The NME (or New Musical Express) was a British weekly popular music newspaper. Record charts in the United Kingdom began on 14 November 1952 when NME imitated an idea started in American Billboard magazine and compiled their own hit parade. 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 used aggregated results of the prominent NME, Melody Maker, Disc, Record Mirror and, later, Record Retailer charts to compile their Pick of the Pops chart. Prior to 1969 there was no universally accepted source or "official" singles chart; however, the Official Charts Company and Guinness' British Hit Singles & Albums 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' 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 Retailers 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 on the NME, Disc, and Melody Maker charts, 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. The Beatles' "Please Please Me" suffered the same fate so, arguably, should be considered the Beatles' first number-one single. Conversely, Elvis Presley's double A-side, "Rock-A-Hula Baby"/"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
+KeyItalicsPrior to 10 March 1960 the NME is considered by the Official Charts Company as the canonical source.† The song did not reach number one on the Record Retailer chart which is considered by the Official Charts Company as the canonical source until 15 February 1969.‡ The song did not reach number one on the BMRB chart which is considered as the official chart after 15 February 1969.[nb #] The song spent a week at number one, where it shared the top spot with another song.
ArtistSingleReachednumber oneWeeks atnumber one and the Checkmates "What Do You Want to Make Those Eyes at Me For?" 6 "Starry Eyed" align="center"|1|- !scope=row style="text-align:center;"|| || "Why"| ||align="center"|4|- !scope=row style="text-align:center;"|| || "Poor Me"| ||align="center"|2'' "Running Bear" 1 "My Old Man's a Dustman" 4100 "Do You Mind?" 1101 "Cathy's Clown" 9102 "Good Timin'" 3103 and The Shadows "Please Don't Tease" 4104 The Shadows "Apache" 6105 "Tell Laura I Love Her" 2106 "Only the Lonely (Know How I Feel)" 3107 "It's Now or Never" 9108 "Poetry in Motion" 3109 "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" 5110 "Walk Right Back" 3111 "Wooden Heart" 2112 "Are You Sure?" † 1 "Wooden Heart" 1 "Are You Sure?" † 1113 "You're Driving Me Crazy" 1114 "Blue Moon" 2115 "Runaway" 1116 "Surrender" 4 "Runaway" 3117 "Temptation" 1118 "Well I Ask You" 2119 "You Don't Know" 3120 "Johnny Remember Me" 3.54 "You Don't Know" 0.51121 "Wild in the Country" † 1 "Johnny Remember Me" 1122 "Michael (Row the Boat)" 1123 "Walkin' Back to Happiness" 4124 "His Latest Flame" 3125 "Tower of Strength" 3.54126 "Take Good Care of My Baby" † 0.51127 "Moon River" 1128 "Stranger on the Shore" † 1129 "" 6130 "Let's Twist Again" † 2131 and his Jazzmen "March of the Siamese Children" † 1132 "Wonderful Land" 8.59133 B. Bumble and the Stingers "Nut Rocker" 0.51134 "Good Luck Charm" 5135 with Wendy Richard "Come Outside" 2136 and the Bruvvers "" † 1137 "I Can't Stop Loving You" 1138 "I Remember You" 8139 "She's Not You" 3140 "Telstar" 5141 "Lovesick Blues" 5142 "Return to Sender" 2143 and The Shadows "" / "Bachelor Boy" 1144 "Dance On!" 3145 and Tony Meehan "Diamonds" 4146 "" 0.51147 "Please Please Me" † 1.52148 and The Shadows "Summer Holiday" 3149 "Foot Tapper" 1150 Gerry & The Pacemakers "How Do You Do It?" 3151 "From Me to You" 5.56152 & The Dakotas "Do You Want to Know a Secret" † 1.52153 Gerry & The Pacemakers "I Like It" 4154 "Confessin' (That I Love You)" 3155 "Sweets for My Sweet" 3156 & The Dakotas "Bad to Me" 2157 "She Loves You" 4158 "Do You Love Me" 3159 Gerry & The Pacemakers "You'll Never Walk Alone" 4 "She Loves You" 2160 "I Want to Hold Your Hand" 6161 "Glad All Over" 2162 "Needles and Pins" 3163 "Anyone Who Had a Heart" 4164 & The Dakotas "Little Children" 1165 "Can't Buy Me Love" 4166 Peter & Gordon "" 2167 "Don't Throw Your Love Away" 1168 "Juliet" 2169 "You're My World (Il Mio Mondo)" 3170 "It's Over" 2171 "House of the Rising Sun" 2172 "" 4173 "Do Wah Diddy Diddy" 2174 "Have I the Right?" 2175 "You Really Got Me" 1176 Herman's Hermits "I'm Into Something Good" 3177 "Oh, Pretty Woman" 3178 "" 2179 "Baby Love" 1180 "Little Red Rooster" 2181 "I Feel Fine" 6182 "Yeh Yeh" 1183 "Go Now" 2184 "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" 1185 "Tired of Waiting for You" 1186 "I'll Never Find Another You" 2187 "It's Not Unusual" 1188 "" 4189 "For Your Love" † 0.51190 ""0.51191 "Ticket to Ride" 5192 "Where Are You Now (My Love)" 1193 "Long Live Love" 2194 "" † 1195 "Crying in the Chapel" 2196 "I'm Alive" 2197 "Mr. Tambourine Man" 2198 "Help!" 4199 Sonny & Cher "I Got You Babe" 1200 "" 3201 "Tears" 6202 "Get Off of My Cloud" 3203 "1-2-3" † 1204 "" 1205 "Day Tripper" / "We Can Work It Out" 5206 "Keep On Running" 3207 "Michelle" 1208 "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" 1209 "19th Nervous Breakdown" † 3210 "I Can't Let Go" † 1.52211 "" 3.54212 "Somebody Help Me" 1213 "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me" 2214 "Pretty Flamingo" 3215 "Paint It, Black" 1216 "Strangers in the Night" 3217 "Paperback Writer" 2218 "Sunny Afternoon" 2219 "Out of Time" 2220 "With a Girl Like You" 2221 "Yellow Submarine" / "Eleanor Rigby" 4222 Small Faces "All or Nothing" 1223 "Distant Drums" 5224 Four Tops "Reach Out I'll Be There" 3225 "Good Vibrations" 2226 "Green, Green Grass of Home" 7227 "I'm a Believer" 4228 "This Is My Song" 2229 "Release Me" 6230 and Frank Sinatra "Somethin' Stupid" 1231 "Puppet on a String" 4232 "Silence Is Golden" 3233 Procol Harum "" 5234 "All You Need Is Love" 4235 "San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)" 4236 "" 6237 Bee Gees "Massachusetts" 3238 "Baby Now That I've Found You" 3239 "Let the Heartaches Begin" 1240 "Hello, Goodbye" 6241 "" 1242 Love Affair "Everlasting Love" 3243 "Mighty Quinn" 2244 "Cinderella Rockefella" 4245 "Lady Madonna" 2246 "Congratulations" 1247 "What a Wonderful World" 4248 "Young Girl" 5249 "Jumpin' Jack Flash" 2250 "Baby Come Back" 3251 "Mony Mony" 4252 "Help Yourself" † 2253 Bee Gees "I've Gotta Get a Message to You" 1254 "Hey Jude" 3255 "Those Were the Days" 5256 "With a Little Help from My Friends" 1257 "" 1258 "Eloise" † 2259 "Lily the Pink" 5260 Marmalade "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" 2261 Fleetwood Mac "Albatross" 3262 "Blackberry Way" 1263 Amen Corner "" 1264 "Where Do You Go To (My Lovely)?" 4265 "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" 3266 & The Aces "Israelites" 2267 with Billy Preston "Get Back" 5268 "Dizzy" 2269 "" 2270 Thunderclap Newman "Something in the Air" 2271 "In the Ghetto" ‡ 1272 "Honky Tonk Women" 5273 Zager and Evans "In The Year 2525 (Exordium and Terminus)" 3274 Creedence Clearwater Revival "Bad Moon Rising" 3275 "I'll Never Fall in Love Again" 3276 "Sugar, Sugar" 2277 Fleetwood Mac "Oh Well" ‡ 1 "Sugar, Sugar" 2278 "Yester-Me, Yester-You, Yesterday" ‡ 1279 and The First Edition "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town" ‡ 1280 "Two Little Boys" 6
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