The UK Singles Chart is the official record chart in the United Kingdom. Record charts in the UK began life in 1952 when Percy Dickins from New Musical Express (NME) imitated an idea started in American Billboard magazine and began compiling a hit parade. Prior to this, a song's popularity was measured by the sales of sheet music.[1][2] Initially, Dickins telephoned a sample of around 20 shops asking for a list of the 10 best-selling songs. These results were then aggregated to give a Top 12 chart published in NME on 14 November 1952.[1][2] The number-one single was "Here in My Heart" by Al Martino.

According to The Official Charts Company and Guinness' British Hit Singles & Albums, the NME is considered the official British singles chart before 10 March 1960.[3] However, until 15 February 1969, when the British Market Research Bureau chart was established, there was no universally accepted chart. Other charts existed and different artists may have placed at number one in charts by Record Mirror, Disc or Melody Maker. Alternatively, some considered the BBC's Pick of the Pops, which averaged all these charts, to be a better indicator of the number-one single.[2]

In terms of number-one singles, Frankie Laine, Guy Mitchell and Elvis Presley were the most successful artists of the 1950s having four singles reach the top spot.[nb 1] The longest duration of a single at number one was eighteen weeks achieved by Frankie Laine's "I Believe". "I Believe" still holds the record for the most non-consecutive weeks at the top of the UK Singles Chart.[5] Although official music recording sales certifications were not introduced until the British Phonographic Industry was formed in 1973, Disc introduced an initiative in 1959 to present a gold disc to records that sold over one million units.[6] Prior to that it is believed that the three best-selling records of the decade—Bill Haley & His Comets' "Rock Around the Clock", Paul Anka's "Diana" and Harry Belafonte's "Mary's Boy Child"—all sold over one million copies.[7][8][9]

Number-one singles

Elvis Presley in a publicity photo for "Jailhouse Rock" which was the best-selling single of 1958. Presley had three other number ones in the 1950s.
Al Martino's "Here in My Heart" was the first ever number-one single and held the top spot for nine weeks.
Bill Haley & His Comets had the biggest-selling single of the decade with "Rock Around the Clock".
Doris Day had two number-one singles in the 1950s, one of which, "Secret Love", was the best-selling record of 1954.
Cliff Richard achieved his first two number-one singles in the latter half of 1959.
Key
† Best-selling single of the year[7]
‡ Best-selling single of the decade
[nb #] The song spent a week at number one where it shared the top spot with another song.
Contents
No. Artist[nb 2] Single[nb 2] Record label[nb 3] Week starting date[nb 2][nb 4] Weeks at
number one[nb 2]
1952
1 Al Martino"Here in My Heart" Capitol14 November 19529
1953
2 Jo Stafford"You Belong to Me" Columbia16 January 19531
3 Kay Starr"Comes A-Long A-Love" Capitol23 January 19531
4 Eddie Fisher"Outside of Heaven" HMV30 January 19531
5 Perry Como"Don't Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes" HMV6 February 19535
6 Guy Mitchell"She Wears Red Feathers" Columbia13 March 19534
7 The Stargazers"Broken Wings" Decca10 April 19531
8 Lita Roza"(How Much Is) That Doggie in the Window?" Decca17 April 19531
9 Frankie Laine"I Believe" † Philips24 April 19539
10 Eddie Fisher with Sally Sweetland"I'm Walking Behind You" HMV26 June 19531
re Frankie Laine"I Believe" † Philips3 July 19536
11 Mantovani"The Song from Moulin Rouge" Decca14 August 19531
re Frankie Laine"I Believe" † Philips21 August 19533
12 Guy Mitchell"Look at That Girl" Philips11 September 19536
13 Frankie Laine"Hey Joe" Philips23 October 19532
14 David Whitfield"Answer Me" Decca6 November 19531
15 Frankie Laine"Answer Me" Philips13 November 19538[nb 5]
re David Whitfield"Answer Me" Decca11 December 19531[nb 5]
1954
16 Eddie Calvert"Oh Mein Papa" Columbia8 January 19549
17 The Stargazers"I See the Moon" Decca12 March 19545
18 Doris Day"Secret Love" † Philips16 April 19541
re The Stargazers"I See the Moon" Decca23 April 19541
19 Johnnie Ray"Such a Night" Philips30 April 19541
re Doris Day"Secret Love" † Philips7 May 19548
20 David Whitfield with Mantovani and his Orchestra"Cara Mia" Decca2 July 195410
21 Kitty Kallen"Little Things Mean a Lot" Brunswick10 September 19541
22 Frank Sinatra"Three Coins in the Fountain" Capitol17 September 19543
23 Don Cornell"Hold My Hand" Vogue8 October 19544
24 Vera Lynn"My Son, My Son" Decca5 November 19542
re Don Cornell"Hold My Hand" Vogue19 November 19541
25 Rosemary Clooney"This Ole House" Philips26 November 19541
26 Winifred Atwell"Let's Have Another Party" Philips3 December 19545
1955
27 Dickie Valentine with the Stargazers"The Finger of Suspicion" Decca7 January 19551
28 Rosemary Clooney"Mambo Italiano" Philips14 January 19551
re Dickie Valentine with the Stargazers"The Finger of Suspicion" Decca21 January 19552
re Rosemary Clooney"Mambo Italiano" Philips4 February 19552
29 Ruby Murray"Softly, Softly" Columbia18 February 19553
30 Tennessee Ernie Ford"Give Me Your Word" Capitol11 March 19557
31 Pérez Prado and his Orchestra"Cherry Pink (and Apple Blossom White)" HMV29 April 19552
32 Tony Bennett"Stranger in Paradise" Philips13 May 19552
33 Eddie Calvert"Cherry Pink (and Apple Blossom White)" Columbia27 May 19554
34 Jimmy Young"Unchained Melody" Decca24 June 19553
35 Alma Cogan"Dreamboat" HMV15 July 19552
36 Slim Whitman"Rose Marie" † London29 July 195511
37 Jimmy Young"The Man from Laramie" Decca14 October 19554
38 The Johnston Brothers"Hernando's Hideaway" Decca11 November 19552
39 Bill Haley & His Comets"Rock Around the Clock" ‡ Brunswick25 November 19553
40 Dickie Valentine"Christmas Alphabet" Decca16 December 19553
1956
re Bill Haley & His Comets"Rock Around the Clock" ‡ Brunswick6 January 19562
41 Tennessee Ernie Ford"Sixteen Tons" Capitol20 January 19564
42 Dean Martin"Memories Are Made of This" Capitol17 February 19564
43 The Dream Weavers"It's Almost Tomorrow" Brunswick16 March 19562
44 Kay Starr"Rock and Roll Waltz" HMV30 March 19561
re The Dream Weavers"It's Almost Tomorrow" Brunswick6 April 19561
45 Winifred Atwell"The Poor People of Paris" Decca13 April 19563
46 Ronnie Hilton"No Other Love" HMV4 May 19566
47 Pat Boone"I'll Be Home" † London15 June 19565
48 The Teenagers"Why Do Fools Fall in Love" Columbia20 July 19563
49 Doris Day"Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera, Sera)" Philips10 August 19566
50 Anne Shelton"Lay Down Your Arms" Philips21 September 19564
51 Frankie Laine"A Woman in Love" Philips19 October 19564
52 Johnnie Ray"Just Walking in the Rain" Philips16 November 19567
1957
53 Guy Mitchell"Singing the Blues" Philips4 January 19571
54 Tommy Steele"Singing the Blues" Decca11 January 19571
re Guy Mitchell"Singing the Blues" Philips18 January 19571
55 Frankie Vaughan"The Garden of Eden" Philips25 January 19574[nb 6]
re Guy Mitchell"Singing the Blues" Philips1 February 19571[nb 6]
56 Tab Hunter"Young Love" London22 February 19577
57 Lonnie Donegan"Cumberland Gap" Pye Nixa12 April 19575
58 Guy Mitchell"Rock-a-Billy" Philips17 May 19571
59 Andy Williams"Butterfly" London24 May 19572
60 Johnnie Ray"Yes Tonight Josephine" Philips7 June 19573
61 Lonnie Donegan"Gamblin' Man" / "Puttin' On the Style" Pye Nixa28 June 19572
62 Elvis Presley"All Shook Up" RCA12 July 19577
63 Paul Anka"Diana" † Columbia30 August 19579
64 The Crickets"That'll Be the Day" Vogue Coral1 November 19573
65 Harry Belafonte"Mary's Boy Child" RCA22 November 19577
1958
66 Jerry Lee Lewis"Great Balls of Fire" London10 January 19582
67 Elvis Presley"Jailhouse Rock" † RCA24 January 19583
68 Michael Holliday"The Story of My Life" Columbia14 February 19582
69 Perry Como"Magic Moments" RCA28 February 19588
70 Marvin Rainwater"Whole Lotta Woman" MGM25 April 19583
71 Connie Francis"Who's Sorry Now" MGM16 May 19586
72 Vic Damone"On the Street Where You Live" Philips27 June 19582[nb 7]
73 The Everly Brothers"All I Have to Do Is Dream" / "Claudette" London4 July 19587[nb 7]
74 The Kalin Twins"When" Brunswick22 August 19585
75 Connie Francis"Stupid Cupid" / "Carolina Moon" MGM26 September 19586
76 Tommy Edwards"It's All in the Game" MGM7 November 19583
77 Lord Rockingham's XI"Hoots Mon" Decca28 November 19583
78 Conway Twitty"It's Only Make Believe" MGM19 December 19585
1959
79 Jane Morgan"The Day the Rains Came" London23 January 19591
80 Elvis Presley"One Night" / "I Got Stung" RCA30 January 19593
81 Shirley Bassey"As I Love You" Columbia20 February 19594
82 The Platters"Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" Mercury20 March 19591
83 Russ Conway"Side Saddle" Columbia27 March 19594
84 Buddy Holly"It Doesn't Matter Anymore" Coral24 April 19593
85 Elvis Presley"A Fool Such as I" / "I Need Your Love Tonight" RCA15 May 19595
86 Russ Conway"Roulette" Columbia19 June 19592
87 Bobby Darin"Dream Lover" London3 July 19594
88 Cliff Richard and the Drifters"Living Doll" † Columbia31 July 19596
89 Craig Douglas"Only Sixteen" Top Rank11 September 19594
90 Jerry Keller"Here Comes Summer" London9 October 19591
91 Bobby Darin"Mack the Knife" London16 October 19592
92 Cliff Richard and the Shadows"Travellin' Light" Columbia30 October 19595
93 Adam Faith"What Do You Want?" Parlophone4 December 19593[nb 8]
94 Emile Ford and the Checkmates"What Do You Want to Make Those Eyes at Me For?" Pye18 December 19596[nb 8]
Contents

By artist

The following artists achieved three or more number-one hits during the 1950s. Artists Frankie Laine, Guy Mitchell and Elvis Presley were the most successful acts of the decade in terms of number-one singles, each having four singles reach the top of the chart.[nb 1] In total, Laine spent 32 weeks occupying the top of chart in the 1950s; the next highest was Presley who spent a total of 18 weeks at number one.

Artist Number ones Weeks at
number one
Frankie Laine 4 32
Elvis Presley 4 18
Guy Mitchell 4 14
Johnnie Ray 3 11

The Stargazers

 3 10

By record label

The following record labels had five or more number ones on the UK Singles Chart during the 1950s.

Record label Number ones
Philips 19
Decca 15
Columbia 13
London 10
HMV 7
Capitol 6
RCA 6
MGM 5

Notes

  1. 1 2 Although The Official Charts Company does not credit Paul Weston as an artist on the singles, Weston was also a contributing artist to four number-one singles in the 1950s.[4]
  2. 1 2 3 4 The artist, song name, date of number-one and its consecutive duration are those given by The Official Charts Company.[10]
  3. ↑ The record labels are those given by the OCC.[11]
  4. ↑ There are discrepancies in when a single reached number one prior to 30 August 1969. As of 2010 the Official Chart Company website lists all weeks as ending on the Saturday back until 20 March 1960.[12] However, the old Official Chart Company lists chart weeks prior to 5 February 1960 as ending on a Friday.[10]
  5. 1 2 Both Frankie Laine's and David Whitfield's version of "Answer Me" were classified jointly as number one on 11 December 1953. In the week before and the week after Laine's version took the number-one spot outright.[13]
  6. 1 2 Both Frankie Vaughan's "The Garden of Eden" and Guy Mitchell's "Singing the Blues" were classified jointly as number one on 1 February 1957. Vaughan held the number-one spot outright for the week before and the two weeks afterwards.[14]
  7. 1 2 Both Vic Damone's "On the Street Where You Live" and The Everly Brothers's "All I Have to Do Is Dream" were classified jointly as number one on 4 July 1958. For the following six weeks "All I Have to Do Is Dream" claimed the number-one spot outright.[15]
  8. 1 2 Both Adam Faith's "What Do You Want?" and Emile Ford and the Checkmates' "What Do You Want to Make Those Eyes at Me For?" were classified jointly as number one on 18 December 1959. For the following five weeks "What Do You Want to Make Those Eyes at Me For?" claimed the number-one spot outright.[16]

References

Footnotes
  1. 1 2 Williams, Mark (19 February 2002). "Obituary: Percy Dickins". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 July 2010.
  2. 1 2 3 Smith, Alan. "50s & 60s UK Charts – The Truth!". Dave McAleer's website. Archived from the original on 3 September 2011. Retrieved 4 November 2010.
  3. ↑ "Key Dates in the History of the Official UK Charts". The Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 10 January 2008. Retrieved 16 May 2010.
  4. ↑ Warwick, Kutner & Brown 2004, pp. 1–4.
  5. ↑ "Most Weeks at No.1 (Singles)". The Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 26 July 2010.
  6. ↑ Smith, Alan. "UK First Charts & Silver Discs". Dave McAleer's website. Archived from the original on 2 September 2011. Retrieved 4 November 2010.
  7. 1 2 "The biggest song of every year revealed". Official Charts Company. 9 January 2016. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
  8. ↑ "Stats and Facts: Million Sellers". The Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 16 April 2008. Retrieved 19 July 2010.
  9. ↑ "Million-Selling Singles". everyHit. Retrieved 12 June 2010.
  10. 1 2 "Number 1 Singles – 1950s". The Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 5 April 2008. Retrieved 19 July 2010.
  11. ↑ "Artist Chart History". London: Official Charts Company. 2010. Archived from the original on 3 September 2011. Retrieved 6 August 2011.
  12. ↑ "All the Number One Singles". The Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 17 July 2010. Retrieved 19 July 2010.
  13. ↑ "All the No.1's: David Whitfield – Answer Me". The Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 8 January 2008. Retrieved 22 July 2010.
  14. ↑ Rees, Lazell & Osborne 1995, pp. 43–44.
  15. ↑ "All the No.1's: Vic Damone – On The Street Where You Live". The Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 8 January 2008. Retrieved 22 July 2010.
  16. ↑ "All the No.1's: Adam Faith – What Do You Want". The Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 8 January 2008. Retrieved 22 July 2010.
Sources
  • Rees, Dafydd; Lazell, Barry; Osborne, Roger (1995). Forty Years of "NME" Charts (2nd ed.). Pan Macmillan. ISBN 0-7522-0829-2.
  • Warwick, Neil; Kutner, Jon; Brown, Tony (2004). The Complete Book Of The British Charts: Singles and Albums (3rd ed.). London: Omnibus Press. ISBN 1-84449-058-0.

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