List of UK top-ten singles in 1963

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] This list shows singles that peaked in the top 10 of the UK Singles Chart during 1963, as well as singles which peaked in 1962 and 1964 but were in the top 10 in 1963. 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).

The Beatles had the biggest-selling single of 1963 with "She Loves You", which topped the chart for six non-consecutive weeks and was one of four top 10 singles in their breakthrough year, which included two other number-ones: "From Me to You" and "I Want to Hold Your Hand". "She Loves You" would also rank as the best-selling single of the decade and remains the 8th highest selling song of all time.
Gerry and the Pacemakers became the very first act to reach number-one in the UK charts with their first three singles: "How Do You Do It?", "I Like It" and "You'll Never Walk Alone".
The Searchers entered the top 10 for the first time in 1963 with two singles making the countdown, including their debut release, "Sweets for My Sweet", which reached number-one for two weeks in August.

One-hundred and four singles were in the top ten in 1963. Nine singles from 1962 remained in the top 10 for several weeks at the beginning of the year, while "Dominique" by The Singing Nun, "Glad All Over" by The Dave Clark Five, "I Only Want to Be with You" by Dusty Springfield and "Twenty Four Hours From Tulsa" by Gene Pitney were all released in 1963 but did not reach their peak until 1964. "(Dance With The) Guitar Man" by Duane Eddy & the Rebelettes, "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" by Brenda Lee and "The Next Time"/"Bachelor Boy" by Cliff Richard and The Shadows were the singles from 1962 to reach their peak in 1963. Twenty-nine artists scored multiple entries in the top 10 in 1963.The Beatles, The Dave Clark Five, Dusty Springfield, Gerry and the Pacemakers and The Searchers were among the many artists who achieved their first UK charting top 10 single in 1963.

The 1962 Christmas number-one, "Return to Sender" by Elvis Presley, remained at number one for the first week of 1963. The first new number-one single of the year was "The Next Time"/"Bachelor Boy" by Cliff Richard and The Shadows. Overall, seventeen different singles peaked at number-one in 1963, with The Beatles and Gerry and the Pacemakers (3) having the joint most singles hit that position.

Background

Multiple entries

One-hundred and four singles charted in the top 10 in 1963, with ninety-four singles reaching their peak this year.

Twenty-seven artists scored multiple entries in the top 10 in 1963. The Shadows secured the record for most top 10 hits in 1963 with nine hit singles, four of which were with Cliff Richard.

The Searchers were one of a number of artists with two top-ten entries, including the number-one single "Sweets for My Sweet". Del Shannon, Joe Brown and the Bruvvers, Kenny Lynch and Tommy Roe were among the other artists who had multiple top 10 entries in 1963.

Chart debuts

Thirty-seven artists achieved their first top 10 single in 1963, either as a lead or featured artist. Of these, eight went on to record another hit single that year: Brian Poole, The Crystals, Gerry and the Pacemakers, Kenny Lynch, Paul & Paula, The Searchers, The Springfields and The Tremeloes. Billy J. Kramer & The Dakotas, Dusty Springfield, Freddie and the Dreamers all had two more top 10 singles in 1963. The Beatles had three other entries in their 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.

ArtistNumber of top 10sFirst entryChart positionOther entries
Maureen Evans1"Like I Do (Danza delle ore)"3
Mike Berry and the Outlaws1"Don't You Think It's Time"6
Kenny Lynch2"Up on the Roof"10"You Can Never Stop Me Loving You" (10)
The Beatles4"Please Please Me"2"From Me to You" (1), "She Loves You" (1), "I Want to Hold Your Hand" (1)
The Springfields2"Island of Dreams"5"Say I Won't Be There" (5)
Dusty Springfield3"Say I Won't Be There" (5), "I Only Want to Be with You" (4) [A]
The Rooftop Singers1"Walk Right In"10
Paul & Paula2"Hey Paula"8"Young Lovers" (9)
Billie Davis1"Tell Him"10
The Bachelors1"Charmaine"6
Ned Miller1"From a Jack to a King"2
The Cascades1"Rhythm of the Rain"5
Gerry and the Pacemakers3"How Do You Do It?"1"I Like It" (1), "You'll Never Walk Alone" (1)
Billy J. Kramer3"Do You Want to Know a Secret?"2"Bad to Me" (1), "I'll Keep You Satisfied" (4)
The Dakotas
Wink Martindale1"Deck of Cards"5
Freddie and the Dreamers3"If You Gotta Make a Fool of Somebody"3"I'm Telling You Now" (2), "You Were Made for Me" (3)
Jim Reeves1"Welcome to My World"6
Lesley Gore1"It's My Party"9
The Crystals2"Da Doo Ron Ron"5"Then He Kissed Me" (2)
The Searchers2"Sweets for My Sweet"1"Sugar and Spice" (2)
Brian Poole2"Twist and Shout"4"Do You Love Me" (1)
The Tremeloes
Kyu Sakamoto1"Sukiyaki"6
Ken Thorne & His Orchestra1"Theme from The Legion's Last Patrol"4
The Surfaris1"Wipe Out"5
The Caravelles1"You Don't Have to Be a Baby to Cry"6
Trini Lopez1"If I Had a Hammer"4
The Fourmost1"Hello Little Girl"9
Chuck Berry1"Let It Rock"/"Memphis, Tennessee"6
The Ronettes1"Be My Baby"4
Kathy Kirby1"Secret Love"4
Los Indios Tabajaras1"María Elena"5
The Dave Clark Five1"Glad All Over" [B]1
The Singing Nun1"Dominique" [C]7
Gene Pitney1"Twenty Four Hours from Tulsa" [D]5
Notes

Jet Harris and Tony Meehan scored three chart hits as a duo in 1963, including number-one single "Diamonds" in February. They had both been members of The Shadows (formerly The Drifters) since its inception, as well as joining The Vipers Skiffle Group before going solo. "Just Like Eddie" was Heinz's first foray into the chart under his own name, but he had been a bassist in The Tornados, the group debuting with the number-one hit "Telstar" at the end of 1962.

Songs from films

Original songs from various films entered the top 10 throughout the year. These included "Summer Holiday" (from Summer Holiday), "Theme from The Legion's Last Patrol (Concerto disperato)" (The Legion's Last Patrol), "She Loves You" (A Hard Day's Night), "You'll Never Walk Alone" (Carousel) and "Dominique" (The Singing Nun).

Additionally, a melody used in "Never on Sunday" was turned into a hit single recorded by Brenda Lee as "All Alone Am I". "Do You Want to Know a Secret?", written by Lennon-McCartney and performed by The Beatles and taken into the top 10 by Billy J. Kramer and The Dakotas, was inspired by the tune "I'm Wishing" from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. "Secret Love" had first been heard in the 1953 film Calamity Jane, sang by Doris Day. Kathy Kirby took her cover version to number four. "María Elena" started as an instrumental featured in the film Bordertown.

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, "She Loves You" by The Beatles is officially recorded as the biggest-selling single of 1963. "She Loves You" (1) was also ranked as the best-selling single of the decade, while "I Want to Hold Your Hand" (2) also ranked in the top 10 best-selling singles of the 1960s. "She Loves You" also stands as the 8th biggest-selling single of all time in the UK (as of December 2017).

Top-ten singles

Key
SymbolMeaning
Single peaked in 1962 but still in chart in 1963.
Single released in 1963 but peaked in 1964.
(#)Year-end best-selling single.
EnteredThe date that the single first appeared in the chart.
PeakHighest position that the single reached in the UK Singles Chart.
Entered
(week ending)
Weeks
in
top
10
SingleArtistPeakPeak reached
(week ending)
Weeks
at
peak
Singles in 1962
3 October 196216"Telstar" ‡ [E]The Tornados110 October 19625
31 October 196210"Let's Dance" ‡ [F]Chris Montez27 November 19624
7 November 196212"Lovesick Blues" ‡Frank Ifield114 November 19625
21 November 19629"Bobby's Girl" ‡Susan Maughan35 December 19621
28 November 196210"(Dance With The) Guitar Man"Duane Eddy42 January 19632
5 December 19628"Sun Arise" ‡Rolf Harris319 December 19621
12 December 19629"Return to Sender" ‡Elvis Presley119 December 19623
19 December 196211"The Next Time"/"Bachelor Boy"Cliff Richard & The Shadows19 January 19633
26 December 19622"Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree"Brenda Lee62 January 19631
Singles in 1963
2 January 19637"Dance On!"The Shadows130 January 19631
9 January 19632"It Only Took A Minute"Joe Brown & the Bruvvers616 January 19631
16 January 19633"Go Away Little Girl"Mark Wynter623 January 19631
6"Like I Do"Maureen Evans330 January 19632
23 January 19634"Globetrotter"The Tornados530 January 19632
30 January 19637"Diamonds"Jet Harris & Tony Meehan16 February 19633
4"Don't You Think It's Time"Mike Berry and the Outlaws630 January 19631
1"Up on the Roof"Kenny Lynch1030 January 19631
6 February 19635"Little Town Flirt"Del Shannon420 February 19631
8"The Wayward Wind"Frank Ifield127 February 19633
1"Some Kinda Fun"Chris Montez106 February 19631
13 February 19638"Please Please Me"The Beatles227 February 19633
7"Island of Dreams" [G]The Springfields53 April 19631
20 February 19634"Loop-De-Loop"Frankie Vaughan56 March 19631
2"All Alone Am I"Brenda Lee727 February 19631
3"Sukiyaki"Kenny Ball & His Jazzmen1020 February 19633
27 February 19635"The Night Has a Thousand Eyes"Bobby Vee36 March 19631
6 March 19636"That's What Love Will Do"Joe Brown & the Bruvvers320 March 19632
8"Summer Holiday"Cliff Richard & The Shadows120 March 19633
13 March 19636"Like I've Never Been Gone"Billy Fury33 April 19631
1"Walk Right In"The Rooftop Singers1013 March 19631
20 March 19632"Hey Paula"Paul & Paula820 March 19631
8"Foot Tapper"The Shadows13 April 19631
1"Tell Him"Billie Davis1020 March 19631
27 March 19634"Charmaine"The Bachelors63 April 19631
3 April 19638"From a Jack to a King"Ned Miller217 April 19633
6"Rhythm of the Rain"The Cascades517 April 19632
9"How Do You Do It?"Gerry and the Pacemakers117 April 19633
10 April 19633"Say Wonderful Things" [H]Ronnie Carroll610 April 19631
5"Brown-Eyed Handsome Man"Buddy Holly324 April 19631
17 April 19633"The Folk Singer"Tommy Roe424 April 19632
24 April 19634"Say I Won't Be There"The Springfields51 May 19632
8"In Dreams" [I]Roy Orbison615 May 19632
1 May 196311"From Me to You"The Beatles18 May 19637
4"Nobody's Darlin' But Mine"Frank Ifield48 May 19632
8 May 19636"Can't Get Used to Losing You"Andy Williams222 May 19631
15 May 19637"Scarlett O'Hara"Jet Harris & Tony Meehan229 May 19631
5"Two Kinds of Teardrops"Del Shannon522 May 19631
2"Losing You" [J]Brenda Lee1015 May 19632
22 May 19636"Lucky Lips"Cliff Richard & The Shadows429 May 19632
7"Do You Want to Know a Secret?"Billy J. Kramer & The Dakotas25 June 19632
29 May 19632"Young Lovers"Paul & Paula929 May 19632
5 June 19635"When Will You Say I Love You"Billy Fury312 June 19631
9"Deck of Cards"Wink Martindale510 July 19631
12 June 19638"Take These Chains from My Heart"Ray Charles512 June 19633
10"I Like It"Gerry and the Pacemakers126 June 19634
19 June 19635"If You Gotta Make a Fool of Somebody"Freddie and the Dreamers326 June 19632
26 June 19638"Atlantis"The Shadows23 July 19632
3 July 19634"Bo Diddley"Buddy Holly417 July 19631
2"Falling"Roy Orbison93 July 19631
10 July 19639"Confessin'"Frank Ifield124 July 19632
3"Welcome to My World" [K]Jim Reeves617 July 19631
17 July 19634"It's My Party"Lesley Gore917 July 19633
6"(You're the) Devil in Disguise"Elvis Presley17 August 19631
24 July 19636"Da Doo Ron Ron"The Crystals524 July 19633
8"Sweets for My Sweet"The Searchers114 August 19632
31 July 19635"Twist and Shout"Brian Poole & The Tremeloes47 August 19633
7 August 19633"Sukiyaki"Kyu Sakamoto614 August 19631
14 August 19634"In Summer"Billy Fury528 August 19631
1"You Can Never Stop Me Loving You"Kenny Lynch1014 August 19631
21 August 19636"Bad to Me"Billy J. Kramer & The Dakotas128 August 19633
4"Theme from The Legion's Last Patrol" [L]Ken Thorne44 September 19631
6"Wipe Out"The Surfaris54 September 19631
28 August 19635"I'm Telling You Now"Freddie and the Dreamers24 September 19632
7"I'll Never Get Over You"Johnny Kidd & the Pirates418 September 19631
4 September 19634"You Don't Have to Be a Baby to Cry"The Caravelles618 September 19631
7"It's All in the Game"Cliff Richard218 September 19633
11 September 196321"She Loves You" (#1)The Beatles118 September 19636
5"Just Like Eddie"Heinz52 October 19631
5"I Want to Stay Here"Steve and Eydie32 October 19631
25 September 19633"Applejack" [M]Jet Harris & Tony Meehan42 October 19631
2 October 19638"Do You Love Me"Brian Poole & The Tremeloes116 October 19633
7"If I Had a Hammer"Trini Lopez416 October 19631
8"Then He Kissed Me"The Crystals216 October 19632
2"Wishing" [N]Buddy Holly102 October 19632
9 October 19633"Shindig"The Shadows616 October 19631
9"Blue Bayou"/"Mean Woman Blues"Roy Orbison313 November 19631
16 October 19634"The First Time"Adam Faith523 October 19631
23 October 19639"You'll Never Walk Alone"Gerry and the Pacemakers16 November 19634
1"Everybody"Tommy Roe923 October 19631
6"I (Who Have Nothing)"Shirley Bassey630 October 19631
30 October 19631"Hello Little Girl"The Fourmost930 October 19631
5"Let It Rock"/"Memphis, Tennessee"Chuck Berry620 November 19631
6 November 19635"Sugar and Spice"The Searchers220 November 19631
13 November 19634"Be My Baby"The Ronettes427 November 19631
20 November 19638"Don't Talk to Him"Cliff Richard & The Shadows211 December 19631
27 November 19638"Secret Love"Kathy Kirby418 December 19632
3"I'll Keep You Satisfied"Billy J. Kramer & The Dakotas44 December 19631
4 December 19638"You Were Made for Me"Freddie and the Dreamers311 December 19634
6"María Elena"Los Indios Tabajaras518 December 19631
11 December 196312"Glad All Over" ♦The Dave Clark Five122 January 19642
9"I Only Want to Be with You" ♦Dusty Springfield415 January 19643
10"I Want to Hold Your Hand"The Beatles118 December 19635
18 December 19636"Dominique" ♦The Singing Nun71 January 19642
25 December 19638"Twenty Four Hours from Tulsa" ♦Gene Pitney58 January 19642

Entries by artist

Billy J. Kramer and his group The Dakotas secured three top 10 hits this year, the most successful of which was "Bad to Me", which reached number-one in August.
Freddie and the Dreamers had three top 10 entries in 1963, the highest-charting of which was "I'm Telling You Now", which peaked at number two.
Husband and wife duo Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gormé reached the UK top 10 in September of this year with their duet "I Want To Stay Here", which peaked at number three. Lawrence and Gormé had both previously achieved a top 10 solo hit; Lawrence made number four in 1960 with "Footsteps" while Gormé made number ten in 1962 with "Yes, My Darling Daughter".

The following table shows artists who achieved two or more top 10 entries in 1963, including singles that reached their peak in 1962 or 1964. The figures include both main artists and featured artists. The total number of weeks an artist spent in the top ten in 1963 is also shown.

EntriesArtistWeeksSingles
8The Shadows [O]55"Atlantis", "Dance On!", "Don't Talk to Him", "Foot Tapper, "Lucky Lips", "Shindig", "Summer Holiday", "The Next Time"/"Bachelor Boy"
5Cliff Richard [O]35"Don't Talk to Him", "It's All in the Game, "Lucky Lips", "Summer Holiday", "The Next Time"/"Bachelor Boy"
4The Beatles35"From Me to You", "I Want to Hold Your Hand", "Please Please Me", "She Loves You"
Frank Ifield [P]25"Confessin'", "Lovesick Blues", "Nobody's Darlin' But Mine", "The Wayward Wind"
3Billy Fury15"In Summer", "Like I've Never Been Gone", "When Will You Say I Love You"
Billy J. Kramer & The Dakotas16"Bad to Me", "Do You Want to Know a Secret?", "I'll Keep You Satisfied"
Brenda Lee [O]5"All Alone Am I", "Losing You", "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree"
Buddy Holly11"Bo Diddley", "Brown-Eyed Handsome Man", "Wishing"
Dusty Springfield [Q][R]14"I Only Want to Be with You", "Island of Dreams", "Say I Won't Be There"
Freddie and the Dreamers14"If You Gotta Make a Fool of Somebody", "I'm Telling You Now", "You Were Made for Me"
Gerry and the Pacemakers29"How Do You Do It?", "I Like It", "You'll Never Walk Alone"
Heinz [S]12"Globetrotter", "Just Like Eddie", "Telstar"
Jet Harris17"Applejack", "Diamonds", "Scarlett O'Hara"
Roy Orbison19"Blue Bayou"/"Mean Woman Blues", "Falling", "In Dreams"
Tony Meehan17"Applejack", "Diamonds", "Scarlett O'Hara"
2Brian Poole & The Tremeloes13"Do You Love Me", "Twist and Shout"
Chris Montez [P]2"Let's Dance", "Some Kinda Fun"
The Crystals14"Da Doo Ron Ron", "Don't Talk to Him"
Del Shannon10"Little Town Flirt", "Two Kinds of Teardrops"
Elvis Presley [P]12"Return to Sender", "(You're the) Devil in Disguise"
Joe Brown and the Bruvvers8"It Only Took a Minute", "That's What Love Will Do"
Kenny Lynch2"Up on the Roof", "You Can Never Stop Me Loving You"
Paul & Paula4"Hey Paula", "Young Lovers"
The Searchers13"Sugar and Spice", "Sweets for My Sweet"
The Springfields11"Island of Dreams", "Say I Won't Be There"
Tommy Roe4"Everybody", "The Folk Singer"
The Tornados [P]7"Globetrotter", "Telstar"

Notes

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

External links