List of UK top-ten singles in 1968

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Mary Hopkin was only eighteen years old when her debut single "Those Were the Days" entered the UK top 10 in September 1968 and spent six consecutive weeks at number-one, becoming the longest-running chart topper of the year. Aankomst artiesten op Schiphol. Mary Hopkin (Engeland), Bestanddeelnr 923-3651.jpg
Mary Hopkin was only eighteen years old when her debut single "Those Were the Days" entered the UK top 10 in September 1968 and spent six consecutive weeks at number-one, becoming the longest-running chart topper of the year.
Louis Armstrong secured his only UK number-one single this year with "What a Wonderful World"/"Cabaret", which topped the chart for four weeks. At 66 years and eight months old, Armstrong was, at the time, the oldest artist to have a number-one hit in the UK Singles Chart. Louis Armstrong restored.jpg
Louis Armstrong secured his only UK number-one single this year with "What a Wonderful World"/"Cabaret", which topped the chart for four weeks. At 66 years and eight months old, Armstrong was, at the time, the oldest artist to have a number-one hit in the UK Singles Chart.

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 1968, as well as singles which peaked in 1967 and 1969 but were in the top 10 in 1968. 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 eleven singles were in the top ten in 1968. Ten singles from 1967 remained in the top 10 for several weeks at the beginning of the year, while "Albatross" by Fleetwood Mac and "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" by Marmalade were both released in 1968 but did not reach their peak until 1969. "All My Love" by Cliff Richard, "Daydream Believer" by The Monkees, "Magical Mystery Tour (EP)" by The Beatles and "Thank U Very Much" by The Scaffold were the singles from 1967 to reach their peak in 1968. Nineteen artists scored multiple entries in the top 10 in 1968. Amen Corner, Fleetwood Mac, Joe Cocker, Nina Simone and Status Quo were among the many artists who achieved their first UK charting top 10 single in 1968.

The 1967 Christmas number-one, "Hello Goodbye" by The Beatles, remained at number-one for the first four weeks of 1968. The first new number-one single of the year was "The Ballad of Bonnie and Clyde" by Georgie Fame. Overall, twenty different singles peaked at number-one in 1968, with The Beatles (2) having the joint most singles hit that position.

Background

Multiple entries

One-hundred and eleven singles charted in the top 10 in 1968, with one-hundred and three singles reaching their peak this year.

Nineteen artists scored multiple entries in the top 10 in 1968. The Beatles secured the record for most top 10 hits in 1968 with four hit singles.

Manfred Mann was one of a number of artists with two top-ten entries, including the number-one single "The Mighty Quinn (Quinn the Eskimo)". Amen Corner, Bee Gees, Donovan, Lulu and Status Quo were among the other artists who had multiple top 10 entries in 1968.

Chart debuts

Forty-nine artists achieved their first top 10 single in 1968, either as a lead or featured artist. Of these, four went on to record another hit single that year: Amen Corner, Don Partridge, Marmalade and Status Quo. Love Affair had two 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
Simon Dupree and the Big Sound 1"Kites"9
Love Affair 3"Everlasting Love"1"Rainbow Valley" (5), "A Day Without Love" (6)
John Fred & His Playboy Band 1"Judy in Disguise (With Glasses)"3
Plastic Penny 1"Everything I Am"6
Amen Corner 2"Bend Me, Shape Me"3"High in the Sky" (6)
Solomon King 1"She Wears My Ring"3
Brenton Wood 1"Gimme Little Sign"8
Status Quo 2"Pictures of Matchstick Men"7"Ice in the Sun" (8)
Esther & Abi Ofarim 1"Cinderella Rockefella"1
Don Partridge 2"Rosie"4"Blue Eyes" (3)
The Lemon Pipers 1"Green Tambourine"7
Otis Redding 1"(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay"3
John Rowles 1"If I Only Had Time"3
1910 Fruitgum Company 1"Simon Says"2
Honeybus 1"I Can't Let Maggie Go"8
Gary Puckett & The Union Gap 1"Young Girl"1"Lady Willpower" (5)
Bobby Goldsboro 1"Honey"2
Jacky 1"White Horses"10
Julie Driscoll 1"This Wheel's on Fire"5
Brian Auger and the Trinity
The Equals 1"Baby, Come Back"1
O. C. Smith 1"The Son of Hickory Holler's Tramp"2
Marmalade 2"Lovin' Things"6"Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" (1) [A]
Cupid's Inspiration 1"Yesterday Has Gone"4
Ohio Express 1"Yummy Yummy Yummy"5
Tommy James and the Shondells 1"Mony Mony"1
Richard Harris 1"MacArthur Park"4
The Crazy World of Arthur Brown 1"Fire"1
Sly and the Family Stone 1"Dance to the Music"7
Johnny Nash 1"Hold Me Tight"5
Canned Heat 1"On the Road Again"8
Mary Hopkin 1"Those Were the Days"1
The Casuals 1"Jesamine"2
Leapy Lee 1"Little Arrows"2
Mason Williams 1"Classical Gas"9
José Feliciano 1"Light My Fire"6
Hugo Montenegro 1"The Good, the Bad and the Ugly"1
Joe Cocker 1"With a Little Help from My Friends"1
Barry Ryan 1"Eloise"2
The Marbles 1"Only One Woman"5
The Isley Brothers 1"This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak for You)"3
The Bandwagon 1"Breakin' Down the Walls of Heartache"4
Nina Simone 1"Ain't Got No, I Got Life"/"Do What You Gotta Do"2
Malcolm Roberts 1"May I Have the Next Dream with You"8
Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band 1"I'm the Urban Spaceman"5
Love Sculpture 1"Sabre Dance"5
The Gun 1"Race with the Devil"8
Fleetwood Mac 1"Albatross" [B] 1

Songs from films

Original songs from various films entered the top 10 throughout the year. These included "Mrs. Robinson" (from The Graduate ) and "Les Bicyclettes de Belsize" ( Les Bicyclettes de Belsize ).

Additionally, "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo)" from the film of the same name , originally recorded by Ennio Morricone, topped the chart when it was covered by Hugo Montenegro.

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, "Hey Jude" by The Beatles is officially recorded as the biggest-selling single of 1968.

Top-ten singles

Key
SymbolMeaning
Single peaked in 1967 but still in chart in 1968.
Single released in 1968 but peaked in 1969.
(#)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 1967
21 November 19677"Let The Heartaches Begin" ‡ Long John Baldry 128 November 19672
28 November 19679"If The Whole World Stopped Loving" ‡ Val Doonican 35 December 19671
5 December 19676"Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart" ‡ Gene Pitney 512 December 19673
3"All My Love" [C] Cliff Richard 62 January 19681
9"Hello, Goodbye" ‡ The Beatles 112 December 19677
12 December 19677"I'm Coming Home" ‡ Tom Jones 226 December 19671
19 December 19673"Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush" ‡ [D] Traffic 819 December 19671
6"Thank U Very Much" The Scaffold 49 January 19681
26 December 19676"Magical Mystery Tour (EP)" The Beatles 22 January 19683
7"Daydream Believer" The Monkees 516 January 19681
Singles in 1968
2 January 19685"Walk Away Renée" Four Tops 316 January 19681
9 January 19682"Kites" Simon Dupree and the Big Sound 99 January 19682
6"The Ballad of Bonnie and Clyde" Georgie Fame 130 January 19681
23 January 19687"Everlasting Love" Love Affair 16 February 19682
6"Am I That Easy to Forget" Engelbert Humperdinck 330 January 19682
30 January 19685"Judy in Disguise (With Glasses)" John Fred & His Playboy Band 313 February 19681
2"Tin Soldier" Small Faces 930 January 19681
3"Everything I Am" Plastic Penny 66 February 19681
6 February 19685"Bend Me, Shape Me" Amen Corner 320 February 19681
7"Mighty Quinn" Manfred Mann 120 February 19682
6"She Wears My Ring" Solomon King 327 February 19681
4"Suddenly You Love Me" [E] The Tremeloes 613 February 19681
13 February 19683"Gimme Little Sign" Brenton Wood 813 February 19682
20 February 19684"Pictures of Matchstick Men" Status Quo 727 February 19683
6"Fire Brigade" The Move 319 March 19681
27 February 19687"Cinderella Rockefella" Esther & Abi Ofarim 15 March 19683
5 March 19686"The Legend of Xanadu" Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich 126 March 19681
1"Words" Bee Gees 85 March 19681
12 March 19685"Rosie" Don Partridge 419 March 19682
4"Jennifer Juniper" Donovan 519 March 19681
3"Green Tambourine" The Lemon Pipers 719 March 19681
19 March 19688"Delilah" Tom Jones 22 April 19683
6"(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" [F] Otis Redding 32 April 19681
2"Me, the Peaceful Heart" Lulu 926 March 19681
26 March 196811"What a Wonderful World"/"Cabaret" Louis Armstrong 130 April 19684
2 April 19685"Lady Madonna" The Beatles 12 April 19682
6"Congratulations" [G] Cliff Richard 116 April 19682
3"If I Were a Carpenter" Four Tops 79 April 19681
9 April 19683"Step Inside Love" Cilla Black 816 April 19681
16 April 19686"If I Only Had Time" John Rowles 323 April 19681
7"Simon Says" 1910 Fruitgum Company 27 May 19681
5"Jennifer Eccles" The Hollies 723 April 19682
23 April 19686"Can't Take My Eyes Off You" Andy Williams 57 May 19681
30 April 19682"I Can't Let Maggie Go" Honeybus 830 April 19681
7"Lazy Sunday" Small Faces 214 May 19681
7 May 19688"A Man Without Love" [H] Engelbert Humperdinck 221 May 19683
14 May 19686"I Don't Want Our Loving to Die" The Herd 514 May 19681
9"Young Girl" Gary Puckett & The Union Gap 128 May 19684
8"Honey" Bobby Goldsboro 24 June 19681
21 May 19682"White Horses" [I] Jacky 1021 May 19682
28 May 19684"Rainbow Valley" Love Affair 511 June 19682
4 June 19682"Joanna" Scott Walker 711 June 19681
4"Do You Know the Way to San Jose" Dionne Warwick 811 June 19682
5"This Wheel's on Fire" Julie Driscoll with Brian Auger and the Trinity 525 June 19681
11 June 19687"Jumpin' Jack Flash" The Rolling Stones 125 June 19682
18 June 19685"Blue Eyes" Don Partridge 325 June 19681
5"Hurdy Gurdy Man" Donovan 425 June 19683
25 June 19687"Baby, Come Back" The Equals 19 July 19683
9"I Pretend" Des O'Connor 130 July 19681
2 July 19686"The Son of Hickory Holler's Tramp" O. C. Smith 29 July 19683
3"Lovin' Things" Marmalade 69 July 19681
9 July 19684"Yesterday Has Gone" Cupid's Inspiration 416 July 19682
3"My Name Is Jack" Manfred Mann 816 July 19681
16 July 19684"Yummy Yummy Yummy" Ohio Express 523 July 19682
23 July 19688"Mony Mony" Tommy James and the Shondells 16 August 19683
4"MacArthur Park" Richard Harris 430 July 19682
8"Fire" The Crazy World of Arthur Brown 120 August 19681
30 July 19688"This Guy's in Love with You" [J] Herb Alpert 320 August 19684
4"Mrs. Robinson" Simon & Garfunkel 413 August 19681
6 August 19684"I Close My Eyes and Count to Ten" Dusty Springfield 420 August 19681
3"Last Night in Soho" Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich 86 August 19681
13 August 19686"Help Yourself" [K] Tom Jones 527 August 19683
4"Sunshine Girl" Herman's Hermits 820 August 19682
20 August 19683"Dance to the Music" Sly and the Family Stone 720 August 19681
27 August 19686"Do It Again" The Beach Boys 13 September 19681
7"I've Gotta Get a Message to You" Bee Gees 110 September 19681
4"High in the Sky" [L] Amen Corner 610 September 19681
3 September 19686"I Say a Little Prayer" Aretha Franklin 410 September 19683
10 September 19686"Hold Me Tight" Johnny Nash 517 September 19683
4"On the Road Again" Canned Heat 824 September 19682
17 September 19689"Hey Jude" (#1) The Beatles 117 September 19682
11"Those Were the Days" Mary Hopkin 11 October 19686
24 September 19688"Jesamine" [M] The Casuals 222 October 19681
6"Lady Willpower" Gary Puckett & The Union Gap 515 October 19682
1 October 19687"Little Arrows" Leapy Lee 215 October 19681
8 October 19683"The Red Balloon" The Dave Clark Five 715 October 19681
15 October 19684"My Little Lady" The Tremeloes 615 October 19682
1"Ice in the Sun" Status Quo 815 October 19681
1"Classical Gas" Mason Williams 915 October 19681
22 October 19683"Les Bicyclettes de Belsize" Engelbert Humperdinck 529 October 19681
2"A Day Without Love" Love Affair 629 October 19681
5"Light My Fire" José Feliciano 65 November 19681
29 October 196810"The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" Hugo Montenegro 119 November 19684
5 November 19685"With a Little Help from My Friends" Joe Cocker 112 November 19681
4"Only One Woman" The Marbles 55 November 19681
12 November 19686"Eloise" Barry Ryan 226 November 19682
7"This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak for You)" The Isley Brothers 326 November 19682
4"All Along the Watchtower" The Jimi Hendrix Experience 53 December 19681
19 November 19685"Breakin' Down the Walls of Heartache" The Bandwagon 426 November 19681
26 November 19683"Elenore" The Turtles 726 November 19681
9"Ain't Got No, I Got Life"/"Do What You Gotta Do" Nina Simone 224 December 19681
3 December 196810"Lily the Pink" The Scaffold 117 December 19684
2"I'm a Tiger" Lulu 93 December 19682
10 December 19685"1–2–3 O'Leary" Des O'Connor 417 December 19683
1"May I Have the Next Dream With You" Malcolm Roberts 810 December 19681
17 December 19688"Build Me Up Buttercup" The Foundations 231 December 19682
7"I'm the Urban Spaceman" Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band 524 December 19683
24 December 19685"Sabre Dance" Love Sculpture 531 December 19681
2"Race with the Devil" The Gun 824 December 19681
9"Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" ♦ Marmalade 17 January 19693
31 December 196810"Albatross" ♦ Fleetwood Mac 14 February 19691

Entries by artist

In 1968, husband and wife duo Esther & Abi Ofarim became the first and only act from Israel to achieve a UK number-one single with "Cinderella Rockefella", which spent three weeks at the top of the chart. Grand Gala du Disque in RAI. Abraham en Ester Ofarim.jpg
In 1968, husband and wife duo Esther & Abi Ofarim became the first and only act from Israel to achieve a UK number-one single with "Cinderella Rockefella", which spent three weeks at the top of the chart.
Joe Cocker earned his first top 10 hit this year with his cover version of The Beatles' "With a Little Help from My Friends", which reached number-one for one week in November. Joe cocker 1970.JPG
Joe Cocker earned his first top 10 hit this year with his cover version of The Beatles' "With a Little Help from My Friends", which reached number-one for one week in November.

The following table shows artists who achieved two or more top 10 entries in 1968, including singles that reached their peak in 1967 or 1969. The figures include both main artists and featured artists. The total number of weeks an artist spent in the top ten in 1968 is also shown.

EntriesArtistWeeksSingles
4 The Beatles [N] [O] 24"Hello, Goodbye", "Hey Jude", "Lady Madonna", "Magical Mystery Tour (EP)"
3 Engelbert Humperdinck 17"Am I That Easy to Forget", "A Man Without Love", "Les Bicyclettes de Belsize"
Love Affair 13"A Day Without Love", "Everlasting Love", "Rainbow Valley"
Tom Jones [N] 18"Delilah", "Help Yourself", "I'm Coming Home"
2 Amen Corner 9"Bend Me, Shape Me", "High in the Sky"
Bee Gees 8"I've Gotta Get a Message to You", "Words"
Cliff Richard [O] 7"All My Love", "Congratulations"
Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich 9"Last Night in Soho", "The Legend of Xanadu"
Des O'Connor 13"1-2-3 O'Leary", "I Pretend"
Don Partridge 10"Blue Eyes", "Rosie"
Donovan 9"Hurdy Gurdy Man", "Jennifer Juniper"
Four Tops 8"If I Were a Carpenter", "Walk Away Renée"
Gary Puckett & The Union Gap 15"Lady Willpower", "Young Girl"
Lulu 4"I'm a Tiger", "Me, the Peaceful Heart"
Manfred Mann 10"My Name Is Jack", "Mighty Quinn"
Marmalade [P] 5"Lovin' Things", "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da"
The Scaffold [O] 9"Lily the Pink", "Thank U Very Much"
Small Faces 9"Lazy Sunday", "Tin Soldier"
Status Quo 5"Ice in the Sun", "Pictures of Matchstick Men"
The Tremeloes 5"My Little Lady", "Suddenly You Love Me"

Notes

See also

References

General

Specific