Elton John sets new Official UK Chart record as the first artist to score a Top 10 single in six different decades

Elton John sets a new record as the only act in Official UK Chart history to score a Top 10 single in six different decades, the Official Charts Company can reveal.

50 years after making his chart debut, last month saw Elton’s latest single Cold Heart (Pnau Remix) become his 33^rd Top 10 on the Official Singles Chart. The track heads up his new album The Lockdown Sessions, a collection of collaborations featuring Lil Nas X, Stevie Wonder, Nicki Minaj, Stevie Nicks and more, released on October 22.

Elton made his first appearance on the chart with Your Song in 1971, reaching Number 7, and later re-entering at Number 4 in 2002. The seventies was Elton’s most prolific period for Top 10 singles in the UK, landing ten in total, followed by eight in the nineties.

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Elton leapfrogs ahead of five other music legends – Elvis, Cher, Cliff Richard, Michael Jackson and David Bowie – who have each landed at least one Top 10 single in five different decades.

Among Elton’s Top 10 hits are seven Number 1 singles. His first was 1976’s Don’t Go Breaking My Heart with Kiki Dee, while his biggest chart-topper is 1997’s Candle In The Wind 97/Something About The Way You Look Tonight – the UK’s best-selling single of all time (4.94m pure sales).

What’s more, Elton could extend his run of Number 1s to eight this week, as Cold Heart (Pnau Remix) with Dua Lipa is set to dethrone Ed Sheeran’s Shivers from the summit after three weeks at Number 2.  

Elton John’s Top 10 singles by decade

1970s
Your Song (4), Rocket Man (2), Crocodile Rock (5), Daniel (4), Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting (7), Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (6), Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds (10), Pinball Wizard (7), Don’t Go Breaking My Heart (1), Song For A Guy (4)

1980s
Blue Eyes (8), I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues (5), I’m Still Standing (4), Sad Songs (Say So Much) (7), Passengers (5), Nikita (3), Candle In The Wind (Live) (5)

1990s
Sacrifice/Healing Hands (1), Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me (1), The One (10), True Love (2), Don’t Go Breaking My Heart ft. RuPaul (7), Live Like Horses ft. Luciano Pavarotti (9), Candle In The Wind 97/Something About The Way You Look Tonight (1), Written In The Stars ft. Leanne Rimes (10).

2000s
I Want Love (9), Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word ft. Blue (1), Are You Ready For Love (1) Ghetto Gospel ft. 2Pac (1), Electricity (4), Tiny Dancer (Hold Me Closer) ft. Ironik, Chipmunk (3)

2010s
Step Into Christmas (8)

2020s
Cold Heat (Pnau Remix) ft. Dua Lipa (2)