List of UK top-ten singles in 2021
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] Since 2004 the chart has been based on the sales of both physical singles and digital downloads, with airplay figures excluded from the official chart.[2][3] Since 2014, the singles chart has been based on both sales and streaming, with the ratio altered in 2017 to 150:1 streams and only three singles by the same artist eligible for the chart.[4][5] From July 2018, video streams from YouTube Music and Spotify among others began to be counted for the Official Charts. This list shows singles that peaked in the Top 10 of the UK Singles Chart during 2020, as well as singles which peaked in 2020 but were in the top 10 in 2021. The entry date is when the song 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).
| 2020s in music in the UK |
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Twenty-three singles have been in the top 10 so far this year (as of 11 February 2021, week ending). Fourteen singles from 2020 remained in the top 10 for several weeks at the beginning of the year. "Sweet Melody" by Little Mix, "34+35" by Ariana Grande, "Step into Christmas" by Elton John, "This Christmas" by Jess Glynne, "Whoopty" by CJ and "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" by Justin Bieber were the singles from 2020 to reach their peak in 2021. Shane Codd and The Kid Laroi are among the many artists who have achieved their first top 10 single in 2021.
"Last Christmas" by Wham!, originally released in 1984, topped the chart for the first time in the first week of 2021. The first new number-one single of the year was "Sweet Melody" by Little Mix. Overall, three different songs have peaked at number-one so far in 2021, with three unique artists hitting that position. An asterisk (*) in the "Weeks in Top 10" column shows that the song is currently in the top 10.
Background
Multiple entries
Twenty-three singles have charted in the top 10 in 2021 (as of 11 February 2021, week ending), with thirteen singles reaching their peak this year (including the re-entry "Last Christmas").
"Last Christmas" finally reaches number-one
On New Year's Day 2021 (7 January 2021, week ending), Wham!'s iconic festive classic "Last Christmas", written by the group's lead singer George Michael, finally reached the coveted number-one spot in the UK chart. Upon its initial release in 1984, the single peaked at number two for five consecutive weeks. It returned to number two in 2017, one year after George Michael's death. The single finally reached the top spot more than 36 years after its initial release, the longest amount of time for a song to reach number-one, surpassing Tony Christie's almost 16 year-long record for the longest time a single has taken to top the UK Singles Chart after its initial release with "(Is This The Way To) Amarillo?" in March 2005, which had itself taken 33 years 4 months to top the chart (with Peter Kay, though credited, only actually appearing in the video). Prior to it reaching number one, "Last Christmas" had for many years held the record as the highest-selling single never to top the charts, with 1.9 million copies sold (not including streams).[6][7][8]
Chart debuts
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.
| Artist | Number of top 10s | First entry | Chart position | Other entries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shane Codd | 1 | "Get Out My Head" | 6 | — |
| The Kid Laroi | 1 | "Without You" | 2 | — |
| Olivia Rodrigo | 1 | "Drivers License" | 1 | — |
| Digital Farm Animals | 1 | "Don't Play | 2 | — |
| Nathan Evans | 1 | "Wellerman (Sea Shanty)" | 3 | — |
| 220 Kid | ||||
| Billen Ted | ||||
Top-ten singles
- Key
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ‡ | Single peaked in 2020 but still in chart in 2021. |
| ♦ | Single released in 2021 but peaked in 2022. |
| (#) | Year-end top-ten single position and rank |
| 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 2020 | ||||||||
| 8 October 2020 | 12 | "You Broke Me First" ‡ [O] | Tate McRae | 3 | 29 October 2020 | 1 | ||
| 5 November 2020 | 13* | "Sweet Melody" [A] | Little Mix | 1 | 14 January 2021 | 1 | ||
| 12 November 2020 | 6 | "34+35" [B][N][R] | Ariana Grande | 3 | 28 January 2021 | 1 | ||
| 19 November 2020 | 6 | "Levitating" ‡ [M] | Dua Lipa | 5 | 3 December 2020 | 2 | ||
| 10 December 2020 | 5 | "All I Want for Christmas Is You" ‡ [C] | Mariah Carey | 1 | 17 December 2020 | 2 | ||
| 5 | "Last Christmas" [D] | Wham! | 1 | 7 January 2021 | 1 | |||
| 5 | "Fairytale of New York" ‡ [E] | The Pogues featuring Kirsty MacColl | 4 | 17 December 2020 | 1 | |||
| 17 December 2020 | 4 | "Merry Christmas Everyone" ‡ [F] | Shakin' Stevens | 6 | 17 December 2020 | 2 | ||
| 4 | "Do They Know It's Christmas?" ‡ [G][H] | Band Aid | 7 | 24 December 2020 | 1 | |||
| 2 | "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas" ‡ [I] | Michael Bublé | 7 | 17 December 2020 | 1 | |||
| 3 | "Step into Christmas" [J] | Elton John | 8 | 7 January 2021 | 1 | |||
| 24 December 2020 | 3 | "This Christmas" [K] | Jess Glynne | 3 | 7 January 2021 | 1 | ||
| 5 | "Whoopty" [L] | CJ | 3 | 14 January 2021 | 1 | |||
| 31 December 2020 | 2 | "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" | Justin Bieber | 4 | 7 January 2021 | 1 | ||
| Singles in 2021 | ||||||||
| 14 January 2021 | 5* | "Afterglow" | Ed Sheeran | 2 | 14 January 2021 | 1 | ||
| 5* | "Anyone" | Justin Bieber | 4 | 14 January 2021 | 1 | |||
| 4* | "Get Out My Head" [S] | Shane Codd | 6 | 14 January 2021 | 1 | |||
| 5* | "Without You" | The Kid Laroi | 2 | 4 February 2021 | 1 | |||
| 5* | "Paradise" | Meduza featuring Dermot Kennedy | 5 | 4 February 2021 | 1 | |||
| 21 January 2021 | 4* | "Drivers License" | Olivia Rodrigo | 1 | 21 January 2021 | 4 | ||
| 28 January 2021 | 3* | "Don't Play" | Anne-Marie, KSI & Digital Farm Animals | 2 | 28 January 2021 | 1 | ||
| 4 February 2021 | 2* | "Wellerman (Sea Shanty)" | Nathan Evans, 220 Kid & Billen Ted | 2 | 11 February 2021 | 1 | ||
| 11 February 2021 | 1* | "Money Talks" | Fredo featuring Dave | 3 | 11 February 2021 | 1 | ||
Entries by artist
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The following table shows artists who have achieved two or more top 10 entries in 2021, including singles that reached their peak in 2020. The figures include both main artists and featured artists, while appearances on ensemble charity records are also counted for each artist. The total number of weeks an artist spent in the top ten in 2021 is also shown.
| Entries | Artist | Country of origin | Weeks | Singles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | George Michael [P][Q] |  United Kingdom |
1 | "Last Christmas", "Do They Know It's Christmas?" |
| Justin Bieber | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Canada |
6* | "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree", "Anyone" | |
Notes
- a "Sweet Melody" re-entered the top 10 at number 9 on 7 January 2021 (week ending).
- b "34+35" re-entered the top 10 at number 10 on 10 December 2020 (week ending).
- c "All I Want fot Christmas Is You" re-entered the top 10 at number 2 on 10 December 2020 (week ending), and peaked at number-one for the first time ever on 17 December 2020 (week ending).
- d "Last Christmas" re-entered the top 10 at number 3 on 10 December 2020 (week ending). Having originally peaked at number 2 in 1984, the song reached number-one for the first time ever on 7 January 2021 (week ending).
- e "Fairytale of New York" re-entered the top 10 at number 8 on 10 December 2020 (week ending), having originally peaked at number 2 upon release in 1987.
- f "Merry Christmas Everyone" re-entered the top 10 at number 6 on 17 December 2020 (week ending), having originally peaked at number 1 upon release in 1985.
- g Released as a charity single by Band Aid in 1984 to aid famine relief in Ethiopia.
- h "Do They Know It's Christmas?" re-entered the top 10 at number 8 on 17 December 2020 (week ending), having originally peaked at number 1 upon release in 1984.
- i "It's Beginning to Look A lot Like Christmas" re-entered the top 10 at number 10 on 7 January 2021 (week ending).
- j "Step Into Christmas" re-entered the top 10 at number 10 on 17 December 2020 (week ending).
- k "This Christmas" entered the top 10 at number 9 on 24 December 2020 (week ending).
- l "Whoopty" re-entered the top 10 at number 3 on 14 January 2021 (week ending).
- m "Levitating" re-entered the top 10 at number 5 on 14 January 2021 (week ending).
- n "34+35" re-entered the top 10 at number 8 on 14 January 2021 (week ending).
- o "You Broke Me First" re-entered the top 10 at number 9 on 14 January 2021 (week ending).
- p Figure includes a top-ten hit as a member of the group Wham!
- q Figure includes an appearance on the "Do They Know It's Christmas?" charity single by Band Aid.
- r "34+35" re-entered the top 10 at number 3 on 28 January 2021 (week ending), following the subsequent remix featuring Doja Cat and Megan Thee Stallion.
- s "Get Out My Head" re-entered the top 10 at number 8 on 11 February 2021 (week ending).
References
- "The Official Charts Company". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 December 2014.
- 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.
- "Official Singles Chart rules are changing to help new bands break through". Newsbeat. British Broadcasting Corporation. 26 June 2017. Retrieved 26 June 2017.
- Homewood, Ben (19 December 2016). "Official Charts Company changes conversion rate to reflect rise in streaming". Music Week. Retrieved 20 January 2017.
- "Wham's Last Christmas finally reaches Number 1, sets Official Chart record". www.officialcharts.com.
- Savage, Mark (1 January 2020). "Wham!'s Last Christmas goes to number one for the first time". BBC News. London. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
- Beaumont-Thomas, Ben (1 January 2020). "Last Christmas by Wham! reaches No 1 for first time after 36 years". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
External links
- 2021 singles chart archive at the Official Charts Company (click on relevant week)