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. Before 2004, the chart was only based on the sales of physical singles. This list shows singles that peaked in the Top 10 of the

during

1968 The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – "Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. * Januar ...

, as well as singles which peaked in

1967 Events January * January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair. * January 5 ** Spain and Romania sign an agreement in Paris, establishing full consular and ...

and

1969 This year is notable for Apollo 11's first landing on the moon. Events January * January 4 – The Government of Spain hands over Ifni to Morocco. * January 5 **Ariana Afghan Airlines Flight 701 crashes into a house on its approach to ...

but were in the top 10 in 1968. 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 eleven singles were in the top ten in 1968. Ten singles from 1967 remained in the top 10 for several weeks at the beginning of the year, while "

Albatross Albatrosses, of the biological family Diomedeidae, are large seabirds related to the procellariids, storm petrels, and diving petrels in the order Procellariiformes (the tubenoses). They range widely in the Southern Ocean and the North Pacifi ...

" by

Fleetwood Mac Fleetwood Mac are a British-American rock band, formed in London in 1967. Fleetwood Mac were founded by guitarist Peter Green, drummer Mick Fleetwood and guitarist Jeremy Spencer, before bassist John McVie joined the line-up for their epony ...

and " Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" by Marmalade were both released in 1968 but did not reach their peak until 1969. " All My Love" by

Cliff Richard Sir Cliff Richard (born Harry Rodger Webb; 14 October 1940) is an Indian-born British musican, singer, producer, entrepreneur and philanthropist who holds both British and Barbadian citizenship. He has total sales of over 21.5 million s ...

, "

Daydream Believer "Daydream Believer" is a song composed by American songwriter John Stewart shortly before he left the Kingston Trio. It was originally recorded by the Monkees, with Davy Jones singing the lead. The single reached No. 1 on the U.S. ''Billboard ...

" by The Monkees, ''" Magical Mystery Tour (EP)"'' by

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

and " Thank U Very Much" by

The Scaffold The Scaffold were a comedy, poetry and music trio from Liverpool, England, consisting of musical performer Mike McGear (real name Peter Michael McCartney, the brother of Paul McCartney), poet Roger McGough and comic entertainer John Gorman. ...

were the singles from 1967 to reach their peak in 1968. Nineteen artists scored multiple entries in the top 10 in 1968. Amen Corner,

Joe Cocker John Robert "Joe" Cocker (20 May 1944 – 22 December 2014) was an English singer known for his gritty, bluesy voice and dynamic stage performances that featured expressive body movements. Most of his best known singles were recordings of son ...

, Nina Simone and

Status Quo is a Latin phrase meaning the existing state of affairs, particularly with regard to social, political, religious or military issues. In the sociological sense, the ''status quo'' refers to the current state of social structure and/or values. W ...

were among the many artists who achieved their first UK charting top 10 single in 1968. The 1967

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 ...

, "

Hello Goodbye "Hello, Goodbye" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, written by Paul McCartney and credited to Lennon–McCartney. Backed by John Lennon's "I Am the Walrus", it was issued as a non-album single in November 1967, the group's first re ...

" by

, remained at number-one for the first four weeks of 1968. The first new number-one single of the year was "

The Ballad of Bonnie and Clyde "The Ballad of Bonnie and Clyde" is a song, written by Mitch Murray and Peter Callander, and recorded by the British rhythm and blues singer Georgie Fame. Released as a single, the song reached number one in the UK Singles Chart for one week from ...

" by Georgie Fame. Overall, twenty different singles peaked at number-one in 1968, with

(2) having the joint most singles hit that position.

Background

Multiple entries

One-hundred and eleven singles charted in the top 10 in 1968, with one-hundred and three singles reaching their peak this year. Nineteen artists scored multiple entries in the top 10 in 1968.

secured the record for most top 10 hits in 1968 with four hit singles.

Manfred Mann Manfred Mann were an English rock band, formed in London and active between 1962 and 1969. The group were named after their keyboardist Manfred Mann, who later led the successful 1970s group Manfred Mann's Earth Band. The band had two differen ...

was one of a number of artists with two top-ten entries, including the number-one single " The Mighty Quinn (Quinn the Eskimo)". Amen Corner,

Bee Gees The Bee Gees were a musical group formed in 1958 by brothers Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The trio were especially successful in popular music in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and later as prominent performers in the disco music era in ...

Donovan Donovan Phillips Leitch (born 10 May 1946), known mononymously as Donovan, is a Scottish musician, songwriter, and record producer. He developed an eclectic and distinctive style that blended folk, jazz, pop, psychedelic rock and world mus ...

, Lulu and

were among the other artists who had multiple top 10 entries in 1968.

Chart debuts

Forty-nine artists achieved their first top 10 single in 1968, either as a lead or featured artist. Of these, four went on to record another hit single that year: Amen Corner,

Don Partridge Donald Eric Partridge (27 October 1941 – 21 September 2010)Report of death< ...

, Marmalade and

. Love Affair had two other entries in their breakthrough year. The following table (collapsed on desktop site) 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 "

Mrs. Robinson "Mrs. Robinson" is a song by American music duo Simon & Garfunkel from their fourth studio album, '' Bookends'' (1968). Written specifically for the 1967 film ''The Graduate'', the song was released as a single on April 5, 1968, by Columbia Re ...

" (from '' The Graduate'') and "

Les Bicyclettes de Belsize ''Les Bicyclettes de Belsize'' is a 1968 British musical short film (30 mins) starring Judy Huxtable and Anthony May. It was directed by Douglas Hickox, and played on cinemas as a supporting feature to Roy Boulting's controversial horror film ' ...

" (''

''). Additionally, " The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo)" from the '' film of the same name'', originally recorded by

Ennio Morricone Ennio Morricone (; 10 November 19286 July 2020) was an Italian composer, orchestrator, conductor, and trumpeter who wrote music in a wide range of styles. With more than 400 scores for cinema and television, as well as more than 100 classica ...

, topped the chart when it was covered by

Hugo Montenegro Hugo Mario Montenegro (September 2, 1925 – February 6, 1981) was an American orchestra leader and composer of film soundtracks. His best-known work is interpretations of the music from Spaghetti Westerns, especially his cover version of Ennio M ...

Best-selling singles

Until 1970 there was no universally recognised year-end best-sellers list. However, in 2011 the Official Charts Company released a list of the best-selling single of each year in chart history from 1952 to date. According to the list, "

Hey Jude "Hey Jude" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles that was released as a non-album single in August 1968. It was written by Paul McCartney and credited to the Lennon–McCartney partnership. The single was the Beatles' first release o ...

" by

is officially recorded as the biggest-selling single of 1968.

Top-ten singles

;Key

Entries by artist

The following table shows artists who achieved two or more top 10 entries in 1968, including singles that reached their peak in 1967 or 1969. The figures include both main artists and featured artists. The total number of weeks an artist spent in the top ten in 1968 is also shown.

Notes

* "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" reached its peak of number-one on 7 January 1969 (week ending). * "Albatross" reached its peak of number one on 4 February 1969. * "All My Love" re-entered the top 10 at number 7 on 26 December 1967 (week ending). * "Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush" re-entered the top 10 at number 10 on 16 January 1968 (week ending). * "Suddenly You Love Me" re-entered the top 10 at number 10 on 5 March 1968 (week ending). * "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" was released posthumously following Otis Redding's death in a plane crash. *"Congratulations" was the

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 ...

's entry at the

Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest (), sometimes abbreviated to ESC and often known simply as Eurovision, is an international songwriting competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), featuring participants representing pr ...

. * "A Man Without Love" was first performed in Italian (recorded as "Quando m'innamoro") by both

Anna Identici Anna Identici (born 30 July 1947) is an Italian pop/folk singer and television personality. Life and career Born in Castelleone, Cremona, the daughter of an employee of the Ferrovie dello Stato, Identici started singing as a child, participat ...

and The Sandpipers at the 1968

Sanremo Music Festival The Sanremo Music Festival, officially the Italian Song Festival () and commonly known as just (), is the most popular Italian song contest and awards ceremony, held annually in the city of Sanremo, Liguria. It is the longest-running annual ...

. * "White Horses" was the theme song to the UK dub of the German/Yugoslavian television series ''" The White Horses"''. * "This Guy's in Love with You" re-entered the top 10 at number 5 on 13 August 1968 (week ending) for 7 weeks. * "Help Yourself" was first performed in Italian (recorded as "Gli occhi miei") by both Dino and Wilma Goich at the 1968

. * "High in the Sky" re-entered the top 10 at number 10 on 8 October 1968 (week ending). * "Jesamine" re-entered the top 10 at number 10 on 19 November 1968 (week ending). * Figure includes single that peaked in 1967. * Figure includes single that first charted in 1967 but peaked in 1968. * Figure includes single that peaked in 1969.

References

General * Specific

External links

1968 singles chart archive
at the

(click on relevant week) {{UK Music Charts Top 10 singles

Background

Multiple entries

Chart debuts

Songs from films

Best-selling singles

Top-ten singles

Entries by artist

Notes

See also

References

External links