List of UK singles chart number ones of the 1960s

The UK Singles Chart is the official record chart in the United Kingdom. Prior to 1969 there was no official singles chart;[1][2][3] 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.[1][4] 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.[1][2]

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.[1] 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".[3] The sample size of Record Retailer in the early 1960s was around 30 stores whereas NME and Melody Maker were sampling over 100 stores.[1] In 1969, the first BMRB chart was compiled using postal returns of sales logs from 250 record shops.[4]

In terms of number-one singles, The Beatles were the most successful group of the decade having seventeen singles reach the top spot.[5] 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".[6] "She Loves You" was the best-selling song of the decade and one of fourteen songs believed to have sold over one million copies in the 1960s.[7][8][9]

Number-one singles

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The Beatles had seventeen number-one singles in the 1960s, more than any other artist. Their single "She Loves You" was the best-selling of the decade.
 
Elvis Presley had eleven number-ones throughout the decade. "It's Now or Never" was the best-selling single of 1960 and spent an unsurpassed (but equalled) eight weeks at number one during the 1960s.
 
Cliff Richard achieved seven of his number-one singles during the 1960s.
 
Tom Jones (pictured left with Janis Joplin) had two of his three number-one singles in the 1960s, the third was in 2009.[10]
Key
Best-selling single of the year[11]
Best-selling single of the decade[11]
Contents
No. Artist[nb 1] Single[nb 1] Record label[nb 2] Week starting date[nb 1][nb 3] Weeks at
number one[nb 1]
1960
94 Emile Ford and the Checkmates "What Do You Want to Make Those Eyes at Me For?" Pye 18 December 1959 6
95 Michael Holliday "Starry Eyed" Columbia 29 January 1960 1
96 Anthony Newley "Why" Decca 5 February 1960 4
97 Adam Faith "Poor Me" Parlophone 3 March 1960 2
98 Johnny Preston "Running Bear" Mercury 17 March 1960 2
99 Lonnie Donegan "My Old Man's a Dustman" Pye 31 March 1960 4
100 Anthony Newley "Do You Mind?" Decca 28 April 1960 1
101 The Everly Brothers "Cathy's Clown" Warner Bros. 5 May 1960 7
102 Eddie Cochran "Three Steps to Heaven" London 23 June 1960 2
103 Jimmy Jones "Good Timin'" MGM 7 July 1960 3
104 Cliff Richard and the Shadows "Please Don't Tease" Columbia 28 July 1960 1
105 Johnny Kidd and the Pirates "Shakin' All Over" HMV 4 August 1960 1
re Cliff Richard and the Shadows "Please Don't Tease" Columbia 11 August 1960 2
106 The Shadows "Apache" Columbia 25 August 1960 5
107 Ricky Valance "Tell Laura I Love Her" Columbia 29 September 1960 3
108 Roy Orbison "Only the Lonely" London 20 October 1960 2
109 Elvis Presley "It's Now or Never" † RCA 3 November 1960 8
110 Cliff Richard and the Shadows "I Love You" Columbia 29 December 1960 2
1961
111 Johnny Tillotson "Poetry in Motion" London 12 January 1961 2
112 Elvis Presley "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" RCA 26 January 1961 4
113 Petula Clark "Sailor" Pye 23 February 1961 1
114 The Everly Brothers "Walk Right Back" / "Ebony Eyes" Warner Bros. 2 March 1961 3
115 Elvis Presley "Wooden Heart" † RCA 23 March 1961 6
116 The Marcels "Blue Moon" Pye International 4 May 1961 2
117 Floyd Cramer "On the Rebound" RCA 18 May 1961 1
118 The Temperance Seven "You're Driving Me Crazy" Parlophone 25 May 1961 1
119 Elvis Presley "Surrender" RCA 1 June 1961 4
120 Del Shannon "Runaway" London 29 June 1961 3
121 The Everly Brothers "Temptation" Warner Bros. 20 July 1961 2
122 Eden Kane "Well I Ask You" Decca 3 August 1961 1
123 Helen Shapiro "You Don't Know" Columbia 10 August 1961 3
124 John Leyton "Johnny Remember Me" Top Rank 31 August 1961 3
125 Shirley Bassey "Reach for the Stars" / "Climb Ev'ry Mountain" Columbia 21 September 1961 1
re John Leyton "Johnny Remember Me" Top Rank 28 September 1961 1
126 The Shadows "Kon-Tiki" Columbia 5 October 1961 1
127 The Highwaymen "Michael" HMV 12 October 1961 1
128 Helen Shapiro "Walkin' Back to Happiness" Columbia 19 October 1961 3
129 Elvis Presley "(Marie's the Name) His Latest Flame" / "Little Sister" RCA 9 November 1961 4
130 Frankie Vaughan "Tower of Strength" Philips 7 December 1961 3
131 Danny Williams "Moon River" HMV 28 December 1961 2
1962
132 Cliff Richard and the Shadows "The Young Ones" Columbia 11 January 1962 6
133 Elvis Presley "Can't Help Falling in Love" / "Rock-A-Hula Baby" RCA 22 February 1962 4
134 The Shadows "Wonderful Land" Columbia 22 March 1962 8
135 B. Bumble and the Stingers "Nut Rocker" Top Rank 17 May 1962 1
136 Elvis Presley "Good Luck Charm" RCA 24 May 1962 5
137 Mike Sarne with Wendy Richard "Come Outside" Parlophone 28 June 1962 2
138 Ray Charles "I Can't Stop Loving You" HMV 12 July 1962 2
139 Frank Ifield "I Remember You" † Columbia 26 July 1962 7
140 Elvis Presley "She's Not You" RCA 13 September 1962 3
141 The Tornados "Telstar" Decca 4 October 1962 5
142 Frank Ifield "Lovesick Blues" Columbia 8 November 1962 5
143 Elvis Presley "Return to Sender" RCA 13 December 1962 3
1963
144 Cliff Richard and the Shadows "The Next Time" / "Bachelor Boy" Columbia 3 January 1963 3
145 The Shadows "Dance On!" Columbia 24 January 1963 1
146 Jet Harris and Tony Meehan "Diamonds" Decca 31 January 1963 3
147 Frank Ifield "The Wayward Wind" Columbia 21 February 1963 3
148 Cliff Richard and the Shadows "Summer Holiday" Columbia 14 March 1963 2
149 The Shadows "Foot Tapper" Columbia 28 March 1963 1
re Cliff Richard and the Shadows "Summer Holiday" Columbia 4 April 1963 1
150 Gerry and the Pacemakers "How Do You Do It?" Columbia 11 April 1963 3
151 The Beatles "From Me to You" Parlophone 2 May 1963 7
152 Gerry and the Pacemakers "I Like It" Columbia 20 June 1963 4
153 Frank Ifield "Confessin'" Columbia 18 July 1963 2
154 Elvis Presley "(You're the) Devil in Disguise" RCA 1 August 1963 1
155 The Searchers "Sweets for My Sweet" Pye 8 August 1963 2
156 Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas "Bad to Me" Parlophone 22 August 1963 3
157 The Beatles "She Loves You" ‡ Parlophone 12 September 1963 4
158 Brian Poole and the Tremeloes "Do You Love Me" Decca 10 October 1963 3
159 Gerry and the Pacemakers "You'll Never Walk Alone" Columbia 31 October 1963 4
re The Beatles "She Loves You" ‡ Parlophone 28 November 1963 2
160 The Beatles "I Want to Hold Your Hand" Parlophone 12 December 1963 5
1964
161 The Dave Clark Five "Glad All Over" Columbia 16 January 1964 2
162 The Searchers "Needles and Pins" Pye 30 January 1964 3
163 The Bachelors "Diane" Decca 20 February 1964 1
164 Cilla Black "Anyone Who Had a Heart" Parlophone 27 February 1964 3
165 Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas "Little Children" Parlophone 19 March 1964 2
166 The Beatles "Can't Buy Me Love" † Parlophone 2 April 1964 3
167 Peter and Gordon "A World Without Love" Columbia 23 April 1964 2
168 The Searchers "Don't Throw Your Love Away" Pye 7 May 1964 2
169 The Four Pennies "Juliet" Philips 21 May 1964 1
170 Cilla Black "You're My World" Parlophone 28 May 1964 4
171 Roy Orbison "It's Over" London 25 June 1964 2
172 The Animals "The House of the Rising Sun" Columbia 9 July 1964 1
173 The Rolling Stones "It's All Over Now" Decca 16 July 1964 1
174 The Beatles "A Hard Day's Night" Parlophone 23 July 1964 3
175 Manfred Mann "Do Wah Diddy Diddy" HMV 13 August 1964 2
176 The Honeycombs "Have I the Right?" Pye 27 August 1964 2
177 The Kinks "You Really Got Me" Pye 10 September 1964 2
178 Herman's Hermits "I'm Into Something Good" Columbia 24 September 1964 2
179 Roy Orbison "Oh, Pretty Woman" London 8 October 1964 2
180 Sandie Shaw "(There's) Always Something There to Remind Me" Pye 22 October 1964 3
re Roy Orbison "Oh, Pretty Woman" London 12 November 1964 1
181 The Supremes "Baby Love" Stateside 19 November 1964 2
182 The Rolling Stones "Little Red Rooster" Decca 3 December 1964 1
183 The Beatles "I Feel Fine" Parlophone 10 December 1964 5
1965
184 Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames "Yeh, Yeh" Columbia 14 January 1965 2
185 The Moody Blues "Go Now" Decca 28 January 1965 1
186 The Righteous Brothers "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" London 4 February 1965 2
187 The Kinks "Tired of Waiting for You" Pye 18 February 1965 1
188 The Seekers "I'll Never Find Another You" Columbia 25 February 1965 2
189 Tom Jones "It's Not Unusual" Decca 11 March 1965 1
190 The Rolling Stones "The Last Time" Decca 18 March 1965 3
191 Unit 4 + 2 "Concrete and Clay" Decca 8 April 1965 1
192 Cliff Richard "The Minute You're Gone" Columbia 15 April 1965 1
193 The Beatles "Ticket to Ride" Parlophone 22 April 1965 3
194 Roger Miller "King of the Road" Philips 13 May 1965 1
195 Jackie Trent "Where Are You Now" Pye 20 May 1965 1
196 Sandie Shaw "Long Live Love" Pye 27 May 1965 3
197 Elvis Presley "Crying in the Chapel" RCA 17 June 1965 1
198 The Hollies "I'm Alive" Parlophone 24 June 1965 1
re Elvis Presley "Crying in the Chapel" RCA 1 July 1965 1
re The Hollies "I'm Alive" Parlophone 8 July 1965 2
199 The Byrds "Mr. Tambourine Man" CBS 22 July 1965 2
200 The Beatles "Help!" Parlophone 5 August 1965 3
201 Sonny & Cher "I Got You Babe" Atlantic 26 August 1965 2
202 The Rolling Stones "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" Decca 9 September 1965 2
203 The Walker Brothers "Make It Easy on Yourself" Philips 23 September 1965 1
204 Ken Dodd "Tears" † Columbia 30 September 1965 5
205 The Rolling Stones "Get Off of My Cloud" Decca 4 November 1965 3
206 The Seekers "The Carnival Is Over" Columbia 25 November 1965 3
207 The Beatles "Day Tripper" / "We Can Work It Out" Parlophone 16 December 1965 5
1966
208 The Spencer Davis Group "Keep On Running" Fontana 20 January 1966 1
209 The Overlanders "Michelle" Pye 27 January 1966 3
210 Nancy Sinatra "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" Reprise 17 February 1966 4
211 The Walker Brothers "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore" Philips 17 March 1966 4
212 The Spencer Davis Group "Somebody Help Me" Fontana 14 April 1966 2
213 Dusty Springfield "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me" Philips 28 April 1966 1
214 Manfred Mann "Pretty Flamingo" HMV 5 May 1966 3
215 The Rolling Stones "Paint It Black" Decca 26 May 1966 1
216 Frank Sinatra "Strangers in the Night" Reprise 2 June 1966 3
217 The Beatles "Paperback Writer" Parlophone 23 June 1966 2
218 The Kinks "Sunny Afternoon" Pye 7 July 1966 2
219 Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames "Get Away" Columbia 21 July 1966 1
220 Chris Farlowe "Out of Time" Immediate 28 July 1966 1
221 The Troggs "With a Girl Like You" Fontana 4 August 1966 2
222 The Beatles "Yellow Submarine" / "Eleanor Rigby" Parlophone 18 August 1966 4
223 Small Faces "All or Nothing" Decca 15 September 1966 1
224 Jim Reeves "Distant Drums" RCA 22 September 1966 5
225 Four Tops "Reach Out I'll Be There" Tamla Motown 27 October 1966 3
226 The Beach Boys "Good Vibrations" Capitol 17 November 1966 2
227 Tom Jones "Green, Green Grass of Home" † Decca 1 December 1966 7
1967
228 The Monkees "I'm a Believer" RCA 19 January 1967 4
229 Petula Clark "This Is My Song" Pye 16 February 1967 2
230 Engelbert Humperdinck "Release Me" † Decca 2 March 1967 6
231 Frank and Nancy Sinatra "Somethin' Stupid" Reprise 13 April 1967 2
232 Sandie Shaw "Puppet on a String" Pye 27 April 1967 3
233 The Tremeloes "Silence Is Golden" CBS 18 May 1967 3
234 Procol Harum "A Whiter Shade of Pale" Deram 8 June 1967 6
235 The Beatles "All You Need Is Love" Parlophone 19 July 1967 3
236 Scott McKenzie "San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)" CBS 9 August 1967 4
237 Engelbert Humperdinck "The Last Waltz" Decca 6 September 1967 5
238 Bee Gees "Massachusetts" Polydor 11 October 1967 4
239 The Foundations "Baby Now That I've Found You" Pye 8 November 1967 2
240 Long John Baldry "Let the Heartaches Begin" Pye 22 November 1967 2
241 The Beatles "Hello, Goodbye" Parlophone 6 December 1967 7
1968
242 Georgie Fame "The Ballad of Bonnie and Clyde" CBS 24 January 1968 1
243 Love Affair "Everlasting Love" CBS 31 January 1968 2
244 Manfred Mann "Mighty Quinn" Fontana 14 February 1968 2
245 Esther & Abi Ofarim "Cinderella Rockefella" Philips 28 February 1968 3
246 Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich "The Legend of Xanadu" Fontana 20 March 1968 1
247 The Beatles "Lady Madonna" Parlophone 27 March 1968 2
248 Cliff Richard "Congratulations" Columbia 10 April 1968 2
249 Louis Armstrong "What a Wonderful World" HMV 24 April 1968 4
250 Gary Puckett and the Union Gap "Young Girl" CBS 22 May 1968 4
251 The Rolling Stones "Jumpin' Jack Flash" Decca 19 June 1968 2
252 The Equals "Baby, Come Back" President 3 July 1968 3
253 Des O'Connor "I Pretend" Columbia 24 July 1968 1
254 Tommy James and the Shondells "Mony Mony" Major Minor 31 July 1968 2
255 The Crazy World of Arthur Brown "Fire" Track 14 August 1968 1
re Tommy James and the Shondells "Mony Mony" Major Minor 21 August 1968 1
256 The Beach Boys "Do It Again" Capitol 28 August 1968 1
257 Bee Gees "I've Gotta Get a Message to You" Polydor 4 September 1968 1
258 The Beatles "Hey Jude" † Apple 11 September 1968 2
259 Mary Hopkin "Those Were the Days" Apple 25 September 1968 6
260 Joe Cocker "With a Little Help from My Friends" Regal Zonophone 6 November 1968 1
261 Hugo Montenegro "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" RCA 13 November 1968 4
262 The Scaffold "Lily the Pink" Parlophone 11 December 1968 3
1969
263 Marmalade "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" CBS 1 January 1969 1
re The Scaffold "Lily the Pink" Parlophone 8 January 1969 1
re Marmalade "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" CBS 15 January 1969 2
264 Fleetwood Mac "Albatross" Blue Horizon 29 January 1969 1
265 The Move "Blackberry Way" Regal Zonophone 5 February 1969 1
266 Amen Corner "(If Paradise Is) Half as Nice" Immediate 12 February 1969 2
267 Peter Sarstedt "Where Do You Go To (My Lovely)?" United Artists 26 February 1969 4
268 Marvin Gaye "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" Tamla Motown 26 March 1969 3
269 Desmond Dekker and the Aces "Israelites" Pyramid 16 April 1969 1
270 The Beatles with Billy Preston "Get Back" Apple 23 April 1969 6
271 Tommy Roe "Dizzy" Stateside 4 June 1969 1
272 The Beatles "The Ballad of John and Yoko" Apple 11 June 1969 3
273 Thunderclap Newman "Something in the Air" Track 2 July 1969 3
274 The Rolling Stones "Honky Tonk Women" Decca 23 July 1969 5
275 Zager and Evans "In the Year 2525" RCA 24 August 1969 3
276 Creedence Clearwater Revival "Bad Moon Rising" Liberty 14 September 1969 3
277 Jane Birkin and Serge Gainsbourg "Je t'aime... moi non plus" Major Minor 5 October 1969 1
278 Bobbie Gentry "I'll Never Fall in Love Again" Capitol 12 October 1969 1
279 The Archies "Sugar, Sugar" † RCA 19 October 1969 8
280 Rolf Harris "Two Little Boys" Columbia 14 December 1969 6
Contents

By artist

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The following artists achieved three or more number-one hits during the 1960s.

Artist Number ones Weeks at
number one
The Beatles 17 69
Elvis Presley 11 44
The Rolling Stones 8 18
Cliff Richard 7 20
The Shadows 5 16
Frank Ifield 4 17
The Everly Brothers 3 12
Gerry and the Pacemakers 3 11
Sandie Shaw 3 9
Manfred Mann 3 7
Roy Orbison 3 7
The Searchers 3 7
The Kinks 3 5
Georgie Fame 3 4

By record label

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The following record labels had five or more number ones on the UK Singles Chart during the 1960s.

Record label Number ones
Columbia 35
Parlophone 23
Decca 22
Pye/Pye International 19
RCA 17
CBS 7
London 7
HMV 7
Philips 7
Fontana 5

Million-selling and gold records

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The Shadows instrumental, "Apache", is the oldest 1960s release to be awarded a gold record but not the first to actually receive the award.[14] The awarding of seventeen[according to whom?] 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 over one million copies.[15]

Artist Song Year of millionth
sale[7][8][16]
The Shadows "Apache" 1963
Elvis Presley "It's Now or Never" 1960
Acker Bilk "Stranger on the Shore" 1962
Cliff Richard and The Shadows "The Young Ones" 1962
Frank Ifield "I Remember You" 1962
The Beatles "She Loves You" 1963
The Beatles "I Want to Hold Your Hand" 1963
The Beatles "Can't Buy Me Love" 1964
The Beatles "I Feel Fine" 1964
Ken Dodd "Tears" 1965
The Seekers "The Carnival Is Over" 1965
The Beatles "Day Tripper" / "We Can Work It Out" 1965–66
Tom Jones "Green, Green Grass of Home" 1966
Engelbert Humperdinck "Release Me" 1967
Engelbert Humperdinck "The Last Waltz" 1967
Cliff Richard "Congratulations" 1968[17]
The Archies "Sugar, Sugar" 1970.[18]

Notes

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  1. ^ a b c d The artist, song name, dates and duration are those given by the Official Charts Company.[12]
  2. ^ The record labels are those given by the OCC.[13]
  3. ^ Due to different charts being used, the weekday varies prior to August 1969: Chart week starting Friday before 10 March 1960 (NME), Thursday before July 1967 (Record Retailer), Wednesday before August 1969, and chart week ending Saturday after that (BMRB). These are the dates by which the charts are usually referred to and so are the dates used in this table.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Smith, Alan. "50s & 60s UK Charts – The Truth!". Dave McAleer's website. Archived from the original on 3 September 2011. Retrieved 4 November 2010.
  2. ^ a b Leigh, Spencer (20 February 1998). "Music: Charting the number ones that somehow got away". The Independent. Retrieved 5 August 2010.
  3. ^ a b Warwick, Neil; Kutner, Jon; Brown, Tony (2004). The Complete Book Of The British Charts: Singles and Albums (3rd ed.). London: Omnibus Press. p. v. ISBN 1-84449-058-0. Until 15th February 1969, there was no officially compiled chart.
  4. ^ a b "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.
  5. ^ "Featured Artists: The Beatles". The Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 3 November 2013. Retrieved 6 August 2010.
  6. ^ Leadbetter, Russell (17 May 2010). "Macca proves he's no sellout". The Herald. Retrieved 31 May 2010.
  7. ^ a b "Stats and Facts: Million Sellers". The Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 16 April 2008. Retrieved 19 July 2010.
  8. ^ a b "Million-Selling Singles". everyHit. Retrieved 12 June 2010.
  9. ^ "BPI – Charts – 3. Top Twenty Chart Facts". British Phonographic Industry. Archived from the original on 4 June 2004. Retrieved 12 September 2010.
  10. ^ "Artist Chart History: Tom Jones". The Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 October 2010.
  11. ^ a b "The biggest song of every year revealed". Official Charts Company. 9 January 2016. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
  12. ^ "All The Number 1 Singles". Official Charts Company. 30 January 2015. Retrieved 10 January 2016.
  13. ^ "Artist Chart History". London: Official Charts Company. 2010. Archived from the original on 3 September 2011. Retrieved 6 August 2011.
  14. ^ Murrells, Joseph (1985). Million selling records from the 1900s to the 1980s : an illustrated directory. Arco Pub. p. 146. ISBN 0668064595. This disc was a chart topping disc for six weeks and a million seller by 1963 in Britain
  15. ^ "Artist Chart History: Righteous Brothers". The Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 15 June 2011. Retrieved 5 October 2010.
  16. ^ Smith, Alan. "UK First Charts & Silver Discs". Dave McAleer's website. Archived from the original on 2 September 2011. Retrieved 4 November 2010.
  17. ^ "Disc News In Brief" (PDF). DISC and MUSIC ECHO. 6 July 1968. p. 6. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
  18. ^ Murrells, Joseph (1985). Million selling records from the 1900s to the 1980s : an illustrated directory. Arco Pub. p. 276. ISBN 0668064595. In Britain the disc (RCA label) was No 1 for eight weeks and sold over a million there

Further reading

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  • Davis, Sharon. Every Chart-Topper Tells a Story: The Sixties. Edinburgh: Mainstream Publishing, 1997 ISBN 1-85158-836-1, 288p.
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