SIXTY YEARS OF BRITISH NUMBER ONES |
MOST No 1s for ARTISTS |
| ROBBIE WILLIAMS (6 No 1s) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week Ending | ACT | TITLE | Weeks | TALLY | COMMENT |
| 19 Sep 1998 | Robbie Williams | Millennium | 1 | 1st No 1 | After a slow and difficult transition from Take That member to solo artist, he finally hit the top, and his success grew. |
| 20 Nov 1999 | Robbie Williams | She's The One | 1 | 2nd No 1 | He was now a major star with a massive fan following. From his album "I've Been Expecting You". |
| 12 Aug 2000 | Robbie Williams | Rock DJ | 1 | 3rd No 1 | His second number one in a row. Taken from his album "Sing When You're Winning". |
| 21 Jul 2001 | Robbie Williams | Eternity | 2 | 4th No 1 | His chart toppers were arriving at roughly annual intervals, but he was about to get his second of the year. |
| 22 Dec 2001 | Robbie Williams & Nicole Kidman | Somethin' Stupid | 1 | 5th No 1 | From his crooner-era album "Swing When You're Winning", and in duet with the Hollywood star. |
| 16 Oct 2004 | Robbie Williams | Radio | 1 | 6th No 1 | Robbie gained his first No 1 for nearly three years, during which time he lived mostly in the USA. |
| BOYZONE (6 No 1s) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week Ending | ACT | TITLE | Weeks | TALLY | COMMENT |
| 19 Oct 1996 | Boyzone | Words | 1 | 1st No 1 | Irish boy band, lead by Ronan Keating, put together in 1994 to rival Take That. Over 5 years they had 16 hits - all reaching the Top 4. |
| 14 Dec 1996 | Boyzone | A Different Beat | 1 | 2nd No 1 | This was the title track of their second album. |
| 26 Apr 1998 | Boyzone | All That I Need | 1 | 3rd No 1 | They were now major stars, with 10 consecutive Top 4 singles behind them. |
| 9 Aug 1998 | Boyzone | No Matter What | 3 | 4th No 1 | The song came from the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical "Whistle Down The Wind". |
| 7 Mar 1999 | Boyzone | When The Going Gets Tough | 2 | 5th No 1 | Old Billy Ocean No 1 from 1986, remade as a charity single for Comic Relief. |
| 16 May 1999 | Boyzone | You Needed Me | 1 | 6th & last No 1 | Originally a US No 1 for Canadian Anne Murray (1978, No 22). Whilst not officially disbanding, Ronan Keating and Steven Gately went on to solo chart success in 1999/2000. |
| OASIS (6 No 1s) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week Ending | ACT | TITLE | Weeks | TALLY | COMMENT |
| 6 May 1995 | Oasis | Some Might Say | 1 | 1st No 1 | They were from Manchester, and part of the Brit-Pop scene. The media set them up as rivals to Essex band, Blur. |
| 2 Mar 1996 | Oasis | Don't Look Back In Anger | 1 | 2nd No 1 | From their million-selling album "What's The Story Morning Glory" - perhaps the bothers Liam and Noel Gallagher's finest hour. |
| 19 Jul 1997 | Oasis | D'you Know What I Mean | 1 | 3rd No 1 | First single from their third album "Be Here Now". |
| 18 Jan 1998 | Oasis | All Around The World | 1 | 4th No 1 | Last hit for a couple of years, as the band embarked upon a world tour, with the expected controversy on and off the stage. |
| 13 Feb 2000 | Oasis | Go Let It Out | 1 | 5th No 1 | Their first release since 1998, but fan power put them straight back at the top. |
| 27 Apr 2002 | Oasis | The Hindu Times | 1 | 6th No 1 | Seven years after their first chart topper, they stormed back to No 1. |
| U2 (6 No 1s) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week Ending | ACT | TITLE | Weeks | TALLY | COMMENT | 8 Oct 1988 | U2 | Desire | 1 | 1st No 1 | Highly revered, and internationally famous Irish rock band led by Bono. |
| 2 Nov 1991 | U2 | The Fly | 1 | 2nd No 1 | From their album "Achtung Baby". Predominently an album band, their next No 1 single was six years away. |
| 15 Feb 1997 | U2 | Discotheque | 1 | 3rd No 1 | They were, by this time, an internationally renown stadium band. They had a further four Top 10s by 1999 and were at No 1 again in 2000. |
| 21 Oct 2000 | U2 | Beautiful Day | 1 | 4th No 1 | Veteran Irish rockers (their first hit was in 1981), with a track from their album "All That You Can't Leave Behind". |
| 20 Nov 2004 | U2 | Vertigo | 1 | 5th No 1 | The veteran Irish rockers hit the top again with a track from their 2004, No 1 album, "How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb". |
| 19 Feb 2005 | U2 | Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own | 1 | 6th No 1 | This is another track from their album "How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb". |
| BLONDIE (6 No 1s) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week Ending | ACT | TITLE | Weeks | TALLY | COMMENT |
| 3 Feb 1979 | Blondie | Heart Of Glass | 4 | 1st No 1 | Lead by the charismatic Debbie Harry, they found considerable success between 1978 and 1982. |
| 26 May 1979 | Blondie | Sunday Girl | 3 | 2nd No 1 | Originally regarded as new wave, their material was now finding a broader audience. |
| 1 Mar 1980 | Blondie | Atomic | 2 | 3rd No 1 | Third track lifted from their album "Eat To The Beat". |
| 26 Apr 1980 | Blondie | Call Me | 1 | 4th No 1 | From the film "American Gigolo", it was produced by Giorgio Moroder. |
| 15 Nov 1980 | Blondie | The Tide Is High | 2 | 5th No 1 | Written by reggae star John Holt. They hit the Top 10 once more, then disbanded. Debbie went solo in 1986 but got no higher than No 8. |
| 7 Feb 1999 | Blondie | Maria | 1 | 6th & last No 1 | An unexpected return 18 years after their previous Top 10 hit. At age 54, lead singer Debbie Harry is the oldest female to make No 1. |
| ELTON JOHN (6 No 1s) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week Ending | ACT | TITLE | Weeks | TALLY | COMMENT |
| 3 Jul 1976 | Elton John & Kiki Dee | Don't Go Breaking My Heart | 2 | 1st No 1 | He had achieved 16 UK hits, and had scored five No 1s in the US before this first UK chart topper. |
| 23 Aug 1990 | Elton John | Sacrifice / Healing Hands | 2 | 2nd No 1 | His first solo chart topper came 20 years after his first recordings. |
| 7 Dec 1991 | George Michael & Elton John | Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me | 2 | 3rd No 1 | One of Elton's old songs (1974), on which George performed live, and Elton joined in. |
| 20 Sep 1997 | Elton John | Candle In The Wind 1997 / Something About The Way You Look Tonight | 3 | 4th No 1 | This was a re-write of his 1974 hit about Marilyn Monroe. This version was raising funds for the Diana, Princess of Wales charity, following her death in Paris. It went on to become the biggest selling single in the world ever. |
| 21 Dec 2002 | Blue featuring Elton John | Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word | 4 | 5th No 1 | The boy band revived this old Elton John song (No 11, 1976), and he joined them on the recording. It gave Elton only his 5th No 1 after 31 years of hits!. |
| 6 Sep 2003 | Elton John | Are You Ready For Love | 1 | 6th No 1 | A recording made in 1977, released in 1979, when it reached a lowly 42. Picked up in 2003 by club DJs, and then used by Sky TV for their Premiership football ads, it shot to the top spot 26 years later! |
| QUEEN (6 No 1s) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week Ending | ACT | TITLE | Weeks | TALLY | COMMENT |
| 29 Nov 1975 | Queen | Bohemian Rhapsody | 9 | 1st No 1 | All-time classic which was accompanied by a video, and was the first No 1 to benefit from tv exposure. In 1991, the record was back at No 1. |
| 21 Nov 1981 | Queen & David Bowie | Under Pressure | 2 | 2nd No 1 | Written and recorded when both parties met up in a German studio. The intro was sampled on Vanilla Ice's 1990 No 1. |
| 26 Jan 1991 | Queen | Innuendo | 1 | 3rd No 1 | Their first chart topper for 10 years, and taken from their album "Innuendo". |
| 21 Dec 1991 | Queen | Bohemian Rhapsody | 5 | 4th No 1 | Following the death of Freddie Mercury, this classic was re-issued and returned to the top. This is the only instance of a recording reaching No 1 on two separate occasions. |
| 1 May 1993 | George Michael & Queen with Lisa Stansfield |
Five Live EP (Main Track: Somebody To Love). Queen appear on tracks 1 & 2 of 5 only. |
3 | 5th No 1 | Recorded live at the Freddie Mercury tribute concert of 1993. |
| 23 Jul 2000 | Five and Queen | We Will Rock You | 1 | 6th No 1 | Former Queen "B" side from 1977, although the song is one of their classic recordings. This new version combines boy band Five and the three remaining members of Queen. |
| SLADE (6 No 1s) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week Ending | ACT | TITLE | Weeks | TALLY | COMMENT |
| 13 Nov 1971 | Slade | Coz I Luv You | 4 | 1st No 1 | Wolverhampton glam rockers who launched a long and successful career with this. |
| 1 Jul 1972 | Slade | Take Me Back 'Ome | 1 | 2nd No 1 | Noddy Holder's rasping vocals took the glam boys to the top again. |
| 9 Sep 1972 | Slade | Mama Weer All Crazee Now | 3 | 3rd No 1 | All Slade's chart toppers, were written by band members Noddy Holder and Jim Lea. |
| 3 Mar 1973 | Slade | Cum On Feel The Noize | 4 | 4th No 1. | The sound and title formulas kept on working for this major band of the day. |
| 30 Jun 1973 | Slade | Skweeze Me Pleeze Me | 3 | 5th No 1 | During the height of their popularity they also scored with three No 1 albums. |
| 15 Dec 1973 | Slade | Merry Xmas Everybody | 5 | 6th & last No 1 | This perennial Xmas favourite has been in the charts several times since. They broke up in the 80s. |
| ROD STEWART (6 No 1s) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week Ending | ACT | TITLE | Weeks | TALLY | COMMENT |
| 9 Oct 1971 | Rod Stewart | Maggie May | 5 | 1st No 1 | A veteran of several bands. This remains a perennial radio favourite. |
| 2 Sep 1972 | Rod Stewart | You Wear It Well | 1 | 2nd No 1 | His popularity was soaring at this time, but his next No 1 was 3 years away. |
| 6 Sep 1975 | Rod Stewart | Sailing | 4 | 3rd No 1 | One of his classic anthems, which returned to No 3 the following year, after use in a tv documentary series. |
| 21 May 1977 | Rod Stewart | I Don't Want To Talk About It / First Cut Is The Deepest | 4 | 4th No 1 | He was now enjoying super star status with world-wide popularity. |
| 2 Dec 1978 | Rod Stewart | Da Ya Think I'm Sexy | 1 | 5th No 1 | He jumped on the disco bandwagon for this hit. It was remixed in 1997 by N-Trance, reaching No 7. |
| 2 Jul 1983 | Rod Stewart | Baby Jane | 3 | 6th & last No 1 | Becoming US-based, he had hit singles to the end of the 90s, and hit albums into the 2000s. |
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