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

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 ...

, as well as singles which peaked in

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 ...

and

1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli intensity of X (''Extrem ...

but were in the top 10 in 1969. 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 fifteen singles were in the top ten in 1969. Eight singles from 1968 remained in the top 10 for several weeks at the beginning of the year while "

All I Have to Do Is Dream "All I Have to Do Is Dream" is a song made famous by the Everly Brothers, written by Boudleaux Bryant of the husband-and-wife songwriting team Felice and Boudleaux Bryant, and published in 1958. The song is ranked No. 141 on the ''Rolling Stone' ...

" by Bobbie Gentry and Glen Campbell, "

Melting Pot The melting pot is a monocultural metaphor for a heterogeneous society becoming more homogeneous, the different elements "melting together" with a common culture; an alternative being a homogeneous society becoming more heterogeneous throug ...

" by Blue Mink, " Suspicious Minds" by

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

and " Tracy" by

The Cuff Links The Cuff Links were an American rock/pop studio group from Staten Island, New York, United States. The band had a US No. 9 hit in 1969 with " Tracy", with rich harmonized vocals provided entirely by Ron Dante. The track was produced as part of a ...

were all released in 1969 but did not reach their peak until 1970. "

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 the singles from 1968 to reach their peak in 1969. Thirty artists scored multiple entries in the top 10 in 1969.

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

, Glen Campbell, Jethro Tull,

Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American country singer-songwriter. Much of Cash's music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially in the later stages of his ca ...

and

Marvin Gaye Marvin Pentz Gay Jr., who also spelled his surname as Gaye (April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984), was an American singer and songwriter. He helped to shape the sound of Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player and later as a solo ar ...

were among the many artists who achieved their first UK charting top 10 single in 1969. The 1968

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 ...

, " Lily the Pink" 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. ...

, remained in the top 10 for the first weeks of 1969. The first new number-one single of the year was " Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" by Marmalade. Overall, eighteen different singles peaked at number-one in 1969, with

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 ...

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

Background

Multiple entries

One-hundred and fifteen singles charted in the top 10 in 1969, with one-hundred and five singles reaching their peak this year. Thirty-one artists scored multiple entries in the top 10 in 1969.

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...

secured the record for most top 10 hits in 1969 with four hit singles. Amen Corner was one of a number of artists with two top-ten entries, including the number-one single "

(If Paradise Is) Half as Nice "(If Paradise Is) Half as Nice" is a popular 1968 song originally written by the Italian singer-songwriter Lucio Battisti for La Ragazza 77, alias Ambra Borelli, in 1968 as "Il paradiso della vita" ("The paradise of the life"), and later in 196 ...

The Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American Rock music, rock band that formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian Wilson, Brian, Dennis Wilson, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and frie ...

, Marmalade.

Simon & Garfunkel Simon & Garfunkel were an American folk rock duo consisting of the singer-songwriter Paul Simon and the singer Art Garfunkel. They were one of the best-selling music groups of the 1960s, and their biggest hits—including the electric remix of " ...

and

The Temptations The Temptations are an American vocal group from Detroit, Michigan, who released a series of successful singles and albums with Motown Records during the 1960s and 1970s. The group's work with producer Norman Whitfield, beginning with the Top ...

were among the other artists who had multiple top 10 entries in 1969.

Chart debuts

Forty-five artists achieved their first top 10 single in 1969, either as a lead or featured artist. Of these, eight went on to record another hit single that year: Bobbie Gentry, Clodagh Rodgers,

Creedence Clearwater Revival Creedence Clearwater Revival, also referred to as Creedence and CCR, was an American rock band formed in El Cerrito, California. The band initially consisted of lead vocalist, lead guitarist, and primary songwriter John Fogerty; his brother, ...

Desmond Dekker & the Aces Desmond Dekker (16 July 1941 – 25 May 2006) was a Jamaican ska, rocksteady and reggae singer-songwriter and musician. Together with his backing group The Aces (consisting of Wilson James and Easton Barrington Howard), he had one of the earlie ...

, Glen Campbell, Jethro Tull, Peter Sarstedt and

had two other entries in his 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. ;Notes

Robin Gibb Robin Hugh Gibb (22 December 1949 – 20 May 2012) was a British singer and songwriter. He gained worldwide fame as a member of the Bee Gees pop group with elder brother Barry and fraternal twin brother Maurice. Robin Gibb also had his o ...

was a member of the chart-topping British group

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 ...

, who had their first top 10 entry in 1967. His number two single " Saved by the Bell" was his debut appearance in the chart as a solo artist.

Cass Elliot Ellen Naomi Cohen (September 19, 1941 – July 29, 1974), known professionally as Mama Cass and later on as Cass Elliot, was an American singer and voice actress. She was a member of the singing group the Mamas & the Papas. After the group brok ...

(known professionally as Mama Cass) sang in the band The Mamas & the Papas from 1965 to 1968 until they broke up. "

It's Getting Better "It's Getting Better" is a song written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil that was a sunshine pop hit single in 1969 for Mama Cass. Overview The song describes the singer's satisfaction with a love relationship that is down-to-earth rather than ex ...

" was her only solo recording to reach the top 10 on the UK chart.

Songs from films

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

The Windmills of Your Mind "The Windmills of Your Mind" is a song with music by French composer Michel Legrand and English lyrics written by Americans Alan and Marilyn Bergman. The French lyrics, under the title "", were written by Eddy Marnay. The song (with the English ...

" (from '' The Thomas Crown Affair'') and "

Time Is Tight "Time Is Tight" is an instrumental recorded by Booker T. & the M.G.'s for their soundtrack to the 1968 film '' UpTight''. Background The group recorded two versions of the song – the shorter (3:14), slower version was released as a single in 1 ...

" ('' UpTight'').

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, " Sugar, Sugar" by The Archies is officially recorded as the biggest-selling single of 1969.

Top-ten singles

;Key

Entries by artist

The following table shows artists who achieved two or more top 10 entries in 1969, including singles that reached their peak in 1968 or 1970. 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 1969 is also shown.

Notes

* "All I Have to Do Is Dream" reached its peak of number three on 17 January 1970 (week ending). * "Melting Pot" reached its peak of number three on 10 January 1970 (week ending). * "Tracy" reached its peak of number four on 10 January 1970 (week ending). * "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" originally peaked at number-one on its initial release in 1965. * "Boom Bang-a-Bang" 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 winning entry (tied) 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 ...

. * "The Tracks of My Tears" re-entered the top 10 at number 10 on 1 July 1969 (week ending). * "Je t'aime... moi non plus" was originally released in the UK by

Fontana Records Fontana Records is a record label that was started in the 1950s as a subsidiary of the Dutch Philips Records. The independent label distributor Fontana Distribution takes its name from the label. History Fontana started in the 1950s as a subs ...

and the Fontana release enjoyed a four-week run in the top 10 from 6 September 1969 (week ending). After Fontana deleted the single during its UK chart ascent, it was picked up by

Major Minor Records Major Minor Records was a Northern Irish record label started by Phil Solomon in 1966. It had a distribution deal with Decca Records. Artists on the label included the Dubliners and Johnny Nash. Phil Solomon was also co-director of Radio Caroli ...

, who acquired the song's licensing rights and re-released the record. The Major Minor release enjoyed a five-week run in the top 10 from 4 October 1969 (week ending) and reached number-one on 11 October 1969 (week ending). * "Wonderful World, Beautiful People" re-entered the top 10 at number 10 on 13 December 1969 (week ending). * "The Liquidator" re-entered the top 10 at number 10 on 10 January 1970 (week ending). * Figure includes single that first charted in 1968 but peaked in 1969. * Figure includes three top 10 hits with the group The Beatles. * Figure includes two top 10 hits with the group Bee Gees. * Figure includes single that peaked in 1970. * Figure includes single that peaked in 1968.

References

General * Specific

External links

1969 singles chart archive
at the

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