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

1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses ( February 25, July 22 and August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 10, and August 6). The world population increased by 2.1% this year, the highest increase in history. Events Ja ...

, as well as singles which peaked in

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 ...

and

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, me ...

but were in the top 10 in 1971. 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 six singles were in the top ten in 1971. Ten singles from 1970 remained in the top 10 for several weeks at the beginning of the year, while "

Something Tells Me (Something's Gonna Happen Tonight) "Something Tells Me (Something's Gonna Happen Tonight)" is a song by English recording artist Cilla Black, released in 1971. Background Written by songwriters Roger Greenaway and Roger Cook, "Something Tells Me (Something's Gonna Happen Tonight ...

" by

Cilla Black Priscilla Maria Veronica White (27 May 1943 – 1 August 2015), better known as Cilla Black, was an English singer, actress and television presenter. Championed by her friends the Beatles, Black began her career as a singer in 1963. Her ...

was released in 1971 but did not reach its peak until 1972. " Grandad" by

Clive Dunn Clive Robert Benjamin Dunn (9 January 19206 November 2012) was an English actor. Although he was only 48 and one of the youngest cast members, he was cast in a role many years his senior, as the elderly Lance Corporal Jones in the BBC sitcom ' ...

, " I'll Be There" by The Jackson 5 and " Ride a White Swan" by T. Rex were the singles from 1970 to reach their peak in 1971. Sixteen artists scored multiple entries in the top 10 in 1971.

Bay City Rollers The Bay City Rollers are a Scottish pop rock band known for their worldwide teen idol popularity in the 1970s. They have been called the "tartan teen sensations from Edinburgh" and one of many acts heralded as the "biggest group since the Beat ...

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...

, The New Seekers,

Rod Stewart Sir Roderick David Stewart (born 10 January 1945) is a British rock and pop singer and songwriter. Born and raised in London, he is of Scottish and English ancestry. With his distinctive raspy singing voice, Stewart is among the best-selling ...

and Slade were among the many artists who achieved their first UK charting top 10 single in 1971. The 1970

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 ...

, " I Hear You Knocking" by

Dave Edmunds David William Edmunds (born 15 April 1944) is a Welsh singer-songwriter, guitarist and record producer. Although he is mainly associated with pub rock and new wave, having many hits in the 1970s and early 1980s, his natural leaning has alwa ...

, remained at number-one for the first week of 1971. The first new number-one single of the year was " Grandad" by

. Overall, thirteen different singles peaked at number-one in 1971, with T. Rex (2) having the most singles hit that position.

Background

Multiple entries

One-hundred and six singles charted in the top 10 in 1971, with one-hundred and two singles reaching their peak this year. Seventeen artists scored multiple entries in the top 10 in 1971.

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 T. Rex shared the record for most top 10 hits in 1971 with four hit singles each.

George Harrison George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician and singer-songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Indian c ...

was one of a number of artists with two top-ten entries, including the number-one single " My Sweet Lord".

Andy Williams Howard Andrew Williams (December 3, 1927 – September 25, 2012) was an American singer. He recorded 43 albums in his career, of which 15 have been gold certified and three platinum certified. He was also nominated for six Grammy Awards. He hos ...

Dave and Ansell Collins Dave and Ansell Collins are a Jamaican vocal/instrumental duo (sometimes billed as Dave and Ansil Collins or Dave and Ansel Collins). History Dave Barker (born David John Crooks, 10 October 1947, Kingston, Jamaica) is a session vocalist, and ...

, Gilbert O'Sullivan, Mungo Jerry and

The Supremes The Supremes were an American girl group and a premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s. Founded as the Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, the Supremes were the most commercially successful of Motown's acts and the most successful ...

were among the other artists who had multiple top 10 entries in 1971.

Chart debuts

Forty-three artists achieved their first top 10 single in 1971, either as a lead or featured artist. Of these, five went on to record another hit single that year: C.C.S.,

, John Kongos, Middle of the Road and

Olivia Newton-John Dame Olivia Newton-John (26 September 1948 – 8 August 2022) was a British-Australian singer, actress and activist. She was a four-time Grammy Award winner whose music career included 15 top-ten singles, including 5 number-one singles on the ...

Dawn Dawn is the time that marks the beginning of twilight before sunrise. It is recognized by the appearance of indirect sunlight being scattered in Earth's atmosphere, when the centre of the Sun's disc has reached 18° below the observer's horizo ...

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. ;Notes

started his post-

Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developme ...

career with his debut solo single in 1971, " My Sweet Lord", topping the chart. A second single, " Bangla-Desh", also charted at number 10 this year. Fellow bandmate

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...

also began life away from The Beatles with his first solo top 10 hit, "

Another Day Another Day may refer to: Albums * ''Another Day'' (Steve Ashley album) * ''Another Day'' (The Hurt Process album) * ''Another Day'' (Lene Marlin album) * ''Another Day'' (Oscar Peterson album) * ''Another Day'' (Racoon album) * ''Another ...

", which reached number two. With

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 ...

having charted with Plastic Ono Band and a debut solo single the previous year,

Ringo Starr Sir Richard Starkey (born 7 July 1940), known professionally as Ringo Starr, is an English musician, singer, songwriter and actor who achieved international fame as the drummer for the Beatles. Starr occasionally sang lead vocals with the ...

became the final member to go it alone in 1971. His first release was the number 4 hit "

It Don't Come Easy "It Don't Come Easy" is a song by English rock musician Ringo Starr that was released as a non-album single in April 1971. It was produced by Starr's former Beatles bandmate George Harrison, who also helped write the song, although only Starr is ...

". Before finding success as lead singer with

, Tony Orlando had achieved a solo UK top 10 entry in 1961 with "

Bless You God bless you (''variants include'' God bless or bless you) is a common English expression generally used to wish a person blessings in various situations, especially to "will the good of another person", as a response to a sneeze, and also, ...

", which reached number 5.

Songs from films

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

(Where Do I Begin?) Love Story "(Where Do I Begin?) Love Story" is a popular song published in 1970, with music by Francis Lai and lyrics by Carl Sigman. The song was first introduced as an instrumental theme in the 1970 film '' Love Story'' after the film's distributor, Para ...

" (from '' Love Story'') and " Theme from ''"Shaft"''" (''

Shaft Shaft may refer to: Rotating machine elements * Shaft (mechanical engineering), a rotating machine element used to transmit power * Line shaft, a power transmission system * Drive shaft, a shaft for transferring torque * Axle, a shaft around whi ...

'').

Charity singles

released the single "

Bangla Desh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...

" as a follow-up to debut solo single " My Sweet Lord". The single highlighted the plight of refugees in

Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...

(previously known as

East Pakistan East Pakistan was a Pakistani province established in 1955 by the One Unit Scheme, One Unit Policy, renaming the province as such from East Bengal, which, in modern times, is split between India and Bangladesh. Its land borders were with India ...

) after the country was hit by the

1970 Bhola cyclone The 1970 Bhola cyclone (Also known as the Great Cyclone of 1970) was a devastating tropical cyclone that struck East Pakistan (present-day Bangladesh) and India's West Bengal on November 11, 1970. It remains the deadliest tropical cyclone ever re ...

. The song was performed by Harrison at The Concert for Bangladesh, a benefit concert to aid victims and survivors. The single charted in the UK at number ten on 28 August 1971.

Best-selling singles

had the best-selling single of the year with " My Sweet Lord". The single spent ten weeks in the top 10 (including five weeks at number one), sold over 890,000 copies and was certified silver by the BPI. " Maggie May"/" Reason to Believe" by

came in second place, selling more than 615,000 copies and losing out by around 275,000 sales. Middle of the Road's "

Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep "Chirpy Chirpy, Cheep Cheep" is a song recorded in 1970 by its composer Lally Stott, and made popular in 1971 by Scottish band Middle of the Road for whom it was a UK #1 chart hit. That version is one of fewer than fifty singles ever to have ...

", "

Knock Three Times "Knock Three Times" is a popular song credited simply to "Dawn". Tony Orlando was not named on the record. The actual singers were Tony Orlando, Toni Wine, and Linda November, prior to the creation of "Dawn" with Telma Hopkins and Joyce Vincent ...

" from Tony Orlando and Dawn and " Hot Love" by T. Rex made up the top five. Singles by The Mixtures, The New Seekers,

Diana Ross Diana Ross (born March 26, 1944) is an American singer and actress. She rose to fame as the lead singer of the vocal group the Supremes, who became Motown's most successful act during the 1960s and one of the world's best-selling girl groups o ...

The Tams ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

and T. Rex (" Get It On") were also in the top ten best-selling singles of the year.

Top-ten singles

;Key

Entries by artist

The following table shows artists who achieved two or more top 10 entries in 1971, including singles that reached their peak in 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 1971 is also shown.

Notes

* "Cracklin' Rosie" re-entered the top 10 at number 10 on 30 January 1971 (week ending). * "Ride a White Swan" re-entered the top 10 at number 10 on 2 January 1971 (week ending) for 6 weeks. * "Amazing Grace" re-entered the top 10 at number 6 on 27 March 1971 (week ending). * "Resurrection Shuffle" re-entered the top 10 at number 10 on 20 March 1971 (week ending). * "Jack in the Box" 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 ...

. * "Something Old, Something New" re-entered the top 10 at number 9 on 8 May 1971 (week ending). * "Un banc, un arbre, une rue" was

Monaco Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Lig ...

's winning entry at the

. * "Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)" re-entered the top 10 at number 10 on 24 July 1971 (week ending). * Both "Heartbreak Hotel" and "Hound Dog" made the UK Singles Chart as separate entries when initially released in 1956. Both singles peaked at number two. The two songs were re-issued together as a double A-sided single in 1971. This re-release was part of an

RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also A ...

series entitled "Maxi Million". * "Bangla Desh" was released as a charity single to raise awareness of refugees in

(formerly

) following the

, backed by a relief concert. * Figure includes single that first charted in 1970 but peaked in 1971. * Figure includes single that peaked in 1970.

References

General * Specific

External links

1971 singles chart archive
at the

(click on relevant week) {{UK Music Charts

Top 10 singles