a Baby to Cry" The Caravelles 612 September 19631
7"It's All in the Game" Cliff Richard 212 September 19633
5 September 196321"She Loves You" (#1) The Beatles 112 September 19636
5"Just Like Eddie" Heinz 526 September 19631
5"I Want to Stay Here" Steve and Eydie 326 September 19631
12 September 19633"Applejack" [M] Jet Harris & Tony Meehan 426 September 19631
26 September 19638"Do You Love Me" Brian Poole & The Tremeloes 110 October 19633
7"If I Had a Hammer" Trini Lopez 410 October 19631
8"Then He Kissed Me" The Crystals 210 October 19632
2"Wishing" [N] Buddy Holly 1026 September 19632
3 October 19633"Shindig" The Shadows 610 October 19631
9"Blue Bayou"/"Mean Woman Blues" Roy Orbison 37 November 19631
10 October 19634"The First Time" Adam Faith 517 October 19631
17 October 19639"You'll Never Walk Alone" Gerry and the Pacemakers 131 October 19634
1"Everybody" Tommy Roe 917 October 19631
6"I (Who Have Nothing)" Shirley Bassey 624 October 19631
24 October 19631"Hello Little Girl" The Fourmost 924 October 19631
5"Let It Rock"/"Memphis, Tennessee" Chuck Berry 614 November 19631
31 October 19635"Sugar and Spice" The Searchers 214 November 19631
7 November 19634"Be My Baby" The Ronettes 421 November 19631
14 November 19638"Don't Talk to Him" Cliff Richard & The Shadows 25 December 19631
21 November 19638"Secret Love" Kathy Kirby 412 December 19632
3"I'll Keep You Satisfied" Billy J. Kramer & The Dakotas 428 November 19631
28 November 19638"You Were Made for Me" Freddie and the Dreamers 35 December 19634
6"María Elena" Los Indios Tabajaras 512 December 19631
5 December 196312"Glad All Over" ♦ The Dave Clark Five 116 January 19642
9"I Only Want to Be with You" ♦ Dusty Springfield 49 January 19643
10"I Want to Hold Your Hand" The Beatles 112 December 19635
12 December 19636"Dominique" The Singing Nun 726 December 19632
19 December 19638"Twenty Four Hours from Tulsa" ♦ Gene Pitney 52 January 19642

Entries by artist

Billy J. Kramer and his group The Dakotas secured three top 10 hits this year, the most successful of which was "Bad to Me", which reached number-one in August. Billy J Kramer - Its Gotta Last Forever 1965.png
Billy J. Kramer and his group The Dakotas secured three top 10 hits this year, the most successful of which was "Bad to Me", which reached number-one in August.
Freddie and the Dreamers had three top 10 entries in 1963, the highest-charting of which was "I'm Telling You Now", which peaked at number two. Freddie en The Dreamers (1964).jpg
Freddie and the Dreamers had three top 10 entries in 1963, the highest-charting of which was "I'm Telling You Now", which peaked at number two.
Husband and wife duo Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme reached the UK top 10 in September of this year with their duet "I Want To Stay Here", which peaked at number three. Lawrence and Gorme had both previously achieved a top 10 solo hit; Lawrence made number four in 1960 with "Footsteps" while Gorme made number ten in 1962 with "Yes, My Darling Daughter". Steve lawrence eydie gorme.JPG
Husband and wife duo Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gormé reached the UK top 10 in September of this year with their duet "I Want To Stay Here", which peaked at number three. Lawrence and Gormé had both previously achieved a top 10 solo hit; Lawrence made number four in 1960 with "Footsteps" while Gormé made number ten in 1962 with "Yes, My Darling Daughter".

The following table shows artists who achieved two or more top 10 entries in 1963, including singles that reached their peak in 1962 or 1964. The figures include both main artists and featured artists. The total number of weeks an artist spent in the top ten in 1963 is also shown.

EntriesArtistWeeksSingles
8 The Shadows [O] 55"Atlantis", "Dance On!", "Don't Talk to Him", "Foot Tapper, "Lucky Lips", "Shindig", "Summer Holiday", "The Next Time"/"Bachelor Boy"
5 Cliff Richard [O] 35"Don't Talk to Him", "It's All in the Game, "Lucky Lips", "Summer Holiday", "The Next Time"/"Bachelor Boy"
4 The Beatles 35"From Me to You", "I Want to Hold Your Hand", "Please Please Me", "She Loves You"
Frank Ifield [P] 25"Confessin'", "Lovesick Blues", "Nobody's Darlin' But Mine", "The Wayward Wind"
3 Billy Fury 15"In Summer", "Like I've Never Been Gone", "When Will You Say I Love You"
Billy J. Kramer & The Dakotas 16"Bad to Me", "Do You Want to Know a Secret?", "I'll Keep You Satisfied"
Buddy Holly 11"Bo Diddley", "Brown-Eyed Handsome Man", "Wishing"
Dusty Springfield [Q] [R] 14"I Only Want to Be with You", "Island of Dreams", "Say I Won't Be There"
Freddie and the Dreamers 14"If You Gotta Make a Fool of Somebody", "I'm Telling You Now", "You Were Made for Me"
Gerry and the Pacemakers 29"How Do You Do It?", "I Like It", "You'll Never Walk Alone"
Heinz [S] 12"Globetrotter", "Just Like Eddie", "Telstar"
Jet Harris 17"Applejack", "Diamonds", "Scarlett O'Hara"
Roy Orbison 19"Blue Bayou"/"Mean Woman Blues", "Falling", "In Dreams"
Tony Meehan 17"Applejack", "Diamonds", "Scarlett O'Hara"
2 Brenda Lee 4"All Alone Am I", "Losing You"
Brian Poole & The Tremeloes 13"Do You Love Me", "Twist and Shout"
Chris Montez [P] 2"Let's Dance", "Some Kinda Fun"
The Crystals 14"Da Doo Ron Ron", "Don't Talk to Him"
Del Shannon 10"Little Town Flirt", "Two Kinds of Teardrops"
Elvis Presley [P] 12"Return to Sender", "(You're the) Devil in Disguise"
Joe Brown and the Bruvvers 8"It Only Took a Minute", "That's What Love Will Do"
Kenny Lynch 2"Up on the Roof", "You Can Never Stop Me Loving You"
Paul & Paula 4"Hey Paula", "Young Lovers"
The Searchers 13"Sugar and Spice", "Sweets for My Sweet"
The Springfields 11"Island of Dreams", "Say I Won't Be There"
Tommy Roe 4"Everybody", "The Folk Singer"
The Tornados [P] 7"Globetrotter", "Telstar"

Notes

See also

References

General

Specific