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The UK Singles Chart is the official record chart in the United Kingdom. Record charts in the UK began life in 1952 when Percy Dickins from New Musical Express (NME) imitated an idea started in American Billboard magazine and began compiling a hit parade. Prior to this, a song's popularity was measured by the sales of sheet music. Initially, Dickins telephoned a sample of around 20 shops asking for a list of the 10 best-selling songs. These results were then aggregated to give a Top 12 chart published in NME on 14 November 1952. The number-one single was "Here in My Heart" by Al Martino.
In terms of number-one singles, Frankie Laine, Guy Mitchell and Elvis Presley were the most successful artists of the 1950s, having four singles reach the top spot. The longest duration of a single at number one was eighteen weeks, achieved by Frankie Laine's "I Believe". "I Believe" still holds the record for the most non-consecutive weeks at the top of the UK Singles Chart. It is believed that the three best-selling records of the decade – Bill Haley & His Comets' "Rock Around the Clock", Paul Anka's "Diana" and Harry Belafonte's "Mary's Boy Child" – all sold over one million copies.
Number-one singles
Elvis Presley in a publicity photo for "Jailhouse Rock" which was the best-selling single of 1958. Presley had three other number ones in the 1950s.Al Martino's "Here in My Heart" was the first ever number-one single and held the top spot for nine weeks.Bill Haley & His Comets had the biggest-selling single of the decade with "Rock Around the Clock".Doris Day had two number-one singles in the 1950s, one of which, "Secret Love", was the best-selling record of 1954.Cliff Richard achieved his first two number-one singles in the latter half of 1959.
The following artists achieved three or more number-one hits during the 1950s. Artists Frankie Laine, Guy Mitchell and Elvis Presley were the most successful acts of the decade in terms of number-one singles, each having four singles reach the top of the chart. In total, Laine spent 32 weeks occupying the top of chart in the 1950s; the next highest was Presley who spent a total of 18 weeks at number one.
^ Although The Official Charts Company does not credit Paul Weston as an artist on the singles, he was also a contributing artist to four number-one singles in the 1950s.
^ The artist, song name, date of number-one and its consecutive duration are those given by The Official Charts Company.
The record labels are those given by the OCC.
There are discrepancies in when a single reached number one prior to 30 August 1969. As of 2010 the Official Chart Company website lists all weeks as ending on the Saturday back until 20 March 1960. However, the old Official Chart Company lists chart weeks prior to 5 February 1960 as ending on a Friday.
^ Both Frankie Laine's and David Whitfield's version of "Answer Me" were classified jointly as number one on 11 December 1953. In the week before and the week after Laine's version took the number-one spot outright.
Rees, Dafydd; Lazell, Barry; Osborne, Roger (1995). Forty Years of "NME" Charts (2nd ed.). Pan Macmillan. ISBN0-7522-0829-2.
Warwick, Neil; Kutner, Jon; Brown, Tony (2004). The Complete Book Of The British Charts: Singles and Albums (3rd ed.). London: Omnibus Press. ISBN1-84449-058-0.
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