James Arthur's Impossible is the UK's latest million selling single

OfficialCharts.com can exclusively reveal that 2012 X Factor winner James Arthur’s Impossible has now sold over a million copies in the UK.
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OfficialCharts.com can exclusively reveal that 2012 X Factor winner James Arthur’s Impossible has now sold over a million copies in the UK. 

According to this morning’s Official Charts Company sales data, James Arthur’s Impossible has broken through the million copies sales barrier. As of Sunday (January 6) the 2012 X Factor winner’s debut single had sold 970,000 copies in the UK after just four weeks on sale. However, at midnight last night, Impossible had sold an additional 32,500 copies this week to take it over the million milestone.

Comments Martin Talbot, the Official Charts Company’s Managing Director:

"Hitting the million mark in around a month is a fantastic achievement for James Arthur. X Factor winners often score strong first week sales, but to push through to the million mark so quickly is truly impressive."

In the entire history of the UK’s Official Singles Chart, there have only been 126 singles which have sold over a million copies or more. Now Impossible takes that total to 127.

When the Official Singles Chart celebrated its 50th birthday back in 2002, only 76 singles had reached this sales landmark. But, with the advent of digital downloading, the number of the UK's million selling singles has dramatically increased in the subsequent 10 years; In 2012 alone, nine singles reached the million copies milestone, including two that were released during that calendar year (Gotye FT Kimbra’s Somebody That I Used To Know and Carly Rae Jepsen's Call Me Maybe).

Impossible, which is a cover of a track released by Bajan singer Shontelle in 2010, is now the fourth biggest selling debut single by an X Factor artist in the history of the reality TV show. By Sunday, it is expected that Impossible will overtake the sales tally of When We Collide by 2010 winner Matt Cardle and join Shayne Ward’s That’s My Goal (Number 2), and 2008’s winner Alexandra Burke’s Hallelujah in the show’s all-time Top 3 biggest selling debuts.

The full list of the UK’s 127 million selling singles is as follows:

The Million Sellers

  TITLE ARTIST YEAR OF RELEASE
1 SOMETHING ABOUT THE WAY YOU LOOK TONIGHT/CANDLE IN THE WIND 97 ELTON JOHN 1997
2 DO THEY KNOW IT'S CHRISTMAS? BAND AID 1984
3 BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY QUEEN 1975
4 MULL OF KINTYRE/GIRLS' SCHOOL WINGS 1977
5 YOU'RE THE ONE THAT I WANT JOHN TRAVOLTA & OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN 1978
6 RIVERS OF BABYLON/BROWN GIRL IN THE RING BONEY M 1978
7 RELAX FRANKIE GOES TO HOLLYWOOD 1983
8 SHE LOVES YOU THE BEATLES 1963
9 UNCHAINED MELODY/(THERE'LL BE BLUEBIRDS OVER) THE WHITE CLIFFS OF DOVER ROBSON GREEN & JEROME FLYNN 1995
10 LOVE IS ALL AROUND WET WET WET 1994
11 MARY'S BOY CHILD/OH MY LORD BONEY M 1978
12 I JUST CALLED TO SAY I LOVE YOU STEVIE WONDER 1984
13 BARBIE GIRL AQUA 1997
14 ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE/EVERGREEN WILL YOUNG 2002
15 I WANT TO HOLD YOUR HAND THE BEATLES 1963
16 BELIEVE CHER 1998
17 (EVERYTHING I DO) I DO IT FOR YOU BRYAN ADAMS 1991
18 LAST CHRISTMAS/EVERYTHING SHE WANTS WHAM! 1984
19 IMAGINE JOHN LENNON 1975
20 SUMMER NIGHTS JOHN TRAVOLTA & OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN 1978
21 TWO TRIBES FRANKIE GOES TO HOLLYWOOD 1984
22 I'LL BE MISSING YOU PUFF DADDY & FAITH EVANS 1997
23 PERFECT DAY VARIOUS ARTISTS 1997
24 DON'T YOU WANT ME? HUMAN LEAGUE 1981
25 CAN'T BUY ME LOVE THE BEATLES 1964
26 I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU WHITNEY HOUSTON 1992
27 THREE LIONS BADDIEL & SKINNER & LIGHTNING SEEDS 1996
28 TEARS KEN DODD 1965
29 ...BABY ONE MORE TIME BRITNEY SPEARS 1999
30 MY HEART WILL GO ON CELINE DION 1998
31 KARMA CHAMELEON CULTURE CLUB 1983
32 YMCA VILLAGE PEOPLE 1978
33 CARELESS WHISPER GEORGE MICHAEL 1984
34 (WE'RE GONNA) ROCK AROUND THE CLOCK BILL HALEY & HIS COMETS 1955
35 I FEEL FINE THE BEATLES 1964
36 THE CARNIVAL IS OVER THE SEEKERS 1965
37 GANGSTA'S PARADISE COOLIO FEATURING L.V. 1995
38 EYE OF THE TIGER SURVIVOR 1982
39 THE POWER OF LOVE JENNIFER RUSH 1985
40 WE CAN WORK IT OUT/DAY TRIPPER THE BEATLES 1964
41 RELEASE ME ENGELBERT HUMPERDINCK 1967
42 SOMEONE LIKE YOU ADELE 2011
43 KILLING ME SOFTLY FUGEES 1996
44 UNCHAINED MELODY GARETH GATES 2002
45 WANNABE SPICE GIRLS 1996
46 (IS THIS THE WAY TO) AMARILLO TONY CHRISTIE FT PETER KAY 2005
47 NEVER EVER ALL SAINTS 1997
48 COME ON EILEEN DEXY'S MIDNIGHT RUNNERS 1982
49 THINK TWICE CELINE DION 1994
50 I GOTTA FEELING BLACK EYED PEAS 2009
51 IT WASN'T ME SHAGGY FEATURING RIKROK 2001
52 SOMEBODY THAT I USED TO KNOW GOTYE FT KIMBRA 2012
53 TAINTED LOVE SOFT CELL 1981
54 HEART OF GLASS BLONDIE 1979
55 MOVES LIKE JAGGER MAROON 5 FEATURING CHRISTINA AGUILERA 2011
56 WONDERWALL OASIS 1995
57 IT'S NOW OR NEVER ELVIS PRESLEY 1960
58 DIANA PAUL ANKA 1957
59 IT'S LIKE THAT RUN-D.M.C. VS JASON NEVINS 1997
60 HALLELUJAH ALEXANDRA BURKE 2008
61 GREEN, GREEN GRASS OF HOME TOM JONES 1966
62 SEX ON FIRE KINGS OF LEON 2008
63 BRIGHT EYES ART GARFUNKEL 1979
64 MERRY XMAS EVERYBODY SLADE 1973
65 HEARTBEAT/TRAGEDY STEPS 1998
66 MARY'S BOY CHILD HARRY BELAFONTE 1957
67 THE LAST WALTZ ENGELBERT HUMPERDINCK 1967
68 EARTH SONG MICHAEL JACKSON 1995
69 DO THEY KNOW IT'S CHRISTMAS? BAND AID 20 2004
70 BLUE MONDAY NEW ORDER 1983
71 STRANGER ON THE SHORE MR ACKER BILK AND HIS PARAMOUNT JAZZ BAND 1961
72 DON'T GIVE UP ON US DAVID SOUL 1976
73 CAN'T GET YOU OUT OF MY HEAD KYLIE MINOGUE 2001
74 I LOVE YOU LOVE ME LOVE GARY GLITTER 1973
75 SPACEMAN BABYLON ZOO 1996
76 SATURDAY NIGHT WHIGFIELD 1994
77 WE FOUND LOVE RIHANNA FEATURING CALVIN HARRIS 2011
78 NO MATTER WHAT BOYZONE 1998
79 JUST THE WAY YOU ARE (AMAZING) BRUNO MARS 2010
80 PARTY ROCK ANTHEM LMFAO FEATURING LAUREN BENNETT AND GOONROCK 2011
81 I BELIEVE/UP ON THE ROOF ROBSON & JEROME 1995
82 ANGELS ROBBIE WILLIAMS 1997
83 HIT ME WITH YOUR RHYTHM STICK IAN DURY AND THE BLOCKHEADS 1978
84 TELETUBBIES SAY "EH-OH!" TELETUBBIES 1997
85 2 BECOME 1 SPICE GIRLS 1996
86 TORN NATALIE IMBRUGLIA 1997
87 POKER FACE LADY GAGA 2009
88 I REMEMBER YOU FRANK IFIELD 1962
89 THAT'S MY GOAL SHAYNE WARD 2005
90 GHOSTBUSTERS RAY PARKER JR. 1984
91 CALL ME MAYBE CARLY RAE JEPSEN 2012
92 PURE AND SIMPLE HEAR'SAY 2001
93 ANOTHER BRICK IN THE WALL (PART 2) PINK FLOYD 1979
94 BACK FOR GOOD TAKE THAT 1995
95 BLUE (DA BA DEE) EIFFEL 65 1999
96 PRICE TAG JESSIE J FEATURING B.O.B 2011
97 HEY JUDE THE BEATLES 1968
98 THE YOUNG ONES CLIFF RICHARD & THE SHADOWS 1962
99 DANCING QUEEN ABBA 1976
100 I FEEL LOVE DONNA SUMMER 1977
101 LOVE THE WAY YOU LIE EMINEM FEATURING RIHANNA 2010
102 FAME IRENE CARA 1982
103 RIDE ON TIME BLACK BOX 1989
104 ONLY GIRL (IN THE WORLD) RIHANNA 2010
105 UNCHAINED MELODY THE RIGHTEOUS BROTHERS 1965
106 BLEEDING LOVE LEONA LEWIS 2007
107 CRAZY GNARLS BARKLEY 2006
108 STAND & DELIVER ADAM AND THE ANTS 1981
109 I DON'T WANT TO MISS A THING AEROSMITH 1998
110 CAN WE FIX IT? BOB THE BUILDER 2000
111 UPTOWN GIRL BILLY JOEL 1983
112 I WILL SURVIVE GLORIA GAYNOR 1979
113 SAILING ROD STEWART 1975
114 SUGAR SUGAR THE ARCHIES 1969
115 SAVE YOUR KISSES FOR ME BROTHERHOOD OF MAN 1976
116 I'D LIKE TO TEACH THE WORLD TO SING THE NEW SEEKERS 1971
117 WHITE CHRISTMAS BING CROSBY WITH THE KEN DARBY SINGERS AND JOHN SCOTT TROTTER ORCHESTRA 1942
118 DON'T CRY FOR ME ARGENTINA JULIE COVINGTON 1976
119 THE LION SLEEPS TONIGHT TIGHT FIT 1982
120 EYE LEVEL THE SIMON PARK ORCHESTRA 1972
121 LONG HAIRED LOVER FROM LIVERPOOL LITTLE JIMMY OSMOND 1972
122 UNDER THE MOON OF LOVE SHOWADDYWADDY 1976
123 TIE A YELLOW RIBBON ROUND THE OLE OAK TREE DAWN FEATURING TONY ORLANDO 1973
124 WHEN WE COLLIDE MATT CARDLE 2010
125 FIGHT FOR THIS LOVE CHERYL COLE 2009
126 FAIRYTALE OF NEW YORK THE POGUES FT KIRSTY MACCOLL 1987
127 IMPOSSIBLE JAMES ARTHUR 2012

© 2013 the Official Charts Company. All rights reserved.

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