It’s A Record
It’s A Record
jeanniejeanniejeannie.co.uk BLOG 28th April 2018
THOUGHTS FOR THE DAY
The Beatles released 18 of the best-selling songs of the 1960s.
Recently, when comedian Ken Dodd died, I was astounded to read that his single “Tears” was the third bestselling single of the 1960s. This led me to research further the bestselling list of singles of the 1960s. Here are my findings.
On 31 May 2011, a retrospective record chart was broadcast on BBC Radio 2 that listed the 60 biggest-selling singles in the UK during the 1960s. The chart was compiled by the OCC, and was based on sales of singles from 1 January 1960 to 31 December 1969.
The most represented act in the chart is The Beatles, who feature on the list with 18 releases, seven of which are in the top twenty. Similarly, the most represented record label is Parlophone, who released music from The Beatles between 1962 and 1968 in the UK. The highest-placed solo female artist on the list is Cilla Black at number 27, with her 1964 single “Anyone Who Had a Heart”, which was also distributed by Parlophone. Of the 60 discs in the chart, more than half (44) are by British acts.
During the 1960s, sales of singles in the UK were monitored by several magazines, including New Musical Express (NME), Record Retailer, Melody Maker and Disc. Before 1969, no officially recognised singles chart was published in the UK. Until 10 March 1960, chart compilers used the weekly chart listed by NME, after which they moved to the singles list published by Record Retailer, despite NME having the wider circulation and higher readership. During the start of the decade, Record Retailer was sampling roughly 30 stores; NME and Melody Maker had a sample size of more than one hundred.
On 15 February 1969, Record Retailer and the BBC jointly commissioned the British Market Research Bureau (BMRB) to record sales of singles in what officially became the UK Singles Chart. The BMRB compiled the chart by using hand-written and post-submitted data from approximately 250 record stores.
Between 1960 and 1969, fourteen singles sold more than one million copies in the UK, of which the biggest-selling was “She Loves You” by The Beatles.
Released on 23 August 1963, the single spent six non-consecutive weeks at number one and sold more than 1.89 million copies, approximately 140,000 more than its nearest rival, “I Want to Hold Your Hand”, also by The Beatles.
The biggest-selling record not to top the UK Singles Chart was Acker Bilk’s 1961 instrumental “Stranger on the Shore” – it sold more than 1.13 million copies and peaked at number two, being kept off the top by “The Young Ones” by Cliff Richard and The Shadows, another million-seller.
Best-selling singles of the 1960s in the UK
No. Single Artist Record label Year
1 “She Loves You” Beatles Parlophone 1963
2 “I Want to Hold Your Hand” Beatles, Parlophone 1963
3 “Tears” Ken Dodd Columbia 1965
4 “Can’t Buy Me Love” Beatles Parlophone 1964
5 “I Feel Fine” Beatles Parlophone 1964
6 “Carnival Is Over, Seekers Columbia 1965
7 “We Can Work It Out” / “Day Tripper” Beatles, Parlophone 1965
8 “Release Me” Engelbert Humperdinck Decca 1967
9 “It’s Now or Never” Elvis Presley RCA 1960
10 “Green, Green Grass of Home” Tom Jones Decca 1966
11 “Last Waltz” Engelbert Humperdinck Decca 1967
12 “Stranger on the Shore” Acker Bilk Columbia 1961
13 “I Remember You” Frank Ifield Columbia 1962
14 “Young Ones” Cliff Richard and The Shadows Columbia / 1962
15 “Sugar, Sugar” Archies RCA 1969
16 ” TheThe Next Time” / “Bachelor Boy” Cliff Richard and The Shadows Columbia / 1962
17 “Telstar” Tornados Decca 1962
18 “From Me to You” Beatles Parlophone 1963
19 “Two Little Boys” Rolf Harris Columbia 1969
20 “Hey Jude” Beatles Apple 1968
21 “Hello, Goodbye” Beatles Parlophone 1967
22 “There Goes My Everything” Engelbert Humperdinck Decca 1967
23 “Help!” Beatles Parlophone 1965
24 “Cathy’s Clown” Everly Brothers Warner Bros. 1960
25 “Glad All Over” Dave Clark Five Columbia 1963
26 “Needles and Pins” Searchers Pye 1964
27 “Anyone Who Had a Heart” Cilla Black Parlophone 1964 1
28 “Apache” Shadows Columbia 1960
29 “Lovesick Blues” Frank Ifield Columbia 1962
30 “My Way” Frank Sinatra Reprise 1969
31 “Distant Drums” Jim Reeves RCA 1966
32 “You’ll Never Walk Alone” Gerry & the Pacemakers Columbia /1963
33 “Get Back” Beatles & Billy Preston Apple 1969
34 “All You Need Is Love” Beatles Parlophone 1967
35 “Strangers in the Night” Frank Sinatra Reprise 1966
36 “Last Time, TheThe Last Time” Rolling Stones Decca 1965
37 “Are You Lonesome Tonight?” Elvis Presley RCA 1961
38 “I’ll Never Find Another You” Seekers Columbia 1965
39 “Are You Sure?” Allisons Fontana 1961
40 “Yellow Submarine” / “Eleanor Rigby” Beatles Parlophone 1966
41 “I’m a Believer” Monkees RCA 1967
42 “Paperback Writer” Beatles Parlophone 1966
43 “I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction !” Rolling Stones Decca 1965
44 “Ticket to Ride” Beatles Parlophone 1965
45 “Those Were the Days” Mary Hopkin Apple 1968
46 “Magical Mystery Tour” Beatles Parlophone 1967
47 “Wooden Heart” Elvis Presley RCA 1961
48 “19th Nervous Breakdown” Rolling Stones Decca 1966
49 “It’s Not Unusual” Tom Jones Decca 1965
50 “Honky Tonk Women” Rolling Stones Decca 1969
51 “Penny Lane” / “Strawberry Fields Forever” Beatles Parlophone 1967
52 “Hard Day’s Night” Beatles Parlophone 1964
53 “I Love You Because” Jim Reeves RCA 1964
54 “Summer Holiday” Cliff Richard and The Shadows Columbia 1963
55 “Oh, Pretty Woman” Roy Orbison London 1964
56 “I Won’t Forget You” Jim Reeves RCA 1964
57 “Lady Madonna” Beatles Parlophone 1968
58 “Surrender” Elvis Presley RCA 1961
59 “Delilah” Tom Jones Decca 1968
60 “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” Rolling Stones Decca 1968
INSPIRATIONAL QUOTE FOR THE DAY
The darkest nights produce the brightest stars
HAPPINESS IS…
Happiness is…playing top selling vinyl singles from the 1960s on a pristine audio deck
GRANDAD’S ONE LINER JOKE OF THE DAY
Q: What do you get when you crossbreed a refrigerator and a guitar? A: Some really cool music.
LOVE IS…
Love is…what makes everything right with your world
TRACK OF THE DAY
She Loves You – The Beatles
Highest Chart Position: No.1 12th September 1963 for 4 weeks