List of UK charts and number-one singles (1952–1969)
| UK Singles Chart number ones |
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UK Singles Chart Official Charts Company Christmas number one |
The UK Singles Chart is the official chart for the United Kingdom of singles. The chart is compiled by The Official Chart Company and the beginning of an "official" singles chart is generally regarded as February 1969 when the British Market Research Bureau (BMRB) was formed to compile the chart in a joint venture between the BBC and Record Retailer. Charts were used to measure the popularity of music and, initially, were based on sheet music. In 1952, NME imitated an American idea from Billboard magazine and began compiling a chart based on physical sales of the release. Rival publications such as Record Mirror, Melody Maker, Disc began to compile their own charts in the mid-to-late 1960s. Trade paper Record Retailer compiled their first chart in March 1960.
No single chart was universally followed during this period. Retrospectively, Guinness Book of British Hit Singles and The Official Chart Company have chosen canonical sources for the era: NME (November 1952 – March 1960) and Record Retailer (March 1960 – February 1969). These choices have not been universally welcomed particularly that of Record Retailer during the 1960s when charts like NME had significantly wider circulation and following. The BBC's Pick of the Pops circumvented the lack of an official chart by aggregating the afforementioned publications to create their own chart.
Notable omissions from the canon are The Rolling Stones' "19th Nervous Breakdown" and The Beatles' "Please Please Me" which both reached number one on the NME, Disc, and Melody Maker charts, topped the BBC's Pick of the Pops aggregated chart and was announced as number one on Top of the Pops; however, in failing to top the Record Retailer chart are not generally regarded as number-one singles.
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