The UK singles chart is the official record chart in the United Kingdom. Prior to 1969 there was no official singles chart; however, The Official Charts Company and Guinness' British Hit Singles & Albums regard the canonical sources as New Musical Express (NME) before 10 March 1960 and Record Retailer from then until 15 February 1969 when Retailer and the BBC jointly commissioned the British Market Research Bureau (BMRB) to compile the charts. The choice to use Record Retailer as the canonical source for the 1960s has been contentious because NME (which continued compiling charts beyond March 1960) had the biggest circulation of periodicals in the decade and was more widely followed.
As well as the chart compilers mentioned previously, Melody Maker, Disc and Record Mirror all compiled their own charts during the decade. Due to the lack of any official chart the BBC aggregated results from all these charts to announce its own Pick of the Pops chart. One source explains that the reason for using the Record Retailer chart for the 1960s was that it was "the only chart to have as many as 50 positions for almost the entire decade". The sample size of Record Retailer in the early 1960s was around 30 stores whereas NME and Melody Maker were sampling more than 100 stores. In 1969, the first BMRB chart was compiled using postal returns of sales logs from 250 record shops.
In terms of number-one singles, The Beatles were the most successful group of the decade having seventeen singles reach the top spot. The longest duration of a single at number-one was eight weeks and this was achieved on three occasions: "It's Now or Never" by Elvis Presley in 1960; "Wonderful Land" by The Shadows in 1962 and "Sugar, Sugar" by The Archies in 1969. The Beatles' song "She Loves You" became the best-selling single of all time in 1963, a record it held until 1977 when band member Paul McCartney's new band, Wings, surpassed it with "Mull of Kintyre". "She Loves You" was the best-selling song of the decade and one of fourteen songs believed to have sold more than one million copies in the 1960s.
Number-one singles
+Key†Best-selling single of the year‡ Best-selling single of the decade
ArtistSingleRecord labelWeek starting dateWeeks atnumber one Emile Ford and the Checkmates "What Do You Want to Make Those Eyes at Me For?" Pye 6 "Starry Eyed" Columbia 1 "Why" Decca 4 "Poor Me" Parlophone 2 "Running Bear" Mercury 2 "My Old Man's a Dustman" Pye 4100 "Do You Mind?" Decca 1101 "Cathy's Clown" Warner Bros.7102 "Three Steps to Heaven" London2103 "Good Timin'" MGM3104 Cliff Richard and the Shadows "Please Don't Tease" Columbia 1105 "Shakin' All Over" His Master's Voice1 Cliff Richard and the Shadows "Please Don't Tease" Columbia 2106 "Apache"Columbia 5107 "Tell Laura I Love Her" Columbia 3108 "Only the Lonely" London2109 "It's Now or Never" † RCA 8110 Cliff Richard and the Shadows "I Love You"Columbia 2111 "Poetry in Motion" London2112 "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" RCA 4113 "Sailor" Pye1114 "Walk Right Back" / "Ebony Eyes" Warner Bros.3115 "Wooden Heart" † RCA 6116 "Blue Moon" Pye International2117 "On the Rebound" RCA1118 "You're Driving Me Crazy" Parlophone1119 "Surrender" RCA 4120 "Runaway" London3121 "Temptation" Warner Bros.2122 "Well I Ask You" Decca1123 "You Don't Know" Columbia3124 "Johnny Remember Me" Top Rank3125 "Reach for the Stars" / "Climb Ev'ry Mountain" Columbia1 "Johnny Remember Me" Top Rank1126 "Kon-Tiki"Columbia 1127 "Michael" His Master's Voice1128 "Walkin' Back to Happiness" Columbia3129 "(Marie's the Name) His Latest Flame" / "Little Sister" RCA 4130 "Tower of Strength" Philips3131 "Moon River" His Master's Voice2132 Cliff Richard and the Shadows""Columbia 6133 "Can't Help Falling in Love" / "Rock-A-Hula Baby" RCA 4134 "Wonderful Land"Columbia 8135 B. Bumble and the Stingers "Nut Rocker" Top Rank1136 "Good Luck Charm" RCA 5137 with Wendy Richard "Come Outside" Parlophone2138 "I Can't Stop Loving You" His Master's Voice2139 "I Remember You" †Columbia 7140 "She's Not You" RCA 3141 "Telstar" Decca5142 "Lovesick Blues"Columbia 5143 "Return to Sender"RCA 3144 Cliff Richard and the Shadows "" / "Bachelor Boy"Columbia 3145 "Dance On!"Columbia 1146 and Tony Meehan "Diamonds" Decca3147 ""Columbia 3148 Cliff Richard and the Shadows "Summer Holiday"Columbia 2149 "Foot Tapper"Columbia 1 Cliff Richard and the Shadows "Summer Holiday"Columbia 1150 Gerry and the Pacemakers "How Do You Do It?"Columbia 3151 "From Me to You" Parlophone 7152 Gerry and the Pacemakers "I Like It"Columbia 4153 "Confessin'"Columbia 2154 ""RCA 1155 "Sweets for My Sweet" Pye2156 and the Dakotas "Bad to Me" Parlophone3157 "She Loves You" ‡ Parlophone 4158 "Do You Love Me" Decca3159 Gerry and the Pacemakers "You'll Never Walk Alone"Columbia 4 "She Loves You" ‡ Parlophone 2160 "I Want to Hold Your Hand"Parlophone 5161 "Glad All Over" Columbia2162 "Needles and Pins" Pye3163 "Diane" Decca1164 "Anyone Who Had a Heart" Parlophone3165 and the Dakotas "Little Children" Parlophone2166 "Can't Buy Me Love" †Parlophone 3167 Peter and Gordon "" Columbia2168 "Don't Throw Your Love Away" Pye2169 "Juliet" Philips1170 "You're My World" Parlophone4171 "It's Over" London2172 "The House of the Rising Sun" Columbia1173 "It's All Over Now"Decca 1174 ""Parlophone 3175 "Do Wah Diddy Diddy" His Master's Voice2176 "Have I the Right?" Pye2177 "You Really Got Me" Pye2178 Herman's Hermits "I'm Into Something Good" Columbia2179 "Oh, Pretty Woman"London 2180 "" Pye3 "Oh, Pretty Woman"London 1181 "Baby Love" Stateside2182 "Little Red Rooster"Decca 1183 "I Feel Fine"Parlophone 5184 Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames "Yeh, Yeh" Columbia2185 "Go Now" Decca1186 "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" London2187 "Tired of Waiting for You" Pye1188 "I'll Never Find Another You" Columbia 2189 "It's Not Unusual" Decca1190 ""Decca 3191 Unit 4 + 2 "Concrete and Clay" Decca1192 "" Columbia1193 "Ticket to Ride"Parlophone 3194 "King of the Road" Philips1195 "Where Are You Now" Pye1196 "Long Live Love" Pye3197 "Crying in the Chapel"RCA 1198 "I'm Alive" Parlophone1 "Crying in the Chapel"RCA 1 "I'm Alive" Parlophone2199 "Mr. Tambourine Man" CBS2200 "Help!"Parlophone 3201 Sonny & Cher "I Got You Babe" Atlantic2202 ""Decca 2203 "Make It Easy on Yourself" Philips1204 "Tears" † Columbia5205 "Get Off of My Cloud" Decca 3206 ""Columbia 3207 "Day Tripper" / "We Can Work It Out"Parlophone 5208 "Keep On Running" Fontana1209 "Michelle" Pye3210 "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" Reprise4211 "" Philips4212 "Somebody Help Me" Fontana2213 "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me" Philips1214 "Pretty Flamingo" His Master's Voice3215 "Paint It Black"Decca 1216 "Strangers in the Night" Reprise3217 "Paperback Writer"Parlophone 2218 "Sunny Afternoon" Pye2219 Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames "Get Away" Columbia1220 "Out of Time" Immediate1221 "With a Girl Like You" Fontana2222 "Yellow Submarine" / "Eleanor Rigby"Parlophone 4223 Small Faces "All or Nothing" Decca1224 "Distant Drums" RCA5225 Four Tops "Reach Out I'll Be There" Tamla Motown3226 "Good Vibrations" Capitol2227 "Green, Green Grass of Home" † Decca7228 "I'm a Believer" RCA4229 "This Is My Song" Pye2230 "Release Me" † Decca6231Frank and Nancy Sinatra "Somethin' Stupid" Reprise2232 "Puppet on a String" Pye3233 "Silence Is Golden" CBS3234 Procol Harum "" Deram6235 "All You Need Is Love"Parlophone 3236 "San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)" CBS4237 "" Decca5238 Bee Gees "Massachusetts" Polydor4239 "Baby Now That I've Found You" Pye2240 "Let the Heartaches Begin" Pye2241 "Hello, Goodbye"Parlophone 7242 "" CBS1243 Love Affair "Everlasting Love" CBS2244 "Mighty Quinn" Fontana2245 "Cinderella Rockefella" Philips3246 Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich "" Fontana1247 "Lady Madonna"Parlophone 2248 "Congratulations"Columbia 2249 "What a Wonderful World" His Master's Voice4250 "Young Girl" CBS4251 "Jumpin' Jack Flash"Decca 2252 "Baby, Come Back" President3253 "I Pretend" Columbia1254 "Mony Mony" Major Minor2255 The Crazy World of Arthur Brown "Fire" Track1 "Mony Mony" Major Minor1256 "Do It Again" Capitol1257 Bee Gees "I've Gotta Get a Message to You" Polydor1258 "Hey Jude" † Apple 2259 "Those Were the Days" Apple6260 "With a Little Help from My Friends" Regal Zonophone1261 "" RCA4262 "Lily the Pink" Parlophone3263 Marmalade "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" CBS1 "Lily the Pink" Parlophone1 Marmalade "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" CBS2264 Fleetwood Mac "Albatross" Blue Horizon1265 "Blackberry Way" Regal Zonophone1266 Amen Corner "" Immediate 2267 "Where Do You Go To (My Lovely)?" United Artists4268 "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" Tamla Motown3269 and the Aces "Israelites" Pyramid1270 with Billy Preston "Get Back" Apple 6271 "Dizzy" Stateside1272 ""Apple 3273 Thunderclap Newman "Something in the Air" Track3274 "Honky Tonk Women"Decca 5275 Zager and Evans "In the Year 2525" RCA3276 Creedence Clearwater Revival "Bad Moon Rising" Liberty3277 and Serge Gainsbourg "Je t'aime... moi non plus" Major Minor1278 "I'll Never Fall in Love Again" Capitol1279 "Sugar, Sugar" † RCA8280 "Two Little Boys" Columbia6
By artist The following artists achieved three or more number-one hits during the 1960s. ArtistNumber onesWeeks atnumber one17691144818720516417312Gerry and the Pacemakers311393737373534
By record label The following record labels had five or more number ones on the UK Singles Chart during the 1960s.
Record labelNumber onesColumbia35Parlophone23Decca22Pye/Pye International19RCA17CBS7London7His Master's Voice7Philips7Fontana5
Million-selling and gold records The Shadows instrumental, "Apache", is the oldest 1960s release to be awarded a gold record but not the first to actually receive the award. The awarding of seventeen gold records to records released in the 1960s is documented and, notably, five were awarded to releases by The Beatles. Although The Righteous Brothers first released "Unchained Melody" in August 1965, it had more success after being re-released in the 1990s, reaching number one and selling more than one million copies.
ArtistSongYear of millionth sale "Apache" 1963 "It's Now or Never" 1960 "Stranger on the Shore" 1962 and The Shadows "The Young Ones" 1962 "I Remember You" 1962 "She Loves You" 1963 "I Want to Hold Your Hand" 1963 "Can't Buy Me Love" 1964 "I Feel Fine" 1964 "Tears" 1965 "The Carnival Is Over" 1965 "Day Tripper" / "We Can Work It Out" 1965–66 "Green, Green Grass of Home" 1966 "Release Me" 1967 "The Last Waltz" 1967 "Congratulations" 1968 "Sugar, Sugar" 1970.
Notes
References
Further reading Davis, Sharon. Every Chart-Topper Tells a Story: The Sixties. Edinburgh: Mainstream Publishing, 1997 , 288p.
External links Archive of all UK Number One Singles of the 1960s with images of original packaging