List of UK top-ten singles in 1961

1960s in music in the UK
Events
Elvis Presley had the best-selling single of 1961 with "Wooden Heart", which spent eleven weeks in the top 10, six of which were at number-one. In total, Presley had six top-ten singles during the year, five of which reached number-one.
Helen Shapiro had three top 10 singles this year, including the number-ones "You Don't Know" and "Walkin' Back to Happiness". Aged 14 years and 11 months old when "You Don't Know" topped the chart, Shapiro remains the youngest female artist to have a UK number-one single.
Del Shannon made his UK top 10 debut in 1961 with "Runaway", which spent three weeks at number-one. He scored a second top 10 hit later in the year with "Hats Off to Larry", which peaked at number six.

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 1961, as well as singles which peaked in 1960 and 1962 but were in the top 10 in 1961. 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 four singles were in the top ten in 1961. Eleven singles from 1960 remained in the top 10 for several weeks at the beginning of the year, while "Midnight in Moscow" by Kenny Ball and His Jazzmen, "Moon River" by Danny Williams with Geoff Love and His Orchestra and "Stranger on the Shore" by Mr Acker Bil" were all released in 1961 but did not reach their peak until 1962. "I Love You" by Cliff Richard and The Shadows and "Poetry in Motion" by John Tillotson were the singles from 1960 to reach their peak in 1961. Twenty-eight artists scored multiple entries in the top 10 in 1961. Bobby Vee, Del Shannon, Eden Kane, Helen Shapiro, Kenny Ball and Matt Monro were among the many artists who achieved their first UK charting top 10 single in 1961.

The 1960 Christmas number-one, "I Love You" by Cliff Richard, remained at number one for the first two weeks of 1961. The first new number-one single of the year was "Poetry in Motion" by Johnny Tillotson. Overall, twenty-one different singles peaked at number-one in 1961, with Elvis Presley (4) having the most singles hit that position.

  1. ^ "The Official UK Charts Company". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 1 January 2012.
  2. ^ Roberts, David (2005). Guinness World Records: British Hit Singles and Albums (18th edition). 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 21 February 2010.