List Of Best-selling Singles In The United Kingdom
For the purposes of calculating sales, a single is currently defined by the Official Charts Company (OCC) as either a 'single bundle' having no more than four tracks and not lasting longer than 25 minutes or one digital audio track not longer than 15 minutes with a minimum sale price of 40 pence. The rules have changed many times as technology has developed, the most notable being the inclusion of digital downloads in 2004 and streaming in 2014. The best-selling single in the UK is "Something About the Way You Look Tonight"/"Candle in the Wind 1997", a double A-side released by Elton John following the death of Diana, Princess of Wales. Since September 1997, the single has sold over 5.4 million copies in the UK. Sales of singles have been monitored and charted in the UK since 1952, when Percy Dickins of ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') telephoned around 20 record stores and aggregated their best-selling singles into a hit parade. Dickins published this Top 12 chart in ''NME'' ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Elton John In Norway
Elton may refer to: Places England * Elton, Cambridgeshire (formerly Huntingdonshire), a village ** Elton Hall, a baronial hall * Elton, Cheshire, a village and civil parish * Elton, County Durham, a village and civil parish in the Borough of Stockton-on-Tees * Elton, Derbyshire, a village * Elton, Greater Manchester, a suburb of Bury * Elton, Herefordshire, a village and civil parish United States * Elton, Louisiana, a town * Elton, Michigan, ghost town * Elton, Nebraska, ghost town * Elton, New Jersey, an unincorporated community * Elton, Pennsylvania * Elton, West Virginia, an unincorporated community * Elton, Wisconsin, an unincorporated community Elsewhere * Rural Municipality of Elton, Manitoba, Canada * Elton, County Limerick, Ireland * Lake Elton, Russia Other uses * Elton (name), lists of people with the given name or surname * Elton John, a British singer-songwriter and pianist * Elton (television presenter), a German television presenter and comedian ** Elton.tv, a Ge ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Happy (Pharrell Williams Song)
"Happy" is a song written, produced, and performed by American musician Pharrell Williams, released as the only single from the soundtrack album for the film '' Despicable Me 2'' (2013). The song was first released on July 2, 2013 with the soundtrack, and it was released as a single on November 21, 2013, alongside a long-form music video. The song was reissued on December 16, 2013, by Back Lot Music under exclusive license to Columbia Records, a division of Sony Music. The song also served as the lead single from Williams's second studio album, ''Girl'' (2014). An official remix features American rapper Sky Blu of LMFAO. "Happy" is an uptempo soul and neo soul song on which Williams's falsetto voice has been compared to Curtis Mayfield's by critics. The song has been highly successful, peaking at No. 1 in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, and 19 other countries. It was the best-selling song of 2014 in the United States with 6.45 million copies sold f ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Queen (band)
Queen are a British Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1970 by Freddie Mercury (lead vocals, piano), Brian May (guitar, vocals), and Roger Taylor (Queen drummer), Roger Taylor (drums, vocals), later joined by John Deacon (bass). Their earliest works were influenced by progressive rock, hard rock and Heavy metal music, heavy metal, but the band gradually ventured into more conventional and radio-friendly works by incorporating further styles, such as arena rock and pop rock. Before forming Queen, May and Taylor had played together in the band Smile (band), Smile. Mercury was a fan of Smile and encouraged them to experiment with more elaborate stage and recording techniques. He joined in 1970 and suggested the name "Queen". Deacon was recruited in February 1971, before the band released their Queen (Queen album), self-titled debut album in 1973. Queen first charted in the UK with their second album, ''Queen II'', in 1974. ''Sheer Heart Attack'' later that year and ''A Ni ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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These Are The Days Of Our Lives
"These Are the Days of Our Lives" is a song by the British rock band Queen. Although credited to the whole band, it was largely written by their drummer Roger Taylor, and is the eighth track on the band's 1991 album ''Innuendo''. The song was released as a single in the United States on Freddie Mercury's 45th birthday, 5 September 1991, and as double A-side single in Ireland and the United Kingdom on 9 December, in the wake of Mercury's death, with the Queen track "Bohemian Rhapsody". The double A-side debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart and remained there for five weeks, topped the Irish Singles Chart for six weeks, and reached number 16 in Germany. The song was awarded a Brit Award for British Single of the Year in 1992. In 1999, it was included on Queen's compilation album '' Greatest Hits III''. Background Reminiscing on the past, Roger Taylor penned the song as Freddie Mercury's health was deteriorating. As a teenager, Taylor had known Mercury since the late ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Bohemian Rhapsody
"Bohemian Rhapsody" is a song by the British rock music, rock band Queen (band), Queen, released as the lead single from their fourth studio album, ''A Night at the Opera (Queen album), A Night at the Opera'' (1975). Written by Queen's lead singer Freddie Mercury, the song is a six-minute suite (music), suite, notable for its lack of a refrain, refraining chorus and consisting of several sections: an Introduction (music), intro, a ballad segment, an operatic passage, a hard rock part and a reflective Coda (music), coda. It is one of the only progressive rock songs of the 1970s to have proved accessible to a mainstream audience. Mercury referred to "Bohemian Rhapsody" as a "mock opera" that resulted from the combination of three songs he had written. It was recorded by Queen and co-producer Roy Thomas Baker at five studios between August and September 1975. Due to recording logistics of the era, the band had to ping-pong recording, bounce the tracks across eight generations of 2 ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Mercury Records
Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. Mercury Records released rock, funk, R&B, doo wop, soul music, blues, pop, rock and roll, and jazz records. In the United States, it is operated through Republic Records; in the United Kingdom and Japan (as Mercury Tokyo in the latter country), it is distributed by EMI Records. Background Mercury Records was started in Chicago in 1945 and over several decades, saw great success. The success of Mercury has been attributed to the use of alternative marketing techniques to promote records. The conventional method of record promotion used by major labels such as RCA Victor, Decca Records, and Capitol Records was dependent on radio airplay, but Mercury Records co-founder Irving Green decided to promote new records using jukeboxes instead. By lowering promotion ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Band Aid (band)
Band Aid is a charity supergroup featuring mainly British and Irish musicians and recording artists. It was founded in 1984 by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise money for anti-famine efforts in Ethiopia by releasing the song " Do They Know It's Christmas?" for the Christmas market that year. On 25 November 1984, the song was recorded at Sarm West Studios in Notting Hill, London, and was released in the UK on Monday 3 December. The single surpassed the hopes of the producers to become the Christmas number one on that release. Three re-recordings of the song to raise further money for charity also topped the charts, first the Band Aid II version in 1989, the Band Aid 20 version in 2004 and finally the Band Aid 30 version in 2014. Band Aid II and Band Aid 20 were also Christmas number one. The original was produced by Ure. The 12" version was mixed by Trevor Horn. Background and discography The supergroup was formed by Bob Geldof, who was then lead singer of the Irish ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Do They Know It's Christmas?
"Do They Know It's Christmas?" is a charity song written in 1984 by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise money for the 1983–1985 famine in Ethiopia. It was first recorded by Band Aid, a supergroup assembled by Geldof and Ure consisting of popular British and Irish musical acts. It was recorded in a single day at Sarm West Studios in Notting Hill, London, in November 1984. "Do They Know It's Christmas?" was released in the UK on 7 December 1984. It entered the UK singles chart at number one, where it remained for five weeks, becoming Christmas number one. It sold a million copies in the first week, making it the fastest-selling single in UK chart history until Elton John's " Candle in the Wind 1997". UK sales passed three million on the last day of 1984. The song also reached number one in 13 other countries. In the US, it fell short of the top ten in the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 due to a lack of airplay, but sold an estimated 2.5 million copies by 1985. It had sold 11.7& ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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The Rocket Record Company
The Rocket Record Company is a record label founded by Elton John, along with Bernie Taupin, Gus Dudgeon, Steve Brown and others, in 1973. The company was named after John's hit song " Rocket Man". The label was originally distributed in the UK by Island and in the US by MCA Records, both of which John was also signed to (after 1976). History The first artists who signed to the label were the group Stackridge, who completed two albums for The Rocket Record Company after moving from MCA. It also became the home of Cliff Richard, Neil Sedaka (whose three most successful U.S. mid-1970s albums were on Rocket), Colin Blunstone, the Hudson Brothers, Blue, Kiki Dee, Judie Tzuke, The Lambrettas, Junior Campbell, Brian & Brenda Russell, and the Dutch band Solution. John offered to sign Iggy Pop & The Stooges to the label, but they declined. After John left his British label, DJM, in 1976, his records were also released by The Rocket Record Company on both sides of the Atlantic. The ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Ed Sheeran
Edward Christopher Sheeran ( ; born 17 February 1991) is an English singer-songwriter. Born in Halifax, West Yorkshire, and raised in Framlingham, Suffolk, he began writing songs around the age of eleven. In early 2011, Sheeran independently released the extended play ''No. 5 Collaborations Project''. He signed with Asylum Records the same year. Sheeran's debut album, ''+ (album), +'' ("''Plus''"), was released in September 2011 and topped the UK Albums Chart. It contained his first hit single, "The A Team (Ed Sheeran song), The A Team". In 2012, Sheeran won the Brit Awards for Brit Award for British Male Solo Artist, Best British Male Solo Artist and Brit Award for British Breakthrough Act, British Breakthrough Act. Sheeran's second studio album, ''x (Ed Sheeran album), ×'' ("''Multiply''"), topped charts around the world upon its release in June 2014. It was named the second-best-selling album worldwide of 2015. In the same year, ''×'' won Brit Awards 2015#Nominees and winn ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Shape Of You
"Shape of You" is a song by English singer Ed Sheeran. It was released on 6 January 2017 as one of the lead single, double lead singles from his third studio album ''÷ (album), ÷'' (2017), along with "Castle on the Hill". The Dancehall pop, dancehall & Rhythm and blues, R&B infused song was written by Sheeran, Steve Mac and Johnny McDaid. Due to its Interpolation (popular music), interpolation of "No Scrubs" by TLC (group), TLC, Kandi Burruss, Tameka Cottle, Tameka "Tiny" Cottle, and Kevin "She'kspere" Briggs are also credited as writers. The song was produced by Sheeran and Steve Mac. "Shape of You" peaked at number one on the singles charts of 34 countries, including the Billboard Hot 100, US ''Billboard'' Hot 100—later becoming the Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 2017, best performing song of 2017—as well as in the British, Australian, Canadian and Irish singles charts. It stayed at number one for a record-tying 16 consecutive weeks on the Canadian Hot 100, as we ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Will Young
William Robert Young (born 20 January 1979) is an English singer, songwriter and actor. He came to prominence after winning the 2002 inaugural series of the ITV talent contest '' Pop Idol'', making him the first winner of the worldwide '' Idol'' franchise. His double A-sided debut single " Anything Is Possible" / "Evergreen" was released two weeks after the show's finale and became the fastest-selling debut single in the UK. Young also came in fifth place in '' World Idol'' performing the single " Light My Fire" written by the band the Doors. As a teenager, Young studied politics at the University of Exeter before moving to London, where he studied musical theatre at the Arts Educational Schools in Chiswick. Young put his studies on hold in late 2001 to become a contestant on ''Pop Idol''. After winning the competition the following year, he released his debut album ''From Now On (Will Young album), From Now On'' (2002) which went straight to number one. ''Friday's Child (albu ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |