List of UK singles chart number ones of the 1990s

UK singles chart number ones
UK singles chart
Other charts
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Bryan Adams set a record in 1991 for the longest run at the top of the UK charts.

The UK Singles Chart is a record chart compiled on behalf of the British record industry. Until 1 February 1994, the chart was compiled each week by Gallup – after this date, it was managed by Millward Brown, who expanded the number of sales figures sampled, and extended the use of electronic point of sale machines.[1] From July 1998 onwards, compilation of the chart was overseen by The Chart Information Network (CIN) and it was based entirely on sales of physical singles from retail outlets – airplay statistics are not used in compiling the official UK Singles Chart.[2][3] The chart week ran from Sunday to Saturday, and the Top 40 was first revealed on BBC Radio 1 on a Sunday.[4] Record companies began making singles available to radio stations much further in advance of their release dates and making greater use of direct marketing techniques in the 1990s. As a result, the number of singles that entered the charts at number one increased dramatically, and it became commonplace for singles to enter the charts at the top and then plummet down the listing soon after.[5][6]

During the decade, 206 singles reached the number-one position on the chart. "Hangin' Tough" by New Kids on the Block reached number one on the first new chart of the decade, replacing "Do They Know It's Christmas?" by Band Aid II which had been number one on the last chart issued in 1989.[7] The longest spell at the top was achieved by Bryan Adams's song "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You", which spent 16 weeks at number one in 1991, beating the record for the longest unbroken run at the top of the charts which had been held by Slim Whitman's "Rose Marie" since 1955.[8] Wet Wet Wet and Whitney Houston also had runs of 10 or more weeks at number one during the 1990s.[8] Although it only spent five weeks at number one, Elton John's 1997 single "Candle in the Wind 1997" / "Something About the Way You Look Tonight" sold almost 5 million copies, becoming the biggest-selling single in UK history.[9] Cher's song "Believe" spent 7 weeks at number-one at the end of 1998 and became the biggest-selling single by a female artist in UK history.[10] Also, Cher is the female solo artist with the most number-one singles in the 1990s (a total of three) and the female solo artist with most weeks at number one (13). The final number one of the decade was the double A-side "I Have a Dream" / "Seasons in the Sun" by Westlife.[11] Take That and the Spice Girls share the distinction of having achieved the most number-one hits in the 1990s, with eight each.[12]

  1. ^ "Key Dates in the History of the Official UK Charts". London: The Official UK Charts Company. 2007. Archived from the original on 10 January 2008. Retrieved 6 April 2012.
  2. ^ Roberts, David (2005). Guinness World Records: British Hit Singles and Albums (18th ed.). Guinness World Records Limited. p. 14. ISBN 1-904994-00-8.
  3. ^ "New singles formats to save the charts". BBC News. 16 October 2003. Retrieved 22 December 2008.
  4. ^ "Corporate FAQs". The Official UK Charts Company. Archived from the original on 17 March 2010. Retrieved 22 December 2008.
  5. ^ "Charting a rocky course". BBC News. 14 April 2000. Retrieved 22 December 2008.
  6. ^ Dennis, Jon (5 August 2003). "Chart attack". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 December 2008.
  7. ^ Guinness World Records: British Hit Singles and Albums (18th ed.). p. 689.
  8. ^ a b "Celebrating 1,000 Number Ones" (PDF). Music Week. January 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 May 2006. Retrieved 13 November 2010.
  9. ^ "Elton's candle burns in Canada". BBC News. 11 October 1999. Retrieved 22 December 2008.
  10. ^ "Cher's treble success". BBC News. 27 May 1999. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
  11. ^ Guinness World Records: British Hit Singles and Albums (18th ed.). p. 704.
  12. ^ Guinness World Records: British Hit Singles and Albums (18th ed.). pp. 475, 500.