List of UK top-ten singles in 2020 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] Since 2004 the chart has been based on the sales of physical singles and digital downloads, with airplay figures excluded from the official chart.[2] [3] Since 2014, the singles chart has been based on sales and streaming, with the ratio altered in 2017 to 150:1 stream and only three singles by the same artist eligible for the chart.[4] [5] From July 2018, video streams from YouTube Music and Spotify among others began to be counted for the Official Charts. This list shows singles that peaked in the Top 10 of the UK Singles Chart during 2020, and singles that peaked in 2019 and 2021 but were in the top 10 in 2020. The entry date is when the song 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 four singles were in the top 10 this year. Eleven singles from 2019 remained in the top 10 for several weeks at the beginning of the year, while "Sweet Melody" by Little Mix, "34+35" by Ariana Grande, "This Christmas" by Jess Glynne, "Whoopty" by CJ and "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" by Justin Bieber were all released in 2020 but did not reach their peak until 2021. "All I Want for Christmas is You" by Mariah Carey, "Before You Go" by Lewis Capaldi, Own It by Stormzy featuring Ed Sheeran and Burna Boy, "River" by Ellie Goulding and "Roxanne" by Arizona Zervas were the singles from 2019 to reach their peak in 2020. "Last Christmas" by Wham! was released in 2019 and re-entered the top 10 in 2020, but did not reach its peak until 2021. Twenty-two artists have scored multiple entries in the top ten in 2020. DaBaby, Doja Cat, Future, Megan Thee Stallion and Roddy Ricch were among the many artists who achieved their first top 10 single in 2020.
The first number-one single of the year was "River" by Ellie Goulding. Overall, eighteen different songs peaked at number-one in 2020, with Ariana Grande (2) having the most songs hit that position.
Background
Multiple entries
Sixty-one singles have charted in the top 10 in 2020 (as of 16 July 2020, week ending), with fifty-six singles reaching their peak this year (including the re-entries "All I Want for Christmas Is You", "Do They Know It's Christmas?", "Fairytale of New York", "Happy Xmas (War is Over)", "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday", "Last Christmas", "Merry Christmas Everyone" and "Step into Christmas", which charted in previous years but reached peaks on their latest chart run).
Sixteen artists have scored multiple entries in the top 10 in 2020, with Dua Lipa and AJ Tracey sharing the record (as of 16 July 2020, week ending) for most hit singles this year with four, both including a feature on the charity single "Times Like These" with the Live Lounge Allstars.
Captain Tom Moore breaks records
The COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom led to several charity singles being released to raise money to support people fighting the disaster, among these Matt Lucas' "Thank You Baked Potato" and a new version of "We'll Meet Again" by Vera Lynn and Katherine Jenkins. Neither of these singles reached the official top 10, but one single did make a massive mark on the UK charts. Captain Tom Moore teamed up with Michael Ball and the NHS Voices of Hope Choir to cover "You'll Never Walk Alone", the single reaching the top spot on 25 March 2020.[6] Captain Tom had already become a national hero, on top of his time serving the country in the Second World War, after raising more than £28 million for NHS Charities Together through walking 100 laps of his garden during the nationwide lockdown, ahead of his 100th birthday on 30 April. He was also awarded a Pride of Britain Award the day before he reached number-one.[7]
The single led the Official Chart Update but by 23 April, the day before the chart was revealed, its closest competitor – "Blinding Lights" by The Weeknd – was catching up.[8] However The Weeknd publicly backed "You'll Never Walk Alone" for number-one, encouraging the public to buy and stream it instead of "Blinding Lights" to give the single a final boost.[9]
Captain Tom became the oldest person to have a number-one single on the UK Singles Chart in the sixty-eight years since it launched in 1952, at the age of 99 years and 11 months, while his co-performer Michael Ball also entered the record books as the eighth oldest (57 years and 9 months).[10] Moore also became the first centenarian to celebrate a chart-topping single, as he was still at number-one on the day of his 100th birthday. The song itself was the fastest selling single since LadBaby's "I Love Sausage Rolls" in 2019, scoring 80,000 downloads in a week.
"You'll Never Walk Alone" also joined a list of only two other songs which have reached number-one with four different versions - "Unchained Melody" and "Do They Know It's Christmas?" are the other songs which have topped the chart on 4 occasions under four separate iterations. Gerry and the Pacemakers" (1963), The Crowd (1985) and Robson & Jerome (1996) were the previous artists to reach number-one with this song.
In a sad twist of fate, Captain Tom would himself die from COVID-19 on 2 February 2021.[11]
Taylor Swift makes chart history
American singer Taylor Swift made chart history this year by becoming the first female artist to have three singles debut in the top 10 of the UK Singles Chart in the same week (6 August 2020, week ending); "Cardigan" (6), "Exile" (8) and "The 1" (10). All three songs were taken from her album Folklore, which topped the UK Albums Chart. Swift went on to achieve another top 10 single, "Willow" (3) in December 2020 following the surprise release of her ninth studio album Evermore.
"All I Want for Christmas Is You" finally reaches number-one
26 years after its initial release, Mariah Carey's festive classic "All I Want for Christmas Is You" finally reached number-one in the UK Singles Chart on 17 December 2020 (week ending).[12] Upon its initial release in December 1994, the song spent three weeks at number 2,[13] held off the top spot by East 17's "Stay Another Day". The song returned to the runner-up spot three more times; in 2017,[14] in 2018[15] and in 2019.[16] The song also set a new UK chart record, reaching number-one in its seventieth week in the top 40; no other song in UK chart history has spent more weeks in the top 40 before reaching number-one.[12] It held the top spot for a second week before being denied the UK's Christmas number-one single for 2020 by LadBaby's "Don't Stop Me Eatin'".
LadBaby gets third Christmas number-one
LadBaby returned for a third time with a parody song about sausage rolls, once again raising money for the Trussell Trust foodbank charity. His song "Don't Stop Me Eatin' - a take on "Don't Stop Believin'" by Journey - hit the top spot at Christmas, giving him a third successive Christmas number-one.
The single was a follow-up to his chart toppers "We Built This City" (2018) and "I Love Sausage Rolls" (2019) and also saw the duo (real name Mark and Roxanne Hoyle) match the record of the Beatles and Spice Girls as the only acts with three Christmas number-one singles.
Chart debuts
Forty-seven artists achieved their first charting top 10 single in 2020, either as a lead or featured artist. Of these, three went on to record another hit single that year: 24kGoldn, BTS and Megan Thee Stallion. Pop Smoke and Roddy Ricch both achieved two more chart hits 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.
- NotesThe line-up of Live Lounge Allstars featured a selection of artists who had previously had a top-ten single as part of a group but did not have a solo credit to their name. This includes Ben Johnston, James Johnston and Simon Neil (Biffy Clyro), Dave Grohl (Nirvana and Foo Fighters), Taylor Hawkins (Foo Fighters) and Luke Hemmings (5 Seconds of Summer). Ben Thatcher and Mike Kerr, who make up the band Royal Blood, were also debutants to the upper-reaches of the chart, as Royal Blood's highest placing to date was "Figure It Out" which reached number 43 in 2014. Fraser T. Smith had also worked on numerous top 10 singles for different artists, including "Broken Strings" by James Morrison and Nelly Furtado (2008), but this is the first single where he is individually credited.
Songs from films
The only song from a film which entered the top 10 this year was "No Time to Die" (from No Time to Die). The film was initially scheduled to be released in November 2019, but, due to the departure of Danny Boyle as director and because of the COVID-19 pandemic, its release date was delayed several times. The film was eventually released in the UK on 30 September 2021.
Charity singles
A number of singles recorded for charity reached the top ten in the charts in 2020. Captain Tom Moore joined forces with Michael Ball and the NHS Voices of Care Choir to raise funds to support the NHS during the COVID-19 crisis. Their cover of "You'll Never Walk Alone" reached the top of the charts on the week ending 30 April 2020.
BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge organised a supergroup named Live Lounge Allstars to record "Times Like These" during the Coronavirus crisis, with the contributors including Rita Ora, Ellie Goulding, Chris Martin, Dua Lipa and Rag'n'Bone Man all singing their own parts from their homes due to social distancing. The single entered the chart at number 5 on the 24 April 2020 (week ending 30 April 2020), less than 12 hours after release.[17] The following week, it reached number-one, becoming the first song produced by BBC Radio 1 to top the chart, and the first BBC release to peak at number-one since "Perfect Day" in 1997.
Following the success of "Times Like These", BBC Radio 2 organised its own supergroup, BBC Radio 2 Allstars to record "Stop Crying Your Heart Out" as the official single for that year's Children in Need appeal,[18] with the contributors including Kylie Minogue, Bryan Adams, Cher, Jess Glynne and Robbie Williams[18] all singing their parts from their own homes due to social distancing. The single entered the chart at number 7 on 20 November 2020 (week ending 26 November 2020).[19]
Best-selling singles
The Weeknd had the best-selling single of the year with "Blinding Lights". The song spent 22 weeks in the top 10 (including eight weeks at number-one), sold over 1,800,000 copies and was certified 3× platinum by the BPI. "Dance Monkey" by Tones & I came in second place, while Saint Jhn's "Roses", "Before You Go" by Lewis Capaldi and "Head & Heart" by Joel Corry featuring MNEK made up the top five. Songs by Dua Lipa, DaBaby featuring Roddy Ricch, Lewis Capaldi ("Someone You Loved"), Stormzy featuring Ed Sheeran and Burna Boy and Harry Styles were also in the top ten best-selling singles of the year.
Top-ten singles
- Key
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|
| bgcolor=lightblue | ‡ | Single peaked in 2019 but still in chart in 2020. |
| ♦ | Single released in 2019 or 2020 but peaked in 2021. |
| (#) | Year-end top-ten single position and rank |
| Entered | The date that the single first appeared in the chart. |
| Peak | Highest position that the single reached in the UK Singles Chart. | |
Entries by artist
The following table shows artists who have achieved two or more top 10 entries in 2020, including singles that reached their peak in 2019. The figures include both main artists and featured artists, while appearances on ensemble charity records are also counted for each artist. The total number of weeks an artist spent in the top ten in 2020 is also shown.
| Entries | Artist | Weeks | Singles |
|---|
| 6 | Drake | 28 | "Chicago Freestyle", "Life is Good", "Toosie Slide", "Greece", "Only You Freestyle", "Laugh Now Cry Later" |
| Justin Bieber | 12 | "Yummy", "Intentions", "Stuck with U", "Holy", "Monster", "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" |
| 23 | "Don't Start Now", "Physical", "Break My Heart", "Times Like These", "Levitating", "Prisoner" |
| 5 | | 28 | "Dinner Guest", "Rain", "Times Like These", "West Ten", "Ain't It Different" |
| 4 | Taylor Swift | 2 | "Cardigan", "Exile", "The 1", "Willow" |
| Ariana Grande | 20 | "Stuck with U", "Rain on Me", "Positions", "34+35" |
| Billie Eilish | 13 | "Everything I Wanted", "No Time to Die", "My Future", "Therefore I Am" |
| 15 | "Boyfriend", "Times Like These", "West Ten", "Tick Tock" |
| 13 | "Houdini", "Lighter", "Really Love", "Stop Crying Your Heart Out" |
| 3 | Jess Glynne | 5 | "Times Like These", "Stop Crying Your Heart Out", "This Christmas" |
| Stormzy | 18 | "Own It", "I Dunno", "Ain't It Different" |
| 24 | "Rockstar", "The Box", "The Woo" |
| Pop Smoke | 17 | "The Woo", "Mood Swings", "What You Know Bout Love" |
| 2 | Megan Thee Stallion | 18 | "Savage", "WAP" |
| Lady Gaga | 10 | "Stupid Love", "Rain on Me" |
| 7 | "Godzilla", "Come & Go" |
| Jason Derulo | 14 | "Savage Love (Laxed – Siren Beat)", "Take You Dancing" |
| 24kGoldn | 9 | "Mood", "Tick Tock" |
| 4 | "Last Christmas", "Do They Know It's Christmas?" |
| 4 | "River", "Times Like These" |
| Little Mix | 8 | "Break Up Song", "Sweet Melody" |
| Joel Corry | 21 | "Lonely", "Head & Heart |
| Aitch | 4 | "Ei8ht Mile", "Rain" |
| Harry Styles | 17 | "Adore You", "Watermelon Sugar" |
| 3 | "Houdini", "I Dunno" |
| Headie One | 15 | "Only You Freestyle", "Ain't It Different" |
| Lewis Capaldi | 11 | "Before You Go", "Someone You Loved" |
| Clean Bandit | 2 | "Tick Tock", "Stop Crying Your Heart Out" |
| BTS | 2 | "Dynamite", "Life Goes On" |
|
Notes
- "All I Want for Christmas" re-entered the top 10 on 12 December 2019 (week ending), having originally peaked at number 2 upon release in 1994.
- "River" re-entered the top 10 at number 1 on 2 January 2020 (week ending).
- "Last Christmas" re-entered the top 10 on 19 December 2019 (week ending), having originally peaked at number 2 upon release in 1984.
- "Fairytale of New York" re-entered the top 10 on 2 January 2020 (week ending), having originally peaked at number 2 upon release in 1987.
- "Merry Christmas Everyone" re-entered the top 10 on 2 January 2020 (week ending), having originally peaked at number 1 upon release in 1985.
- Released as a charity single by Band Aid in 1984 to aid famine relief in Ethiopia.
- "Do They Know It's Christmas?" re-entered the top 10 on 2 January 2020 (week ending), having originally peaked at number 1 upon release in 1984.
- "Step into Christmas" re-entered the top 10 at its new peak of number 8 on 2 January 2020 (week ending). It originally peaked at number 24 on its initial release in 1973. It reached the top 10 for the first time on 3 January 2019 (week ending), originally peaking at number 10.
- "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday" re-entered the top 10 on 2 January 2020 (week ending), having originally peaked at number 4 upon release in 1973.
- Figure includes a top-ten hit as a member of the group Wham!
- Figure includes an appearance on the "Do They Know It's Christmas?" charity single by Band Aid.
- "Dance Monkey" re-entered the top 10 at number 5 on 9 January 2020 (week ending).
- "Lose You to Love Me" re-entered the top 10 at number 10 on 9 January 2020 (week ending).
- "Don't Start Now" re-entered the top 10 at number 3 on 9 January 2020 (week ending).
- "Everything I Wanted" re-entered the top 10 at number 6 on 9 January 2020 (week ending).
- "Roxanne" re-entered the top 10 at number 4 on 9 January 2020 (week ending).
- "Before You Go" re-entered the top 10 at number 2 on 9 January 2020 (week ending).
- "Someone You Loved" re-entered the top 10 at number 7 on 16 January 2020 (week ending).
- "Everything I Wanted" re-entered the top 10 at number 8 on 6 February 2020 (week ending).
- "Adore You" re-entered the top 10 at number 10 on 13 February 2020 (week ending).
- "Adore You" re-entered the top 10 at number 10 on 5 March 2020 (week ending).
- "Godzilla" re-entered the top 10 at number 9 on 26 March 2020 (week ending).
- "Intentions" re-entered the top 10 at number 10 on 26 March 2020 (week ending).
- "Times Like These" entered the top 5 within 12 hours of the song's initial release (23 April 2020).[20]
- Figure includes a feature in the Live Lounge Allstars.
- "Say So" reached a new peak of number 2 following the subsequent release of the remix featuring Nicki Minaj.
- "Savage" entered the top 10 at number 3 following the subsequent release of the remix featuring Beyoncé.
- "Blinding Lights" re-entered the top 10 at number 10 on 18 June 2020 (week ending).
- Figure includes a feature on "Rockstar".
- Figure includes a feature on "I Dunno".
- Figure includes a feature on "Houdini".
- Figure includes a feature on "The Woo".
- Figure includes a feature on "Godzilla".
- Figure includes a feature on "Lighter".
- "Secrets" re-entered the top 10 at number 6 on 13 August (week ending).
- "Greece" re-entered the top 10 at number 9 on 13 August (week ending).
- Figure includes a feature on "WAP".
- "Midnight Sky" re-entered the top 10 at number 7 on 8 October (week ending).
- "Holy" re-entered the top 10 at number 10 on 22 October (week ending).
- "Sweet Melody" re-entered the top 10 at number 3 on 19 November (week ending) following the release of the album Confetti.
- Released as the official single for BBC Children in Need.
- Figure includes a feature in the BBC Radio 2 Allstars for BBC Children In Need.
- Figure includes a feature on "Prisoner".
- "All I Want for Christmas is You" re-entered the top 10 at number 2 on 10 December 2020 (week ending).
- "Last Christmas" re-entered the top 10 at number 3 on 10 December 2020 (week ending).
- "Fairytale of New York" re-entered the top 10 at number 8 on 10 December 2020 (week ending).
- "34+35" re-entered the top 10 at number 10 on 10 December 2020 (week ending).
- "All I Want for Christmas is You" reached number-one in the UK Singles Chart for the first time ever on 17 December 2020 (week ending).
- "Merry Christmas Everyone" re-entered the top 10 at number 6 on 17 December 2020 (week ending).
- "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas" re-entered the top 10 at number 7 on 17 December 2020 (week ending). It first peaked at number 7 on 3 January 2019 (week ending).
- "Do They Know It's Christmas?" re-entered the top 10 at number 8 on 17 December 2020 (week ending).
- "Step into Christmas" re-entered the top 10 at number 10 on 17 December 2020 (week ending).
- "Step into Christmas" re-entered the top 10 at number 10 on 31 December 2020 (week ending).
- "Last Christmas" reached number-one in the UK Singles Chart for the first time ever on 7 January 2021 (week ending).
- "Sweet Melody" re-entered the top 10 at number 9 on 7 January 2021 (week ending).
- "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas" re-entered the top 10 at number 10 on 7 January 2021 (week ending).
- "Whoopty" re-entered the top 10 at number 3 on 14 January 2021 (week ending).
- "Levitating" re-entered the top 10 at number 5 on 14 January 2021 (week ending).
- "34+35" re-entered the top 10 at number 8 on 14 January 2021 (week ending).
- "You Broke Me First" re-entered the top 10 at number 9 on 14 January 2021 (week ending).
- "34+35" re-entered the top 10 at number 3 on 28 January 2021 (week ending).
See also
References
General
- Web site: Six decades of singles charts . The Official Charts Company . 23 April 2017 . 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 Charts Company. Official Charts Company. 28 December 2014.
- Book: Roberts, David. Guinness World Records: British Hit Singles and Albums. 2005. 1-904994-00-8. 14. . 18th .
- Web site: New singles formats to save the charts. BBC News. 16 October 2003 . 21 February 2010.
- Web site: Official Singles Chart rules are changing to help new bands break through. 26 June 2017. Newsbeat. British Broadcasting Corporation. 26 June 2017.
- Web site: Official Charts Company changes conversion rate to reflect rise in streaming. Ben. Homewood. 19 December 2016. Music Week. 20 January 2017.
- Web site: Copsey . Rob . Captain Tom Moore claims Number 1 victory on the Official Chart . Official Charts Company . 24 April 2020 . 24 April 2020.
- Web site: Mathers . Matt. Captain Tom Moore Receives Pride of Britain Award For Raising £28m for NHS . The Independent . 23 April 2020 . 25 April 2020.
- Web site: Copsey . Rob. The Weeknd now expected to dash Captain Tom Moore's Number 1 hopes as Official Chart race goes down to the wire . Official Charts Company . 23 April 2020 . 25 April 2020.
- Web site: White . Jack . The Weeknd backs Captain Tom Moore and Michael Ball's You'll Never Walk Alone for Number 1 on the Official Singles Chart . Official Charts Company . 23 April 2020 . 25 April 2020.
- Web site: Copsey . Rob . The oldest artists to score a Number 1 single in the UK . Official Charts Company . 24 April 2020 . 24 April 2020.
- News: Covid-19: Captain Sir Tom Moore dies with coronavirus. BBC. 2 February 2021. 2 February 2021.
- Web site: Mariah Carey's All I Want For Christmas Is You finally reaches UK Number 1, sets Official Chart record . . December 11, 2020.
- Web site: Mariah Carey – All I Want For Christmas Is You. UK Singles Chart. Official Charts Company. December 6, 2010.
- Web site: Christmas classics from Ariana Grande, Michael Buble and more reach new all-time highs on the Official Singles Chart . Official Charts Company . December 19, 2017.
- Web site: Ava Max claims her first Number 1 with Sweet But Psycho on the Official Singles Chart . Official Charts Company . December 28, 2018.
- Web site: Ellie Goulding scores her third UK Number 1 single with River . Official Charts Company . December 27, 2019.
- Web site: Anstey . Helen . Live Lounge Allstars charity single enters Top 5 just hours after release . Official Charts Company . 24 April 2020 . 24 April 2020.
- Web site: 2020-11-10. BBC Radio 2's Allstars including Cher, Kylie and Robbie Williams to release Stop Crying Your Heart Out cover for BBC Children in Need. 2020-11-10. Official Charts Company. en.
- Web site: Griffiths . George . Ariana Grande clinches fourth week at Number 1 on Official Singles Chart following close battle with Billie Eilish . Official Charts Company . 20 November 2020 . 20 November 2020.
- Web site: Live Lounge Allstars charity single enters Top 5 just hours after release. Ainsley. Helen. 24 April 2020. Official Charts Company. en. 24 April 2020.
