Every UK Number 1 single by Canadian acts

Take a look at the 31 chart topping hits by musicians hailing from The Great White North.
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July 1 marks Canada Day - what better time to celebrate the chart-topping Canadian stars that went to Number 1 in the UK?

There are a few surprises on this list – the likes of Shania Twain, Nickelback, Avril Lavigne and Michael Buble don’t feature, as despite having brilliant back catalogues, none of them have hit Number 1 here on the UK's Official Singles Chart. 15 acts have however, with a combined 31 tracks that have hit the peak of the Official Singles Chart.

We've researched through 66 years of history in our chart archive, and here are a selection of the most notable acts who hit the big time here in the United Kingdom. Scroll the very bottom of the article for a full list of the 31 Canadian chart toppers.

Paul Anka

To find the first Canadian Number 1 in the UK, you have to go all the way back to 1957. Paul Anka’s jazzy track Diana got plenty of feet shuffling that August as the song spent a whopping nine weeks at the top, beginning a 17-year drought of Canadian chart-toppers.  

 

MORE: View every UK Number 1 on the Official Singles Chart

Bryan Adams

We couldn’t not say a few words about the one and only Bryan Adams, could we? 1991 really was his year. Bryan’s track (Everything I Do) I Do It For You from the film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves is the longest consecutive chart topper in UK chart history, sitting comfortably for an incredible 16 weeks. That's four months.

Bryan later returned to Number 1 for a second time in 2000 - and no, it wasn’t with When You’re Gone featuring Mel C (that peaked at Number 3). Bryan’s featured slot on Chicane’s Don’t Give Up shifted 75,000 copies in its opening week to take it to the top.

MORE: The songs that spent the longest at Number 1 on the Official Singles Chart

Celine Dion

Although she’s managed a huge 26 UK Top 40 singles, it’s hard to believe that only two of Celine’s tracks, Think Twice and My Heart Will Go On, topped the charts. Both are million sellers, while the latter is the sixth most popular UK love ballad, and fourth best-selling song ever released by a female in the UK.

Bonus trivia: Celine and Nelly Furtado are the Canadian women with the most UK chart toppers, with two apiece. Nelly’s were 2006’s Maneater, and 2007’s Give It To Me with Timbaland and Justin Timberlake.

MORE: 11 incredible facts about Celine Dion worthy of a music icon

Drake

That's right, another enormous Number 1 single by a Canadian. Holder of five UK chart-toppers, Drake had the song of 2016 with One Dance featuring Wizkid and Kyla. At some moments it seemed no-one could shift it from the top, but after 15 weeks at Number 1, fending off strong contenders like Sia, Calvin Harris & Rihanna, Justin Timberlake, The Chainsmokers and Jonas Blue, Drake’s incredibly long dance was ended - by another Canadian...

From w/e 21 April: Drake - One Dance (ft. Wizkid & Kyla), 15 weeks.

 

MORE: View the Official Top 40 biggest songs of 2016

Justin Bieber

The Canadian with the most UK Number 1 singles? That’s right, it’s the Biebs. And to think, he didn’t have any this time four years ago, but now he has seven. Justin's first three Number 1s What Do You Mean, Sorry and Love Yourself quickly followed one another, and helped him become the first (and second overall) act to sit at Numbers 1, 2 and 3 concurrently on the Official Singles Chart.

MORE: Acts that have held Number 1 and 2 on the Official Singles Chart

It was Justin’s feature on Major Lazer’s Cold Water that drowned out Drake’s chances of equalling Bryan Adams’ chart record. Talk about an overload of Canada.

#ChartFact: Justin is the only artist to ever knock themselves from Number 1 twice with different song. Love Yourself dethroned Sorry in late 2015, while Despacito toppled I’m The One in 2017.

The complete list of Official UK Number 1 singles by Canadian acts (bolded acts in collaborations are the Canadian musicians):

YEAR TITLE ARTIST
1957 DIANA PAUL ANKA
1974 SEASONS IN THE SUN TERRY JACKS
1976 NO CHARGE J.J BARRIE
1991 (EVERYTHING I DO) I DO IT FOR YOU BRYAN ADAMS
1995 THINK TWICE CELINE DION
1997 MY HEART WILL GO ON CELINE DION
2000 DON'T GIVE UP CHICANE FT. BRYAN ADAMS
2006 MANEATER NELLY FURTADO
2007 GIVE IT TO ME TIMBALAND FT. NELLY FURTADO AND JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE
2011 WHAT'S MY NAME? RIHANNA FT. DRAKE
2012 CALL ME MAYBE CARLY RAE JEPSEN
2014 TSUNAMI (JUMP) DVBBS FT. BORGEOUS AND TINIE TEMPAH
2014 HIDEAWAY KIESZA
2014 RUDE MAGIC!
2015 WHAT DO YOU MEAN? JUSTIN BIEBER
2015 SORRY JUSTIN BIEBER
2015 LOVE YOURSELF JUSTIN BIEBER
2016 STITCHES SHAWN MENDES
2016 ONE DANCE DRAKE FT. WIZKID AND KYLA
2016 COLD WATER MAJOR LAZER FT. JUSTIN BIEBER AND MØ
2017 I'M THE ONE DJ KHALED FT. JUSTIN BIEBER, QUAVO, CHANCE THE RAPPER & LIL WAYNE
2017 DESPACITO (REMIX) LUIS FONSI & DADDY YANKEE FT. JUSTIN BIEBER
2018 GOD'S PLAN DRAKE
2018 NICE FOR WHAT DRAKE
2018 IN MY FEELINGS DRAKE
2019 I DON'T CARE ED SHEERAN & JUSTIN BIEBER
2019 SENORITA SHAWN MENDES & CAMILA CABELLO
2020 BLINDING LIGHTS THE WEEKND
2020 TOOSIE SLIDE DRAKE
2020 LEMONADE INTERNET MONEY FT. GUNNA, DON TOLIVER & NAV

©2020 Official Charts Company. All rights reserved.

Like this list? Take a look at: Every Australian Number 1 ever, Every Welsh act to score a UK chart topper, Every Scot to hit the UK top spot

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Andrew Tempest

0

Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen have both had UK number ones as Songwriters. Joni with Woodstock by Matthews Southern Comfort (1970) and River by Ellie Goulding (2020). Leonard with Hallelujah by Alexandra Burke (2008)

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RockGolf

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Robin Thicke (Blurred Lines) has dual US/Canadian citizenship, so it should be on the list as well.

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Official Charts

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Hi RockGolf. As with this list and our previous geographical features looking at Australian and Welsh chart toppers, we go by where the artist was born or how they identify. With Robin being born in the US and having Canadian citizenship only through his father, we left him off the list.

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Tosyma

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Did not know that Paul Anka, Terry Jacks & Magic are Canadians. Thanks, Official Charts! :)

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I Am A Stegosaurus

1

Kind of sad Bieber got six #1s in two years, while Nickelback never managed it at ALL.

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Johnny McVey

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Nickelback are terrible

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etin

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Why terrible? chad Kroger can beat justin with his voice

T

TAYLOR

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Not a fan of rock music but love the "photograph" song.

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I Am A Stegosaurus

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I'm not sure Despacito should count for Bieber, it's only a remix. Calvin Harris is never credited for 8 number 1's because his remix of 'Say My Name'.

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Official Charts

1

Hi there. Justin is officially credited as an artist on Despacito (Remix) by the record labels, so his version of Despacito counts. If the song was called (Justin Bieber Remix), it wouldn't count.