The UK’s most-heard recordings of the last 75 years. These are the records that have “outplayed” all others, not just on the radio but everywhere music is heard in public, from cafés to clubs and from high street to hospital radio.
The chart has been produced by PPL, the industry body that licenses recorded music on behalf of more than 3500 record companies. 2009 marks PPL’s 75th anniversary, and this special survey is being revealed first on Radio 2. These are the records that have been spun the most in clubs, pubs, supermarkets, stadiums, on jukeboxes, everywhere, since way back in 1934.
1 Procol Harum - A Whiter Shade Of Pale 8/6/67
2 Queen- Bohemian Rhapsody 29/11/75
3 Everly Brothers - All I Have To Do Is Dream 4/7/58
4 Wet Wet Wet - Love Is All Around 4/6/94
5 Bryan Adams - (Everything I Do) I Do It For You 13/7/91
6 Robbie Williams - Angels 1/12/97
7 Elvis Presley - All Shook Up 12/7/57
8 Abba - Dancing Queen 4/9/76
9 Perry Como - Magic Moments 28/2/58
10 Bing Crosby - White Christmas 01/01/1942
11 Beatles - Hello Goodbye 6/12/67
12 Rod Stewart - Maggie May 9/10/71
13 Beatles - Get Back 23/4/69
14 All Saints - Pure Shores 14/2/00
15 Spiller ft Sophie Ellis-Bextor - Groovejet (If This Ain't Love) 14/8/00
16 Robbie Williams - Rock DJ 31/7/00
17 Whitney Houston - I Will Always Love You 5/12/92
18 George Harrison - My Sweet Lord 30/1/71
19 Rolling Stones - Honky Tonk Women 23/7/69
20 Sinead O'Connor - Nothing Compares 2 U 3/2/90
21 The Verve - Bitter Sweet Symphony 16/6/97
22 Natalie Imbruglia - Torn 27/10/97
23 Elton John & Kiki Dee - Don't Go Breaking My Heart 24/7/76
24 T Rex - Hot Love 20/3/71
25 Madonna - Vogue 14/4/90
26 Stardust - Music Sounds Better With You 10/8/98
27 Doris Day - Whatever Will Be Will Be 10/8/56
28 Al Martino - Here In My Heart 14/11/52
29 Paul Anka - Diana 30/8/57
30 Bing Crosby - Santa Claus Is Coming To Town 01/01/1943
31 Freda Payne - Band Of Gold 19/9/70
32 John Lennon - Imagine 10/1/81
33 Candi Staton - Young Hearts Run Free 1/1/76
34 Glenn Miller - In The Mood 01/01/1939
35 Elton John - Sacrifice / Healing Hands 23/6/90
36 Texas - Say What You Want 1/1/97
37 Frankie Goes To Hollywood -Two Tribes 16/6/84
38 New Radicals - You Get What You Give 20/4/99
39 Everly Brothers - Cathy's Clown 5/5/60
40 John Travolta & Olivia Newton John - You're The One That I Want 17/6/78
41 David Whitfield - Cara Mia 2/7/54
42 Archies - Sugar Sugar 25/10/69
43 Elvis Presley - It's Now Or Never 3/11/60
44 Cliff Richard - The Young Ones 11/1/62
45 Human League - Don't You Want Me 12/12/81
46 Judy Garland - The Trolley Song 01/01/1944
47 Slim Whitman - Rose Marie 29/7/55
48 Celine Dion - Think Twice 4/2/95
49 Macy Gray - I Try 27/9/99
50 Nilsson - Without You 11/3/72
51 Beatles - From Me To You 2/5/63
52 Band Aid - Do They Know It's Christmas 15/12/84
53 Les Brown And His Orchestra - Sentimental Journey 01/01/1944
54 Harry Belafonte - Mary's Boy Child 22/11/57
55 Cher - Shoop Shoop Song (It's In His Kiss) 4/5/91
56 Robbie Williams - Strong 8/3/99
57 Billy Joel - Uptown Girl 5/11/83
58 Frankie Laine - I Believe 24/4/53
59 Gerry & The Pacemakers - You'll Never Walk Alone 31/10/63
60 Outkast - Hey Ya 10/11/03
61 Tony Christie - (Is This The Way To) Amarillo 1/11/71
62 Shadows - Wonderful Land 22/3/62
63 Barry White - You're The First, The Last, My Everything 7/12/74
64 East 17 - Stay Another Day 10/12/94
65 No Doubt - Don't Speak 22/2/97
66 Bee Gees - Stayin' Alive 13/12/77
67 Puff Daddy ft Faith Evans - I'll Be Missing You 28/6/97
68 Tom Jones - Green Green Grass Of Home 1/12/66
69 The Real Thing - You To Me Are Everything 26/6/76
70 John Travolta & Olivia Newton John - Summer Nights 30/9/78
71 Ella Fitzgerald - It'S Only A Paper Moon 01/01/1945
72 Wings - Mull Of Kintyre 3/12/77
73 Eddie Calvert - Oh Mein Papa 8/1/54
74 The Police - Every Breath You Take 4/6/83
75 Snap - Rhythm Is A Dancer 8/8/92