In association with MusicWeek
60 years of hits and history
When NME publisher Percy Dickins started calling record retailers in November 1952 to create the UK's first singles chart, he could never have imagined how the world of music would evolve. Published on November 14 1952, it arrived seven months before Queen Elizabeth II's
anniversary of the Official Singles
“As the 60th
Chart arrives, we find ourselves in the era of the super-hit”
THE FIRST UK SINGLES CHART Published in New Musical Express, November 14, 1952
1 Here In My Heart
......................................Al Martino 2 You Belong To
Me....................................Jo Stafford 3 Somewhere Along The Way
................Nat King Cole 4 Isle Of
Innisfree......................................Bing Crosby 5 Feet
Up...................................................Guy Mitchell 6 Half As
Much...............................Rosemary Clooney 7 Forget Me Not
.............................................Vera Lynn 7 High
Noon.............................................Frankie Laine 8 Sugarbush
.......................Doris Day & Frankie Laine 8 Blue Tango................................................Ray Martin 9 Homing
Waltz..............................................Vera Lynn 10 Auf Wiedersehen
.......................................Vera Lynn 11 Because You're Mine
............................Mario Lanza 11 Cowpuncher's Cantata
........................Max Bygraves 12 Walking My Baby Back
Home................Johnnie Ray
CONTENTS 05
The history of the Official Singles Chart - decade by decade
coronation, the space race was yet to get underway and James Bond was still 10 years from hitting the silver screen. No-one could have predicted how the world would change within the next 10 years, let alone
six decades. It is certainly unlikely that Dickins could have imagined that his modest Top 12 would grow and evolve through the generations to become the behemoth it is today. But here we are, 60 years on, celebrating one of the UK's most enduring music institutions. Over the past six decades, more than 3 billion singles have been bought by the great British
public, crowning 1,212 Number 1 singles from Al Martino's Here In My Heart through to this week's Candy, by Robbie Williams. Today, it is not just a handful of retailers which are polled, but 6,500 physical outlets, mail order operations and download stores. Data and charts are compiled and published to the industry within hours of collection and communicated to millions across the globe via radio, TV, the internet and mobile. The Official Singles Chart has its own website (
OfficialCharts.com), mobile streaming service and much more besides. The continuing importance of the Official Singles Chart is underlined by the range of partners
who have lined up to join in the celebrations this year - ITV's Nation's Favourite Number 1 show, Now!'s chart-topping compilation Now! That’s What I Call A No 1, special countdown shows and programming seasons on Radio 1, Radio 2, MTV, The Box, Omnibus's The Million Sellers book and much more. Still to come are more programmes from Radio 2, BBC4 and 6Music, a Parliamentary reception, features across the national media - and one or two additional surprises. And, of course, there is the special collectible brochure which you hold in your hands – courtesy of one of the Official Singles Chart’s longest standing partners, Music Week. We have a habit in the UK of taking for granted what we are most familiar with. And, as the
60th anniversary arrives, it is worth considering what the Official Singles Chart represents in 2012 - a year in which the single is more popular than it has ever been, with a record 190 million singles likely to be sold this year alone, the highest annual tally in the industry’s history. That this is the era of the single is indisputable – but it is also the era of the super-hit, with
10 million-sellers this decade already, putting the Teens on course to match the greatest decade of all – the ‘90s, which produced 32 millionaires. The convenience, competitive pricing and instant nature of the download has transformed
music fans' relationship with the single – their ability to select from any piece of music which has ever been released also means that the Official Singles Chart is more democratic than ever. As evidenced by the impact of classic tracks following the passing of Amy Winehouse, Whitney Houston and Michael Jackson in recent years, not to mention the Christmas Number 1 for Rage Against The Machine three years ago. Thank you to Music Week and the rest of our many partners, stakeholders and friends for
their continuing enthusiasm – please join us all in celebrating 60 years of a great British institution, the UK's Official Singles Chart.
Martin Talbot MD, The Official Charts Company 12
Meet the Official Charts Company 2012: a very modern business
16
The Million Sellers: a visual guide to the UK’s biggest ever singles
19
What are the UK music industry’s favourite No.1s of all time?
25
How does it feel to hit No.1 in the Official Chart - or to sell a million singles?
26
The best-selling singles in British history - plus more all- time UK charts
29
Some of the greatest songs only hit No.2 - here’s some of the very best
30
Say hello to the No.1 Awards from the Official Charts Company
www.officialcharts.com 03
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