The UK Singles Chart is the official record chart in the United Kingdom. In the 1970s, it was compiled weekly by the British Market Research Bureau (BMRB) on behalf of the British record industry with a one-week break each Christmas.[1] Prior to 1969 many music papers compiled their own sales charts but, on 15 February 1969, the BMRB was commissioned in a joint venture by the BBC and Record Retailer to compile the chart. BMRB compiled the first chart from postal returns of sales logs from 250 record shops.[2] The sampling cost approximately £52,000 and shops were randomly chosen and submitted figures for sales taken up to the close of trade on Saturday. The data was compiled on Monday and given to the BBC on Tuesday to be announced on Johnnie Walker's afternoon show and later published in Record Retailer (rebranded Music Week in 1972).[1] However, the BMRB often struggled to have the full sample of sales figures returned by post. The 1971 postal strike meant that data had to be collected by telephone but this was deemed inadequate for a national chart, and by 1973 the BMRB was using motorcycle couriers to collect sales figures.[1]
In terms of number-one singles, ABBA were the most successful group of the decade having seven singles reach the top spot. The longest duration of a single at number-one was nine weeks and this was achieved on three occasions: "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen in 1975; "Mull of Kintyre" / "Girls' School" by Wings in 1977 and "You're the One That I Want" by John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John in 1978. Thirteen records were released that sold over one-million copies within the decade and "Mull of Kintyre" also became the first ever single to sell over two-million copies. In doing so it became the best-ever selling single beating the benchmark set by The Beatles' song "She Loves You" in 1963.[3] "Mull of Kintyre" was also the biggest selling song of the decade and was not surpassed in physical sales until 1984 when Band Aid released "Do They Know It's Christmas?".[4]
The following record labels had five or more number ones on the UK Singles Chart during the 1970s.
Million-selling and platinum records
In April 1973, the British Phonographic Industry began classifying singles and albums by the number of units sold. The highest threshold is "platinum record" and was then awarded to singles that sold over 1,000,000 units.[5][nb 1] Thirteen records were classified platinum in the 1970s and two number-one songs from the 1970s were classified as platinum in the subsequent decade.[27]Slade's "Merry Xmas Everybody" subsequently sold over one-million copies but in 1985, after sales from its re-release were included.[28][29]
The following songs spent at least six weeks at number one during the 1970s.
Notes
^ a bThe number of sales required to qualify for platinum, gold and silver records was dropped in 1989 to the current thresholds of 200,000 units for a silver record, 400,000 units for a gold record and 600,000 units for a platinum record.[5][25][26]
^ a b c dThe artist, song name, date of number one and its consecutive duration are those given by The Official Charts Company.[9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18]
^The record labels are those given by the OCC.[19]
^Until 2021, "The Wonder of You" was recognised as the best-selling single of 1970. However, the Official Charts Company compiled a new list using updated sales information, which instead placed "In the Summertime" at the top.[20]
^A long debate has persisted about whether the Sex Pistols out-sold Sir Rod Stewart's double A-side (a budget single) in June 1977, with their anti-Monarchy anthem "God Save the Queen", during the week of Queen Elizabeth II's Silver Jubilee. On the official UK Singles Chart used by the BBC, it was placed at no. 2, and was banned by the national broadcaster and the Independent Broadcasting Authority, which regulated Independent Local Radio, as it was felt that it might cause offence.[21][22][23] In more recent years, however, the BBC have tacitly admitted that the song did indeed reach the top of the chart,[24] although this has never been definitively confirmed, with the BBC and sources close to Virgin Records' owner Richard Branson both confirming and denying it as fact.
References
^ a b cSmith, Alan. "50s & 60s UK Charts – The Truth!". Dave McAleer's website. Archived from the original on 3 September 2011. Retrieved 4 November 2010.
^"Key Dates in the History of the Official UK Charts". The Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 10 January 2008. Retrieved 16 May 2010.
^Leadbetter, Russell (17 May 2010). "Macca proves he's no sellout". The Herald. Retrieved 31 May 2010.
^Westbrook, Caroline (14 January 2005). "The history of the chart-topper". BBC News. Retrieved 31 May 2010.
^ a b cGallup (4 February 1989). "The Top of the Pops Chart" (PDF). Record Mirror: 4. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 October 2010. Retrieved 16 July 2010.
^"The BRITs 1977". Brit Awards. Retrieved 12 June 2010.
^ a b"Chart Archive – 1970s Singles". everyHit.com. Retrieved 29 July 2010.
^"All the Number One Singles: 1970". The Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 17 February 2011. Retrieved 13 June 2010.
^"All the Number One Singles: 1971". The Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 13 January 2011. Retrieved 13 June 2010.
^"All the Number One Singles: 1972". The Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 5 July 2010. Retrieved 13 June 2010.
^"All the Number One Singles: 1973". The Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 15 June 2011. Retrieved 13 June 2010.
^"All the Number One Singles: 1974". The Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 15 June 2011. Retrieved 13 June 2010.
^"All the Number One Singles: 1975". The Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 15 June 2011. Retrieved 13 June 2010.
^"All the Number One Singles: 1976". The Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 15 June 2011. Retrieved 13 June 2010.
^"All the Number One Singles: 1977". The Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 15 June 2011. Retrieved 13 June 2010.
^"All the Number One Singles: 1978". The Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 15 June 2011. Retrieved 13 June 2010.
^"All the Number One Singles: 1979". The Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 15 June 2011. Retrieved 13 June 2010.
^"Artist Chart History". London: Official Charts Company. 2010. Archived from the original on 3 September 2011. Retrieved 6 August 2011.
^"Britain's Biggest 70s Hits". channel5.com. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
^"Bragg attacks Pistols' royal views". BBC. 27 May 2002. Retrieved 17 July 2013.
^"God Save the Queen: The Sex Pistols take on charity track". ITV News. 19 April 2012. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
^Hall, James (27 May 2017). "God Save the Queen at 40: how the Sex Pistols made the most controversial song in history". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
^"Sex Pistols cover tops chart". BBC News. 14 March 2001. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
^"Certified Awards". British Phonographic Industry. Archived from the original on 1 May 2012. Retrieved 7 June 2010.
^"Certified Awards Search". British Phonographic Industry. Archived from the original on 20 August 2011. Retrieved 7 June 2010. Customise search with the following settings – Search by: "Keyword", By Award: "Platinum", By Format: "Single" – then search by each individual year.
^"Million-Selling Singles". everyHit. Retrieved 12 June 2010.
^"Stats and Facts: Million Sellers". The Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 16 April 2008. Retrieved 19 July 2010.
^"Digital generation pushes the oldies into the million-sellers club". Music Week. 6 September 2010.
^Jones, Alan (1 June 2010). "Pendulum and Black Eyed Peas make historic week for sales charts". Music Week.
^"New Seekers". Chart Watch. 8 March 2004. Archived from the original on 17 March 2004. Retrieved 13 November 2010.
^"Julie Covington". Chart Watch. 8 March 2004. Archived from the original on 28 March 2004. Retrieved 13 November 2010.
^"Pink Floyd". Chart Watch. 8 March 2004. Archived from the original on 28 April 2004. Retrieved 13 November 2010.
^Ken Bruce (presenter) (30 August 2010). "UK's Million Sellers with Ken Bruce". BBC. BBC Radio Two. {{cite episode}}: Missing or empty |series= (help)
^"Polydor". Chart Watch. Retrieved 13 November 2010.
Further reading
Davis, Sharon. Every Chart-Topper Tells a Story: The Seventies. Edinburgh: Mainstream Publishing, 1998 ISBN 1-85158-837-X, 430p.