List of UK singles chart number ones of the 1990s
The UK Singles Chart is a record chart compiled on behalf of the British record industry. Until 1 February 1994, the chart was compiled each week by Gallup – after this date, it was managed by Millward Brown, who expanded the number of sales figures sampled, and extended the use of electronic point of sale machines.[1] From July 1998 onwards, compilation of the chart was overseen by The Chart Information Network (CIN) and it was based entirely on sales of physical singles from retail outlets – airplay statistics are not used in compiling the official UK Singles Chart.[2][3] The chart week ran from Sunday to Saturday, and the Top 40 was first revealed on BBC Radio 1 on a Sunday.[4] Record companies began making singles available to radio stations much further in advance of their release dates and making greater use of direct marketing techniques in the 1990s. As a result, the number of singles that entered the charts at number one increased dramatically, and it became commonplace for singles to enter the charts at the top and then plummet down the listing soon after.[5][6]
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During the decade, 206 singles reached the number-one position on the chart. "Hangin' Tough" by New Kids on the Block reached number one on the first new chart of the decade, replacing "Do They Know It's Christmas?" by Band Aid II which had been number one on the last chart issued in 1989.[7] The longest spell at the top was achieved by Bryan Adams's song "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You", which spent 16 weeks at number one in 1991, beating the record for the longest unbroken run at the top of the charts which had been held by Slim Whitman's "Rose Marie" since 1955.[8] Wet Wet Wet and Whitney Houston also had runs of 10 or more weeks at number one during the 1990s.[8] Although it only spent five weeks at number one, Elton John's 1997 single "Candle in the Wind 1997" / "Something About the Way You Look Tonight" sold almost 5 million copies, becoming the biggest-selling single in UK history.[9] Cher's song "Believe" spent 7 weeks at number-one at the end of 1998 and became the biggest-selling single by a female artist in UK history.[10] Also, Cher is the female solo artist with the most number-one singles in the 1990s (a total of three) and the female solo artist with most weeks at number one (13). The final number one of the decade was the double A-side "I Have a Dream" / "Seasons in the Sun" by Westlife.[11] Take That and the Spice Girls share the distinction of having achieved the most number-one hits in the 1990s, with eight each.[12]
Number-one singles
| † | Best-selling single of the year[13] |
|---|---|
| ‡ | Best-selling single of the decade[13] |
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Artists by total number of weeks at number-one
| Artist | Weeks at number-one |
|---|---|
| Spice Girls | 22 |
| Take That | 21 |
| Wet Wet Wet | 19 |
| Bryan Adams | 16 |
| Cher | 13 |
| Robson & Jerome | 13 |
| Elton John | 12 |
| Michael Jackson | 11 |
| Whitney Houston | 10 |
| Queen | 9 |
| Celine Dion | 9 |
| George Michael | 9 |
| Boyzone | 9 |
| Snap! | 8 |
| Shakespears Sister | 8 |
| Westlife | 8 |
| Aqua | 7 |
| Meat Loaf | 7 |
| B*Witched | 6 |
| Run–D.M.C. | 6 |
| Jason Nevins | 6 |
Songs by total number weeks at number one
The following songs spent at least six weeks at number one during the 1990s.
By artist
The following artists achieved three or more number one hits during the 1990s. George Michael's collaborations with Elton John and Queen, in which both acts received billing on the single's cover, are counted for both acts. Appearances on the "Perfect Day" single are not included, as the individuals did not receive individual credit on the cover.
| Artist | Number ones |
|---|---|
| Spice Girls | 8 |
| Take That | 8 |
| Boyzone | 6[A] |
| B*Witched | 4 |
| Michael Jackson | 4 |
| George Michael | 4 |
| Oasis | 4 |
| Westlife | 4 |
| All Saints | 3 |
| Aqua | 3 |
| Cher | 3 |
| Elton John | 3[A] |
| Queen | 3 |
| Robson & Jerome | 3 |
- A. ^ Total does not include an appearance on the "Perfect Day" single.
By record label
The following record labels had five or more number ones on the UK Singles Chart during the 1990s.
| Record label | Number ones |
|---|---|
| RCA | 22 |
| Virgin/Virgin International | 19 |
| Epic | 17 |
| Polydor | 10 |
| Columbia/CBS | 9 |
| EMI | 9 |
| London | 9 |
| Chrysalis | 5 |
| Jive | 5 |
Million-selling and platinum records
In April 1973, the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) began classifying singles and albums by the number of units sold. In the 1990s the highest threshold was "platinum record" and was awarded to singles that sold over 600,000 units.[27][28][nb 4] In February 1987, the BPI introduced multi-platinum awards so if a single sold 1,200,000 units it was classified as 2×platinum, 1,800,000 units as 3×platinum, and so on.[27]
Sixty-six records, including forty-seven number ones, were classified platinum in the 1990s and three other songs released in the 1990s were classified as platinum in the subsequent decade.[30] Thirty records from the decade sold over one million units.[31][32][33][34][35] Fourteen of these also went multi-platinum and "Candle in the Wind 1997" went nine times platinum and became the best-selling single of all time.[36] "Angels" by Robbie Williams, "Torn" by Natalie Imbruglia, and "Wonderwall" by Oasis all sold over one million copies but failed to get to number one.
| Artist | Song | Date released | Date certified platinum | Year of millionth sale (Multi-platinum) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sinéad O'Connor | "Nothing Compares 2 U" | 8 January 1990 | 1 March 1990 | — |
| Band Aid II | "Do They Know It's Christmas?" | 11 December 1989 | 1 April 1990 | — |
| Elton John | "Sacrifice" | 1 May 1990 | 1 September 1990 | — |
| The Righteous Brothers | "Unchained Melody" | 15 October 1990 | 1 November 1990 | 2004–10 |
| Vanilla Ice | "Ice Ice Baby" | 29 October 1990 | 1 January 1991 | — |
| Bryan Adams | "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" | 17 June 1991 | 1 August 1991 | 1991, (2×: 1 September 1991) |
| Queen | "Bohemian Rhapsody" / "These Are the Days of Our Lives" | 9 December 1991 | 1 December 1991 | — |
| Whitney Houston | "I Will Always Love You" | 31 October 1992 | 1 December 1992 | 1993, (2×: 1 January 1993) |
| Charles & Eddie | "Would I Lie to You?" | 12 October 1992 | 1 January 1993 | — |
| Ace of Base | "All That She Wants" | 1 May 1993 | 1 June 1993 | — |
| UB40 | "(I Can't Help) Falling in Love With You" | 10 May 1993 | 1 July 1993 | — |
| Meat Loaf | "I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)" | 27 September 1993 | 1 November 1993 | — |
| Mr Blobby | "Mr Blobby" | 22 November 1993 | 1 December 1993 | — |
| Take That | "Babe" | 6 December 1993 | 1 January 1994 | — |
| Wet Wet Wet | "Love Is All Around" | 4 May 1994 | 1 June 1994 | 1994, (2×: 1 August 1994) |
| Whigfield | "Saturday Night" | 12 September 1994 | 1 September 1994 | 1994 |
| All-4-One | "I Swear"[No 2] | 6 June 1994 | 1 September 1994 | — |
| Pato Banton | "Baby Come Back" | 19 September 1994 | 1 November 1994 | — |
| East 17 | "Stay Another Day" | 21 November 1994 | 1 December 1994 | — |
| Céline Dion | "Think Twice" | 10 October 1994 | 1 January 1995 | 1994 |
| Rednex | "Cotton Eye Joe" | 12 December 1994 | 1 February 1995 | — |
| Take That | "Back for Good" | 27 March 1995 | 1 April 1995 | 2007–2010 |
| Robson Green & Jerome Flynn | "Unchained Melody" / "White Cliffs of Dover" | 21 November 1994 | 8 May 1995 | 1995, (2×: 1 May 1995) |
| Robson & Jerome | "I Believe" / "Up on the Roof" | 30 October 1995 | 1 November 1995 | 1995 |
| Coolio ft. L.V. | "Gangsta's Paradise" | 16 October 1995 | 1 November 1995 | 1995 |
| Simply Red | "Fairground" | 18 September 1995 | 1 November 1995 | — |
| Michael Jackson | "Earth Song" | 27 November 1995 | 1 December 1995 | 1996 |
| Babylon Zoo | "Spaceman" | 15 January 1996 | 1 January 1996 | 1996 |
| Oasis | "Wonderwall"[No 2] | 30 October 1995 | 1 January 1996 | 2007 |
| Everything but the Girl | "Missing"[No 3] | 6 October 1995 | 1 January 1996 | — |
| Boyzone | "Father and Son"[No 2] | 13 November 1995 | 1 January 1996 | — |
| Take That | "How Deep Is Your Love" | 26 February 1996 | 1 March 1996 | — |
| Oasis | "Don't Look Back in Anger" | 19 February 1996 | 1 April 1996 | — |
| Robert Miles | "Children"[No 2] | 12 February 1996 | 1 April 1996 | — |
| Mark Morrison | "Return of the Mack" | 4 March 1996 | 1 May 1996 | — |
| Gina G | "Ooh Aah... Just a Little Bit" | 25 March 1996 | 1 May 1996 | — |
| Baddiel, Skinner & The Lightning Seeds | "Three Lions" | 1 June 1996 | 1 July 1996 | — |
| Fugees | "Killing Me Softly | 3 June 1996 | 1 June 1996 | 1996, (2×: 1 August 1996) |
| Spice Girls | "Wannabe" | 15 July 1996 | 1 August 1996 | 1996 |
| Spice Girls | "Say You'll Be There" | 14 October 1996 | 1 October 1996 | — |
| Various Artists | "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" | 9 December 1996 | 1 December 1996 | — |
| Spice Girls | "2 Become 1" | 16 December 1996 | 1 December 1996 | 1997 |
| Robson & Jerome | "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted" | 28 October 1996 | 1 January 1997 | — |
| Toni Braxton | "Un-Break My Heart"[No 2] | 21 October 1996 | 1 January 1997 | — |
| The Prodigy | "Breathe" | 11 November 1996 | 1 December 1996 | — |
| Spice Girls | "Mama" / "Who Do You Think You Are" | 3 March 1997 | 1 March 1997 | — |
| Hanson | "MMMBop" | 26 May 1997 | 1 June 1997 | — |
| R. Kelly | "I Believe I Can Fly" | 17 March 1997 | 1 June 1997 | — |
| Oasis | "D'You Know What I Mean?" | 7 July 1997 | 1 July 1997 | — |
| The Rembrandts | "I'll Be There for You"[No 3] | 21 August 1995 | 1 July 1997 | — |
| Will Smith | "Men in Black" | 4 August 1997 | 1 August 1997 | — |
| Puff Daddy ft. Faith Evans | "I'll Be Missing You" | 16 June 1997 | 1 July 1997 | 1997, (2×: 1 August 1997) |
| Elton John | "Candle in the Wind 1997" / "Something About the Way You Look Tonight" | 13 September 1997 | 1 September 1997 | 1997, (2–6×: 1 September 1997) (7–9×: 1 October 1997) |
| Chumbawamba | "Tubthumping"[No 2] | 11 August 1997 | 1 October 1997 | — |
| Spice Girls | "Spice Up Your Life" | 13 October 1997 | 17 October 1997 | — |
| Various Artists | "Perfect Day" | 17 November 1997 | 21 November 1997 | 1997, (2×: 9 January 1998) |
| Aqua | "Barbie Girl" | 1 October 1997 | 7 November 1997 | 1997, (2×: 5 December 1997) |
| All Saints | "Never Ever" | 10 November 1997 | 5 December 1997 | 1998, (2×: 30 January 1998) |
| Natalie Imbruglia | "Torn"[No 2] | 27 October 1997 | 12 December 1997 | 2007 |
| Teletubbies | "Teletubbies say 'Eh-oh!'" | 1 December 1997 | 12 December 1997 | 1997, (2×: 19 December 1997) |
| Spice Girls | "Too Much" | 12 December 1997 | 9 January 1998 | — |
| Janet Jackson | "Together Again"[No 4] | 1 December 1997 | 23 January 1998 | — |
| Run-DMC vs. Jason Nevins | "It's Like That" | 9 March 1998 | 27 March 1998 | 1998 |
| Celine Dion | "My Heart Will Go On" | 9 February 1998 | 27 February 1998 | 1998, (2×: 24 April 1998) |
| Savage Garden | "Truly Madly Deeply"[No 4] | 16 February 1998 | 29 May 1998 | — |
| Baddiel, Skinner & The Lightning Seeds | "3 Lions '98" | 1 June 1998 | 3 July 1998 | — |
| B*Witched | "C'est la Vie" | 1 June 1998 | 3 July 1998 | — |
| LeAnn Rimes | "How Do I Live"[No 7] | 2 March 1998 | 17 July 1998 | — |
| Boyzone | "No Matter What" | 3 August 1998 | 7 August 1998 | 1998 |
| Spice Girls | "Viva Forever" | 20 July 1998 | 13 August 1998 | — |
| Pras Michel ft. Ol' Dirty Bastard & Mýa | "Ghetto Supastar (That Is What You Are)"[No 2] | 6 June 1998 | 21 August 1998 | — |
| Cher | "Believe" | 19 October 1998 | 30 October 1998 | 1998, (2×: 8 January 1999) (3×: 1 August 2014) |
| Stardust | "Music Sounds Better with You"[No 2] | 10 August 1998 | 6 November 1998 | — |
| Robbie Williams | "Angels"[No 4] | 1 December 1997 | 6 February 1998 | 1998, (2×: 4 December 1998) |
| Spice Girls | "Goodbye" | 14 December 1998 | 18 December 1998 | — |
| Steps | "Heartbeat" / "Tragedy" | 9 November 1998 | 8 January 1999 | 1999 |
| Bryan Adams ft. Melanie C | "When You're Gone"[No 3] | 30 November 1998 | 12 February 1999 | — |
| Chef | "Chocolate Salty Balls" | 14 December 1998 | 26 February 1999 | — |
| Boyzone | "When the Going Gets Tough" | 1 March 1999 | 19 March 1999 | — |
| Britney Spears | "Baby One More Time" | 15 February 1999 | 19 February 1999 | 1999, (2×: 26 March 1999) |
| Mr. Oizo | "Flat Beat" | 22 March 1999 | 1 April 1999 | — |
| Martine McCutcheon | "Perfect Moment" | 5 April 1999 | 14 May 1999 | — |
| Shanks & Bigfoot | "Sweet Like Chocolate" | 17 May 1999 | 4 June 1999 | — |
| Shania Twain | "That Don't Impress Me Much"[No 3] | 10 May 1999 | 16 July 1999 | — |
| TLC | "No Scrubs"[No 3] | 14 December 1998 | 18 December 1998 | — |
| ATB | "9pm (Till I Come)" | 21 June 1999 | 23 July 1999 | — |
| S Club 7 | "Bring It All Back" | 7 June 1999 | 30 July 1999 | — |
| Ricky Martin | "Livin' la Vida Loca" | 1 July 1999 | 13 August 1999 | — |
| Lou Bega | "Mambo No.5 (A Little Bit Of...)" | 1 August 1999 | 17 September 1999 | — |
| Eiffel 65 | "Blue (Da Ba Dee)" | 13 September 1999 | 8 October 1999 | 1999 |
| Cliff Richard | "The Millennium Prayer" | 15 November 1999 | 3 December 1999 | — |
| Westlife | "I Have a Dream" / "Seasons in the Sun" | 13 December 1999 | 23 December 1999 | — |
| R. Kelly | "If I Could Turn Back the Hands of Time"[No 2] | 18 October 1999 | 14 January 2000 | — |
| Artful Dodger | "Re-Rewind"[No 2] | 29 November 1999 | 3 March 2000 | — |
| Alice DeeJay | "Better off Alone"[No 2] | 19 July 1999 | 19 May 2000 | — |
Additional information
- [No 2]: The singles "I Swear",[37] "Wonderwall",[38] "Father and Son",[39] "Children",[40] "Un-Break My Heart",[41] "Tubthumping",[42] "Torn",[43] "Ghetto Superstar",[44] "Music Sounds Better with You",[45] "If I Could Turn Back the Hands of Time",[46] and "Better Off Alone"[47] peaked at number two in the UK Singles Chart.
- [No 3]: The singles "I'll Be There for You",[48] "Missing",[49] "When You're Gone",[50] "That Don't Impress Me Much",[51] and "No Scrubs"[52] peaked at number three in the UK Singles Chart.
- [No 4]: The singles "Together Again",[53] "Truly Madly Deeply",[54] and "Angels"[55] peaked at number four in the UK Singles Chart.
- [No 7]: The single "How Do I Live" peaked at number seven in the UK Singles Chart.[56]
Notes
References
- General
- Roberts, David (2005). Guinness World Records: British Hit Singles and Albums (18th ed.). Guinness World Records Limited. pp. 689–704. ISBN 1-904994-00-8.
- Specific