List of UK top-ten singles in 1996 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 1996, as well as singles which peaked in 1995 but were in the top 10 in 1996. 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 ninety-five singles were in the top ten in 1996. Nine singles from 1995 remained in the top 10 for several weeks at the beginning of the year. "I Am Blessed" by Eternal was the only single from 1995 to reach its peak in 1996. Forty-nine artists scored multiple entries in the top 10 in 1996. Backstreet Boys, The Chemical Brothers, Faithless, Lighthouse Family and Spice Girls were among the many artists who achieved their first UK charting top 10 single in 1996.

The 1995 Christmas number-one, "Earth Song" by Michael Jackson, remained at number-one for the first two weeks of 1996. The first new number-one single of the year was "Jesus to a Child" by George Michael. Overall, twenty-four different singles peaked at number-one in 1996, with Spice Girls (3) having the most singles hit that position.

Background

Multiple entries

One-hundred and ninety-five singles charted in the top 10 in 1996, with one-hundred and eighty-seven singles reaching their peak this year.

Forty-nine artists scored multiple entries in the top 10 in 1996. Boyzone, Celine Dion, Eternal, Manic Street Preachers, Mark Morrison and Michael Jackson shared the record for the most top ten singles in 1996 with four hit singles each. Two of Boyzone's singles reached number-one: the Bee Gees cover "Words" in October and their album title track "A Different Beat" in December. The other hits were "Father and Son", which reached number 2 at the end of 1995, and "Coming Home Now", which charted at number 4 in March. Another all-male group, Manic Street Preachers from Wales, had four top ten singles, with the highest charting "A Design for Life" reaching number two in April. Of the other artists, Michael Jackson had a number-one hit with "Earth Song"; Celine Dion peaked at number 3 with "It's All Coming Back to Me Now"; Mark Morrison reached number-one with his signature-song "Return of the Mack" and Eternal's biggest hit was "Someday", which peaked at number 4.

Gina G was one of a number of artists with two top-ten entries, including the number-one single "Ooh Aah...Just a Little Bit". The Beautiful South, Cast, Jamiroquai, Mariah Carey and Suede were among the other artists who had multiple top 10 entries in 1996.

Chart debuts

Seventy-nine artists achieved their first top 10 single in 1996, either as a lead or featured artist. Of these, eight went on to record another hit single that year: Ash, Backstreet Boys, Dr. Dre, Faithless, Garbage, Gina G, Sleeper and Terrorvision. 3T, The Bluetones, Cast, Fugees, Kula Shaker, Ocean Colour Scene and Robert Miles all had a second single make the top ten. Mark Morrison had three other entries in his 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.

ArtistNumber of top 10sFirst entryChart positionOther entries
Molella1"If You Wanna Party"9 -
Cast3"Sandstorm"8"Walkaway" (9), "Flying" (4)
Babylon Zoo1"Spaceman"1 -
Goldbug1"Whole Lotta Love"3 -
3T3"Anything"2"Why" (2), "I Need You" (3)
3"Slight Return" 2"Cut Some Rug"/"Castle Rock" (7), "Marblehead Johnson" (7)
Dog Eat Dog1"No Front - The Remixes"9 -
Lighthouse Family1"Lifted"4 -
Etta James1"I Just Want to Make Love to You"5 -
Joan Osborne1"One of Us"6 -
Technohead1"I Wanna Be a Hippy"6 -
Luniz1"I Got 5 On It"3 -
Robert Miles3"Children"2"Fable" (7), "One and One" (3)
Terrorvision2"Perseverance"5"Bad Actress" (10)
Gusto1"Disco's Revenge"10 -
Gat Decor1"Passion"6 -
Mark Morrison4"Return of the Mack"1"Crazy" (6), "Trippin'" (8), "Horny" (5)
Garbage2"Stupid Girl"4"Milk" (10)
Shed Seven1"Going for Gold"8 -
Menswear1"Being Brave"10 -
Mark Snow1"The X Files"2 -
Ken Doh1"Nakasaki (EP)"7 -
Gina G2"Ooh Aah... Just a Little Bit"1"I Belong to You" (6)
Ocean Colour Scene3"You've Got It Bad"7"The Day We Caught the Train" (4), "The Circle" (6)
DJ Dado1"X-Files"8 -
2Pac1"California Love"6 -
Dr. Dre2"No Diggity" (9)
Rage Against the Machine1"Bulls on Parade"8 -
1"Peaches"8 -
Ash2"Goldfinger"5"Oh Yeah" (6)
Lisa Marie Experience1"Keep on Jumpin'"7 -
1"Move Move Move (The Red Tribe)" 6 -
Sleeper2"Sale of the Century"10"Nice Guy Eddie" (10)
Busta Rhymes1"Woo-Hah!! Got You All in Check"8 -
Klubbheads1"Klubbhopping"10 -
Boot Room Boyz1"Pass & Move (It's the Liverpool Groove)"4 -
1"Tonight, Tonight"7 -
Tony Rich Project1"Nobody Knows"4 -
John Alford1"Blue Moon"/"Only You"9 -
David Baddiel1"Three Lions (Football's Coming Home)"1 -
Frank Skinner
Bubbler Ranx1"Mysterious Girl"2 -
Fugees3"Killing Me Softly"1"Ready or Not" (1), "No Woman, No Cry" (2)
Pianoman1"Blurred"6 -
Joe Strummer1"England's Irie"6 -
Keith Allen
Kula Shaker3"Tattva"4"Hey Dude" (2), "Govinda" (7)
Alison Limerick1"Where Love Lives '96"9 -
Underworld1"Born Slippy Nuxx"2 -
Todd Terry1"Keep on Jumpin'"8 -
Martha Wash
Spice Girls3"Wannabe" 1"Say You'll Be There" (1), "2 Become 1" (1)
Los del Rio1"Macarena"2 -
Alanis Morissette1"Head over Feet" 7 -
Dodgy1"Good Enough"4 -
Bone Thugs-N-Harmony1"Tha Crossroads"8 -
OMC1"How Bizarre"5 -
Backstreet Boys2"We've Got It Goin' On"3"I'll Never Break Your Heart" (8)
Ant & Dec1"Better Watch Out"10 -
Space1"Me and You Versus the World"9 -
Stretch 'N' Vern1"I'm Alive"6 -
Maddog
Deep Blue Something1"Breakfast at Tiffany's"1 -
B.B.E.1"Seven Days and One Week"3 -
Donna Lewis1"I Love You Always Forever"5 -
1"Setting Sun"1 -
Babybird1"You're Gorgeous"3 -
Blackstreet1"No Diggity"9 -
Faithless2"Insomnia"3"Salva Mea" (9)
Reef1"Place Your Hands"6 -
9111"Don't Make Me Wait"10 -
Maria Nayler1"One and One"3 -
1"Hillbilly Rock Hillbilly Roll"5 -
Adina Howard1"What's Love Got to Do with It"2 -
Tricky1"Milk"10 -
Damage1"Forever"6 -
Dunblane1"Knockin' on Heaven's Door"/"Throw These Guns Away"1 -
NotesPeter Andre made his top 10 debut with his own single, “Mysterious Girl”, one of three top ten singles in 1996, but the previous year he was part of the Childliners collective who reached number 9 with “The Gift of Christmas”. Goldbug included Richard Walmsley who was a former member of Beatmasters, the production team who debuted in 1987 with "Rok da House". U2's Adam Clayton had appeared on a track outside the group before, the Band Aid charity single "Do They Know It's Christmas" in 1984. However his collaboration with fellow U2 member Larry Mullen Jr. on "" was his official solo top 10 debut.

Wink previously charted under the name Josh Wink but a shortened version was used for the "Higher State of Consciousness" remix. Backstreet Boys appeared on "The Gift of Christmas" charity single in 1995 but "We've Got It Goin' On" was their first entry as a group. Acting and singing duo Ant & Dec had previous chart credits under the name PJ & Duncan, including debut single "Let's Get Ready to Rhumble".

Robbie Williams had left Take That in 1995 and his debut solo single arrived this year, a cover of "Freedom! '90" by George Michael, renamed as "Freedom" and peaking in second spot. Former bandmates Gary Barlow and Mark Owen both launched solo careers in 1996 after the group went on hiatus - Barlow's "Forever Love" topped the chart, with Owen's "Child" reaching number 3.

Dunblane was formed by survivors of the massacre at Dunblane Primary School, with Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits playing guitar on the track. Scottish musician Ted Christopher wrote an extra new verse to "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" honouring the tragedy.

Songs from films

Original songs from various films entered the top 10 throughout the year. These included "The X-Files" (from The X-Files), "" (Mission: Impossible), "Born Slippy .NUXX" (Trainspotting), "Woman" (The Long Kiss Goodnight), "You Must Love Me" and "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" (Evita) and "What's Love Got to Do with It" ().

Charity singles

In the aftermath of the Dunblane massacre, a school shooting in Dunblane, Scotland which claimed the lives of sixteen children and their teacher, surviving students and teachers recorded a tribute single, which included a cover of "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" (which included an extra verse specially written by Ted Christopher) and a new song "Throw These Guns Away". It peaked at number-one on 21 December 1996 (week ending) for a single week.

Best-selling singles

Fugees had the best-selling single of the year with their cover of "Killing Me Softly", which spent eleven weeks in the top 10 (including five weeks at number-one), sold over 1.3 million copies and was certified 2× platinum by the BPI. "Wannabe" by Spice Girls came in second place. Babylon Zoo's "Spaceman", "Say You'll Be There" and "2 Become 1", both by Spice Girls, made up the top five. Songs by Mark Morrison, Baddiel, Skinner & The Lightning Seeds, Gina G, Robert Miles and Peter Andre featuring Bubbler Ranx were also in the top ten best-selling singles of the year.

Top-ten singles

Key
SymbolMeaning
bgcolor=lightblueSingle peaked in 1995 but still in chart in 1996.
Single released in 1996 but peaked in 1997.
(#)Year-end top-ten single position and rank
EnteredThe date that the single first appeared in the chart.
PeakHighest position that the single reached in the UK Singles Chart.
Entered
(week ending)
Weeks
in
top
10
SingleArtistPeakPeak reached
(week ending)
Weeks
at
peak
Singles in 1995
12"Gangsta's Paradise" ‡Coolio12
14"Missing (Todd Terry Remix)" ‡ Everything but the Girl32
9"I Believe"/"Up on the Roof" ‡Robson & Jerome14
11"Wonderwall" ‡Oasis21
10"Father and Son" ‡Boyzone22
8"It's Oh So Quiet" ‡Björk43
9"Earth Song" ‡Michael Jackson16
2"Wonderwall" ‡21
3"I Am Blessed" 71
Singles in 1996
2"If You Wanna Party"Molella featuring The Outhere Brothers91
3"So Pure"Baby D31
1"Creep '96"TLC61
4"Jesus to a Child"George Michael11
4"One by One"Cher72
1"Sandstorm"Cast81
1"Too Hot"Coolio91
6"Spaceman" (#3)Babylon Zoo15
2"Whole Lotta Love"Goldbug31
7"Anything"3T23
3"Slight Return"21
1"Street Spirit (Fade Out)"Radiohead51
1"Not a Dry Eye in the House"Meat Loaf71
1"No Fronts - The Remixes"Dog Eat Dog91
2"Lifted" Lighthouse Family41
3"I Just Want to Make Love to You"Etta James51
3"One of Us"Joan Osborne62
2"Do U Still?"East 1771
6"I Wanna Be a Hippy"Technohead61
4"I Got 5 on It"Luniz31
1"Open Arms"Mariah Carey41
10"Children" (#9)Robert Miles23
1"Stereotypes"Blur71
1"Hyperballad"Björk81
5"Don't Look Back in Anger"Oasis11
1"Perseverance"Terrorvision51
1"Disco's Revenge"Gusto91
1"Falling into You"Celine Dion101
6"How Deep is Your Love"Take That13
3"Coming Home Now"Boyzone41
1"Going Out"Supergrass51
2"Passion" Gat Decor61
1"Good Thing"Eternal81
2"Real Love" 41
12"Return of the Mack" (#6)Mark Morrison12
1"These Days"Bon Jovi71
2"Stupid Girl"Garbage41
5"Give Me a Little More Time"Gabrielle53
1"Going for Gold"Shed Seven81
1"Being Brave"Menswear101
5"Firestarter"13
5"The X-Files"Mark Snow23
1"Nakasaki (EP)"Ken Doh71
1"Walkaway"Cast91
10"Ooh Aah... Just a Little Bit" (#8) Gina G11
1"You've Got It Bad"Ocean Colour Scene71
2"X-Files"DJ Dado81
1"Something Changed"Pulp101
1"California Love"2Pac featuring Dr. Dre61
1"Bulls on Parade"Rage Against the Machine81
3"They Don't Care About Us"Michael Jackson42
1"Walking Wounded"Everything but the Girl61
1"Peaches"81
6"Cecilia"Suggs
featuring Louchie Lou & Michie One
41
3"A Design for Life"Manic Street Preachers21
1"Goldfinger"Ash51
2"Keep on Jumpin'"Lisa Marie Experience71
6"Fastlove"George Michael13
1"Before"Pet Shop Boys71
4"Move Move Move (The Red Tribe)" FA Cup Squad 199662
1"Sale of the Century"Sleeper101
2"Charmless Man"Blur51
1"Cut Some Rug"/"Castle Rock"71
1"Woo-Hah!! Got You All in Check"Busta Rhymes81
1"Klubbhopping"Klubbheads101
1"Pass & Move (It's the Liverpool Groove)" Liverpool F.C. & Boot Room Boyz41
4"There's Nothing I Won't Do"JX41
2"Tonight, Tonight"71
6"Nobody Knows"Tony Rich Project41
1"Blue Moon"/"Only You"John Alford91
1"Fat Neck"Black Grape101
9"Three Lions" (#7) Baddiel, Skinner & The Lightning Seeds12
11"Mysterious Girl" (#10)Peter Andre featuring Bubbler Ranx21
1"Until It Sleeps"Metallica51
1"The Only Thing That Looks Good on Me Is You"Bryan Adams61
8"Because You Loved Me"Celine Dion54
11"Killing Me Softly" (#1)Fugees15
2"Naked"Louise51
2"Fable"Robert Miles71
3"The Day We Caught the Train"Ocean Colour Scene41
7"Don't Stop Movin'"Livin' Joy51
2"Blurred"Pianoman61
1"Theme from Mission: Impossible"Adam Clayton & Larry Mullen Jr.71
3"Always Be My Baby"Mariah Carey31
1"Make It With You"Let Loose71
1"England's Irie"Black Grape featuring Joe Strummer & Keith Allen61
1"Wrong"Everything but the Girl81
1"Let Me Live"Queen91
1"Tattva"Kula Shaker41
1"Oh Yeah"Ash61
1"Jazz It Up"Reel 2 Real71
1"Where Love Lives '96" Alison Limerick91
6"Born Slippy Nuxx"Underworld21
1"In Too Deep"Belinda Carlisle61
2"You're Makin' Me High"Toni Braxton71
1"Keep on Jumpin'"Todd Terry presents Martha Wash &
Jocelyn Brown
81
1"Nice Guy Eddie"Sleeper101
3"Forever Love"Gary Barlow11
12"Wannabe" (#2)Spice Girls17
1"Bad Actress"Terrorvision101
2"Crazy" Mark Morrison61
3"Higher State of Consciousness '96 (Remixes)" Wink71
8"Macarena" Los del Rio21
1"Everything Must Go"Manic Street Preachers51
1"Head over Feet"Alanis Morissette71
1"Woman"Neneh Cherry91
2"Freedom"Robbie Williams21
1"Trash"Suede31
3"Good Enough"Dodgy41
3"Tha Crossroads"Bone Thugs-N-Harmony81
2"Someday" Eternal41
1"Peacock Suit"Paul Weller51
6"How Bizarre"OMC51
2"Why"3T featuring Michael Jackson21
3"We've Got It Goin' On" Backstreet Boys31
1"Se a vida é (That's the Way Life Is)"Pet Shop Boys81
1"Better Watch Out"Ant & Dec101
2"Spinning the Wheel"George Michael21
4"Virtual Insanity"Jamiroquai31
1"E-Bow the Letter"R.E.M.41
1"Undivided Love"Louise51
1"Let's Make a Night to Remember"Bryan Adams101
2"Hey Dude"Kula Shaker21
2"One to Another"31
3"I've Got a Little Puppy"42
1"Me and You Versus the World"Space91
4"Flava"Peter Andre11
5"Ready or Not"Fugees12
3"I'm Alive"Stretch 'N' Vern presents Maddog62
6"Breakfast at Tiffany's"Deep Blue Something11
1"Always Breaking My Heart"Belinda Carlisle81
1"If It Makes You Happy"Sheryl Crow91
3"Escaping"Dina Carroll31
4"Seven Days and One Week"B.B.E.31
1"The Circle"Ocean Colour Scene61
1"Marblehead Johnson"71
5"I Love You Always Forever"Donna Lewis52
5"It's All Coming Back to Me Now"Celine Dion31
1"Loungin"LL Cool J71
1"Dance into the Light"Phil Collins91
2"Setting Sun"11
6"You're Gorgeous"Babybird31
3"Rotterdam"51
1"Kevin Carter"Manic Street Preachers91
4"Words"Boyzone11
1"Trippin'"Mark Morrison81
1"No Diggity"Blackstreet featuring Dr. Dre91
5"Say You'll Be There" (#4)Spice Girls12
3"Insomnia"Faithless31
1"Flying"Cast41
1"Beautiful Ones"Suede81
6"If You Ever"East 17 featuring Gabrielle21
12"Un-Break My Heart"Toni Braxton22
1"Place Your Hands"Reef61
1"Follow the Rules"Livin' Joy91
1"You Must Love Me"Madonna101
4"What Becomes of the Brokenhearted"/"Saturday Night at the Movies"/"You'll Never Walk Alone" Robson & Jerome12
1"Angel"Simply Red41
2"I Belong to You"Gina G61
1"Don't Make Me Wait"911101
1"Stranger in Moscow"Michael Jackson41
9"One and One"Robert Miles featuring Maria Nayler31
4"Hillbilly Rock Hillbilly Roll" 51
1"I'll Never Break Your Heart"Backstreet Boys81
8"Breathe"12
3"What's Love Got to Do with It"Warren G featuring Adina Howard21
1"Govinda"Kula Shaker71
1"Milk"Garbage featuring Tricky101
2"No Woman, No Cry"Fugees21
1"Child"Mark Owen31
1"One Kiss from Heaven"Louise91
2"I Feel You"Peter Andre11
2"I Need You"3T31
1"Cosmic Girl"Jamiroquai61
1"Secrets"Eternal91
4"A Different Beat"Boyzone11
2"Forever"Damage61
1"Australia"Manic Street Preachers71
2"Don't Marry Her" 81
1"Live Like Horses"Elton John & Luciano Pavarotti91
3"Knockin' on Heaven's Door"/"Throw These Guns Away"Dunblane11
4"Horny"Mark Morrison51
3"All by Myself"Celine Dion61
1"Your Christmas Wish"81
1"Salva Mea"Faithless91
4"2 Become 1" (#5)Spice Girls13
5"Don't Cry for Me Argentina"Madonna31

Entries by artist

The following table shows artists who achieved two or more top 10 entries in 1996, including songs that reached their peak in 1995. The figures include both main artists and featured artists, while appearances on ensemble charity records are also counted for each artist.

EntriesArtistWeeksSingles
414"A Different Beat", "Coming Home Now", "Father and Son", "Words"
Celine Dion16"All by Myself", "Because You Loved Me", "Falling into You", "It's All Coming Back to Me Now"
6"Good Thing", "I Am Blessed", "Secrets", "Someday"
Manic Street Preachers6"A Design for Life", "Australia", "Everything Must Go", "Kevin Carter"
Mark Morrison17"Crazy", "Horny", "Return of the Mack", "Trippin'"
11"Earth Song", "Stranger in Moscow", "They Don't Care About Us", "Why"
311"Anything", "I Need You", "Why"
5"Cut Some Rug"/"Castle Rock", "Marblehead Johnson", "Slight Return"
3"Flying", "Sandstorm", "Walkaway"
6"Missing (Todd Terry Club Mix)", "Walking Wounded", "Wrong"
Fugees18"Killing Me Softly", "No Woman, No Cry", "Ready or Not"
George Michael12"Fastlove", "Jesus to a Child", "Spinning the Wheel"
Kula Shaker4"Govinda", "Hey Dude", "Tattva"
Louise4"Naked", "One Kiss from Heaven", "Undivided Love"
Ocean Colour Scene5"The Circle", "The Day We Caught the Train", "You've Got It Bad"
Peter Andre17"Flava", "I Feel You", "Mysterious Girl"
Robert Miles19"Children", "Fable", "One and One"
18"2 Become 1", "Say You'll Be There", "Wannabe"
2Ash2"Goldfinger", "Oh Yeah"
Backstreet Boys4"I'll Never Break Your Heart", "We've Got It Goin' On"
5"Don't Marry Her", "Rotterdam"
Belinda Carlisle2"Always Breaking My Heart", "In Too Deep"
2"Hyperballad", "It's Oh So Quiet"
Black Grape2"England's Irie", "Fat Neck"
Blur3"Charmless Man", "Stereotypes"
Bryan Adams2"Let's Make a Night to Remember", "The Only Thing That Looks Good on Me Is You"
3"Gangsta's Paradise", "Too Hot"
2"California Love", "No Diggity"
East 178"Do U Still?", "If You Ever"
Faithless4"Insomnia", "Salva Mea"
11"Give Me a Little More Time", "If You Ever"
Garbage3"Milk", "Stupid Girl"
"Forever Love", "How Deep Is Your Love"
Gina G12"I Belong to You", "Ooh Aah... Just a Little Bit"
Jamiroquai5"Cosmic Girl", "Virtual Insanity"
Livin' Joy8"Don't Stop Movin'", "Follow the Rules"
Madonna2"Don't Cry for Me Argentina", "You Must Love Me"
Mariah Carey4"Always Be My Baby", "Open Arms"
7"Child", "How Deep Is Your Love"
8"Don't Look Back in Anger", "Wondwerwall"
Pet Shop Boys2"Before", "Se a vida é (That's the Way Life Is)"
11"Breathe", "Firestarter"
5"I Believe"/"Up on the Roof", "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted"/"Saturday Night at the Movies"/"You'll Never Walk Alone"
Sleeper2"Nice Guy Eddie", "Sale of the Century"
4"I've Got a Little Puppy", "Your Christmas Wish"
Suede2"Beautiful Ones", "Trash"
Terrorvision2"Bad Actress", "Perseverance"
Toni Braxton10"Un-Break My Heart", "You're Makin' Me High"

Notes

See also

References

General
Specific

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: The Official UK Charts Company . . 1 January 2012.
  2. Book: Roberts, David. Guinness World Records: British Hit Singles and Albums (18th edition). 2005. 1-904994-00-8. 14. Guinness World Records Limited.
  3. Web site: New singles formats to save the charts. BBC News. 16 October 2003 . 21 February 2010.