The

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

is one of many music charts compiled by the

Official Charts Company The Official Charts (legal name: The Official UK Charts Company Limited) is a British inter-professional organization that compiles various "official" record charts in the United Kingdom, Ireland and France. In the United Kingdom, its charts inc ...

that calculates the best-selling singles of the week in the United Kingdom. Since 2004 the chart has been based on the sales of both physical singles and digital downloads, with

airplay Airplay is how frequently a song is being played through broadcasting on radio stations. A song which is being played several times every day (spins) would have a significant amount of airplay. Music which became very popular on jukeboxes, in n ...

figures excluded from the official chart. This list shows singles that peaked in the Top 10 of the

during 2012, as well as singles which peaked in

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...

and

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

but were in the top 10 in 2012. 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 forty-four singles were in the top ten in 2012. Eleven singles from 2011 remained in the top 10 for several weeks at the beginning of the year, while "

Scream & Shout "Scream & Shout" is a song by American recording artists will.i.am and Britney Spears, taken from the former's fourth studio album '' #willpower'' (2013). It was released on November 20, 2012, by Interscope Records as the second single from t ...

" by

will.i.am William James Adams Jr. (born March 15, 1975), known professionally as will.i.am (pronounced "Will-I-am"), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. He is the founding and lead member of the musical group Black Eyed Peas. ...

Britney Spears Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the " Princess of Pop", she is credited with influencing the revival of teen pop during the late 1990s and early 2000s. After appearing in stage productio ...

and "

I Knew You Were Trouble "I Knew You Were Trouble" is a song by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, from her fourth studio album ''Red'' (2012). She wrote the song along with the track's producers, Max Martin and Shellback. A dance-pop, pop rock, and teen pop song ...

" by

Taylor Swift Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Her discography spans multiple genres, and her vivid songwriting—often inspired by her personal life—has received critical praise and wide media coverage. Bor ...

were released in 2012 but did not reach their peak until 2013. " Good Feeling" by

Flo Rida Tramar Lacel Dillard (born September 16, 1979), better known by his stage name Flo Rida (, ), is an American rapper and singer. His 2007 breakout single " Low" was number one for 10 weeks in the United States and broke the record for digital dow ...

and "

Paradise In religion, paradise is a place of exceptional happiness and delight. Paradisiacal notions are often laden with pastoral imagery, and may be cosmogonical or eschatological or both, often compared to the miseries of human civilization: in paradis ...

" by

Coldplay Coldplay are a British rock band formed in London in 1997. They consist of vocalist and pianist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, drummer Will Champion and creative director Phil Harvey. They met at University Col ...

were the singles from 2011 to reach their peak in 2012. Forty-six artists scored multiple entries in the top 10 in 2012. The first number-one single of the year was "

" by Coldplay. Overall, thirty-six different singles peaked at number-one in 2012, with

Rita Ora Rita Sahatçiu Ora (born Rita Sahatçiu; 26 November 1990) is a British singer and songwriter. She rose to prominence in February 2012 when she featured on DJ Fresh's single, "Hot Right Now", which reached number one in the UK. Her debut studi ...

(3) having the most singles hit that position.

Background

Multiple entries

One-hundred and forty-four singles charted in the top 10 in 2012, with one-hundred and thirty-three singles reaching their peak this year. Forty-six artists scored multiple entries in the top 10 in 2012. American rapper

and Barbadian singer

Rihanna Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, actress, and businesswoman. Born in Saint Michael and raised in Bridgetown, Barbados, Rihanna auditioned for American record producer Evan Rogers who invited her to the ...

shared the highest number of top ten singles in 2012 with five. Flo Rida recorded one solo single which reached the top spot – " Good Feeling" - and also featured on

Olly Murs Oliver Stanley Murs (born 14 May 1984) is an English singer, songwriter, and television presenter. He was runner-up on the sixth series of ''The X Factor'' in 2009 and was subsequently signed to RCA Records and Sony Music in the United Kingdom, ...

number-one single "

Troublemaker Troublemaker, The Troublemaker, Trouble Maker, or Trouble Makers may refer to: Film * Troublemaker Studios, a Texan film production company founded by Robert Rodriguez and Elizabeth Avellan * ''Trouble Makers'' (1917 film), a lost silent film dra ...

". His other top ten entries were " Wild Ones" featuring

Sia Sia Kate Isobelle Furler ( ; born 18 December 1975) is an Australian singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Adelaide, she started her career as a singer in the acid jazz band Crisp in the mid-1990s. In 1997, when Crisp disbanded, she rel ...

(number 4), "

Whistle A whistle is an instrument which produces sound from a stream of gas, most commonly air. It may be mouth-operated, or powered by air pressure, steam, or other means. Whistles vary in size from a small slide whistle or nose flute type to a larg ...

" (2) and "

I Cry I Cry may refer to Music * ''I Cry'' (album), 2008 EP by Rotersand * "I Cry" (Flo Rida song), 2012 * "I Cry" (Ja Rule song), 2001 Ja Rule song featuring Lil' Mo * "I Cry" (Tammy Cochran song), 2001 * "I Cry" (Usher song), 2020 *"I Cry", a 1965 song ...

" (3). Rihanna had number-ones with "

We Found Love "We Found Love" is a song by Barbadian singer Rihanna from her sixth studio album, ''Talk That Talk'' (2011). Scottish DJ Calvin Harris wrote, produced, and features on the song, which also appears on his third album '' 18 Months'' (2012). "We F ...

" featuring

Calvin Harris Adam Richard Wiles (born 17 January 1984), known professionally as Calvin Harris, is a Scottish DJ, record producer, singer, and songwriter who has released six studio albums. His debut studio album, ''I Created Disco'', was released in June ...

(released in 2011) and "

Diamonds Diamond is a solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Another solid form of carbon known as graphite is the chemically stable form of carbon at room temperature and pressure, b ...

", and also charted in 2012 with "

Where Have You Been "Where Have You Been" is a song by Barbadian singer Rihanna, from her sixth studio album, ''Talk That Talk'' (2011) serving as the fifth single. The song was written by Ester Dean, Geoff Mack, Lukasz "Dr. Luke" Gottwald, Henry "Cirkut" Walt ...

" (6), "

Stay Stay may refer to: Places * Stay, Kentucky, an unincorporated community in the US Law * Stay of execution, a ruling to temporarily suspend the enforcement of a court judgment * Stay of proceedings, a ruling halting further legal process in a tri ...

" featuring

Mikky Ekko John Stephen Sudduth (born December 17, 1984), known professionally as Mikky Ekko, is an American recording artist and record producer from Nashville, signed to Interscope Records. He is best known for writing and being featured on Rihanna's 2013 s ...

(4) and a guest appearance on

's "

Princess of China "Princess of China" is a duet recorded by British rock band Coldplay and Barbadian singer Rihanna for Coldplay's fifth studio album ''Mylo Xyloto''. The song was written by band members Guy Berryman, Jonny Buckland, Will Champion, and Chris M ...

", which reached number four. Scottish DJ Calvin Harris, singers Emeli Sande and Rita Ora,

from the

Black Eyed Peas Black Eyed Peas (also known as The Black Eyed Peas) is an American musical group consisting of rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap, Taboo (rapper), Taboo. The group's line-up during the height of their popularity in the 2000s featured Fergie (singer ...

and French DJ

David Guetta Pierre David Guetta ( , ; born 7 November 1967) is a French DJ and music producer. He has over 10 million album and 65 million single sales globally, with more than 10 billion streams. In 2011, 2020 and 2021, Guetta was voted the number one D ...

all had four top ten singles in 2012.

Chart debuts

Thirty-nine artists achieved their first top 10 single in 2012, either as a lead or featured artist. Of these, four went on to record another hit single that year:

Carly Rae Jepsen Carly Rae Jepsen (born November 21, 1985) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. After studying musical theatre for most of her school life and while in university, Jepsen garnered mainstream attention after placing third on the fifth season of ...

Fun Fun is defined by the ''Oxford English Dictionary'' as "Light-hearted pleasure, enjoyment, or amusement; boisterous joviality or merrymaking; entertainment". Etymology and usage The word ''fun'' is associated with sports, entertaining medi ...

Paloma Faith Paloma Faith Blomfield (born 21 July 1981) is an English singer and actress. Her debut studio album, ''Do You Want the Truth or Something Beautiful?,'' was released in 2009 and was certified double platinum in the UK. The album spawned the sing ...

and

Stooshe Stooshe () are a British girl group from London, consisting of three members Alexandra Buggs, Karis Anderson and Courtney Rumbold. Initially signed to Warner Music they released of their first single " Love Me", featuring US rapper Travie McCoy ...

. Two artists scored two more top 10 singles:

Conor Maynard Conor Paul Maynard (born 21 November 1992) is an English singer. Born and raised in Brighton, he signed a recording contract with Warner Music Group in 2011. Maynard rose to fame in 2012 when he was nominated for, and subsequently won, MTV's ''M ...

and Lawson. Rita Ora had three other entries in her breakthrough year. The following table (collapsed) does not include acts who had previously charted as part of a group and secured their first top 10 solo single.

Songs from films

Original songs from various films entered the top 10 throughout the year. These included "

Ill Manors ''Ill Manors'' (stylised as ''ill Manors'') is a British crime drama film written, co-scored and directed by Ben Drew AKA musician Plan B. The film revolves around the lives of eight main characters, played by Riz Ahmed, Ed Skrein, Keef Coggi ...

" (from ''

'') and " Wide Awake" ('' Katy Perry: Part of Me'').

Charity singles

A number of singles recorded for charity reached the top 10 in the charts in 2012. The

Sport Relief ''Sport Relief'' was a biennial charity event from Comic Relief, in association with BBC Sport, established in 2002. It was the idea of Kevin Cahill, CBE, who had joined Comic Relief in 1991 to establish a new department as Director of Educati ...

single was "

Proud Proud may refer to: Music * ''Proud'' (Heather Small album), the debut album by Heather Small ** "Proud" (Heather Small song), a song by Heather Small that was the official song for the London 2012 Olympic bid * ''Proud'' (compilation album), ...

", recorded by former ''

X Factor ''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for ''Pop Idol'' (2001–2003 ...

'' finalists

JLS JLS (an initialism of Jack the Lad Swing) are an English boyband, which consists of members Aston Merrygold, Oritsé Williams, Marvin Humes, and JB Gill, originally formed by Williams. They initially signed to Tracklacers production company Ne ...

, peaking at number six on 31 March 2012.

Girls Aloud Girls Aloud were an pop girl group that was created through the ITV talent show '' Popstars: The Rivals'' in 2002. The group comprised singers Cheryl, Nadine Coyle, Sarah Harding, Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh. The group achieved a str ...

recorded the Children in Need single for 2012, entitled " Something New". It was the 21st top ten single of their career out of their twenty-two singles, a run only broken by previous release "

Untouchable Untouchable or The Untouchable may refer to: People * Untouchability, the practice of socially ostracizing a minority group of very low social status ** A word for the Dalits or Scheduled Caste of India, a group that experiences untouchability * ...

" (which reached number 11), peaking at number two on 1 December 2012. A group of artists under the banner Justice Collective produced a cover of "

He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" is a ballad written by Bobby Scott and Bob Russell. Originally recorded by Kelly Gordon in 1969, the song became a worldwide hit for the Hollies later that year and also a hit for Neil Diamond in 1970. It ...

" (originally by

The Hollies The Hollies are a British pop rock band, formed in 1962. One of the leading British groups of the 1960s and into the mid-1970s, they are known for their distinctive three-part vocal harmony style. Allan Clarke (singer), Allan Clarke and Graham ...

) to raise money for charities connected to the

Hillsborough Disaster The Hillsborough disaster was a fatal human crush during a football match at Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, on 15 April 1989. It occurred during an FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest in the ...

. It became the

Christmas number one In the United Kingdom, Christmas number ones are singles that top the UK Singles Chart in the week in which Christmas Day falls. The singles have often been novelty songs, charity songs or songs with a Christmas theme. Historically, the volume ...

for that year, replacing

James Arthur James Arthur (born 2 March 1988) is an English singer and songwriter. He rose to fame after winning the ninth series of ''The X Factor'' in 2012. His debut single, a cover of Shontelle's "Impossible", was released by Syco Music after the fin ...

at the top spot on 29 December 2012.

Best-selling singles

Gotye Wouter André "Wally" De Backer (born 21 May 1980), better known by his stage name Gotye ( ), is a Belgian-Australian multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter. The name "Gotye" is a pronunciation respelling of "Gauthier", the French cognat ...

featuring

Kimbra Kimbra Lee Johnson (born 27 March 1990), known mononymously as Kimbra, is a New Zealand singer and songwriter. Known for mixing pop with R&B, jazz and rock musical elements, her accolades include four ARIA Music Awards, two Grammy Awards and se ...

had the best-selling single of the year with "

Somebody That I Used to Know "Somebody That I Used to Know" is a song written, produced, and performed by Belgian-Australian singer-songwriter Gotye featuring vocals from New Zealand singer Kimbra. The song was released in Australia and New Zealand by Eleven Music on 5 ...

". The song spent eighteen weeks in the top 10 (including five weeks at number one), sold over 1.318 million copies and was certified 2× platinum by the BPI (July 2013). "

Call Me Maybe "Call Me Maybe" is a song recorded by Canadian singer-songwriter Carly Rae Jepsen for her EP ''Curiosity'' (2012) and later appeared on her second studio album and first international album ''Kiss'' (2012). The song was written by Jepsen and T ...

" by

came in second place, selling more than 1.142 million copies and losing out by around 176,000 sales.

featuring

Janelle Monáe Janelle Monáe Robinson (; born December 1, 1985) is an American singer, rapper and actress. She is signed to Atlantic Records, as well as to her own imprint, the Wondaland Arts Society. Monáe has received eight Grammy Award nominations. Mon� ...

's "

We Are Young "We Are Young" is a song recorded by American band Fun, featuring American singer Janelle Monáe. It is the third track on the group's second studio album, '' Some Nights'' (2012). The song was released on September 20, 2011 as the lead singl ...

, "

Titanium Titanium is a chemical element with the symbol Ti and atomic number 22. Found in nature only as an oxide, it can be reduced to produce a lustrous transition metal with a silver color, low density, and high strength, resistant to corrosion in ...

" from

featuring

and "

Impossible Impossible, Imposible or Impossibles may refer to: Music * ''ImPossible'' (album), a 2016 album by Divinity Roxx * ''The Impossible'' (album) Groups * The Impossibles (American band), a 1990s indie-ska group from Austin, Texas * The Impossibl ...

" by

made up the top five. Singles by

Psy Park Jae-sang (, ; born December 31, 1977), known professionally as Psy (stylized in all caps as PSY) (; ; ), is a South Korean singer, rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Psy is known domestically for his humorous videos and stage perf ...

Nicki Minaj Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty (; born December 8, 1982), known professionally as Nicki Minaj ( ), is a Trinidadian-born rapper based in the United States. She is known for her musical versatility, animated flow in her rapping, alter egos and accent ...

Jessie J Jessica Ellen Cornish (born 27 March 1988), known professionally as Jessie J, is an English singer. Born and raised in London, she began her career on stage, aged 11, with a role in the West End musical '' Whistle Down the Wind''. She studied ...

Maroon 5 Maroon 5 is an American pop rock band from Los Angeles, California. It currently consists of lead vocalist Adam Levine, keyboardist and rhythm guitarist Jesse Carmichael, lead guitarist James Valentine (musician), James Valentine, drummer Matt ...

featuring

Wiz Khalifa Cameron Jibril Thomaz (born September 8, 1987), better known by his stage name Wiz Khalifa, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and actor. He released his debut album, ''Show and Prove'', in 2006 and signed to Warner Bros. Records in 200 ...

and

featuring Sia were also in the top ten best-selling singles of the year.

Top-ten singles

;Key

Entries by artist

Calvin Harris - Rock in Rio Madrid 2012 - 03

The following table shows artists who achieved two or more top 10 entries in 2012, including singles that reached their peak in 2011 or 2013. 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 2012 is also shown.

Notes

* "Lego House", "Earthquake" and "Sexy and I Know It" re-entered the top 10 at numbers 7, 8 and 9 respectively on 7 January. * "Levels" and "Dedication to My Ex (Miss That)" re-entered the top 10 at numbers 4 and 10 respectively on 14 January. * "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)" re-entered the top 10 at number eight on 10 March. * "Turn Me On" re-entered the top 10 at number ten on 17 March. * "Picking Up the Pieces" re-entered the top 10 at number ten on 30 June. * "We Are Young" re-entered the top 10 at number ten on 4 July. * "Pound the Alarm" re-entered the top 10 at number eight on 18 August. * The 2012 remix version of "Running Up that Hill" entered the top 10 at number six on 25 August following its usage at the

2012 Summer Olympics closing ceremony The closing ceremony of the London 2012 Summer Olympics, also known as A Symphony of British Music, was held on 12 August 2012 in the Olympic Stadium, London. The chief guest was Prince Harry of Wales representing Queen Elizabeth II. The clo ...

; the original version peaked at number 3 in August 1985. * "Harder Than You Think" was originally released in 2007, but entered the top 10 after it was used by

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...

in their coverage of the

2012 Summer Paralympics The 2012 Summer Paralympics, branded as the London 2012 Paralympic Games, were an international multi-sport parasports event held from 29 August to 9 September 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. They were the 14th Summer Paralympic Gam ...

. * "Some Nights" re-entered the top 10 at number seven on 6 October. * "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" re-entered the top 10 at number seven on 27 October. * "Stay" and "Don't You Worry Child" re-entered the top 10 at numbers 7 and 9 respectively on 12 January 2013. * "Candy" and "Beneath Your Beautiful" re-entered the top 10 at numbers 9 and 10 respectively on 5 January 2013. * Figure includes song that peaked in 2011. * Figure includes song that peaked in 2013. * Figure includes an appearance on the Justice Collective charity single "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother". * Figure includes appearance on Olly Murs' "Troublemaker". * Figure includes appearances on Naughty Boy's "Wonder" and Labrinth's "Beneath Your Beautiful". * Figure includes three top 10 singles with the band Lawson. * Figure includes appearance on Rihanna's "We Found Love". * Figure includes appearance on Jessie J's "Laserlight". * Figure includes appearance on DJ Fresh's "Hot Right Now". * Figure includes appearance on The Script's "Hall of Fame". * Figure includes appearance on Pitbull's "International Love". * Figure includes appearance on Devlin's "Watchtower". * Figure includes appearances on Calvin Harris' "Let's Go" and Conor Maynard's "Turn Around". * Figure includes appearance on David Guetta's "Turn Me On". * Figure includes appearances on David Guetta's "Titanium" and "She Wolf (Falling to Pieces), and Flo Rida's "Wild Ones". * Figure includes one top 10 single with the group Girls Aloud. * Figure includes appearance on Calvin Harris' "We'll Be Coming Back". * Figure includes one top 10 single with the group Florence and the Machine. * Figure includes appearance on Calvin Harris' "Sweet Nothing". * Released as the official single for

. * Released as the official single for Children in Need. * Figure includes appearance on Far East Movement's "Live My Life". * Figure includes appearance on Gary Barlow & The Commonwealth Band's "Sing". * Figure includes appearances on Wiley's "Can You Hear Me (Ayayaya)" and "Heatwave". * Figure includes appearance on Tinchy Stryder's "Bright Lights". * Figure includes appearances on Labrinth's "Earthquake" and Rita Ora's "R.I.P.". * Figure includes one top 10 single with the group Gym Class Heroes. * Figure includes appearance on Stooshe's "Love Me". * Released to support the families affected by the

. * Figure includes song that first charted in 2011 but peaked in 2012.

References

General * * Specific

External links

2012 singles chart archive
at the

(click on relevant week) {{UK Music Charts

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

Top 10 singles

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

Background

Multiple entries

Chart debuts

Songs from films

Charity singles

Best-selling singles

Top-ten singles

Entries by artist

Notes

See also

References

External links