The songs that spent the longest at Number 1

We look at tracks that reigned the longest atop the Official Singles Chart, including Queen, Rihanna, Whitney, Miley and Ed Sheeran - twice!
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Have you noticed a recent trend at the top of the Official Singles Chart? If you look back over recent times, it's clear to see that the one-week Number 1 is becoming rarer.

Acts like Justin Bieber and Camila Cabello have proven that a lengthy residency at Number 1 is totally achievable.

But as impressive as most of those artists' chart-topping stints are, they've still a way to go before they match the mammoth reigns of these massive hits. We take a look at the tracks to have spent ten weeks or more at the top.

Frankie Laine – I Believe (18 weeks)

American crooner Frankie scored his first ever UK Number 1 in April 1953, just after his 40th birthday and seemed reluctant to let go. Not content with notching up nine weeks at the summit, after a week at Number 2, he went back up to spend a further six at the top. But it wasn't over yet. Famous composer Mantovani then claimed the Number 1 spot, before Frankie gave him a nudge and racked up an additional three weeks. Only five songs in history have scored three separate stints at the top!

MORE: Track the progress of I Believe in Frankie Laine's archive

Those of you with a calculator handy will have worked out that adds up to a whopping 18 weeks. That's like, over four months. The song went to Number 1 again in 1995, but this time for Robson & Jerome, and sold over a million. Frankie's is the longest reign – although it's not consecutive of course. That honour goes to…

Bryan Adams – (Everything I Do) I Do It For You (16 weeks)

1991. The weather was pretty dull for much of the year, and if you weren't a fan of Bryan Adams' massive Number 1, listening to the radio wasn't likely to brighten your day. Thanks to the success of then-box office darling Kevin Costner's innovative Hollywood retelling of Robin Hood (complete with soft-metal blow-dry and Californian accent) this ballad was inescapable.

 


Their eyes met over the heated rollers – hair icons Robin Hood and Maid Marian on the single cover

Taking its pew at Number 1 in July and sitting tight until the end of October, Bryan's love theme from the movie notched up an incredible 16 straight weeks at the summit. As the UK frantically tried to find out who was still buying the song and working out how to stop them, along came U2 to save the day – you don't often hear that these days, do you? The Fly replaced Bryan at number 1 and order was restored.

MORE: See what was in the chart the week U2 knocked Bryan off the top. Warning: contains bangers

Wet Wet Wet – Love Is All Around (15 weeks)

Another theme from a romantic movie, the Scottish quartet scored a third Number 1 with this cover of a Troggs hit from the Sixties. Taken from Four Weddings and a Funeral, even the band themselves were sick of hearing it during summer 1994.

After 15 consecutive weeks, the Wets decided to pour cold water on the song's soaring success and DELETED it (in the old days, you could halt production of a single – it was totally normal to do this to encourage people to buy the album it was taken from).

MORE: See Wet Wet Wet's biggest singles and albums in their chart archive

Drake – One Dance (15 weeks)

It's been a long time since we had a mammoth run at Number 1, isn't it? But here's Drake with a whopping fifteen weeks at the top with One Dance featuring Wizkid and Kyla. Drake's extended reign means he scored the longest running Number 1 of the digital age, since 2004, when legal download services launched in the UK. However, after 15 weeks of supremacy, Drizzy was ousted by Major Lazer, Justin Bieber and MØ and tumbled to Number 5.

Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody (14 weeks)

Queen's signature hit has quite a few chart feats under its belt. Not only is it the only song to be Christmas Number 1 twice, but it's a million-seller to boot. On its original run, the single spent nine weeks lolling about at Number 1. It was, interestingly, knocked off by another song containing the lyric "mamma mia" – Abba's classic, erm, Mamma Mia. 

 
Legendary Freddie Mercury finds a particularly sour cola bottle in his bag of Tangfastics.

After lead singer Freddie Mercury's death in 1991, there was a frenzy for anything Queen-related, and the main benefactor was Bohemian Rhapsody, which was rereleased and hit the top for five weeks. That gives the song a grand total of 14 weeks at Number 1. Bismillah, no! It would not let it go!

MORE: Look back at all Queen's biggest songs and albums

Ed Sheeran – Shape Of You (14 weeks)

Bringing things right up to date, the lead single from Ed's sales powerhouse third album ÷ has notched up 14 weeks at the top of the Official Singles Chart. His biggest rival for most of his run was himself – Castle on the Hill, How Would You Feel (Paean) and Galway Girl all battled to nudge Shape Of You off Number 1. Eventually, Harry Styles' Sign Of The Times *just* squeezed Ed off of his throne, ending his consecutive run of 13 weeks BUT he returned the following week, and clocked up a 14th.

Slim Whitman – Rose Marie (11 weeks)

This song's origins date from before the Official Singles Chart even started, way back in 1924, but when American country singer Slim got his hands on it in 1955, it was a solid-gold smash.

Topping the chart for 11 weeks, the song's record reign was unbroken until Bryan Adams and Robin Hood came along and, well, we all know how that one went.

MORE: See all Slim Whitman's hits in his archive

Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee ft. Justin Bieber - Despacito (11 weeks)

Like the longest reigning Number 1 single of all-time, Despacito spent three different stints at Number 1 in the UK. The foreign language track to spent the longest at the top too, Despacito hung around for 11 non-consecutive weeks.

Tones and I – Dance Monkey (11 weeks)

The Australian singer-songwriter's viral hit certainly took its time getting to the top spot, with an eight-week climb. Once there, however, Tones and I made herself at home, notching up her eleventh week at Number 1 in December 2019, leapfrogging Rihanna and Whitney for longest running Number 1 song by a female lead artist. Not bad for a tune that took her half an hour to write!

 

Ed Sheeran - Bad Habits (11 weeks)

This impressive 2021 stint means Ed became the first artist to log two singles that have topped the Official Singles Chart for 10 weeks or more. Bad Habits is that song, with synth-pop sonics that make it a marked departure from his earlier material.

Dave & Central Cee - Sprinter (10 weeks)

The long-awaited team-up from two of the UK's most talented MCs was a moment worth waiting for. Trading bars like they're playing a top trumps of who can get the funniest line, Santan and Cench's smash has become the longest-running UK rap Number 1 single in the history of the Official Chart.

Not only that, it reached this milestone as the first UK rap tune to spend 10 weeks at Number 1 on the 50th anniversary of the birth of hip-hop as a genre. Call that destiny.

Miley Cyrus - Flowers (10 weeks)

The disco-tinged lead single from Miley's eighth studio album Endless Summer Vacation, Flowers racked up an impressive ten weeks at the top in 2023. Prior to that, Miley had enjoyed a Number 1 single with 2014's Wrecking Ball; though that stayed at the summit for just one week.

What's more, Flowers also saw Miley do the Official Chart Double for the second time in her career; with its parent LP simultaneously reigning atop the Official Albums Chart.

Harry Styles - As It Was (10 weeks)

Harry's cheerful return to music in 2022 - and lead single from chart-topping album Harry's House - is his second Number 1 in the UK and the latest track to land in this rather exclusive list, so far racking up ten consecutive weeks at the top.

David Whitfield – Cara Mia (10 weeks)

Hull-born David had already scored a Number 1 with Answer Me in 1953 before he really struck gold with Cara Mia, ably assisted by composer Mantovani and his orchestra. 10 weeks at the top for this one in 1954 until Kitty Kallen's Little Things Mean A Lot bumped it off.

 


Here's David looking very handsome on the cover of his Greatest Hits

Whitney Houston – I Will Always Love You (10 weeks)

And I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I will never forget this song in a hurry – thanks in part to its 10-week tenure at Number 1 at the tail-end of 1992 and into 1993. Taken from another Kevin Costner movie The Bodyguard – hint to popstars: if you want a million-seller and to spend ages at Number 1, get yourself on a soundtrack – this song started out in very different form as a country and western ballad written and performed by queen Dolly Parton herself. 

Dolly said she loved Whitney's million-selling version – let's hope she treated herself and bought something nice with the money.

MORE: See all Whitney's biggest UK singles and albums in her chart archive

Rihanna ft. Jay-Z – Umbrella (10 weeks)

Another summer, another long stretch at Number 1. Brits are famed for their sense of humour, and we're sure it's no coincidence that RiRi scored her first Number 1, a tribute to all things waterproof, during one of the grimmest, wettest summers the UK has ever seen.

The song certainly made a splash – 10 of 2007's chart weeks saw Rihanna giving us all some shelter at the top, until she was finally dried off by Timbaland's The Way I Are.

Oh, and if you're interested, and we're sure you are, here are the songs that have racked up nine weeks at Number 1:

Al Martino – Here In My Heart (1952) – was also the first ever Number 1 single!
Eddie Calvert – Oh Mein Papa (1954)
Doris Day – Secret Love (1954)
Paul Anka – Diana (1957)
Wings – Mull Of Kintyre / Girls' School (1977)
John Travolta & Olivia Newton John  – You're The One That I Want (1978)
Frankie Goes To Hollywood – Two Tribes (1984) 
Gnarls Barkley – Crazy (2006)
Clean Bandit - Rockabye (2016)
Drake - God's Plan (2018)
Olivia Rodrigo - Drivers License (2021)

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gekko13

0

"Every Breath You Take"?

C

cosigna

0

Four weeks.

H

HazDaSprinter

0

Many tracks like Old Town Road and Uptown Funk arent here, or am i trippin?

C

cosigna

0

Old Town Road hit no.1 two weeks only (and it was no.2 for eight weeks).
Uptown Funk was no.1 for seven weeks,

PS

Phil Smith

3

Comparing any current track's chart longevity with pre-streaming numbers is a redundant exercise.

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Christian Dev

0

Hey jude

C

cosigna

0

Don't make it bad.

(The song was no.1 for two weeks).

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Blank

1

Don't forget to update the article to include Olivia Rodigo's 9-week #1 from earlier this year.

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DJF VLOGS

1

Olivia Rodrigo Also Spent 9 Weeks At Number 1 With Driver's License

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J.C.Conway

0

I remember my Mom loved this song.I was 12 when this came out. Great cover for a 40 year old song and I always remember Slim as a great yodeler.

GK

gaming kid

0

What about singing the blues by Marty Robbins i stayed there for 13 weeks.

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Blank

0

2 acts were #1 with that and is the only example of the same song being joint #1 in different versions. Marty Robbins wasn't one of them and has barely had any UK chart success.

V

Vikingman

1

Would have been interesting to see how long these oldies would have been No.1 had downloads and streams been in the factor. Bryan Adams & Wet Wet Wet would have probably topped 20 and been on the charts for AGES.

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MurdochDev

-1

there is an incredible amount of false numbers here.. you can easily check this stuff on billboards website or even wikipedia..

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David AC

4

The figures here are correct for the United Kingdom singles chart

A

Aquaria

1

These are nothing. "Sorry, Sorry" by Super Junior was #1 in Taiwan for 121 straight weeks.

That is not a typo.

MS

Martin Smith

1

Didn't "John Travolta & Olivia Newton John – You're The One That I Want" blight the summer of 1978, not 1979.

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Neil Morgenstern

4

Yes. Whoever wrote that above had better shape up...

JS

John Smith

2

Despite even Wikipedia claiming that Love Is All Around was deleted during its chart run I'm pretty certain that this wasn't the case. If I remember correctly it stemmed from a rumour but the record company were quick to act and even posted ads in the music press titled "Love Is Still All Around" informing readers that the record remained available for purchase.

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Boris Mk

1

I am sure it was deleted during the 14th week at no1. If it hadn't been it would've remained in the top 40/75 for much longer. No digital downloads back then, remember?

JS

John Smith

1

Have you checked the chart statistics for Love Is All Around? For a song to have been at number one for 15 weeks it had a surprisingly lengthy chart decline and even climbed slowly back up to re-enter the top 40 for the final chart of the year having fallen no further than number 60. As you politely remind me, there were no digital downloads back then so the public were obviously buying the un-deleted single from somewhere.

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Boris Mk

0

you are right. the record company might have bluffed with the announcement as they were worried that they could not release the next wet3 singl due to the popularity of the no1. when they announced that the single is being deleted they might have stopped printing it but they didn't actually recall all copies already in circulation. we have no idea what the single was selling in the lower reaches of the top 40. a bit of a "sweet little mystery" this one :)

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Blank

1

It can quite happily remain in circulation for purchase. The only change would have been at wholesale. Retailers couldn't order more - once it's gone, it's gone. It also actually increased it's sale in the 'deleted' week but was still beaten by Whigfield despite the increase. You would still have been able to buy it over the counter until the shop ran out of copies - which could be several weeks later.

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ste40

1

1991 had a good July August & September and it was warm and sunny most of August

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Sakgra

0

the oldest the better.there are no songs like these anymore so we dont have no1 like these anymore

DB

David Blake

3

Ain't that the truth... Kids today don't even have to buy their records to 'bump' the latest bedroom artist to the top of the chart, thanks to streaming! Sales figures are now meaningless...