List of best-selling singles in the United Kingdom
Until June 2014, only a paid download or a purchase of a physical single counted as a sale. Based on this definition, these are the 50 best-selling singles in the UK.
No.
Single
Artist
Record label
Released
Chart peak
Traditional sales
1
"Something About the Way You Look Tonight" / "Candle in the Wind 1997"
Elton John
Rocket
September 1997
1
4,935,426
2
"Do They Know It's Christmas?"
Band Aid
Mercury
November 1984
1
3,802,066
3
"Bohemian Rhapsody" / "These Are the Days of Our Lives"
Queen
EMI
October 1975 November 1991
1
2,540,604
4
"Mull of Kintyre" / "Girls' School"
Wings
Parlophone
November 1977
1
2,086,183
5
"You're the One That I Want"
John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John
RSO
May 1978
1
2,072,035
6
"Relax"
Frankie Goes to Hollywood
ZTT
January 1984
1
2,066,230
7
"Rivers of Babylon" / "Brown Girl in the Ring"
Boney M.
Atlantic/Hansa
April 1978
1
2,032,656
8
"Happy"
Pharrell Williams
Columbia
November 2013
1
1,930,000
9
"She Loves You"
The Beatles
Parlophone
August 1963
1
1,922,275
10
"Love Is All Around"
Wet Wet Wet
PolyGram
May 1994
1
1,898,790
11
"Mary's Boy Child – Oh My Lord"
Boney M.
Atlantic/Hansa
November 1978
1
1,885,274
12
"Last Christmas" / "Everything She Wants"
Wham!
Epic
December 1984
2
1,880,000
13
"I Just Called to Say I Love You"
Stevie Wonder
Motown
August 1984
1
1,874,225
14
"Unchained Melody" / "(There'll Be Bluebirds Over) The White Cliffs of Dover"
Robson & Jerome
RCA
May 1995
1
1,867,755
15
"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You"
Bryan Adams
A&M
June 1991
1
1,848,154
16
"Barbie Girl"
Aqua
Universal
October 1997
1
1,844,310
17
"Believe"
Cher
WEA
October 1998
1
1,826,573
18
"I Want to Hold Your Hand"
The Beatles
Parlophone
November 1963
1
1,810,829
19
"Anything Is Possible" / "Evergreen"
Will Young
S
February 2002
1
1,795,213
20
"Imagine"
John Lennon
Apple
October 1975
1
1,714,351
21
"Blurred Lines"
Robin Thicke featuring T.I. and Pharrell Williams
Interscope
May 2013
1
1,667,615
22
"I'll Be Missing You"
Puff Daddy featuring Faith Evans
Bad Boy
June 1997
1
1,663,303
23
"Uptown Funk"
Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars
RCA
December 2014
1
1,647,310
24
"Eye of the Tiger"
Survivor
Scotti Brothers
July 1982
1
1,650,293
25
"Someone like You"
Adele
XL
January 2011
1
1,644,597
26
"I Will Always Love You"
Whitney Houston
Arista
October 1992
1
1,642,360
27
"Summer Nights"
John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John
RSO
September 1978
1
1,640,672
28
"Don't You Want Me"
The Human League
Virgin
November 1981
1
1,637,503
29
"Two Tribes"
Frankie Goes to Hollywood
ZTT
May 1984
1
1,629,287
30
"Gangsta's Paradise"
Coolio featuring L.V.
Tommy Boy
October 1995
1
1,585,504
31
"My Heart Will Go On"
Celine Dion
Epic
February 1998
1
1,583,276
32
"Three Lions" "3 Lions '98"
Baddiel & Skinner & The Lightning Seeds
Epic
June 1996
1
1,577,260
33
"...Baby One More Time"
Britney Spears
Jive
February 1999
1
1,558,054
34
"Perfect Day"
Various Artists
Chrysalis
November 1997
1
1,550,017
35
"Can't Buy Me Love"
The Beatles
Parlophone
March 1964
1
1,547,454
36
"Moves Like Jagger"
Maroon 5 featuring Christina Aguilera
A&M/Octone
August 2011
2
1,536,041
37
"Careless Whisper"
George Michael
Epic
July 1984
1
1,523,852
38
"Karma Chameleon"
Culture Club
Virgin
September 1983
1
1,528,498
39
"Tears"
Ken Dodd
Columbia
August 1965
1
1,523,690
40
"Somebody That I Used to Know"
Gotye featuring Kimbra
Island
January 2012
1
1,515,527
41
"Wonderwall"
Oasis
Creation
May 1995
2
1,502,270
42
"Y.M.C.A."
Village People
Mercury
November 1978
1
1,513,677
43
"Wake Me Up"
Avicii
Positiva/PRMD
June 2013
1
1,483,346
44
"I Gotta Feeling"
The Black Eyed Peas
Interscope
September 2009
1
1,477,778
45
"Get Lucky"
Daft Punk featuring Pharrell Williams
Columbia
April 2013
1
1,471,356
46
"Killing Me Softly"
Fugees
Ruffhouse
June 1996
1
1,457,641
47
"The Power of Love"
Jennifer Rush
CBS
May 1985
1
1,456,087
48
"(We're Gonna) Rock Around the Clock"
Bill Haley & His Comets
Decca
December 1954
1
1,439,196
49
"It Wasn't Me"
Shaggy
MCA
February 2001
1
1,428,204
50
"Come On Eileen"
Dexys Midnight Runners
Mercury
October 1982
1
1,425,474
It reached number one again in 1991 for another five weeks when the same version was re-released following Mercury's death, eventually becoming the UK's third-best-selling single of all time.
It the UK's third-best-selling single.
Bohemian Rhapsody was the UK's third-best-selling single.
Bohemian Rhapsody was UK's third-best-selling single.
Bohemian Rhapsody was UK's third-best-selling single.
<page_title> List of best-selling singles in the United Kingdom </page_title> <section_title> Best-selling singles based on paid-for purchases </section_title> <table> <cell> 3 <col_header> No. </col_header> <col_header> 1 </col_header> <col_header> 2 </col_header> </cell> <cell> "Bohemian Rhapsody" / "These Are the Days of Our Lives" <col_header> Single </col_header> <row_header> 3 </row_header> </cell> </table>