List of NME number-one singles of the 1970s explained

NME (or New Musical Express) was a British weekly pop music newspaper. Record charts in the United Kingdom began life on 14 November 1952 when NME began compiling the first UK-wide sales-based hit parade. Prior to 15 February 1969, when the British Market Research Bureau chart was established, there was no one universally accepted source and many periodicals compiled their own chart. During this time the BBC used aggregated results of charts from the NME and other sources to compile the Pick of the Pops chart. In 1969, Record Retailer and the BBC commissioned the British Market Research Bureau (BMRB) to compile the singles chart.^[1]

Prior to this, The Official Charts Company and Guinness' British Hit Singles & Albums, consider Record Retailer the canonical source for the British singles chart in the 1960s;^[1] Nevertheless, in the 1960s, NME had the biggest circulation of charts in the decade and was more widely followed.^[2] After 1969, the joint venture between Record Retailer and the BBC is widely considered as the beginning of the official UK Singles Chart.^[2] ^[3] ^[4] NME continued compiling its own chart until 14 May 1988.^[5]

Significantly, NME had the Sex Pistols' anti-monarchy single "God Save the Queen" at number-one during the Silver Jubilee of Elizabeth II.^[6] ^[7] The single, released by Virgin Records, was the highest-selling single of the week^[8] ^[9] but had been banned by the BBC and some major retailers.^[6] To prevent it from reaching the top of the BMRB chart, for one week compilers "decreed that shops which sold their own records could not have those records represented in the chart", thus sales from Virgin Megastores were not counted.^[3] Despite reaching number-two on the official chart, it is sometimes referred to as reaching number one.^[10] ^[11] ^[12]

Number-one singles

Key
scope=row style="background-color:mistyrose"	‡	The song did not reach number one on the BMRB chart which is considered as the official chart after 12 February 1969.
scope=row style="background-color:lightgreen; white-space:nowrap;"	[nb #]	The song spent a week at number one where it shared the top spot with another song.

scope=col		scope=col	Artist	scope=col	Single	scope=col	Reached number one	scope=col	Weeks at number one
scope=row style="text-align:center;" colspan=6
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	280		"Two Little Boys"		6
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	281		"Reflections of My Life" ‡		1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	282		"Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)"		3
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	283		"I Want You Back" ‡		1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	284		"Wand'rin' Star"		3
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	285	Simon & Garfunkel	"Bridge over Troubled Water"		4
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	286		"Spirit in the Sky"		2
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	287	England World Cup Squad "70"	"Back Home"		3
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	288		"Question" ‡		1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	289	Christie	"Yellow River"		1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	290		"In the Summertime"		4
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	291		"All Right Now" ‡		3
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	292		"Lola" ‡		1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	293		""		3
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	294	and The Miracles	""		4
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	295		"Band of Gold"		5
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	296		"Black Night" ‡		1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	297	Matthews' Southern Comfort	"Woodstock"		3
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	298	Jimi Hendrix Experience	"Voodoo Chile"		1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	299	's Rockpile	"I Hear You Knocking"		3
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	300		"When I'm Dead and Gone" ‡		1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	301		"Grandad"		4
scope=row style="text-align:center;" colspan=6
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	302		"My Sweet Lord"		6
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	303		"Baby Jump"		1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	304		"Another Day" ‡		1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	305	T. Rex	"Hot Love"		5
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	306	Dave and Ansel Collins	"Double Barrel"		2
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	307		"Brown Sugar" ‡		1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	308	Dawn	"Knock Three Times"		3
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	309		"My Brother Jake" ‡		1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	310		"I Did What I Did for Maria" ‡		1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	311	Middle of the Road	"Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep"		5
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	312	T. Rex	"Get It On"		3
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	313		"Never Ending Song of Love" ‡		1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	314		"I'm Still Waiting"		3
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	315		"Hey Girl Don't Bother Me"		2
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	316		"Maggie May"		6
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	317	Slade	"Coz I Luv You"		3
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	318		"Ernie (The Fastest Milkman in the West)"		5
scope=row style="text-align:center;" colspan=6
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	319		"I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing (In Perfect Harmony)"		4
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	320		"" ‡		1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	321	T. Rex	"Telegram Sam"		1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	322	Chicory Tip	"Son of My Father"		2
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	323		"American Pie" ‡		1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	324	Nilsson	"Without You"		6
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	325	Royal Scots Dragoon Guards	"Amazing Grace"		4
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	326	T.Rex	"Metal Guru"		4
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	327		"Vincent"		3
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	328	Slade	"Take Me Bak 'Ome"		1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	329		"Puppy Love"		4
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	330		"School's Out"		3
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	331		"You Wear It Well"		2
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	332	Slade	"Mama Weer All Crazee Now"		2
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	333		"Children of the Revolution" ‡		1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	334		"How Can I Be Sure"		1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	335	Lieutenant Pigeon	"Mouldy Old Dough"		4
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	336		"Clair"		2
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	337		"My Ding-a-Ling"		3
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	338		"Gudbuy T'Jane" ‡		1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	339		"Long Haired Lover from Liverpool"		4
scope=row style="text-align:center;" colspan=6
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	340		"" ‡		1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	341	Sweet	"Blockbuster"		4
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	342		"Part of the Union" ‡		2
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	343	Slade	"Cum On Feel the Noize"		3
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	344		""		2
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	345		"Get Down"		1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	346	Dawn featuring Tony Orlando	"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree"		5
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	347	Wizzard	"See My Baby Jive"		2
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	348		"Can the Can"		3
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	349	10cc	"Rubber Bullets"		1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	350	Slade	"Skweeze Me, Pleeze Me"		2
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	351	Peters and Lee	"Welcome Home"		2
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	352		"I'm the Leader of the Gang (I Am!)"		4
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	353		"Young Love"		2
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	354	Wizzard	"Angel Fingers (A Teen Ballad)"		1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	355		"Rock On" ‡		1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	356		"" ‡		1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	357	Simon Park Orchestra	"Eye Level (Theme From The Thames TV Series "Van Der Valk")"		4
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	358		"" / "Daydreamer"		2
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	359		"Let Me In" ‡		1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	360		"I Love You Love Me Love"		4
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	361	Slade	"Merry Christmas Everybody"		2^[13]
scope=row style="text-align:center;" colspan=6
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	362		"You Won't Find Another Fool Like Me"		2
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	363		"" ‡		1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	364		"Teenage Rampage" ‡		1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	365	Mud	"Tiger Feet"		3
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	366		"Devil Gate Drive"		2
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	367		"Jealous Mind"		2
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	368	Paper Lace	"Billy Don't Be a Hero"		3
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	369		"Seasons in the Sun"		2
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	370		"" ‡		1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	371	ABBA	"Waterloo"		2
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	372		"Sugar Baby Love"		4
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	373		"The Streak"		2
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	374		"Always Yours"		1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	375		"She"		3
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	376		"Rock Your Baby"		3
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	377		"When Will I See You Again"		3
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	378		"Love Me for a Reason"		2
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	379		"Kung Fu Fighting"		4
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	380		"Gee Baby" ‡		1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	381		"Everything I Own"		2
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	382		"Gonna Make You a Star"		5
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	383		"You're the First, the Last, My Everything"		1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	384	Mud	"Lonely This Christmas"		3
scope=row style="text-align:center;" colspan=6
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	385		"Streets of London" ‡		2
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	386	Status Quo	"Down Down"		1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	387		"Ms Grace"		1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	388	Pilot	"January"		2
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	389		"Please Mr. Postman" ‡		1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	390		"Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)"		1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	391		"If"		2
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	392	Bay City Rollers	"Bye Bye Baby (Baby Goodbye)"		6
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	393		"Honey" ‡		1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	394		"Lovin' You" ‡		1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	395		"Stand by Your Man"		3
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	396	and Don Estelle	"Whispering Grass"		1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	397		"Three Steps to Heaven" ‡		1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"		and Don Estelle	"Whispering Grass"		1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	398	10cc	"I'm Not in Love"		2
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	399		"Tears on My Pillow"		2
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	400	Bay City Rollers	"Give a Little Love"		1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	401	Typically Tropical	"Barbados"		2
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	402		"Can't Give You Anything (But My Love)"		2
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	403		"Sailing"		4
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	404		"Moonlighting" ‡		1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	405		"Hold Me Close"		3
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	406		"I Only Have Eyes for You"		2
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	407		"Space Oddity"		2
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	408		"D.I.V.O.R.C.E."		1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	409		"You Sexy Thing" ‡		1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	410	Queen	"Bohemian Rhapsody"		7
scope=row style="text-align:center;" colspan=6
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	411		"" ‡		1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	412	ABBA	"Mamma Mia"		2
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	413	Slik	"Forever and Ever"		1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	414		"December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)"		2
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	415		"I Love to Love (But My Baby Loves to Dance)"		3
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	416	Brotherhood of Man	"Save Your Kisses for Me"		5
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	417	ABBA	"Fernando"		6
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	418		"No Charge"		1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	419	Wings	"Silly Love Songs" ‡		1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	420		"You to Me Are Everything"		2
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	421		"Young Hearts Run Free" ‡		1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	422		""		1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	423	& Kiki Dee	"Don't Go Breaking My Heart"		7
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	424	ABBA	"Dancing Queen"		5
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	425	Pussycat	"Mississippi"		3
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	426	Chicago	"If You Leave Me Now"		4
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	427	Showaddywaddy	"Under the Moon of Love"		3
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	428		"When a Child Is Born"		3^[14]
scope=row style="text-align:center;" colspan=6
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	429		"Don't Give Up on Us"		2
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	430		"Don't Cry for Me Argentina"		1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"			"Don't Give Up on Us"		1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"			"Don't Cry for Me Argentina"		2
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	431		"When I Need You"		2
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	432		"Chanson D'Amour"		2
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	433	ABBA	"Knowing Me, Knowing You"		6
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	434		"Free"		3
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	435		"I Don't Want to Talk About It" / "The First Cut Is the Deepest"		3
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	436		"God Save the Queen" ‡		1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	437		"Show You the Way to Go"		2
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	438	Hot Chocolate	"So You Win Again"		1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	439		"Ma Baker" ‡		1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	440		"I Feel Love"		5
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	441	Brotherhood of Man	"Angelo"		1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	442		"Way Down"		1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	443		"Magic Fly" ‡		3
scope=row style="text-align:center;"			"Way Down"		2
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	444		"Silver Lady"		1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	445	Baccara	"Yes Sir, I Can Boogie"		1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	446		"You're in My Heart" ‡		1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"		Baccara	"Yes Sir, I Can Boogie"		1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	447	ABBA	""		2
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	448		"Rockin' All Over the World" ‡		1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	449	Wings	"Mull of Kintyre"		9^[15]
scope=row style="text-align:center;" colspan=6
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	450	Althea & Donna	"Uptown Top Ranking"		2
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	451	ABBA	"Take a Chance on Me"		3
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	452		"Wuthering Heights"		3
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	453		"Denis" ‡		2
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	454		"I Wonder Why" ‡		1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	455	Bee Gees	"Night Fever"		4
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	456	Boney M.	"Rivers of Babylon"		4
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	457	and Olivia Newton-John	"You're the One That I Want"		10
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	458	Commodores	"Three Times a Lady"		4
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	459	10cc	"Dreadlock Holiday"		2
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	460	and Olivia Newton-John	"Summer Nights"		6
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	461		"Rat Trap"		3
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	462		"Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?"		1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	463	Boney M.	"Mary's Boy Child – Oh My Lord"		4^[16]
scope=row style="text-align:center;" colspan=6
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	464	Village People	"Y.M.C.A."		3
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	465		"Hit Me with Your Rhythm Stick"		2
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	466	Blondie	"Heart of Glass"		1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	467		"Chiquitita" ‡		1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"		Blondie	"Heart of Glass"		2
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	468	Bee Gees	"Tragedy"		1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	469		"Oliver's Army" ‡		1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	470		"I Will Survive"		2
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	471		"In the Navy" ‡		1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	472		"Bright Eyes"		5
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	473		"Pop Muzik" ‡		1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"			"Bright Eyes"		1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	474	Blondie	"Sunday Girl"		1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	475		"Dance Away" ‡		1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	476		"Ring My Bell"		3
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	477	Tubeway Army	"Are "Friends" Electric?"		2
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	478		"Silly Games" ‡		1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"		Tubeway Army	"Are "Friends" Electric?"		2
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	479		"I Don't Like Mondays"		4
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	480		"We Don't Talk Anymore"		3
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	481		"Cars"		2
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	482		"Message in a Bottle"		2
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	483		"Video Killed the Radio Star"		2
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	484		"One Day at a Time"		1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	485	Dr. Hook	"When You're in Love with a Beautiful Woman"		4
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	486		"Walking on the Moon"		1
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	487	Pink Floyd	"Another Brick in the Wall (Part II)"		4^[17]

References

Footnotes

Sources

Book: Osborne. Roger. Dafydd. Rees. Barry. Lazell. Forty Years of "NME" Charts. 2nd. 1995. Pan Macmillan. 0-7522-0829-2.

Notes and References

Web site: Key Dates in the History of the Official UK Charts. The Official Charts Company. 16 May 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20080110032725/http://www.theofficialcharts.com/company_history.php. 10 January 2008.
Web site: Smith . Alan . 50s & 60s UK Charts – The Truth! . Dave McAleer's website . 4 November 2010 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110903033717/http://www.davemcaleer.com/page21.htm . 3 September 2011 .
Web site: Music: Charting the number ones that somehow got away. Leigh. Spencer. 20 February 1998. The Independent. 5 August 2010.
Book: Warwick. Neil. Kutner. Jon. Brown. Tony. The Complete Book Of The British Charts: Singles and Albums. 3rd. 2004. Omnibus Press. London. 1-84449-058-0. v. Until 15th February 1969, there was no officially compiled chart..
Web site: Smith . Alan . Every No.1 in the 1960s is listed from all the nine different magazine charts! . Dave McAleer's website . 4 November 2010 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110510032548/http://www.davemcaleer.com/page22.htm . 10 May 2011 .
Web site: Is the UK OK?. Ascherson. Neal. 2 June 2002. The Observer. 8 August 2010.
News: Infectious Rage of Punk. Murthi. R. S.. 9 May 1993. New Straits Times. 17. 8 August 2010.
Web site: Melbourne & punk: 25 years on. Donovan. Patrick. 3 June 2002. The Age. 8 August 2010.
Web site: When the oppressed express themselves. Munckton. Stuart. 2 August 2000. Green Left Weekly. 8 August 2010.
Web site: Sex Pistols reunite for anti-jubilee gig. 28 July 2002. BBC News. 8 August 2010.
News: John Lydon: Sex Pistols gone but the anger remains. O'Connor. Tim. 27 June 1986. Ottawa Citizen. F18. 8 August 2010.
Web site: Sex Pistols cover tops chart. 14 March 2001. BBC News. 8 August 2010.
There was no chart published for the week ending 26 December 1973. In the preceding week, "Merry Xmas Everybody" was the number-one single. In the next published chart, "You Won't Find Another Fool Like Me" claimed the top spot.
There was no chart published for the week ending 5 January 1977. For the week either side of this "When a Child Is Born" was the number-one single.
There was no chart published for the week ending 28 December 1977. For the week either side of this "Mull of Kintyre" was the number-one single.
There was no chart published for the week ending 27 December 1978. For the preceding week, "Mary's Boy Child - Oh My Lord" was the number-one single. In the next published chart, "Y.M.C.A." claimed the top spot.
There was no chart published for the week ending 26 December 1979. For the week either side of this "Another Brick in the Wall (Part II)" was the number-one single.