This is a list of the best-selling singles on the UK Singles Chart for each year. Note that the Number sold section denotes the number sold within the year, not in total, as very often the single continues to sell more in later years (and sometimes other singles released within a particular year will go on to outsell the year-end winner (e.g. Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan's "Especially for You" (from 1988) ultimately outsold "Mistletoe and Wine")). [1]
The best-selling UK single of all time is "Candle in the Wind 1997/Something About The Way You Look Tonight" by Elton John, which sold 4,770,000 copies.
Decade | Single | Artist | Number sold |
---|---|---|---|
1950s | "Rock Around the Clock" | Bill Haley & His Comets | |
1960s | "She Loves You" | The Beatles | |
1970s | "Mull of Kintyre" / "Girls' School" | Paul McCartney and Wings | |
1980s | "Do They Know It's Christmas?" | Band Aid | |
1990s | "Something About the Way You Look Tonight" / "Candle in the Wind 1997" | Elton John | |
2000s | "Anything Is Possible" / "Evergreen" | Will Young | |
2010s | "Shape of You" | Ed Sheeran [34] [lower-alpha 1] |
The UK Singles Chart was first compiled in 1969. However the records and statistics listed here date back to 1952 because the Official Charts Company counts a selected period of the New Musical Express chart and the Record Retailer chart from 1960 to 1969 as predecessors for the period prior to 11 February 1969, where multiples of competing charts coexisted side by side. For example, the BBC compiled its own chart based on an average of the music papers of the time; many songs announced as having reached number one on BBC Radio and Top of the Pops prior to 1969 may not be listed here as chart-toppers since they do not meet the legacy criteria of the Charts Company.
"Especially for You" is a song performed by Australian recording artists Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan from Donovan's debut album, Ten Good Reasons (1989). The song was released as his album's second single on 28 November 1988 and was written and produced by Stock Aitken Waterman (SAW).
The Official Charts Company is a British inter-professional organisation that compiles various official record charts in the United Kingdom, Ireland and France.
"Anything Is Possible" is a song co-written by Chris Braide and Cathy Dennis for the winner of the first series of Pop Idol in the United Kingdom. Will Young won the competition and therefore released the song as his debut single, with production by Dennis and Oskar Paul. It debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart, and has been certified 3× platinum by the British Phonographic Industry. It has since become the 14th best-selling single of all time in the UK, as well as the second best-selling UK single of the 21st century.
"Evergreen" is a song co-written by Jörgen Elofsson, Per Magnusson and David Kreuger, and originally recorded by Irish boy band Westlife. The song appears on their album World of Our Own (2001). It was composed in the traditional verse–chorus form in C major, with band members Shane Filan and Brian McFadden's vocal ranging from the chords of F#3 to B4.
"Mama Do the Hump" is the third official single taken from British hip hop duo Rizzle Kicks' debut studio album, Stereo Typical (2011). The single was released in the United Kingdom on 16 December 2011. The track was produced by Fatboy Slim. The song incorporates a sample of Craig McLachlan's 1990 cover of "Mona ", originally recorded by Bo Diddley and an interpolation of "Reunion" by Bobbie Gentry. It peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart on 22 January 2012, held off the top spot by Jessie J's "Domino". It contains uncredited vocals from MNEK, who performs the chorus.
Salute is the second studio album released by British girl group Little Mix, on 8 November 2013 through Syco Music and Columbia Records. The album was mostly co-written by Little Mix, who stated that they were more involved in the development of this album compared to their debut album DNA. The album was preceded by the lead single "Move", an additional two singles "Little Me", and "Salute". It is also one of the two studio albums by the group to not feature any collaborations.
This is a summary of the year 2014 in British music charts.
Get Weird is the third studio album released by British girl group Little Mix, on 6 November 2015, through Syco Music and Columbia Records. The group began work on a previous album before it was scrapped in 2014, with only a few tracks making it to the final cut. It was supported by four singles including the UK number-one single "Black Magic", "Love Me Like You", "Secret Love Song" featuring American singer Jason Derulo, and "Hair" featuring Jamaican singer Sean Paul. A deluxe edition was later released and features four new tracks, while the Japanese edition of the album features a collaboration with Japanese girl group Flower.
The Official Vinyl Singles Chart is a weekly record chart in the United Kingdom. It is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC) on behalf of the music industry. It lists the top 40 most popular singles in the vinyl format each week. The chart, along with the corresponding Official Vinyl Albums Chart, was launched on 6 April 2015 to coincide with Record Store Day, and was introduced in response to the major rise in popularity of vinyl records, both singles and albums; 2014 saw 1.3 million vinyl albums sold in the UK for the first time since 1995.
Glory Days is the fourth studio album by British girl group Little Mix, released on 18 November 2016 by Syco Music and Columbia Records. When released it was met with acclaim from critics, with lyrics that addresses themes on sexuality, sexual relationships, female solitude, and other topics. Little Mix worked with various producers including MNEK, Freedo, Matt Rad, all of whom had worked with them on previous releases.