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

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 ...

, as well as singles which peaked in

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 ...

and

1973 Events January * January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 15 – Vietnam War: Citing progress in peace negotiations, U.S. ...

but were in the top 10 in 1972. 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 twenty-three singles were in the top ten in 1972. Seven singles from 1971 remained in the top 10 for several weeks at the beginning of the year, while "

Nights in White Satin "Nights in White Satin" is a song by the Moody Blues, written and composed by Justin Hayward. It was first featured as the segment "The Night" on the album ''Days of Future Passed''. When first released as a single in 1967, it reached number 19 ...

" by The Moody Blues", "Shotgun Wedding" by Roy "C" and "

Solid Gold Easy Action "Solid Gold Easy Action" is a song by T. Rex, written by Marc Bolan. It was released as a single on 1 December 1972 and reached No. 2 in the UK Singles Chart. The song did not feature on an original studio album but was included on the 1972 ''G ...

" by T. Rex were all released in 1972 but did not reach their peak until 1973. "

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 the only single from 1971 to reach its peak in 1972. Twenty-one artists scored multiple entries in the top 10 in 1972.

10cc 10cc are an English rock band formed in Stockport in 1972. The group initially consisted of four musicians – Graham Gouldman, Eric Stewart, Kevin Godley and Lol Creme – who had written and recorded together since 1968. The group featured t ...

Alice Cooper Alice Cooper (born Vincent Damon Furnier, February 4, 1948) is an American rock singer whose career spans over five decades. With a raspy voice and a stage show that features numerous props and stage illusions, including pyrotechnics, guillot ...

Donny Osmond Donald Clark "Donny" Osmond (born December 9, 1957) is an American singer, dancer, actor, television host, and former teen idol. He first gained fame performing with four of his elder brothers as the Osmonds, earning several top ten hits and gol ...

Electric Light Orchestra The Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) are an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1970 by songwriters and multi-instrumentalists Jeff Lynne and Roy Wood with drummer Bev Bevan. Their music is characterised by a fusion of pop, classical a ...

, Lynsey de Paul,

Roxy Music Roxy Music are an English rock music, rock band formed in 1970 by Bryan Ferry—who became the band's lead vocalist and principal songwriter—and bassist Graham Simpson (musician), Graham Simpson. The other longtime members are Phil Manzanera ...

and

Gary Glitter Paul Francis Gadd (born 8 May 1944), best known by his stage name Gary Glitter, is an English former singer, songwriter, and record producer. He achieved success during the glam rock era of the 1970s and 1980s, and his career ended after he w ...

were among the many artists who achieved their first UK charting top 10 single in 1972. The 1971

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 ...

, "

Ernie (The Fastest Milkman in the West) "Ernie (The Fastest Milkman in the West)" is an innuendo-laden comedy or novelty song, written and performed by the English comedian Benny Hill. The song was first performed on television in 1970, and released as a successful recording, toppin ...

" by Benny Hill, remained at number-one for the first weeks of 1972. The first new number-one single of the year was " I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing (In Perfect Harmony)" by The New Seekers. Overall, seventeen different singles peaked at number-one in 1972, with T. Rex and Slade (2) having the joint most singles hit that position.

Background

Multiple entries

One-hundred and twenty-three singles charted in the top 10 in 1972, with one-hundred and fourteen singles reaching their peak this year. Twenty-one artists scored multiple entries in the top 10 in 1972. T. Rex secured the record for most top 10 hits in 1972 with six hit singles. This included their number two entry from November 1971, " Jeepster". The group's first two new entries of the year, "

Telegram Sam "Telegram Sam" is a song written by Marc Bolan for the British rock group T. Rex, appearing on their 1972 album ''The Slider''. The song was their third UK number one single, remaining at the top of the charts for two weeks before being knocke ...

" and "

Metal Guru "Metal Guru" is a song by the British rock band T. Rex, written by Marc Bolan. It was the band's fourth (and final) number one on the UK Singles Chart when it topped the chart for four weeks from May–June 1972. It was also included on the a ...

", both reached number-one, while " Children of the Revolution" and "

" both peaked at number two, although the latter hit its peak position in January 1973. The double-A side single "Debora"/"One Inch Rock" was a re-release of two songs first issued in 1968 which had failed to reach the top 10, recorded under their previous name Tyrannosaurus Rex.

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

's five top 10 hits in 1972 counted December's "

Lookin' Through the Windows ''Lookin' Through the Windows'' is the sixth studio album by the Jackson 5, released on the Motown label in May 1972. Production ''Lookin' Through the Windows'' marks the beginning of lead singer Michael Jackson, Michael's vocal change, from the ...

" as part of The Jackson 5, which reached number 9, alongside four solo singles. The highest charting of these was the number 3 entry " Rockin' Robin" in June, several months after " Got to Be There" had peaked at number 5. A cover of " Ain't No Sunshine" made number eight, with his haul rounded off by "

Ben Ben is frequently used as a shortened version of the given names Benjamin, Benedict, Bennett or Benson, and is also a given name in its own right. Ben (in he, בֶּן, ''son of'') forms part of Hebrew surnames, e.g. Abraham ben Abraham ( he, � ...

" which scraped in at number seven.

achieved four top 10 entries this year, three of which were as a solo artist. His debut entry "

Puppy Love Puppy love, also known as a crush, is an informal term for feelings of romantic love, often felt during childhood and early adolescence. It is an infatuation usually developed by someone's looks and attractiveness at first sight. Such feelings f ...

" spent five weeks at number-one in July and August, while the singles " Too Young" and "

Why Why may refer to: * Causality, a consequential relationship between two events * Reason (argument), a premise in support of an argument, for what reason or purpose * Grounding (metaphysics), a topic in metaphysics regarding how things exist in v ...

" peaked at numbers five and three respectively. He also featured on The Osmonds' hit single "

Crazy Horses "Crazy Horses" is a 1972 hit single by The Osmonds, the title track from the album of the same name. The song, the only hit record from the Osmonds to feature Jay Osmond as lead vocalist, reached number 14 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and num ...

", which reached number two in November.

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 ...

, Gilbert O'Sullivan,

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 the other artists with four singles in the top 10 during 1972. David Cassidy scored three top 10 entries in 1972, two of which were as a solo artist. His debut entry "Could It Be Forever"/" Cherish", reached number two in May, while his cover of The Young Rascals' "

How Can I Be Sure "How Can I Be Sure" is a popular song written by Felix Cavaliere and Eddie Brigati, and originally recorded by the Young Rascals for their 1967 album ''Groovin with a single release in August 1967 affording the group their fourth Top 10 hit pea ...

" topped the chart for two weeks in September and October. Cassidy also featured on The Partridge Family's cover of Neil Sedaka's "

Breaking Up Is Hard to Do "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do" is a song recorded by Neil Sedaka, co-written by Sedaka and Howard Greenfield. Sedaka recorded this song twice, in 1962 and 1975, in two significantly different arrangements, and it is considered to be his signature ...

", which peaked at number three in August. The New Seekers was the other act to make three appearances in the top 10 this year. Don McLean was one of a number of artists with two top-ten entries, including the number-one single "

Vincent Vincent ( la, Vincentius) is a male given name derived from the Roman name Vincentius, which is derived from the Latin word (''to conquer''). People with the given name Artists *Vincent Apap (1909–2003), Maltese sculptor *Vincent van Gogh ...

Cher Cher (; born Cherilyn Sarkisian; May 20, 1946) is an American singer, actress and television personality. Often referred to by the media as the Honorific nicknames in popular music, "Goddess of Pop", she has been described as embodying female ...

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 ...

Lindisfarne Lindisfarne, also called Holy Island, is a tidal island off the northeast coast of England, which constitutes the civil parish of Holy Island in Northumberland. Holy Island has a recorded history from the 6th century AD; it was an important ...

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 1972.

Chart debuts

Forty-seven artists achieved their first top 10 single in 1972, either as a lead or featured artist. Of these, four went on to record another hit single that year: Don McLean,

and

Little Jimmy Osmond James Arthur Osmond (born April 16, 1963), also known as Little Jimmy Osmond, is an American singer, actor, and businessman. He is the youngest member of the sibling musical group the Osmonds. As a solo artist, Osmond has accumulated six RIAA ce ...

. David Cassidy recorded two other top 10 hits in 1972.

had three 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 The line-up of Faces consisted of

, Ronnie Wood and three members of the disbanded Small Faces - Ian McLagan, Kenney Jones and

Ronnie Lane Ronald Frederick Lane (1 April 1946 – 4 June 1997) was an English musician and songwriter who is best known as the bass guitarist and founding member of Small Faces (1965–69) and subsequently Faces (1969–73). Lane formed Small Faces in ...

. All of them, barring Wood, had previous top 10 singles to their name, the most recent to debut being Stewart with " Maggie May"/" Reason to Believe" in 1971.

had four entries as a solo artist this year for the first time, alongside a single with his group The Jackson 5. The band had debuted in 1970 with their breakthrough hit " I Want You Back". Wings was a side-project for

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 ...

after the dissolution of legendary group

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 ...

following the end of 1960s

Beatlemania Beatlemania was the fanaticism surrounding the English rock band the Beatles in the 1960s. The group's popularity grew in the United Kingdom throughout 1963, propelled by the singles "Please Please Me", "From Me to You" and "She Loves You". By ...

. Jonathan King charted under the

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...

Shag in 1972 for the first time with the song "

Loop di Love "Loop di Love" is a schlager pop song written by German musicians Dieter Dierks and Michael Schepior, based on the traditional Greek song " Dirlanda". It was first recorded in 1971 by Rolf Steitz (born in Cologne, Germany, 7 January 1952) perform ...

". He had appeared in the chart in 1965 with "

Everyone's Gone to the Moon "Everyone's Gone to the Moon" is the debut single by British singer-songwriter and record producer Jonathan King. It was released in 1965 while King was still an undergraduate at Cambridge University. All copies of this single, in all territories ...

", but used his own name. Junior Campbell left Marmalade in 1971 and just a year later he celebrated a top 10 solo single, "

Hallelujah Freedom "Hallelujah Freedom" is a song written and recorded by Junior Campbell in September 1972. The recording took place at Decca Studio 2 in London in September 1972 and featured Campbell on lead vocal, piano, guitar & electric piano, with Ray Duffy o ...

Songs from films

The only song from a film to enter the top 10 in 1972 was "

" (from ''

''). Additionally, the melody from "

The Young New Mexican Puppeteer "The Young New Mexican Puppeteer" is a song written by Earl Shuman and Leon Carr, and released as a single by Tom Jones. The guitarist on the single is Big Jim Sullivan. Song background The song tells the story of a puppeteer from New Mexico, wh ...

" was adapted from the score to the 1940 film '' Pinocchio''.

Best-selling singles

The Pipes & Drums & the Military Band of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards had the best-selling single of the year with " Amazing Grace". The song spent nine weeks in the top 10 (including five weeks at number one), sold over 890,000 copies and was certified by the BPI. " Mouldy Old Dough" by

Lieutenant Pigeon Lieutenant Pigeon were an English novelty musical group popular in the early 1970s, originating in Coventry. Career A spin-off from an experimental music band Stavely Makepeace, the group was fronted by Rob Woodward and managed by him and dr ...

came in second place, selling more than 790,000 copies and losing out by around 100,000 sales.

's "

", " Without You" from

Nilsson Nilsson is a Swedish surname and the fourth most common surname in Sweden. The name is a patronymic meaning "Nils's son". Nils was a very common name, especially in 19th century Sweden. Geographical distribution As of 2014, 89.8% of all known bea ...

and " I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing (In Perfect Harmony)" by The New Seekers made up the top five. Songs by

Chicory Tip Chicory Tip are an English pop group, formed in 1967 in Maidstone, Kent. The band originally comprised vocalist Peter Hewson (born 1 September 1945, in Gillingham); guitarist Richard "Rick" Foster (born 7 July 1946); bass guitarist Barry May ...

, T. Rex ("

"), Neil Reid and T. Rex ("

") 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 1972, including singles that reached their peak in 1971 or 1973. 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 1972 is also shown.

Notes

* "Mother of Mine" re-entered the top 10 at number 10 on 18 March 1972 (week ending). * "Blue Is the Colour" was released by

Chelsea F.C. Chelsea Football Club is an English professional football club based in Fulham, West London. Founded in 1905, they play their home games at Stamford Bridge. The club competes in the Premier League, the top division of English football. Th ...

to celebrate reaching the League Cup Final. * "Beg, Steal or Borrow" 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 ...

. * "Come What May (Après toi)" was

Luxembourg Luxembourg ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; french: link=no, Luxembourg; german: link=no, Luxemburg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, ; french: link=no, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg ; german: link=no, Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small lan ...

's winning entry at the

. * "Debora" and "One Inch Rock" were originally released as individual singles in 1968 under T. Rex's former name Tyrannosaurus Rex, peaking at number 34 and number 28 respectively. * "Leeds United" was released by

Leeds United F.C. Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire in England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of England's football league system, and plays its home matches at Elland Road ...

to celebrate reaching the FA Cup Final. * "It's Four in the Morning" re-entered the top 10 at number 6 on 2 September 1972 (week ending) for 6 weeks. * "In a Broken Dream" features uncredited lead vocals from

. * "Leader of the Pack" originally peaked outside the top 10 at number 11 on its initial release in 1965. * "Let's Dance" originally peaked at number 2 on its initial release in 1962. * "Shotgun Wedding" re-entered the top 10 at number 8 on 6 January 1973 (week ending). It originally peaked at number 6 on its initial release in 1966. * Figure includes single that peaked in 1971. * Figure includes single that peaked in 1973. * Figure includes the double A-side single "Debora"/"One Inch Rock" recorded under the name Tyrannosaurus Rex. * Figure includes a top 10 hit with the group The Jackson 5. * Figure includes a top 10 hit with the group The Osmonds. * Figure includes a top 10 hit with the group The Partridge Family. * Figure includes a top 10 hit with the group Faces. * Figure includes a top 10 hit in the duo Sonny and Cher.

References

General * Specific

External links

1972 singles chart archive
at the

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