List of Mersey Beat number-one singles
Encyclopedia
The Mersey Beat
is a former British weekly pop music newspaper. Mersey Beat was founded initially as a regional bi-weekley publication on 13 July 1961. In 1963 it began compiling a Top 20 chart based on around 10 stores and became a national paper. The charts and paper became weekly on 24 April 1964 and, following an investment in September 1964 by Brian Epstein
, expanded the chart and sample size to become the first publication to announce a Top 100 on 3 December 1964. On 6 March 1965 the paper was rebranded Music Echo and by 16 April 1966 the chart was no longer published—on 23 April 1966 the newspaper was incorporated into Disc
which became Disc and Music Echo.
In the period when Mersey Beat published a chart there was no official singles chart; Record Retailer and the BBC
jointly commissioned the British Market Research Bureau (BMRB)
chart in February 1969. The first record chart in the United Kingdom was published in November 1952 by NME
. The Official Charts Company and Guinness' British Hit Singles & Albums consider this the canonical source for the British singles chart
before 10 March 1960 and, after that date, the Record Retailer chart. However, NME continued to compile their own chart and publications Disc
and Melody Maker
also published charts in this period. Being no universally accepted chart, the BBC
used aggregated results of charts from these three publications (and Record Mirror prior to 1952) to compile their own Pick of the Pops
chart.
Charts compiled by Mersey Beat had thirteen number-one singles that did not reach top spot in the Record Retailer chart; this included two singles from each of The Who
and The Hollies
. Notably, "19th Nervous Breakdown
" reached number one on the Mersey Beat chart as well as Disc, NME, and Melody Maker charts. It topped the BBC
's Pick of the Pops aggregated chart and was announced as number one on Top of the Pops
; however, because it did not reach number one on the Record Retailer chart it is omitted from The Official Charts Company's canon.
Mersey Beat
Mersey Beat was a music publication in Liverpool, England in the early 1960s. It was founded by Bill Harry, who was one of John Lennon's classmates at Liverpool Art College...
is a former British weekly pop music newspaper. Mersey Beat was founded initially as a regional bi-weekley publication on 13 July 1961. In 1963 it began compiling a Top 20 chart based on around 10 stores and became a national paper. The charts and paper became weekly on 24 April 1964 and, following an investment in September 1964 by Brian Epstein
Brian Epstein
Brian Samuel Epstein , was an English music entrepreneur, and is best known for being the manager of The Beatles up until his death. He also managed several other musical artists such as Gerry & the Pacemakers, Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas, Cilla Black, The Remo Four & The Cyrkle...
, expanded the chart and sample size to become the first publication to announce a Top 100 on 3 December 1964. On 6 March 1965 the paper was rebranded Music Echo and by 16 April 1966 the chart was no longer published—on 23 April 1966 the newspaper was incorporated into Disc
Disc (magazine)
Disc was a weekly British popular music magazine, published between 1958 and 1975, when it was incorporated into Record Mirror. It was also known for periods as Disc Weekly and Disc and Music Echo ....
which became Disc and Music Echo.
In the period when Mersey Beat published a chart there was no official singles chart; Record Retailer and the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
jointly commissioned the British Market Research Bureau (BMRB)
BMRB Ltd
BMRB Ltd is the longest established market research agency in Britain, dating from 1933. The company conducts the following types of research: media, social and public policy, customer, employee and omnibus....
chart in February 1969. The first record chart in the United Kingdom was published in November 1952 by NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
. The Official Charts Company and Guinness' British Hit Singles & Albums consider this the canonical source for the British singles chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
before 10 March 1960 and, after that date, the Record Retailer chart. However, NME continued to compile their own chart and publications Disc
Disc (magazine)
Disc was a weekly British popular music magazine, published between 1958 and 1975, when it was incorporated into Record Mirror. It was also known for periods as Disc Weekly and Disc and Music Echo ....
and Melody Maker
Melody Maker
Melody Maker, published in the United Kingdom, was, according to its publisher IPC Media, the world's oldest weekly music newspaper. It was founded in 1926 as a magazine targeted at musicians; in 2000 it was merged into "long-standing rival" New Musical Express.-1950s–1960s:Originally the Melody...
also published charts in this period. Being no universally accepted chart, the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
used aggregated results of charts from these three publications (and Record Mirror prior to 1952) to compile their own Pick of the Pops
Pick of the Pops
Pick of the Pops is a BBC Radio programme, originally based on the Top 20 UK singles chart and first broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in 1955. It transferred to BBC Radio 1 from 1967...
chart.
Charts compiled by Mersey Beat had thirteen number-one singles that did not reach top spot in the Record Retailer chart; this included two singles from each of The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
and The Hollies
The Hollies
The Hollies are an English pop and rock group, formed in Manchester in the early 1960s, though most of the band members are from throughout East Lancashire. Known for their distinctive vocal harmony style, they became one of the leading British groups of the 1960s and 1970s...
. Notably, "19th Nervous Breakdown
19th Nervous Breakdown
"19th Nervous Breakdown" is a song by the English rock band The Rolling Stones.The song was written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards during their 1965 tour of the United States. The song was recorded during the Aftermath sessions between 3 and 8 December 1965 at RCA Recording Studios in Hollywood,...
" reached number one on the Mersey Beat chart as well as Disc, NME, and Melody Maker charts. It topped the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's Pick of the Pops aggregated chart and was announced as number one on Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...
; however, because it did not reach number one on the Record Retailer chart it is omitted from The Official Charts Company's canon.
Number-one singles
Key- – The song did not reach number one on the Record Retailer chart.
- – The song spent a week at number one where it shared the top spot with another song.
| 1964196519651966 |
| Single | Reached number 1 | Weeks at number 1 |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| "Can't Buy Me Love Can't Buy Me Love "Can't Buy Me Love" is a song composed by Paul McCartney and released by The Beatles on the A-side of their sixth British single, "Can't Buy Me Love"/"You Can't Do That".-Interpretation:... " |
1 | ||
| "Don't Throw Your Love Away Don't Throw Your Love Away "Don't Throw Your Love Away" is a song that was originally released in 1963 by The Orlons. It was the B-side to "Bon-Doo-Wah", which peaked at No. 55 in the US charts.The song was covered by The Searchers and released in April 1964. It went to No... " |
2 | ||
| "Juliet" | 1 | ||
| "You're My World You're My World "You're My World" is a ballad originally recorded in 1963 as "Il Mio Mondo" by Umberto Bindi, who co-wrote the Italian-language version with Gino Paoli. Rendered with English lyrics by Carl Sigman as "You're My World",the song has reached No... " |
5 | ||
| "Here I Go Again"† | 1 | ||
| "House of the Rising Sun The House of the Rising Sun "The House of the Rising Sun" is a folk song from the United States. Also called "House of the Rising Sun" or occasionally "Rising Sun Blues", it tells of a life gone wrong in New Orleans... " |
1 | ||
| † | 1 | ||
| "It's All Over Now It's All Over Now "It's All Over Now" was written by Bobby Womack and Shirley Womack. It was first released by The Valentinos featuring Bobby Womack. The Valentinos version entered the Billboard Hot 100 on June 27, 1964, where it stayed on the chart for two weeks, peaking at No. 94... " |
1 | ||
| "A Hard Day's Night A Hard Day's Night (song) "A Hard Day's Night" is a song by the English rock band The Beatles. Written by John Lennon, and credited to Lennon–McCartney, it was released on the movie soundtrack of the same name in 1964... " |
4 | ||
| "Do Wah Diddy Diddy Do Wah Diddy Diddy "Do Wah Diddy Diddy" is a song written by Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich and originally recorded in 1963 by the American vocal group The Exciters.It was soon covered by British R&B, Beat and pop band Manfred Mann... " |
3 | ||
| "You Really Got Me You Really Got Me "You Really Got Me" is a rock song written by Ray Davies and performed by his band, The Kinks. It was released on 4th August 1964 as the group's third single, and reached Number 1 on the UK singles chart the next month, remaining for two weeks... " |
2 | ||
| "Where Did Our Love Go Where Did Our Love Go "Where Did Our Love Go" is a 1964 song recorded by The Supremes for the Motown label.Written and produced by Motown's main production team Holland–Dozier–Holland, "Where Did Our Love Go" was the first single by the Supremes to go to the number-one position on the Billboard Hot 100 pop singles chart... "† |
1 | ||
| Herman's Hermits Herman's Hermits Herman's Hermits are an English beat band, formed in Manchester in 1963 as Herman & The Hermits. The group's record producer, Mickie Most , emphasized a simple, non-threatening, clean-cut image, although the band originally played R&B numbers... |
"I'm Into Something Good I'm into Something Good "I'm into Something Good" is a song composed by Gerry Goffin and Carole King and made famous by Herman's Hermits. The song was originally recorded by Cookies member Earl-Jean McCrea in 1964 and reached number 38 on the US pop singles chart... " |
1 | |
| "Oh, Pretty Woman Oh, Pretty Woman "Oh, Pretty Woman" is a song, released in August 1964, which was a worldwide success for Roy Orbison. Recorded on the Monument Records label in Nashville, Tennessee, it was written by Roy Orbison and Bill Dees. The song spent three weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100... " |
6 | ||
| "All Day and All of the Night All Day and All of the Night "All Day and All of the Night" is a song by the British band The Kinks from 1964. It can be found on their debut album "Kinks". It reached #2 on the UK Singles Chart and #7 on Billboards United States chart in 1965.... " |
1 | ||
| "Little Red Rooster Little Red Rooster "Little Red Rooster" is a song that is a classic of the blues. Howlin' Wolf recorded "The Red Rooster" in 1961, a song credited to blues arranger and songwriter Willie Dixon, although earlier songs have been cited as inspiration... " |
1 | ||
| "I Feel Fine I Feel Fine "I Feel Fine" is a riff-driven rock song written by John Lennon and released in 1964 by The Beatles as the A-side of their eighth British single. The song is notable for the use of feedback on a recording for the first time by any musician... " |
4 | ||
| Single | Reached number 1 | Weeks at number 1 |
|
| "Yeh Yeh Yeh Yeh "Yeh Yeh" is a Latin soul tune that was written as an instrumental by Rodgers Grant and Pat Patrick and first recorded by Mongo Santamaría on his 1963 album Watermelon Man . Lyrics were written for it shortly thereafter by Jon Hendricks of the vocal group Lambert, Hendricks & Ross. This version of... " |
2 | ||
| Twinkle Twinkle (singer) Twinkle is an English singer-songwriter, primarily in the 1960s. Twinkle's most famous songs were "Terry" and "Golden Lights".-Career:... |
"Terry Terry (song) Terry is a song written and performed by British singer Lynn Ripley, AKA Twinkle. It was her first single, and reached number 4 in the UK Singles Chart in December 1964, spending fifteen weeks in the charts... "† |
1 | |
| "Go Now Go Now (song) "Go Now" is a 1964 song composed by Larry Banks and Milton Bennett. It was first recorded by Bessie Banks, and most successfully by The Moody Blues.-Bessie Banks:The song was first recorded by Larry Banks' former wife, Bessie Banks... " |
2 | ||
| "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin" is a 1964 song by The Righteous Brothers which became a number-one hit single in the United States and the United Kingdom the following year. In 1999, the performing-rights organization Broadcast Music, Inc. ranked the song as having had more radio and television... " |
2 | ||
| "Tired of Waiting for You Tired of Waiting for You "Tired of Waiting for You" was a hit 1965 rock song by the English band The Kinks. It reached #1 on the UK Singles Chart and #6 in the USA. It was recorded late August 1964 at Pye Studios , London, with additional guitar overdub at IBC Studios, London on 29 December 1964. "Come On Now" was recorded... " |
1 | ||
| "I'll Never Find Another You I'll Never Find Another You I'll Never Find Another You is a UK #1 single by The Seekers. It was The Seekers' first UK-released single, and was the best selling single of 1965 in the UK... " |
2 | ||
| "The Last Time The Last Time (song) In 1967, after the imprisonment of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, on drugs charges, The Who recorded covers of "The Last Time" and "Under My Thumb" as a single. The intention was to help Jagger and Richards make bail, but by the time the single was made available, they had been released. The... " |
4 | ||
| "The Minute You're Gone The Minute You're Gone "The Minute You're Gone" is a song recorded by Cliff Richard that spent a week at number one in the UK Singles Chart in April 1965.It was produced by Billy Sherrill,rather than Richard's regular producer Norrie Paramor, and featured The Jordanaires on backing vocals... " |
1 | ||
| "Ticket to Ride Ticket to Ride "Ticket to Ride" is a song by The Beatles from their 1965 album, Help!. It was recorded 15 February 1965 and released two months later. -Composition:... " |
4 | ||
| "King of the Road King of the Road (song) "King of the Road" is a 1964 song written and originally recorded by country singer Roger Miller.The lyrics tell of a hobo who despite being poor revels in his freedom, describing himself humorously as the "king of the road"... " |
2 | ||
| "Where Are You Now (My Love) Where Are You Now (My Love) "Where Are You Now " is a 1965 song written by Tony Hatch and Jackie Trent, and was recorded by Trent. The single gave Trent her one and only solo #1 hit when it reached the top of the UK Singles Chart for one week in May 1965... " |
1 | ||
| "Long Live Love" | 1 | ||
| "The Price of Love The Price of Love (The Everly Brothers song) "The Price of Love" is a song by the Everly Brothers, released in 1965. It charted at number 2 in the UK.- Cover versions :"The Price of Love" is a single released by the British Rock band Status Quo in 1969. Bob Young is featured on Harmonica... "† |
2 | ||
| "Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere "Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere" was a single released by The Who in 1965. It features call-and-response lyrics and some of the first ever recorded guitar feedback. The song was composed by guitarist Pete Townshend and vocalist Roger Daltrey, the only time they wrote together... "† |
1 | ||
| "I'm Alive" | 3 | ||
| "Looking Through the Eyes of Love"† | 1 | ||
| "Mr. Tambourine Man Mr. Tambourine Man "Mr. Tambourine Man" is a song written and performed by Bob Dylan, which was released on his 1965 album Bringing It All Back Home. The Byrds also recorded a version of the song that was released as their first single on Columbia Records, reaching number 1 on both the Billboard Hot 100 chart and... " |
2 | ||
| "Help! Help! (song) "Help!" is a song by The Beatles that served as the title song for both the 1965 film and its soundtrack album. It was also released as a single, and was number one for three weeks in both the United States and the United Kingdom.... " |
4 | ||
| Sonny & Cher Sonny & Cher Sonny & Cher were an American pop music duo, actors, singers and entertainers made up of husband-and-wife team Sonny and Cher Bono in the 1960s and 1970s. The couple started their career in the mid-1960s as R&B backing singers for record producer Phil Spector.... |
"I Got You Babe I Got You Babe "I Got You Babe" is a 1965 #1 single by American pop music duo Sonny & Cher.-Background and composition:Sonny Bono, a songwriter and record producer for Phil Spector, wrote the lyrics to and composed the music of the song for himself and his then-wife, Cher, late at night in their basement. Session... " |
1 | |
| "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction " Satisfaction" is a song by the English rock band The Rolling Stones, released in 1965. It was written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards and produced by Andrew Loog Oldham. Richards's throwaway three-note guitar riff — intended to be replaced by horns — opens and drives the song... " |
1 | ||
| Sonny & Cher Sonny & Cher Sonny & Cher were an American pop music duo, actors, singers and entertainers made up of husband-and-wife team Sonny and Cher Bono in the 1960s and 1970s. The couple started their career in the mid-1960s as R&B backing singers for record producer Phil Spector.... |
"I Got You Babe I Got You Babe "I Got You Babe" is a 1965 #1 single by American pop music duo Sonny & Cher.-Background and composition:Sonny Bono, a songwriter and record producer for Phil Spector, wrote the lyrics to and composed the music of the song for himself and his then-wife, Cher, late at night in their basement. Session... " |
2 | |
| "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction " Satisfaction" is a song by the English rock band The Rolling Stones, released in 1965. It was written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards and produced by Andrew Loog Oldham. Richards's throwaway three-note guitar riff — intended to be replaced by horns — opens and drives the song... " |
1 | ||
| "Tears Tears (Ken Dodd song) "Tears" is a song written by lyricist Frank Capano and composer Billy Uhr, and was first recorded by Rudy Vallee in 1929. It was made famous as a single by Ken Dodd, which was released in 1965... " |
2 | ||
| "If You Gotta Go, Go Now If You Gotta Go, Go Now If You Gotta Go, Go Now is a song written by Bob Dylan in 1964. The first released version was as a single in the US by the UK group The Liverpool Five in July 1965, but this went uncharted in the US despite receiving much airplay, particularly in the Pacific Northwest. It was another English band... "† |
1 | ||
| "Tears Tears (Ken Dodd song) "Tears" is a song written by lyricist Frank Capano and composer Billy Uhr, and was first recorded by Rudy Vallee in 1929. It was made famous as a single by Ken Dodd, which was released in 1965... " |
2 | ||
| "Here It Comes Again Here It Comes Again (The Fortunes song) "Here It Comes Again" is a song written by Barry Mason and Les Reed in 1965. It was recorded by The Fortunes and released on 10 September 1965. It reached number four on the UK Singles Chart and number twenty-seven on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart that same year.A cover version by Rita Pavone... "† |
1 | ||
| "Get Off of My Cloud Get off of My Cloud "Get Off of My Cloud" is a song by the English rock band The Rolling Stones. It was written as a follow-up single to the successful " Satisfaction"... " |
1 | ||
| "My Generation My Generation My Generation is the debut album by the English rock band The Who, released by Brunswick Records in the United Kingdom in December 1965. In the United States it was released by Decca Records as The Who Sings My Generation in April 1966, with a different cover and a slightly altered track... "† |
2 | ||
| "The Carnival Is Over The Carnival Is Over "The Carnival Is Over" is a Russian folk song with lyrics written by Tom Springfield in 1965 for the Australian group The Seekers, who customarily close their concerts with it... " |
1 | ||
| Single | Reached number 1 | Weeks at number 1 |
|
| "Day Tripper Day Tripper "Day Tripper" is a song by The Beatles, released as a double A-side single with "We Can Work It Out". Both songs were recorded during the sessions for the Rubber Soul album... " / "We Can Work It Out We Can Work It Out "We Can Work It Out" is a song by The Beatles, written by Paul McCartney and John Lennon. It was released as a "double A-sided" single with "Day Tripper", the first time both sides of a single were so designated in an initial release... " |
5 | ||
| "Keep On Running" | 3 | ||
| "Michelle Michelle (song) "Michelle" is a love ballad by The Beatles, mainly written by Paul McCartney, with the middle eight co-written with John Lennon. It is featured on their Rubber Soul album. The song departs from most of The Beatles' other recordings in that some of the lyrics are in French... " |
2 | ||
| "These Boots Are Made for Walkin' These Boots Are Made for Walkin' Jessica Simpson recorded her own version of "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" for the soundtrack to the film The Dukes of Hazzard . Simpson's cover was co-produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, and was released as the soundtrack's first single in 2005)... " |
2 | ||
| "19th Nervous Breakdown 19th Nervous Breakdown "19th Nervous Breakdown" is a song by the English rock band The Rolling Stones.The song was written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards during their 1965 tour of the United States. The song was recorded during the Aftermath sessions between 3 and 8 December 1965 at RCA Recording Studios in Hollywood,... "† |
1 | ||
| Small Faces | "Sha-La-La-La-Lee Sha-La-La-La-Lee "Sha-La-La-La-Lee" was the third song released by English R&B influenced group Small Faces on 28 January 1966 reaching number three in the UK Singles Chart.... "† |
1 | |
| "I Can't Let Go I Can't Let Go "I Can't Let Go" is The Hollies' first 1966 single, and the final single to feature the band's original bassist Eric Haydock. It went to #2 in the UK but only #42 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US. The song was co-written by Chip Taylor, who also wrote "Wild Thing" and is actor Jon Voight's brother... "† |
1 | ||
| "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine " is the name of a song written by Bob Crewe and Bob Gaudio. It was originally released as a single by Frankie Valli in 1965 on the Smash label and has been recorded by numerous artists since, including The Walker Brothers, Cher, and Keane.- Frankie Valli original :The... " |
3 | ||
| "Somebody Help Me Somebody Help Me "Somebody Help Me" is the title of a single by The Spencer Davis Group, which was released in 1966. It became a number-one hit in the UK Singles Chart.Like "Keep on Running", it was composed by Jackie Edwards.... " |
1 |
- In April 1966, Mersey Beat was incorporated into Disc; see also List of Disc number-one singles.