List of UK top-ten singles in 1966 explained
The UK Singles Chart is one of many music charts compiled by the Official Charts Company that calculates the best-selling singles of the week in the United Kingdom.[1] Before 2004, the chart was only based on the sales of physical singles.[2] [3] This list shows singles that peaked in the Top 10 of the UK Singles Chart during 1966, as well as singles which peaked in 1965 and 1967 but were in the top 10 in 1966. The entry date is when the single appeared in the top 10 for the first time (week ending, as published by the Official Charts Company, which is six days after the chart is announced).
One-hundred and nineteen singles were in the top ten in 1966. Ten singles from 1965 remained in the top 10 for several weeks at the beginning of the year, while "Save Me" by Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich, "Sunshine Superman" by Donovan and "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted" by Jimmy Ruffin were all released in 1966 but did not reach their peak until 1967. "Let's Hang On!" by The Four Seasons featuring Frankie Valli, and "My Ship Is Comin' In" by The Walker Brothers were the singles from 1965 to reach their peak in 1966. Twenty-eight artists scored multiple entries in the top 10 in 1966. Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich, Four Tops, Ike & Tina Turner, Nancy Sinatra, Small Faces and The Spencer Davis Group were among the many artists who achieved their first UK charting top 10 single in 1966.
The 1965 Christmas number-one, "Day Tripper"/"We Can Work It Out" by The Beatles, remained at number one for the first three weeks of 1966. The first new number-one single of the year was "Keep On Running" by The Spencer Davis Group. Overall, twenty different singles peaked at number-one in 1966, with The Spencer Davis Group and The Beatles (2) having the joint most singles hit that position.
Background
Multiple entries
One-hundred and nineteen singles charted in the top 10 in 1966, with one-hundred and eight singles reaching their peak this year. "Elusive Butterfly" was recorded by Bob Lind and Val Doonican and both versions reached the top 10.
Twenty-eight artists scored multiple entries in the top 10 in 1966. The Beach Boys, Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich, The Kinks and Small Faces shared the record for most top 10 hits in 1966 with four hit singles each.
The Walker Brothers were one of a number of artists with two top-ten entries, including the number-one single "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore". Crispian St. Peters, Herman's Hermits, Petula Clark, The Supremes and Val Doonican were among the other artists who had multiple top 10 entries in 1966.
Chart debuts
Thirty artists achieved their first top 10 single in 1966, either as a lead or featured artist. Of these, three went on to record another hit single that year: Crispian St. Peters, Lee Dorsey and The Lovin' Spoonful. The Spencer Davis Group and The Troggs both had two more top 10 singles in 1966. Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich and Small Faces each had three other entries in their breakthrough year.
The following table (collapsed on desktop site) does not include acts who had previously charted as part of a group and secured their first top 10 solo single.
| Artist | Number of top 10s | First entry | Chart position | Other entries |
|---|
| 3 | "Keep on Running" | 1 | "Somebody Help Me" (1), "Gimme Some Lovin'" (2) |
| Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass | 1 | "Spanish Flea" | 3 | - |
| 1 | "Michelle" | 1 | - |
| Crispian St. Peters | 2 | "You Were on My Mind" | 2 | "The Pied Piper" (5) |
| Nancy Sinatra | 1 | "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" | 1 | - |
| Pinkerton's Assorted Colours | 1 | "Mirror, Mirror" | 9 | - |
| Small Faces | 4 | "Sha-La-La-La-Lee" | 3 | "Hey Girl" (10), "All or Nothing" (1), "My Mind's Eye" (4) |
| Eddy Arnold | 1 | "Make the World Go Away" | 8 | - |
| Bob Lind | 1 | "Elusive Butterfly" | 5 | - |
| Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich | 4 | "Hold Tight!" | 4 | "Hideaway" (10), "Bend It!" (2), "Save Me" (3) |
| The Alan Price Set | 1 | "I Put a Spell on You" | 9 | - |
| 2 | "Daydream" | 2 | "Summer in the City" (8) |
| Simon & Garfunkel | 1 | "Homeward Bound" | 9 | - |
| Roy C | 1 | "Shotgun Wedding" | 6 | - |
| 3 | "Wild Thing" | 2 | "With a Girl Like You" (1), "I Can't Control Myself" (2) |
| 1 | "Sorrow" | 4 | - |
| The Mamas & the Papas | 1 | "Monday, Monday" | 3 | - |
| Percy Sledge | 1 | "When a Man Loves a Woman" | 4 | " - |
| Ike & Tina Turner | 1 | "River Deep – Mountain High" | 3 | - |
| Chris Farlowe | 1 | "Out of Time" | 1 | - |
| Los Bravos | 1 | "Black Is Black" | 2 | - |
| Napoleon XIV | 1 | "They're Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!" | 4 | - |
| David and Jonathan | 1 | "Lovers of the World Unite" | 7 | - |
| Lee Dorsey | 2 | "Working in the Coal Mine" | 8 | "Holy Cow" (6) |
| 1 | "Winchester Cathedral" | 4 | - |
| 1 | "Guantanamera" | 7 | - |
| Four Tops | 1 | "Reach Out I'll Be There" | 1 | - |
| Paul Jones | 1 | "High Times" | 4 | - |
| 1 | "Friday on My Mind" | 6 | - |
| Jimmy Ruffin | 1 | "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted" | 1 | - | |
- NotesAlan Price was the original keyboardist for The Animals, leaving in 1965 after the group had broken through with two top 10 hits, including number-one single "House of the Rising Sun". He went on to have a solo career and charted with his own band The Alan Price Set in 1966.
The Merseys were an offshoot of the group The Merseybeats, created by former members Tony Crane and Billy Kinsley. "Sorrow" was their only hit single as a duo before they folded in 1968.
Songs from films
Original songs from various films entered the top 10 throughout the year. These included "Alfie" (from Alfie), "Strangers in the Night" (A Man Could Get Killed) and "Yellow Submarine" (Yellow Submarine in 1968).
Additionally, the original version of "Love Letters" was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song after being used in the film of the same name (losing out to "It Might As Well Be Spring" from State Fair). "The More I See You" was first sung by Dick Haymes in the 1945 film Diamond Horseshoe.
Best-selling singles
Until 1970 there was no universally recognised year-end best-sellers list. However, in 2011 the Official Charts Company released a list of the best-selling single of each year in chart history from 1952 to date. According to the list, "Green, Green Grass of Home" by Tom Jones is officially recorded as the biggest-selling single of 1966. "Green, Green Grass of Home" (10) ranked in the top 10 best-selling singles of the decade.
Top-ten singles
- Key
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|
| bgcolor=lightblue | ‡ | Single peaked in 1965 but still in chart in 1966. |
| ♦ | Single released in 1966 but peaked in 1967. |
| (#) | Year-end best-selling singles. |
| Entered | The date that the single first appeared in the chart. |
|---|
| Peak | Highest position that the single reached in the UK Singles Chart. | |
|---|
Entered
(week ending) | Weeks
in
top
10 | Single | Artist | Peak | Peak reached
(week ending) | Weeks
at
peak |
|---|
| Singles in 1965 |
|---|
| 17 | "Tears" ‡ | Ken Dodd | 1 | | 5 |
| 11 | "The Carnival Is Over" ‡ | | 1 | | 3 |
| 7 | "My Generation" ‡ | | 2 | | 2 |
| 7 | "1-2-3" ‡ | Len Barry | 3 | | 1 |
| 9 | "Wind Me Up (Let Me Go)" ‡ | Cliff Richard | 2 | | 3 |
| 5 | "A Lover's Concerto" ‡ | | 5 | | 2 |
| 9 | "Day Tripper"/"We Can Work It Out" ‡ | | 1 | | 5 |
| 8 | "The River" ‡ | Ken Dodd | 3 | | 2 |
| 8 | "My Ship Is Comin' In" | | 3 | | 1 |
| 7 | "Let's Hang On!" | | 4 | | 1 |
| Singles in 1966 |
|---|
| 7 | "Keep On Running" | | 1 | | 1 |
| 2 | "Merry Gentle Pops" | The Barron Knights | 9 | | 1 |
| 5 | "Till the End of the Day" | | 8 | | 2 |
| 5 | "A Must to Avoid" | Herman's Hermits | 6 | | 2 |
| 8 | "Spanish Flea" | Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass | 3 | | 3 |
| 4 | "Michelle" | | 1 | | 3 |
| 6 | "You Were on My Mind" | Crispian St. Peters | 2 | | 1 |
| 4 | "Love's Just a Broken Heart" | Cilla Black | 5 | | 2 |
| 6 | "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" | Nancy Sinatra | 1 | | 4 |
| 7 | "A Groovy Kind of Love" | | 2 | | 1 |
| 2 | "Mirror, Mirror" | Pinkerton's Assorted Colours | 9 | | 1 |
| 1 | "Like a Baby" | Len Barry | 10 | | 1 |
| 4 | "19th Nervous Breakdown" | | 2 | | 3 |
| 2 | "Tomorrow" | Sandie Shaw | 9 | | 2 |
| 3 | "My Love" | Petula Clark | 4 | | 1 |
| 6 | "Sha-La-La-La-Lee" | Small Faces | 3 | | 1 |
| 6 | "Barbara Ann" | | 3 | | 1 |
| 4 | "Backstage" | Gene Pitney | 4 | | 1 |
| 6 | "Make the World Go Away" | Eddy Arnold | 8 | | 2 |
| 5 | "I Can't Let Go" | | 2 | | 3 |
| 7 | "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore" | | 1 | | 4 |
| 4 | "Shapes of Things" | | 3 | | 2 |
| 5 | "Dedicated Follower of Fashion" | | 4 | | 2 |
| 4 | "Elusive Butterfly" | Bob Lind | 5 | | 2 |
| 4 | "Elusive Butterfly" | Val Doonican | 5 | | 1 |
| 5 | "Somebody Help Me" | | 1 | | 2 |
| 6 | "Hold Tight!" | Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich | 4 | | 2 |
| 6 | "The Sound of Silence" | | 3 | | 2 |
| 2 | "Substitute" | | 5 | | 1 |
| 6 | "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me" | Dusty Springfield | 1 | | 1 |
| 4 | "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)" | Cher | 3 | | 1 |
| 2 | "I Put a Spell on You" | | 9 | | 2 |
| 5 | "The Pied Piper" | Crispian St. Peters | 5 | | 1 |
| 5 | "Pretty Flamingo" | Manfred Mann | 1 | | 3 |
| 4 | "Daydream" | | 2 | | 2 |
| 2 | "Alfie" | Cilla Black | 9 | | 1 |
| 6 | "Sloop John B" | | 2 | | 1 |
| 2 | "Homeward Bound" | Simon & Garfunkel | 9 | | 1 |
| 3 | "Shotgun Wedding" | Roy C | 6 | | 1 |
| 5 | "Wild Thing" | | 2 | | 1 |
| 5 | "Paint It Black" | | 1 | | 1 |
| 6 | "Sorrow" | | 4 | | 3 |
| 4 | "Rainy Day Women #12 & 35" | Bob Dylan | 7 | | 1 |
| 8 | "Strangers in the Night" | Frank Sinatra | 1 | | 3 |
| 6 | "Monday, Monday" | The Mamas & the Papas | 3 | | 2 |
| 2 | "Hey Girl" | Small Faces | 10 | | 2 |
| 3 | "Promises" | Ken Dodd | 6 | | 1 |
| 6 | "When a Man Loves a Woman" | Percy Sledge | 4 | | 1 |
| 3 | "Don't Bring Me Down" | | 6 | | 1 |
| 5 | "Paperback Writer" | | 1 | | 2 |
| 2 | "Over Under Sideways Down" | | 10 | | 2 |
| 7 | "Sunny Afternoon" | | 1 | | 2 |
| 3 | "Don't Answer Me" | Cilla Black | 6 | | 1 |
| 6 | "River Deep – Mountain High" | Ike & Tina Turner | 3 | | 2 |
| 4 | "Nobody Needs Your Love" | Gene Pitney | 2 | | 1 |
| 4 | "Bus Stop" | | 5 | | 1 |
| 3 | "Hideaway" | Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich | 10 | | 3 |
| 5 | "Get Away" | Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames | 1 | | 1 |
| 5 | "I Couldn't Live Without Your Love" | Petula Clark | 6 | | 1 |
| 6 | "Out of Time" | Chris Farlowe | 1 | | 1 |
| 6 | "Black Is Black" | Los Bravos | 2 | | 1 |
| 4 | "Love Letters" | Elvis Presley | 6 | | 1 |
| 8 | "With a Girl Like You" | | 1 | | 2 |
| 5 | "The More I See You" | Chris Montez | 3 | | 1 |
| 2 | "Goin' Back" | Dusty Springfield | 10 | | 2 |
| 6 | "Mama" | Dave Berry | 5 | | 2 |
| 7 | "God Only Knows" | | 2 | | 2 |
| 8 | "Yellow Submarine"/"Eleanor Rigby" | | 1 | | 4 |
| 3 | "Summer in the City" | | 8 | | 1 |
| 3 | "Visions" | Cliff Richard | 7 | | 3 |
| 5 | "They're Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!" | Napoleon XIV | 4 | | 3 |
| 6 | "All or Nothing" | Small Faces | 1 | | 1 |
| 4 | "Lovers of the World Unite" | David and Jonathan | 7 | | 1 |
| 6 | "Too Soon to Know" | Roy Orbison | 3 | | 1 |
| 10 | "Distant Drums" | Jim Reeves | 1 | | 5 |
| 3 | "Working in the Coal Mine" | Lee Dorsey | 8 | | 1 |
| 2 | "Got to Get You into My Life" | Cliff Bennett and the Rebel Rousers | 6 | | 1 |
| 1 | "Just Like a Woman" | Manfred Mann | 10 | | 1 |
| 6 | "I'm a Boy" | | 2 | | 1 |
| 4 | "Little Man" | Sonny & Cher | 4 | | 1 |
| 5 | "You Can't Hurry Love" | | 3 | | 1 |
| 6 | "Bend It!" | Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich | 2 | | 2 |
| 7 | "Winchester Cathedral" | | 4 | | 1 |
| 1 | "Walk With Me" | | 10 | | 1 |
| 4 | "Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing in the Shadow?" | | 5 | | 1 |
| 2 | "All I See Is You" | Dusty Springfield | 9 | | 1 |
| 5 | "Guantanamera" | | 7 | | 3 |
| 6 | "I Can't Control Myself" | | 2 | | 1 |
| 7 | "Reach Out I'll Be There" | Four Tops | 1 | | 3 |
| 6 | "Stop Stop Stop" | | 2 | | 2 |
| 3 | "No Milk Today" | Herman's Hermits | 7 | | 1 |
| 5 | "High Time" | Paul Jones | 4 | | 1 |
| 1 | "Time Drags By" | Cliff Richard & The Shadows | 10 | | 1 |
| 5 | "Semi-Detached, Suburban Mr. James" | Manfred Mann | 2 | | 1 |
| 7 | "Good Vibrations" | | 1 | | 2 |
| 6 | "Gimme Some Lovin'" | | 2 | | 1 |
| 4 | "Holy Cow" | Lee Dorsey | 6 | | 2 |
| 2 | "If I Were a Carpenter" | Bobby Darin | 9 | | 1 |
| 13 | "Green, Green Grass of Home" (#1) | Tom Jones | 1 | | 7 |
| 8 | "What Would I Be" | Val Doonican | 2 | | 1 |
| 5 | "My Mind's Eye" | Small Faces | 4 | | 2 |
| 2 | "Just One Smile" | Gene Pitney | 8 | | 1 |
| 9 | "Morningtown Ride" | | 2 | | 3 |
| 4 | "Friday on My Mind" | | 6 | | 1 |
| 5 | "Dead End Street" | | 5 | | 2 |
| 4 | "You Keep Me Hangin' On" | | 8 | | 2 |
| 2 | "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted" ♦ | | 8 | | 1 |
| 5 | "Sunshine Superman" ♦ | Donovan | 2 | | 1 |
| 5 | "Save Me" ♦ | Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich | 3 | | 1 |
|
Entries by artist
The following table shows artists who achieved two or more top 10 entries in 1966, including singles that reached their peak in 1965 or 1967. The figures include both main artists and featured artists. The total number of weeks an artist spent in the top ten in 1966 is also shown.
| Entries | Artist | Weeks | Singles |
|---|
| 4 | | 26 | "Barbara Ann", "God Only Knows", "Good Vibrations", "Sloop John B" |
| 19 | "Bend It!", "Hideaway", "Hold Tight!", "Save Me" |
| 19 | "Dead End Street", "Dedicated Follower of Fashion", "Sunny Afternoon", "Till the End of the Day" |
| Small Faces | 18 | "All or Nothing", "Hey Girl", "My Mind's Eye", "Sha-La-La-La-Lee" |
| 3 | | 19 | "Day Tripper"/"We Can Work It Out", "Paperback Writer", "Yellow Submarine"/"Eleanor Rigby" |
| Cilla Black | 7 | "Alfie", "Don't Answer Me", "Love's Just a Broken Heart" |
| 8 | "Time Drags By", "Visions", "Wind Me Up (Let Me Go)" |
| Dusty Springfield | 10 | "All I See Is You", "Goin' Back", "You Don't Have To Say You Love Me" |
| Gene Pitney | 10 | "Backstage", "Just One Smile", "Nobody Needs Your Love" |
| 15 | "Bus Stop", "I Can't Let Go", "Stop Stop Stop" |
| 10 | "Promises", "Tears", "The River" |
| Manfred Mann | 11 | "Just Like a Woman", "Pretty Flamingo", "Semi-Detached, Suburban Mr. James" |
| 13 | "19th Nervous Breakdown", "Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing in the Shadow?", "Paint It Black" |
| 8 | "Morningtown Ride", "The Carnival Is Over", "Walk with Me" |
| 18 | "Gimme Some Lovin'", "Keep on Running", "Somebody Help Me" |
| 19 | "I Can't Control Myself", "Wild Thing", "With a Girl Like You" |
| 9 | "I'm a Boy", "My Generation", "Substitute" |
| 2 | | 8 | "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)", "Little Man" |
| Crispian St. Peters | 11 | "The Pied Piper", "You Were on My Mind" |
| Herman's Hermits | 8 | "A Must to Avoid", "No Milk Today" |
| Lee Dorsey | 7 | "Holy Cow", "Working in the Coal Mine" |
| 2 | "1-2-3", "Like a Baby" |
| 7 | "Daydream", "Summer in the City" |
| Petula Clark | 8 | "I Couldn't Live Without Your Love", "My Love" |
| 7 | "You Can't Hurry Love", "You Keep Me Hangin' On" |
| Val Doonican | 9 | "Elusive Butterfly", "What Would I Be" |
| 13 | "My Ship Is Comin' In", "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine (Anymore)" |
| 6 | "Over Under Sideways Down", "Shapes of Things" | |
See also
Notes
- "Save Me" reached its peak of number three on 4 January 1967 (week ending).
- "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted" reached its peak of number eight on 4 January 1967 (week ending).
- "Make the World Go Away" re-entered the top 10 at number 10 on 23 March 1966 (week ending) for 5 weeks.
- "Summer in the City" re-entered the top 10 at number 10 on 7 September 1966 (week ending).
- "Distant Drums" was Jim Reeves' only number-one, topping the chart two years after his death.
- "My Mind's Eye" re-entered the top 10 at number 10 on 11 January 1967 (week ending).
- "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted" re-entered the top 10 at number 8 on 4 January 1967 (week ending).
- Figure includes single that peaked in 1967.
- Figure includes single that peaked in 1965.
- Figure includes appearance on "Little Man" by Sonny & Cher.
- Figure includes single that first charted in 1965 but peaked in 1966.
References
General
- Web site: Six decades of singles charts . The Official Charts Company . 18 January 2018 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110303221018/http://www.theofficialcharts.com/archive-chart-singles/ . 3 March 2011 .
Specific
External links
Notes and References
- Web site: The Official UK Charts Company . . 1 January 2012.
- Book: Roberts, David. Guinness World Records: British Hit Singles and Albums (18th edition). 2005. 1-904994-00-8. 14. Guinness World Records Limited.
- Web site: New singles formats to save the charts. BBC News. 16 October 2003 . 21 February 2010.
