| 1950s in music in the UK |
| Events |
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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] New Musical Express (NME) magazine had published the United Kingdom record charts for the first time in 1952.[4][5][6] NME originally published only a top 12 (although the first chart had a couple of singles that were tied so a top 15 was announced) but this was gradually extended to encompass a top 20 by October 1954.[7][8][9] This list shows singles that peaked in the top 10 of the UK Singles Chart during 1953, as well as singles which peaked in 1952 and 1954 but were in the top 10 in 1953. 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).
Seventy-nine singles were in the top 10 in 1953. Sixteen singles from 1952 remained in the top 10 for several weeks at the beginning of the year, while "Oh Mein Papa" by Eddie Calvert, "Chicka Boom" by Guy Mitchell and "Let's Have a Party" by Winifred Atwell were all released in 1953 but did not reach their peak until 1954. "You Belong to Me" by Jo Stafford, "Comes A-Long A-Love" by Kay Starr, "Takes Two to Tango" by Louis Armstrong, "Cowpuncher's Cantata" by Max Bygraves, "Walkin' to Missouri" by Tony Brent and "Britannia Rag" by Winifred Atwell were the singles from 1952 to reach their peak in 1953. Seventeen artists scored multiple entries in the top 10 in 1953. David Whitfield, Dean Martin, Eddie Fisher and Perry Como were among the many artists who achieved their first UK charting top 10 single in 1953.
The 1952 Christmas number-one, "Here in My Heart" by Al Martino, remained at number-one for the first three weeks of 1953. The first new number-one single of the year was "You Belong to Me" by Jo Stafford. Overall, thirteen different singles peaked at number-one in 1953, with Frankie Laine (3) having the most singles hit that position.
Background
Multiple entries
Eighty singles charted in the top 10 in 1953, with sixty-three singles reaching their peak this year. Eleven songs were recorded by several artists with each version reaching the top 10:
- "(How Much Is) That Doggie in the Window" - Lita Roza, Patti Page
- "Answer Me" - David Whitfield, Frankie Laine
- "Because You're Mine" - Nat King Cole, Mario Lanza (both peaked 1952)
- "Broken Wings" - Art and Dotty Todd, The Stargazers
- "Dragnet" - Ray Anthony and His Orchestra, Ted Heath & His Music
- "Faith Can Move Mountains" - Johnnie Ray & The Four Lads (peaked 1952), Nat King Cole
- "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" - The Beverley Sisters, Jimmy Boyd
- "In a Golden Coach (There's a Heart of Gold)" - Billy Cotton & His Band, Dickie Valentine
- "Swedish Rhapsody" - Mantovani, Ray Martin
- "Terry's Theme from Limelight" - Frank Chacksfield, Ron Goodwin, Jimmy Young (version known as "Eternally")
Seventeen artists scored multiple entries in the top 10 in 1953. American Frankie Laine secured the record for most top 10 hits in 1953 with eight hit singles.
David Whitfield was one of a number of artists with two top 10 entries, including the number-one single "Answer Me". Al Martino, Dickie Valentine, Mantovani, Ted Heath & His Music and Tony Brent were among the other artists who had multiple top 10 entries in 1953.
Chart debuts
Thirty-eight artists achieved their first top 10 single in 1953, either as a lead or featured artist. Of these, three went on to record another hit single that year: Billy Cotton and His Band, Frank Chacksfield and Jimmy Boyd. David Whitfield, Dickie Valentine and Ted Heath & His Music all peaked in the top ten with two more songs. Eddie Fisher had four other entries in his 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.
Songs from films
Original songs from various films entered the top 10 throughout the year. These included "Terry's Theme" (from Limelight), "The Song from the Moulin Rouge (Where Is Your Heart)" (Moulin Rouge), "Swedish Rhapsody" (The Stranger Left No Card) and "Chicka Boom" (Those Redheads from Seattle).
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 single of each year in chart history from 1952 to date. According to the list, "I Believe" by Frankie Laine is officially recorded as the biggest-selling single of 1953.
Top-ten singles
- Key
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ‡ | Single peaked in 1952 but still in chart in 1953. |
| ♦ | Single released in 1953 but peaked in 1954. |
| (#) | 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 1952 | ||||||
| 20 November 1952 | 16 | "Here in My Heart" ‡ | Al Martino | 1 | 20 November 1952 | 9 |
| 16 | "You Belong to Me" | Jo Stafford | 1 | 22 January 1953 | 1 | |
| 6 | "Somewhere Along the Way" ‡ | Nat King Cole | 3 | 20 November 1952 | 1 | |
| 11 | "Isle of Innisfree" ‡ | Bing Crosby | 3 | 18 December 1952 | 3 | |
| 10 | "Feet Up (Pat Him on the Po-Po)" ‡ | Guy Mitchell | 2 | 27 November 1952 | 1 | |
| 9 | "Half as Much" ‡ | Rosemary Clooney | 3 | 27 November 1952 | 3 | |
| 6 | "Forget Me Not" ‡ | Vera Lynn | 5 | 18 December 1952 | 1 | |
| 7 | "Sugar Bush" ‡ | Doris Day & Frankie Laine | 8 | 20 November 1952 | 3 | |
| 27 November 1952 | 22 | "Because You're Mine" ‡ | Mario Lanza | 3 | 11 December 1952 | 3 |
| 11 December 1952 | 14 | "Comes A-Long A-Love" | Kay Starr | 1 | 29 January 1953 | 1 |
| 25 December 1952 | 3 | "White Christmas" ‡ | Mantovani | 6 | 25 December 1952 | 2 |
| 3 | "Because You're Mine" ‡ [F] | Nat King Cole | 6 | 25 December 1952 | 2 | |
| 3 | "Faith Can Move Mountains" ‡ [G] | Johnnie Ray & The Four Lads | 7 | 25 December 1952 | 2 | |
| 2 | "Silent Night, Holy Night" ‡ | Bing Crosby | 8 | 25 December 1952 | 2 | |
| 10 | "Takes Two to Tango" | Louis Armstrong | 6 | 29 January 1953 | 1 | |
| 4 | "Walkin' to Missouri" [H] | Tony Brent | 7 | 15 January 1953 | 1 | |
| Singles in 1953 | ||||||
| 8 January 1953 | 6 | "Cowpuncher's Cantata" [D] | Max Bygraves | 6 | 29 January 1953 | 1 |
| 15 January 1953 | 15 | "Outside of Heaven" [J] | Eddie Fisher | 1 | 5 February 1953 | 1 |
| 3 | "Britannia Rag" | Winifred Atwell | 5 | 29 January 1953 | 1 | |
| 1 | "The Glow-Worm" | The Mills Brothers | 10 | 15 January 1953 | 1 | |
| 22 January 1953 | 4 | "Make It Soon" [K] | Tony Brent | 9 | 22 January 1953 | 3 |
| 15 | "Don't Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes" | Perry Como & The Ramblers | 1 | 12 February 1953 | 5 | |
| 5 February 1953 | 12 | "Now" | Al Martino | 3 | 26 March 1953 | 2 |
| 12 February 1953 | 3 | "Everything I Have Is Yours" | Eddie Fisher | 8 | 12 February 1953 | 1 |
| 1 | "Faith Can Move Mountains" | Nat King Cole | 10 | 12 February 1953 | 1 | |
| 19 February 1953 | 14 | "She Wears Red Feathers" | Guy Mitchell | 1 | 19 March 1953 | 4 |
| 26 February 1953 | 5 | "Broken Wings" | Art and Dotty Todd | 6 | 5 March 1953 | 2 |
| 5 March 1953 | 10 | "Wonderful Copenhagen" | Danny Kaye | 5 | 16 April 1953 | 1 |
| 12 March 1953 | 9 | "Broken Wings" [N] | The Stargazers | 1 | 16 April 1953 | 1 |
| 19 March 1953 | 11 | "(How Much Is) That Doggie in the Window?" | Lita Roza | 1 | 23 April 1953 | 1 |
| 26 March 1953 | 2 | "All the Time and Everywhere" | Dickie Valentine | 9 | 26 March 1953 | 1 |
| 2 April 1953 | 2 | "(How Much Is) That Doggie in the Window?" | Patti Page | 9 | 2 April 1953 | 2 |
| 9 April 1953 | 8 | "Oh Happy Day" | The Johnston Brothers | 4 | 7 May 1953 | 2 |
| 1 | "Little Red Monkey" | Frank Chacksfield's Tunesmiths | 10 | 9 April 1953 | 1 | |
| 16 April 1953 | 5 | "Somebody Stole My Gal" [O] | Johnnie Ray | 6 | 16 April 1953 | 2 |
| 35 | "I Believe" (#1) | Frankie Laine | 1 | 30 April 1953 | 18 | |
| 30 April 1953 | 9 | "Pretty Little Black Eyed Susie" | Guy Mitchell | 2 | 7 May 1953 | 1 |
| 3 | "Side by Side" | Kay Starr | 7 | 7 May 1953 | 1 | |
| 18 | "Pretend" | Nat King Cole | 2 | 14 May 1953 | 5 | |
| 7 May 1953 | 14 | "Downhearted" | Eddie Fisher | 3 | 28 May 1953 | 2 |
| 14 May 1953 | 12 | "Tell Me a Story" [P] | Jimmy Boyd & Frankie Laine | 5 | 21 May 1953 | 2 |
| 7 | "In a Golden Coach (There's a Heart of Gold)" | Billy Cotton & His Band | 3 | 11 June 1953 | 1 | |
| 28 May 1953 | 17 | "I'm Walking Behind You" | Eddie Fisher with Sally Sweetland | 1 | 2 July 1953 | 1 |
| 15 | "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me" | Muriel Smith | 3 | 25 June 1953 | 4 | |
| 23 | "Terry's Theme from Limelight" | Frank Chacksfield | 2 | 11 June 1953 | 8 | |
| 4 June 1953 | 22 | "The Song from the Moulin Rouge" | Mantovani | 1 | 20 August 1953 | 1 |
| 11 June 1953 | 2 | "Coronation Rag" | Winifred Atwell | 5 | 11 June 1953 | 1 |
| 1 | "In a Golden Coach (There's a Heart of Gold)" | Dickie Valentine | 7 | 11 June 1953 | 1 | |
| 18 | "Terry's Theme from Limelight" | Ron Goodwin | 3 | 13 August 1953 | 2 | |
| 16 July 1953 | 2 | "Rachel" [S] | Al Martino | 10 | 16 July 1953 | 2 |
| 30 July 1953 | 8 | "Hot Toddy" | Ted Heath & His Music | 6 | 20 August 1953 | 2 |
| 6 August 1953 | 13 | "Let's Walk That-a-Way" | Doris Day & Johnnie Ray | 4 | 3 September 1953 | 7 |
| 13 August 1953 | 5 | "Say You're Mine Again" [U] | June Hutton & Axel Stordahl with The Boys Next Door | 6 | 24 September 1953 | 1 |
| 20 August 1953 | 5 | "Can't I?" [V] | Nat King Cole | 6 | 1 October 1953 | 2 |
| 27 August 1953 | 3 | "Eternally" | Jimmy Young | 8 | 10 September 1953 | 1 |
| 3 | "Seven Lonely Days" [T] | Gisele MacKenzie | 6 | 3 September 1953 | 1 | |
| 3 September 1953 | 14 | "Look at That Girl" | Guy Mitchell | 1 | 17 September 1953 | 6 |
| 17 September 1953 | 10 | "Where the Winds Blow" | Frankie Laine | 2 | 8 October 1953 | 1 |
| 24 September 1953 | 5 | "Mother Nature and Father Time" | Nat King Cole | 7 | 22 October 1953 | 1 |
| 7 | "Kiss" | Dean Martin | 5 | 29 October 1953 | 1 | |
| 8 October 1953 | 1 | "The Bridge of Sighs" | David Whitfield | 9 | 8 October 1953 | 1 |
| 15 October 1953 | 1 | "Flirtation Waltz" | Winifred Atwell | 10 | 15 October 1953 | 1 |
| 22 October 1953 | 8 | "Hey Joe!" | Frankie Laine | 1 | 29 October 1953 | 2 |
| 29 October 1953 | 17 | "Swedish Rhapsody" [Z] | Mantovani | 2 | 10 December 1953 | 2 |
| 12 | "Answer Me" [Y] | David Whitfield | 1 | 12 November 1953 | 2 | |
| 9 | "Poppa Piccolino" [AA] | Diana Decker | 2 | 17 December 1953 | 1 | |
| 5 November 1953 | 17 | "Answer Me" | Frankie Laine | 1 | 19 November 1953 | 8 |
| 12 November 1953 | 14 | "Chicka Boom" ♦ | Guy Mitchell | 4 | 4 February 1954 | 1 |
| 26 November 1953 | 4 | "Vaya con Dios" | Les Paul & Mary Ford | 7 | 26 November 1953 | 1 |
| 2 | "Wish You Were Here" | Eddie Fisher | 8 | 26 November 1953 | 1 | |
| 3 December 1953 | 6 | "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" | Jimmy Boyd | 3 | 10 December 1953 | 1 |
| 1 | "Dragnet" | Ted Heath & His Music | 9 | 3 December 1953 | 1 | |
| 10 December 1953 | 1 | "Dragnet" | Ray Anthony & His Orchestra | 7 | 10 December 1953 | 1 |
| 9 | "Let's Have a Party" ♦ | Winifred Atwell | 2 | 21 January 1954 | 1 | |
| 4 | "Swedish Rhapsody" [FF] | Ray Martin | 4 | 24 December 1953 | 3 | |
| 17 December 1953 | 4 | "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" | The Beverley Sisters | 6 | 17 December 1953 | 1 |
| 5 | "Crying in the Chapel" | Lee Lawrence | 7 | 17 December 1953 | 1 | |
| 3 | "Ricochet" | Joan Regan with The Squadronaires | 8 | 17 December 1953 | 1 | |
| 24 December 1953 | 20 | "Oh Mein Papa" ♦ | Eddie Calvert | 1 | 14 January 1954 | 9 |
Entries by artist
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The following table shows artists who achieved two or more top 10 entries in 1953, including singles that reached their peak in 1952 or 1954. 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 10 in 1953 is also shown.
Notes
- a "Dragnet" reached its peak of number seven on 14 January 1954 (week ending).
- b "Rags to Riches" reached its peak of number three on 14 January 1954 (week ending).
- c "Oh Mein Papa" reached its peak of number one on 14 January 1954 (week ending).
- d "Cowpuncher's Cantanta" re-entered the top 12 at number 8 on 8 January 1953; at number 6 on 29 January 1953 (week ending) for 5 weeks and at number 10 on 12 March 1953 (week ending).
- e "Britannia Rag" re-entered the top 12 at number 12 on 15 January 1953 (week ending) for 5 weeks.
- f "Because You're Mine" (Nat King Cole version) re-entered the top 12 at number 10 on 29 January 1953 (week ending) and at number 11 on 19 February 1953 (week ending).
- g "Faith Can Move Mountains" (Johnnie Ray and The Four Lads version) re-entered the top 12 at number 9 on 15 January 1953 (week ending).
- h "Walkin' to Missouri" re-entered the top 12 at number 7 on 15 January 1953 (week ending) for 5 weeks
- i "Faith Can Move Mountains" (Nat King Cole version) re-entered the top 12 at number 12 on 22 January 1953 (week ending) for 2 weeks and at number 10 on 12 February 1953 (week ending).
- j "Outside of Heaven" re-entered the top 12 at number 12 on 7 May 1953 (week ending).
- k "Make It Soon" re-entered the top 12 at number 10 on 19 March 1953 (week ending) for 3 weeks.
- l "Everything I Have Is Yours" re-entered the top 12 at number 8 on 12 February 1953 (week ending) for 4 weeks.
- m "She Wears Red Feathers" re-entered the top 12 at number 12 on 18 June 1953 (week ending).
- n "Broken Wings" (Stargazers version) re-entered the top 12 at number 12 on 5 March 1953 (week ending) for 11 weeks.
- o "Somebody Stole My Gal" re-entered the top 12 at number 7 on 30 April 1953 (week ending) for 4 weeks; at number 12 on 4 June 1953 (week ending) and at number 11 on 13 August 1953 (week ending).
- p "Tell Me a Story" re-entered the top 12 at number 12 on 17 September 1953 (week ending).
- q "Coronation Rag" re-entered the top 12 at number 12 on 4 June 1953 (week ending) for 5 weeks.
- r "The Song from the Moulin Rouge (Where Is Your Heart)" re-entered the top 12 at number 10 on 19 November 1953 (week ending) and at number 12 on 10 December 1953 (week ending).
- s "Rachel" re-entered the top 12 at number 12 on 17 September 1953 (week ending).
- t "Seven Lonely Days" re-entered the top 12 at number 11 on August 1953 (week ending) and at number 10 on 27 August 1953 (week ending) for 4 weeks.
- u "Say You're Mine Again" re-entered the top 12 at number 7 on 10 September 1953 (week ending) for 4 weeks.
- v "Can't I" re-entered the top 12 at number 11 on 24 September 1953 (week ending) for 4 weeks and at number 10 on 5 November 1953 (week ending).
- w "Kiss" re-entered the top 12 at number 7 on 8 October 1953 (week ending) for 7 weeks.
- x "Flirtation Waltz" re-entered the top 12 at number 19 on 15 October 1953 (week ending) and at number 12 on 12 November 1953 (week ending).
- y "Answer Me" (David Whitfield version) re-entered the top 12 at number 12 on 4 February 1954 (week ending).
- z "Swedish Rhapsody" (Mantovani version) re-entered the top 12 at number 12 on 4 March 1954 (week ending).
- aa "Poppa Piccolino (Papaveri e papere)" re-entered the top 12 at number 5 on 14 January 1954 (week ending) for 2 weeks.
- bb "Dragnet" (Ted Heath and His Music version) re-entered the top 12 at number 9 on 3 December 1953 (week ending); at number 11 on 17 December 1953 (week ending); at number 11 on 21 January 1954 (week ending) and at number 12 on 11 February 1954 (week ending).
- cc "Chicka Boom" re-entered the top 12 at number 8 on 21 January 1954 (week ending) for 6 weeks.
- dd "Crying in the Chapel" re-entered the top 12 at number 7 on 17 December 1953 (week ending) for 5 weeks.
- ee "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" (The Beverley Sisters version) re-entered the top 12 at number 6 on 17 December 1953 (week ending) for 4 weeks.
- ff "Swedish Rhapsody" (Ray Martin version) re-entered the top 12 at number 4 on 24 December 1953 (week ending) for 3 weeks.
- gg "Ricochet" re-entered the top 12 at number 12 on 14 January 1954 (week ending) for 4 weeks.
- hh "Rags to Riches" re-entered the top 12 at number 3 on 14 January 1954 (week ending) for 10 weeks.
- ii Figure includes single that peaked in 1952.
- jj Figure includes single that peaked in 1954.
- kk Figures includes single that first charted in 1952 but peaked in 1953.
See also
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.
- ^ "The Story of the Single". BBC News. 23 March 2001. Retrieved 19 May 2010.
- ^ "'The Godfather' singer Al Martino dies". New Musical Express. 14 October 2009. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
- ^ "Key dates in the history of the Official UK Charts". The Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 10 January 2008. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ "Top 10 chart starts to sound a little off-key". Yorkshire Post. 17 January 2005. Retrieved 19 May 2010.
- ^ "First ever top 12: 14 November 1952". The Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 10 January 2008. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
- ^ "First ever top 20: 01 October 1954". The Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 10 January 2008. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
External links
- 1953 singles chart archive at the Official Charts Company (click on relevant week)
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