List of UK top-ten singles in 1960
The UK Singles Chart is one of many music charts compiled by the Official Charts Company that calculates the best-selling singles of the week in the United Kingdom.[1] Before 2004, the chart was only based on the sales of physical singles.[2][3] This list shows singles that peaked in the Top 10 of the UK Singles Chart during 1960, as well as singles which peaked in 1959 and 1961 but were in the top 10 in 1960. The entry date is when the single appeared in the top 10 for the first time (week ending, as published by the Official Charts Company, which is six days after the chart is announced).
| 1960s in music in the UK |
| Events |
|---|
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Ninety-five singles were in the top ten in 1960. Ten singles from 1959 remained in the top 10 for several weeks at the beginning of the year, while "I Love You" by Cliff Richard and The Shadows, and "Poetry in Motion" by John Tillotson were both released in 1960 but did not reach their peak until 1961. "Little White Bull" by Tommy Steele, "Rawhide" by Frankie Laine, "Seven Little Girls Sitting in the Backseat" by The Avons and "Staccato's Theme" by Elmer Bernstein, were the singles from 1959 to reach their peak in 1960. Twenty artists scored multiple entries in the top 10 in 1960. Billy Fury, The Drifters, Ken Dodd, Rolf Harris, Roy Orbison and Sam Cooke were among the many artists who achieved their first UK charting top 10 single in 1960.
The 1959 Christmas number-one, "What Do You Want to Make Those Eyes at Me For?" by Emile Ford & The Checkmates, remained at number-one for the first four weeks of 1960. The first new number-one single of the year was "Starry Eyed" by Michael Holliday. Overall, seventeen different singles peaked at number-one in 1960, with The Shadows (3, including two entries with Cliff Richard) having the most singles hit that position.
Background
Multiple entries
Ninety-five singles charted in the top 10 in 1960, with eighty-seven singles reaching their peak this year.
Twenty artists scored multiple entries in the top 10 in 1960. The Shadows secured the record for most top 10 hits in 1960 with eight hit singles.
Jimmy Jones was one of a number of artists with two top-ten entries, including the number-one single "Good Timin'". Bobby Darin, Duane Eddy, Max Bygraves, Neil Sedaka and Tommy Steele were among the other artists who had multiple top 10 entries in 1960.
Chart debuts
Thirty-two artists achieved their first top 10 single in 1960, either as a lead or featured artist. Jimmy Jones and Johnny Preston both had one other entry in their breakthrough year.
The following table (collapsed on desktop site) does not include acts who had previously charted as part of a group and secured their first top 10 solo single.
- Notes
The Shadows scored two singles independent of Cliff Richard for the first time in 1960, starting with "Apache" reaching number one in August. They followed it up with the double single "Man of Mystery"/"The Stranger" peaking at number 5 in December.
Songs from films
Original songs from various films entered the top 10 throughout the year. These included "A Voice in the Wilderness" (from Expresso Bongo ), "Theme from "A Summer Place" " (A Summer Place), Do You Mind (Let's Get Married), "Because They're Young" (Because They're Young), "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polkadot Bikini" (One, Two, Three) and "As Long as He Needs Me" (Oliver!).
Additionally, earlier versions of "Way Down Yonder in New Orleans" had appeared in several films prior to 1960, namely Is Everybody Happy? (1943), Somebody Loves Me (1952), The Benny Goodman Story (1955) and The Gene Krupa Story (1959). "Clementine" featured as background music in The Grapes of Wrath (under the title "Oh My Darling, Clementine") before it was recorded by Bobby Darin. Fats Waller produced an instrumental version of "Ain't Misbehavin'" in 1929 and this was re-recorded with vocals for the 1943 film Stormy Weather. "Apache" was inspired by the film of the same name, originally recorded in instrumental version by composer Jerry Lordan before famously being released by The Shadows. The comedy song "Goodness Gracious Me" was due to be included on the soundtrack of The Millionairess but it was rejected by the producers. The stand-alone single was eventually used to promote the film.
Best-selling singles
Until 1970 there was no universally recognised year-end best-sellers list. However in 2011 the Official Charts Company released a list of the best-selling song of each year in chart history from 1952 to date. According to the list, "It's Now or Never (O Sole Mio)" by Elvis Presley is officially recorded as the biggest-selling single of 1960. "It's Now or Never" (9) also ranked in the top 10 best-selling singles of the decade.
Top-ten singles
- Key
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ‡ | Single peaked in 1959 but still in chart in 1960. |
| ♦ | Single released in 1960 but peaked in 1961. |
| (#) | Year-end best-selling single. |
| Entered | The date that the single first appeared in the chart. |
| Peak | Highest position that the single reached in the UK Singles Chart. |
| Entered (week ending) |
Weeks in top 10 |
Single | Artist | Peak | Peak reached (week ending) |
Weeks at peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Singles in 1959 | ||||||
| 22 October 1959 | 13 | "Travellin' Light" ‡ | Cliff Richard and The Shadows | 1 | 5 November 1959 | 5 |
| 5 November 1959 | 10 | "Red River Rock" ‡ [B] | Johnny and the Hurricanes | 3 | 19 November 1959 | 1 |
| 12 November 1959 | 15 | "What Do You Want to Make Those Eyes at Me For?" ‡ | Emile Ford & The Checkmates | 1 | 24 December 1959 | 6 |
| 26 November 1959 | 12 | "Oh! Carol" ‡ | Neil Sedaka | 3 | 24 December 1959 | 4 |
| 3 December 1959 | 11 | "What Do You Want?" ‡ | Adam Faith | 1 | 10 December 1959 | 3 |
| 10 December 1959 | 8 | "Seven Little Girls Sitting in the Backseat" [C] | The Avons | 3 | 7 January 1960 | 1 |
| 17 December 1959 | 4 | "Snow Coach" ‡ | Russ Conway | 7 | 31 December 1959 | 1 |
| 24 December 1959 | 4 | "Rawhide" [D] | Frankie Laine with Jimmy Carroll & His Orchestra | 6 | 7 January 1960 | 1 |
| 31 December 1959 | 7 | "Staccato's Theme" | Elmer Bernstein | 4 | 21 January 1960 | 1 |
| 6 | "Little White Bull" [E] | Tommy Steele | 6 | 14 January 1960 | 1 | |
| Singles in 1960 | ||||||
| 7 January 1960 | 1 | "Jingle Bell Rock" | Max Bygraves | 7 | 7 January 1960 | 1 |
| 14 January 1960 | 2 | "Bad Boy" | Marty Wilde | 7 | 14 January 1960 | 1 |
| 21 January 1960 | 7 | "Starry Eyed" | Michael Holliday with The Michael Sammes Singers | 1 | 4 February 1960 | 1 |
| 8 | "Way Down Yonder in New Orleans" | Freddy Cannon | 3 | 18 February 1960 | 2 | |
| 28 January 1960 | 11 | "Why" | Anthony Newley | 1 | 11 February 1960 | 4 |
| 5 | "Heartaches by the Number" | Guy Mitchell | 5 | 11 February 1960 | 1 | |
| 9 | "A Voice in the Wilderness" | Cliff Richard and The Shadows | 2 | 11 February 1960 | 3 | |
| 11 February 1960 | 9 | "Poor Me" | Adam Faith | 1 | 9 March 1960 | 2 |
| 18 February 1960 | 6 | "Pretty Blue Eyes" | Craig Douglas | 4 | 3 March 1960 | 1 |
| 6 | "On a Slow Boat to China" [F] | Emile Ford & The Checkmates | 3 | 16 March 1960 | 1 | |
| 5 | "La Mer (Beyond the Sea)" | Bobby Darin | 8 | 18 February 1960 | 2 | |
| 25 February 1960 | 10 | "Running Bear" | Johnny Preston | 1 | 23 March 1960 | 2 |
| 3 March 1960 | 4 | "Summer Set" | Mr. Acker Bilk and His Paramount Jazz Band | 5 | 16 March 1960 | 1 |
| 9 March 1960 | 6 | "Delaware" | Perry Como | 3 | 23 March 1960 | 2 |
| 16 March 1960 | 5 | "You Got What It Takes" [G] | Marv Johnson | 7 | 16 March 1960 | 1 |
| 23 March 1960 | 1 | "Be Mine (Alle Mädchen wollen küssen)" | Lance Fortune | 4 | 23 March 1960 | 1 |
| 7 | "Theme from A Summer Place" | Percy Faith & His Orchestra | 2 | 30 March 1960 | 1 | |
| 30 March 1960 | 9 | "My Old Man's a Dustman (Ballad of a Refuse Disposal Officer)" | Lonnie Donegan | 1 | 6 April 1960 | 4 |
| 10 | "Fall in Love with You" | Cliff Richard and The Shadows | 2 | 20 April 1960 | 1 | |
| 2 | "Wild One" [H] | Bobby Rydell | 7 | 30 March 1960 | 1 | |
| 6 | "Fings Ain't Wot They Used T'Be" | Max Bygraves | 5 | 20 April 1960 | 2 | |
| 1 | "Colette" | Billy Fury | 9 | 30 March 1960 | 1 | |
| 13 April 1960 | 10 | "Do You Mind" | Anthony Newley | 1 | 4 May 1960 | 1 |
| 6 | "Stuck on You" | Elvis Presley with The Jordanaires | 3 | 27 April 1960 | 1 | |
| 20 April 1960 | 13 | "Handy Man" | Jimmy Jones | 3 | 20 April 1960 | 5 |
| 1 | "Beatnik Fly" | Johnny and the Hurricanes | 8 | 20 April 1960 | 1 | |
| 27 April 1960 | 1 | "Clementine" | Bobby Darin | 8 | 27 April 1960 | 1 |
| 1 | "Hit and Miss (Theme from the TV series Juke Box Jury)" | The John Barry Seven plus Four | 10 | 27 April 1960 | 1 | |
| 4 May 1960 | 6 | "Someone Else's Baby" | Adam Faith | 2 | 25 May 1960 | 1 |
| 11 | "Cathy's Clown" [I] | The Everly Brothers | 1 | 11 May 1960 | 7 | |
| 8 | "Sweet Nothin's" [J] | Brenda Lee | 4 | 8 June 1960 | 1 | |
| 11 May 1960 | 1 | "Standing on the Corner (from The Most Happy Fella)" | The King Brothers | 4 | 11 May 1960 | 1 |
| 7 | "Footsteps" | Steve Lawrence | 4 | 1 June 1960 | 1 | |
| 18 May 1960 | 7 | "Shazam!" | Duane Eddy | 4 | 15 June 1960 | 1 |
| 25 May 1960 | 7 | "Cradle of Love" | Johnny Preston | 2 | 1 June 1960 | 3 |
| 1 June 1960 | 2 | "The Heart of a Teenage Girl" | Craig Douglas | 10 | 1 June 1960 | 2 |
| 8 June 1960 | 8 | "Three Steps to Heaven" | Eddie Cochran | 1 | 29 June 1960 | 2 |
| 15 June 1960 | 6 | "I Wanna Go Home (Wreck of the 'John B')" [K] | Lonnie Donegan | 5 | 29 June 1960 | 1 |
| 8 | "Mama (Mamma son tanto felice)"/"Robot Man" [L] | Connie Francis | 2 | 29 June 1960 | 1 | |
| 2 | "Stairway to Heaven" | Neil Sedaka | 8 | 22 June 1960 | 1 | |
| 29 June 1960 | 8 | "Ain't Misbehavin'" | Tommy Bruce and the Bruisers | 3 | 27 July 1960 | 1 |
| 1 | "That's You" | Nat King Cole | 10 | 29 June 1960 | 1 | |
| 6 July 1960 | 9 | "Good Timin'" | Jimmy Jones | 1 | 13 July 1960 | 3 |
| 5 | "When Johnny Comes Marching Home"/"Made You" [M] | Adam Faith | 5 | 27 July 1960 | 1 | |
| 3 | "Angela Jones" [N] | Michael Cox | 7 | 20 July 1960 | 1 | |
| 13 July 1960 | 4 | "What a Mouth (What a North and South)" | Tommy Steele | 5 | 13 July 1960 | 1 |
| 13 | "Please Don't Tease" | Cliff Richard and The Shadows | 1 | 3 August 1960 | 3 | |
| 1 | "Down Yonder" | Johnny and the Hurricanes | 8 | 13 July 1960 | 1 | |
| 10 | "Shakin' All Over" | Johnny Kidd & the Pirates | 1 | 10 August 1960 | 1 | |
| 20 July 1960 | 1 | "Sixteen Reasons" | Connie Stevens | 9 | 20 July 1960 | 1 |
| 3 August 1960 | 4 | "If She Should Come to You (La Montana)" [O] | Anthony Newley | 4 | 3 August 1960 | 1 |
| 9 | "When Will I Be Loved" | The Everly Brothers | 4 | 31 August 1960 | 1 | |
| 2 | "Look for a Star" [P] | Gary Mills | 7 | 3 August 1960 | 1 | |
| 10 August 1960 | 12 | "Because They're Young" | Duane Eddy | 2 | 14 September 1960 | 1 |
| 13 | "A Mess of Blues" | Elvis Presley with The Jordanaires | 2 | 21 September 1960 | 2 | |
| 3 | "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polkadot Bikini" | Brian Hyland | 8 | 17 August 1960 | 2 | |
| 17 August 1960 | 11 | "Apache" | The Shadows | 1 | 31 August 1960 | 5 |
| 24 August 1960 | 3 | "Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport" | Rolf Harris | 9 | 24 August 1960 | 1 |
| 31 August 1960 | 3 | "Love is Like a Violin" [Q] | Ken Dodd | 8 | 31 August 1960 | 3 |
| 7 September 1960 | 14 | "As Long as He Needs Me (from Oliver)" [R] | Shirley Bassey | 2 | 2 November 1960 | 5 |
| 14 September 1960 | 3 | "Paper Roses" | The Kaye Sisters | 7 | 14 September 1960 | 1 |
| 4 | "Everybody's Somebody's Fool" | Connie Francis | 5 | 21 September 1960 | 1 | |
| 1 | "Lorelei" | Lonnie Donegan | 10 | 14 September 1960 | 1 | |
| 21 September 1960 | 8 | "Tell Laura I Love Her" | Ricky Valance | 1 | 5 October 1960 | 3 |
| 28 September 1960 | 10 | "Only the Lonely" | Roy Orbison | 1 | 26 October 1960 | 2 |
| 5 October 1960 | 6 | "Nine Times Out of Ten" | Cliff Richard and The Shadows | 3 | 12 October 1960 | 2 |
| 7 | "How About That" | Adam Faith | 4 | 19 October 1960 | 2 | |
| 12 October 1960 | 8 | "Lucille"/"So Sad" | The Everly Brothers | 4 | 26 October 1960 | 1 |
| 1 | "Walk, Don't Run" | The Ventures | 8 | 12 October 1960 | 1 | |
| 2 | "Chain Gang" [S] | Sam Cooke | 9 | 2 November 1960 | 1 | |
| 19 October 1960 | 2 | "Please Help Me, I'm Falling" [T] | Hank Locklin | 9 | 19 October 1960 | 1 |
| 26 October 1960 | 6 | "Let's Think About Living" [U] | Bob Luman | 6 | 2 November 1960 | 2 |
| 9 November 1960 | 12 | "It's Now or Never (O Sole Mio)" (#1) [I] | Elvis Presley with The Jordanaires | 1 | 9 November 1960 | 8 |
| 11 | "Rocking Goose" | Johnny and the Hurricanes | 3 | 23 November 1960 | 2 | |
| 5 | "Dreamin'" | Johnny Burnette | 5 | 16 November 1960 | 3 | |
| 16 November 1960 | 3 | "My Love for You" | Johnny Mathis | 9 | 16 November 1960 | 1 |
| 23 November 1960 | 5 | "My Heart Has a Mind of Its Own" | Connie Francis | 3 | 30 November 1960 | 1 |
| 9 | "Man of Mystery"/"The Stranger" [V] | The Shadows | 5 | 7 December 1960 | 2 | |
| 11 | "Save the Last Dance for Me" | The Drifters | 2 | 7 December 1960 | 4 | |
| 30 November 1960 | 8 | "Goodness Gracious Me" [W] | Peter Sellers and Sophia Loren | 4 | 7 December 1960 | 1 |
| 7 December 1960 | 6 | "Little Donkey" | Nina & Frederik with The Jørn Grauengaard Quintet | 3 | 14 December 1960 | 1 |
| 14 December 1960 | 9 | "I Love You" ♦ | Cliff Richard and The Shadows | 1 | 4 January 1961 | 2 |
| 6 | "Strawberry Fair" | Anthony Newley | 3 | 21 December 1960 | 2 | |
| 21 December 1960 | 10 | "Poetry in Motion" ♦ | Johnny Tillotson | 1 | 18 January 1961 | 2 |
| 4 | "Lonely Pup (In a Christmas Shop)" | Adam Faith | 4 | 28 December 1960 | 2 | |
Entries by artist
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The following table shows artists who achieved two or more top 10 entries in 1960, including singles that reached their peak in 1959 or 1961. The figures include both main artists and featured artists. The total number of weeks an artist spent in the top ten in 1960 is also shown.
Notes
- a "Poetry in Motion" reached its peak of number one on 18 January 1961 (week ending).
- b "Red River Rock" re-entered the top 10 at number 10 on 14 January 1960 (week ending).
- c "Seven Little Girls Sitting in the Backseat" re-entered the top 10 at number 10 on 4 February 1960 (week ending).
- d "Rawhide" re-entered the top 10 at number 6 on 7 January 1960 (week ending) for 3 weeks.
- e "Little White Bull" re-entered the top 10 at number 10 on 11 February 1960 (week ending).
- f "On a Slow Boat to China" re-entered the top 10 at number 10 on 6 April 1960 (week ending).
- g "You Got What It Takes" re-entered the top 10 at number 9 on 6 April 1960 (week ending) for 3 weeks.
- h "Wild One" re-entered the top 10 at number 9 on 13 April 1960 (week ending).
- i "Cathy's Clown" is recorded as the best-selling single of the year by some sources but the Official Charts Company lists "It's Now or Never" as its best-seller.
- j "Sweet Nothin's" re-entered the top 10 at number 9 on 22 June 1960 (week ending) for 2 weeks.
- k "I Wanna Go Home" re-entered the top 10 at number 9 on 27 July 1960 (week ending) for 2 weeks.
- l "Mama (Mamma son tanto felice)"/"Robot Man" re-entered the top 10 at number 7 on 10 August 1960 (week ending).
- m "When Johnny Comes Marching Home"/"Made You" re-entered the top 10 at number 6 on 20 July 1960 (week ending) for 4 weeks.
- n "Angela Jones" re-entered the top 10 at number 7 on 20 July 1960 (week ending) for 2 weeks.
- o "If She Should Come to You (La Montana)" re-entered the top 10 at number 6 on 24 August 1960 (week ending) for 3 weeks.
- p "Look for a Star" re-entered the top 10 at number 9 on 17 August 1960 (week ending).
- q "Love is Like a Violin" re-entered the top 10 at number 8 on 21 September 1960 (week ending).
- r "As Long as He Needs Me" re-entered the top 10 at number 5 on 19 October 1960 (week ending) for 9 weeks.
- s "Chain Gang" re-entered the top 10 at number 9 on 2 November 1960 (week ending).
- t "Please Help Me, I'm Falling" re-entered the top 10 at number 10 on 2 November 1960 (week ending).
- u "Let's Think About Living" re-entered the top 10 at number 10 on 7 December 1960 (week ending).
- v "Man of Mystery"/"The Stranger" re-entered the top 10 at number 7 on 18 January 1961 (week ending) for 2 weeks.
- w "Goodness Gracious Me" re-entered the top 10 at number 7 on 11 January 1960 (week ending) for 3 weeks.
- x Figure includes single that peaked in 1959.
- y Figure includes single that peaked in 1961.
- z Figure includes single that first charted in 1959 but peaked in 1960.
References
General
- "Six decades of singles charts". The Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 3 March 2011. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
Specific
- "The Official UK Charts Company". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 1 January 2012.
- Roberts, David (2005). Guinness World Records: British Hit Singles and Albums (18th edition). Guinness World Records Limited. p. 14. ISBN 1-904994-00-8.
- "New singles formats to save the charts". BBC News. 16 October 2003. Retrieved 21 February 2010.
External links
- 1960 singles chart archive at the Official Charts Company (click on relevant week)