The acts with the most Number 2 hits on the UK's Official Singles Chart

Hitting Number 1 on the Official Chart isn't easy. In the countdown's 66-year history, over 1,000 songs have been left out in the cold in the runner-up slot - and some acts have a nasty habit of missing out a lot...

Madonna (12)

Not only does Madonna have more UK Number 1 singles than any other female (13), she also has more Number 2s than any act in history (excluding reissues). 12 of the Queen of Pop's tracks have a case of 'almost-but-not-quite', starting with 1985's Crazy For You, ending with her 2003 feature on Britney Spears' Me Against The Music.

MORE: 60 incredible chart facts and feats about Madonna

Cliff Richard (11)

Including his solo singles and his work credited with The Shadows and The Drifters, Cliff has notched up a staggering 11 near-miss singles, the most for among male artists, and British acts. Ironically, Move It is Cliff's first and last Number 2; the song was Cliff & The Drifters' debut single back in 1958, and was then re-recorded as part of a double a-side in 2006, packaged with 21st Century Christmas.

Kylie Minogue (11)

In an alternate universe, Kylie Minogue actually has 18 UK Number 1 singles, one more than The Beatles. However in this dark, dark timeline, Kylie has 7 chart toppers and a whopping 11 songs that stopped short of the mountain top.

MORE: 50 golden chart facts about Kylie Minogue

Elvis Presley (9)*

(Rex/Shutterstock)

Elvis being, you know, the King, he'll feature in every trivia list we will ever produce, and he rears his very talented head in this rundown too, with nine Number 2s to his name.

*Including Elvis' series of singles reissues from the 2000s, Elvis has 17 Number 2 hits, as nine of his previous Number 1s re-entered the chart at Number 2.

MORE: The acts with the most UK Number 1 singles

Rihanna (9)

Barbadian bad gal Rihanna has been killing it on the Official Singles Chart for over a decade, racking up nine chart toppers. She also has the same number of second place hits, her first being her debut smash Pon De Replay, with her most recent being Calvin Harris hook-up This Is What You Came For. Rihanna can even claim to have the best-selling song of 2010 with Love The Way You Lie, despite it going no higher than Number 2. Not so bad after all, right?

MORE: The best-selling singles of all time on the Official UK Chart

Michael Jackson (8)

Michael Jackson actually has more Number 2s than Number 1s on the UK's Official Chart, with eight. He also has eight Number 3s, but we'll get to that another time. MJ's most recent song to sit in the shadow of the top spot is 2018's Don't Matter To Me with Drake.

*Man In The Mirror originally peaked at Number 21 in 1988 before reaching Number 2 following Michael's death in 2009. 

MORE: Michael Jackson's Top 60 songs on the Official Chart

Justin Timberlake (7)

Many of Justin Timberlake's songs feel like they'd have Number 1 written all over them, but seven of them have narrowly missed out on chart topping glory. JT's first three singles Like I Love You, Cry Me A River and Rock Your Body all peaked at Number 2, as did his feel-good 2016 hit Can't Stop The Feeling, which was stuck behind Drake's One Dance for four weeks.

MORE: Revenge hits - songs that bite back at famous people

Calvin Harris (7)

Calvin Harris knows a thing or two about hits. In addition to his 10 massive chart topping hits, Calvin has seven Number 2s under his belt. The first was 2011's Bounce with Kelis while the latest is 2019's Giant with Rag'n'Bone Man.

6 Number 2s:

Queen, Boyzone, Oasis, Robbie Williams, Justin Bieber.

5 Number 2s:

The Beatles, Tom Jones, The Sweet, U2, George Michael, Sash!, Steps, S Club, Girls Aloud.