In the 1960s, The Beatles were beaten to the best-selling song of the year. Not once, but seven times
The Beatles were hugely successful in the 1960s, but they did not have the best-selling single in the UK every year. The article uses yearly sales figures to show that other artists also topped the charts, adding context to the idea that the decade’s popular music was dominated by one band.
The Beatles had the best-selling single in three of the decade’s ten years: “Love Me Do” in 1962, “I Want to Hold Your Hand” in 1963 and “Yesterday” in 1965. Elvis Presley topped the figures in 1960 and 1961, Simon and Garfunkel in 1964 and 1968, the Rolling Stones in 1966, Cream in 1967, and Neil Diamond in 1969.
In short
- The Beatles had the decade’s best-selling single in three years.
- Elvis Presley topped the UK figures in 1960 and 1961.
- Other chart-toppers included the Stones, Cream and Neil Diamond.
Explained simply
The Beatles were a British pop group whose records became hugely popular during the 1960s, a period often associated with their music. A best-selling single is a song released on a record that sold more copies than other singles in a given year.
The UK music charts tracked the popularity of records, while annual sales figures offer another way to compare which songs reached the widest audience. The Beatles were among several artists competing for listeners, including Elvis Presley, Simon and Garfunkel, the Rolling Stones, Cream and Neil Diamond. This broader picture helps explain why the decade’s popular music cannot be understood through one band alone.