The ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'' (or ''New Musical Express'') was a British weekly

popular music Popular music is music with wide appeal that is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. These forms and styles can be enjoyed and performed by people with little or no musical training.Popular Music. (2015). ''Fun ...

newspaper. Record charts in the United Kingdom began on 14 November 1952 when ''NME'' imitated an idea started in American ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' magazine compiled their own

hit parade A hit parade is a ranked list of the most popular recordings at a given point in time, usually determined either by sales or airplay. The term originated in the 1930s; ''Billboard'' magazine published its first music hit parade on January 4, 1936 ...

. Until 15 February 1969, when the British Market Research Bureau (BMRB) chart was established, many periodicals compiled their own charts. During this time the

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...

used aggregated results of the prominent ''NME'', ''

Melody Maker ''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. It was founded in 1926, largely as a magazine for dance band musicians, by Leicester-born ...

'', '' Disc'', ''

Record Mirror ''Record Mirror'' was a British weekly music newspaper between 1954 and 1991 for pop fans and record collectors. Launched two years after the ''NME'', it never attained the circulation of its rival. The first UK album chart was published in ''Re ...

'' and, later, ''

Record Retailer ''Record Retailer'' was the only music trade newspaper for the UK record industry. It was founded in August 1959 as a monthly newspaper covering both labels and dealers. Its founding editor was Roy Parker (who died on 27 December 1964). The title ...

'' charts to compile their ''

Pick of the Pops ''Pick of the Pops'' is a long-running BBC Radio programme originally based on the Top 20 from the UK Singles Chart and first broadcast on the BBC Light Programme on 4 October 1955. It transferred to BBC Radio 1 (simulcast on BBC Radio 2) from 19 ...

'' chart. Prior to 1969 there was no universally accepted source or "official" singles chart; however, the

Official Chart 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 ...

and Guinness'

British Hit Singles & Albums ''British Hit Singles & Albums'' (originally known as ''The Guinness Book of British Hit Singles'' and ''The Guinness Book of British Hit Albums'') was a music reference book originally published in the United Kingdom by the publishing arm of ...

regard the canonical sources for this period as ''NME'' before 10 March 1960 and ''Record Retailer'' from then until the BMRB took over in 1969. Although ''Record Retailer'' is now the most predominantly used source for charting music in the 1960s, ''NME'' had the biggest circulation of charts in the decade and was more widely followed. After the BMRB was formed, the ''NME'' continued compiling its own chart up until 14 May 1988.

The Allisons The Allisons were an English pop duo consisting of Bob Day (born Bernard Colin Day; 2 February 1941 – 25 November 2013) and John Alford (born Brian Henry John Alford, 31 December 1939). They were marketed as being brothers, using the surname o ...

' entry for the Eurovision Song Contest, entitled " Are You Sure?", was the first single to be number one on the ''NME'' chart but not to reach the top spot on ''Record Retailer''s chart. In total, sixteen songs failed to reach number one with ''Record Retailer'' but topped the ''NME'' chart. In 1969, after the BMRB chart was introduced, four songs topped the ''NME'' but not the BMRB chart. Notable discrepancies include " 19th Nervous Breakdown", which reached number one for

the Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically d ...

on the ''NME'', ''Disc'', and ''Melody Maker'' charts, topped the

's ''Pick of the Pops'' aggregated chart and was announced as number one on ''

Top of the Pops ''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British Record chart, music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show ...

''; however, because it did not reach number one on the ''Record Retailer'' chart, it is omitted from the Official Chart Company's canon.

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 ...

' "

Please Please Me ''Please Please Me'' is the debut studio album by the English rock band the Beatles. Produced by George Martin, it was released on EMI's Parlophone label on 22 March 1963 in the United Kingdom, following the success of the band's first two sin ...

" suffered the same fate so, arguably, should be considered the Beatles' first number-one single. Conversely,

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 ...

's double A-side, "

Rock-A-Hula Baby "Rock-A-Hula Baby ("Twist" Special)" is a 1961 song recorded by Elvis Presley and performed in the 1961 film '' Blue Hawaii''. The song was also released as a single. Background The song was recorded on March 23, 1961 at Radio Recorders in Hollywo ...

"/" Can't Help Falling in Love", reached number one on all charts except ''NME'' because the entries were split by ''NME'' according to which song was requested when the shop returned its figures. __TOC__

Number-one singles

Notes

References

;Footnotes ;Sources {{DEFAULTSORT:NME, 1960s Lists of number-one songs in the United Kingdom New Musical Express 1960s in British music