# List of UK singles chart number ones of the 1950s

The UK Singles Chart is the official record chart in the United Kingdom. Record charts in the UK began life in 1952 when Percy Dickins from New Musical Express (NME) imitated an idea started in American Billboard magazine and began compiling a hit parade. Prior to this, a song's popularity was measured by the sales of sheet music. Initially, Dickins telephoned a sample of around 20 shops asking for a list of the 10 best-selling songs. These results were then aggregated to give a Top 12 chart published in NME on 14 November 1952. The number-one single was "Here in My Heart" by Al Martino.
According to The Official Charts Company and Guinness' British Hit Singles & Albums, the NME is considered the official British singles chart before 10 March 1960. However, until 15 February 1969, when the British Market Research Bureau chart was established, there was no universally accepted chart. Other charts existed and different artists may have placed at number one in charts by Record Mirror, Disc or Melody Maker. Alternatively, some considered the BBC's Pick of the Pops, which averaged all these charts, to be a better indicator of the number-one single.
In terms of number-one singles, Frankie Laine, Guy Mitchell and Elvis Presley were the most successful artists of the 1950s, having four singles reach the top spot. The longest duration of a single at number one was eighteen weeks, achieved by Frankie Laine's "I Believe". "I Believe" still holds the record for the most non-consecutive weeks at the top of the UK Singles Chart. It is believed that the three best-selling records of the decade – Bill Haley & His Comets' "Rock Around the Clock", Paul Anka's "Diana" and Harry Belafonte's "Mary's Boy Child" – all sold over one million copies.

## Number-one singles

Key :
| † | Best-selling single of the year |
| ‡ | Best-selling single of the decade |
| | The song spent a week at number one where it shared the top spot with another song. |
| No. | Artist | Single | Record label | Week starting date | Weeks at number one |
| 1952 ||||||
| 1 | Al Martino | "Here in My Heart" | Capitol | 14 November 1952 | 9 |
| 1953 ||||||
| 2 | Jo Stafford | "You Belong to Me" | Columbia | 16 January 1953 | 1 |
| 3 | Kay Starr | "Comes A-Long A-Love" | Capitol | 23 January 1953 | 1 |
| 4 | Eddie Fisher | "Outside of Heaven" | His Master's Voice | 30 January 1953 | 1 |
| 5 | Perry Como | "Don't Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes" | His Master's Voice | 6 February 1953 | 5 |
| 6 | Guy Mitchell | "She Wears Red Feathers" | Columbia | 13 March 1953 | 4 |
| 7 | The Stargazers | "Broken Wings" | Decca | 10 April 1953 | 1 |
| 8 | Lita Roza | "(How Much Is) That Doggie in the Window?" | Decca | 17 April 1953 | 1 |
| 9 | Frankie Laine | "I Believe" † | Philips | 24 April 1953 | 9 |
| 10 | Eddie Fisher with Sally Sweetland | "I'm Walking Behind You" | His Master's Voice | 26 June 1953 | 1 |
| re | Frankie Laine | "I Believe" † | Philips | 3 July 1953 | 6 |
| 11 | Mantovani | "The Song from Moulin Rouge" | Decca | 14 August 1953 | 1 |
| re | Frankie Laine | "I Believe" † | Philips | 21 August 1953 | 3 |
| 12 | Guy Mitchell | "Look at That Girl" | Philips | 11 September 1953 | 6 |
| 13 | Frankie Laine | "Hey Joe" | Philips | 23 October 1953 | 2 |
| 14 | David Whitfield | "Answer Me" | Decca | 6 November 1953 | 1 |
| 15 | Frankie Laine | "Answer Me" | Philips | 13 November 1953 | 7.5$^{[nb5]}$8 |
| re | David Whitfield | "Answer Me" | Decca | 11 December 1953 | 0.5$^{[nb5]}$1 |
| 1954 ||||||
| 16 | Eddie Calvert | "Oh Mein Papa" | Columbia | 8 January 1954 | 9 |
| 17 | The Stargazers | "I See the Moon" | Decca | 12 March 1954 | 5 |
| 18 | Doris Day | "Secret Love" † | Philips | 16 April 1954 | 1 |
| re | The Stargazers | "I See the Moon" | Decca | 23 April 1954 | 1 |
| 19 | Johnnie Ray | "Such a Night" | Philips | 30 April 1954 | 1 |
| re | Doris Day | "Secret Love" † | Philips | 7 May 1954 | 8 |
| 20 | David Whitfield with Mantovani and his Orchestra | "Cara Mia" | Decca | 2 July 1954 | 910 |
| 21 | Kitty Kallen | "Little Things Mean a Lot" | Brunswick | 10 September 1954 | 1 |
| 22 | Frank Sinatra | "Three Coins in the Fountain" | Capitol | 17 September 1954 | 3 |
| 23 | Don Cornell | "Hold My Hand" | Vogue | 8 October 1954 | 4 |
| 24 | Vera Lynn | "My Son, My Son" | Decca | 5 November 1954 | 2 |
| re | Don Cornell | "Hold My Hand" | Vogue | 19 November 1954 | 1 |
| 25 | Rosemary Clooney | "This Ole House" | Philips | 26 November 1954 | 1 |
| 26 | Winifred Atwell | "Let's Have Another Party" | Philips | 3 December 1954 | 5 |
| 1955 ||||||
| 27 | Dickie Valentine with the Stargazers | "The Finger of Suspicion" | Decca | 7 January 1955 | 1 |
| 28 | Rosemary Clooney | "Mambo Italiano" | Philips | 14 January 1955 | 1 |
| re | Dickie Valentine with the Stargazers | "The Finger of Suspicion" | Decca | 21 January 1955 | 2 |
| re | Rosemary Clooney | "Mambo Italiano" | Philips | 4 February 1955 | 2 |
| 29 | Ruby Murray | "Softly, Softly" | Columbia | 18 February 1955 | 3 |
| 30 | Tennessee Ernie Ford | "Give Me Your Word" | Capitol | 11 March 1955 | 7 |
| 31 | Pérez Prado and his Orchestra | "Cherry Pink (and Apple Blossom White)" | His Master's Voice | 29 April 1955 | 2 |
| 32 | Tony Bennett | "Stranger in Paradise" | Philips | 13 May 1955 | 2 |
| 33 | Eddie Calvert | "Cherry Pink (and Apple Blossom White)" | Columbia | 27 May 1955 | 4 |
| 34 | Jimmy Young | "Unchained Melody" | Decca | 24 June 1955 | 3 |
| 35 | Alma Cogan | "Dreamboat" | His Master's Voice | 15 July 1955 | 2 |
| 36 | Slim Whitman | "Rose Marie" † | London | 29 July 1955 | 11 |
| 37 | Jimmy Young | "The Man from Laramie" | Decca | 14 October 1955 | 4 |
| 38 | The Johnston Brothers | "Hernando's Hideaway" | Decca | 11 November 1955 | 2 |
| 39 | Bill Haley & His Comets | "Rock Around the Clock" ‡ | Brunswick | 25 November 1955 | 3 |
| 40 | Dickie Valentine | "Christmas Alphabet" | Decca | 16 December 1955 | 3 |
| 1956 ||||||
| re | Bill Haley & His Comets | "Rock Around the Clock" ‡ | Brunswick | 6 January 1956 | 2 |
| 41 | Tennessee Ernie Ford | "Sixteen Tons" | Capitol | 20 January 1956 | 4 |
| 42 | Dean Martin | "Memories Are Made of This" | Capitol | 17 February 1956 | 4 |
| 43 | The Dream Weavers | "It's Almost Tomorrow" | Brunswick | 16 March 1956 | 2 |
| 44 | Kay Starr | "Rock and Roll Waltz" | His Master's Voice | 30 March 1956 | 1 |
| re | The Dream Weavers | "It's Almost Tomorrow" | Brunswick | 6 April 1956 | 1 |
| 45 | Winifred Atwell | "The Poor People of Paris" | Decca | 13 April 1956 | 3 |
| 46 | Ronnie Hilton | "No Other Love" | His Master's Voice | 4 May 1956 | 6 |
| 47 | Pat Boone | "I'll Be Home" † | London | 15 June 1956 | 5 |
| 48 | The Teenagers | "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" | Columbia | 20 July 1956 | 3 |
| 49 | Doris Day | "Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera, Sera)" | Philips | 10 August 1956 | 6 |
| 50 | Anne Shelton | "Lay Down Your Arms" | Philips | 21 September 1956 | 4 |
| 51 | Frankie Laine | "A Woman in Love" | Philips | 19 October 1956 | 4 |
| 52 | Johnnie Ray | "Just Walking in the Rain" | Philips | 16 November 1956 | 7 |
| 1957 ||||||
| 53 | Guy Mitchell | "Singing the Blues" | Philips | 4 January 1957 | 1 |
| 54 | Tommy Steele | "Singing the Blues" | Decca | 11 January 1957 | 1 |
| re | Guy Mitchell | "Singing the Blues" | Philips | 18 January 1957 | 1 |
| 55 | Frankie Vaughan | "The Garden of Eden" | Philips | 25 January 1957 | 3.5$^{[nb6]}$4 |
| re | Guy Mitchell | "Singing the Blues" | Philips | 1 February 1957 | 0.5$^{[nb6]}$1 |
| 56 | Tab Hunter | "Young Love" | London | 22 February 1957 | 7 |
| 57 | Lonnie Donegan | "Cumberland Gap" | Pye Nixa | 12 April 1957 | 5 |
| 58 | Guy Mitchell | "Rock-a-Billy" | Philips | 17 May 1957 | 1 |
| 59 | Andy Williams | "Butterfly" | London | 24 May 1957 | 2 |
| 60 | Johnnie Ray | "Yes Tonight Josephine" | Philips | 7 June 1957 | 3 |
| 61 | Lonnie Donegan | "Gamblin' Man" / "Puttin' On the Style" | Pye Nixa | 28 June 1957 | 2 |
| 62 | Elvis Presley | "All Shook Up" | RCA | 12 July 1957 | 7 |
| 63 | Paul Anka | "Diana" † | Columbia | 30 August 1957 | 9 |
| 64 | The Crickets | "That'll Be the Day" | Vogue Coral | 1 November 1957 | 3 |
| 65 | Harry Belafonte | "Mary's Boy Child" | RCA | 22 November 1957 | 7 |
| 1958 ||||||
| 66 | Jerry Lee Lewis | "Great Balls of Fire" | London | 10 January 1958 | 2 |
| 67 | Elvis Presley | "Jailhouse Rock" † | RCA | 24 January 1958 | 3 |
| 68 | Michael Holliday | "The Story of My Life" | Columbia | 14 February 1958 | 2 |
| 69 | Perry Como | "Magic Moments" | RCA | 28 February 1958 | 8 |
| 70 | Marvin Rainwater | "Whole Lotta Woman" | MGM | 25 April 1958 | 3 |
| 71 | Connie Francis | "Who's Sorry Now" | MGM | 16 May 1958 | 6 |
| 72 | Vic Damone | "On the Street Where You Live" | Philips | 27 June 1958 | 1.5$^{[nb7]}$2 |
| 73 | The Everly Brothers | "All I Have to Do Is Dream" / "Claudette" | London | 4 July 1958 | 6.5$^{[nb7]}$7 |
| 74 | The Kalin Twins | "When" | Brunswick | 22 August 1958 | 5 |
| 75 | Connie Francis | "Stupid Cupid" / "Carolina Moon" | MGM | 26 September 1958 | 6 |
| 76 | Tommy Edwards | "It's All in the Game" | MGM | 7 November 1958 | 3 |
| 77 | Lord Rockingham's XI | "Hoots Mon" | Decca | 28 November 1958 | 3 |
| 78 | Conway Twitty | "It's Only Make Believe" | MGM | 19 December 1958 | 5 |
| 1959 ||||||
| 79 | Jane Morgan | "The Day the Rains Came" | London | 23 January 1959 | 1 |
| 80 | Elvis Presley | "One Night" / "I Got Stung" | RCA | 30 January 1959 | 3 |
| 81 | Shirley Bassey | "As I Love You" | Columbia | 20 February 1959 | 4 |
| 82 | The Platters | "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" | Mercury | 20 March 1959 | 1 |
| 83 | Russ Conway | "Side Saddle" | Columbia | 27 March 1959 | 4 |
| 84 | Buddy Holly | "It Doesn't Matter Anymore" | Coral | 24 April 1959 | 3 |
| 85 | Elvis Presley | "A Fool Such as I" / "I Need Your Love Tonight" | RCA | 15 May 1959 | 5 |
| 86 | Russ Conway | "Roulette" | Columbia | 19 June 1959 | 2 |
| 87 | Bobby Darin | "Dream Lover" | London | 3 July 1959 | 4 |
| 88 | Cliff Richard and the Drifters | "Living Doll" † | Columbia | 31 July 1959 | 6 |
| 89 | Craig Douglas | "Only Sixteen" | Top Rank | 11 September 1959 | 4 |
| 90 | Jerry Keller | "Here Comes Summer" | London | 9 October 1959 | 1 |
| 91 | Bobby Darin | "Mack the Knife" | London | 16 October 1959 | 2 |
| 92 | Cliff Richard and the Shadows | "Travellin' Light" | Columbia | 30 October 1959 | 5 |
| 93 | Adam Faith | "What Do You Want?" | Parlophone | 4 December 1959 | 2.5$^{[nb8]}$3 |
| 94 | Emile Ford and the Checkmates | "What Do You Want to Make Those Eyes at Me For?" | Pye | 18 December 1959 | 5.5$^{[nb8]}$6 |

## By artist

The following artists achieved three or more number-one hits during the 1950s. Artists Frankie Laine, Guy Mitchell and Elvis Presley were the most successful acts of the decade in terms of number-one singles, each having four singles reach the top of the chart. In total, Laine spent 32 weeks occupying the top of chart in the 1950s; the next highest was Presley who spent a total of 18 weeks at number one.
| Artist | Number ones | Weeks at number one |
| Frankie Laine | 4 | 32 |
| Elvis Presley | 4 | 18 |
| Guy Mitchell | 4 | 14 |
| Johnnie Ray | 3 | 11 |
| The Stargazers | 3 | 10 |

## By record label

The following record labels had five or more number ones on the UK Singles Chart during the 1950s.
| Record label | Number ones |
| Philips | 19 |
| Decca | 15 |
| Columbia | 13 |
| London | 10 |
| His Master's Voice | 7 |
| Capitol | 6 |
| RCA | 6 |
| MGM | 5 |