Melody Maker was a British weekly popular music newspaper, published between 1926 and 2000. It was the third publication, after the New Musical Express (in 1952) and the Record Mirror (in 1955), to start its own singles chart, effective 7 April 1956. Like NME, Melody Maker drew a sample of random record stores by phone. Its first chart drew from figures for 19 shops; during the 1950s, sample sizes ranged from around 14–33 shops, and on 30 July 1960 the phoning of record shops was supplemented with postal returns; the first chart to use this method sampled 38 stores from 110 returns. In its 9 February 1963 edition, Melody Maker disclosed that it received chart returns from 245 retailers and that its chart was audited by auditors supplied by Middlesex County Council.Source: Melody Maker, 9 February 1963. When Disc & Music Echo (which at that point was published by the same company) began publishing Melody Makers charts after 26 August 1967 upon discontinuing its own chart the week before, the latter expanded their sample pool to 282. After Record Retailer and the BBC contracted with the British Market Research Bureau (BMRB) to compile their singles and album charts in 1969, Melody Maker (and NME) gradually reduced their respective sample pools to the point where, by the next decade, each drew from 100 stores. The chart itself was originally a Top 20, extended to a Top 30 effective 14 April 1962, and Top 50 on 15 September 1962. After 1 April 1967, Melody Maker reverted to a Top 30 chart.
Record charts in the United Kingdom began on 14 November 1952 when NME imitated an idea started in American Billboard magazine 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.
Elvis Presley had the first "non-canonical" number-one in the history of the Melody Maker chart when his 1957 single "Party" reached the top, but couldn't get past number two on the NME chart which, prior to 10 March 1960, was the "canonical" chart source as determined by the Official Charts Company. Between then and 1969, Melody Maker had a total of twenty number ones that did not reach number one on the NME chart before 1960, Record Retailer from then to 15 February 1969, and the British Market Research Bureau (BMRB) after that date. Of that total, seven also failed to top the Record Mirror (pre-1962), NME (post-1960) or Disc charts. Two were by The Beatles, whose 1967 hit "Penny Lane" / "Strawberry Fields Forever" and EP of Magical Mystery Tour only reached number one in Melody Maker; conversely, their "Lady Madonna" made the top of all charts but Melody Maker, where it got no higher than number two. __TOC__
Number-one singles
+Key† The song did not reach number on the NME (1952–1960) or Record Retailer (1960–1969) charts which are considered by the Official Charts Company as the canonical sources 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 "It's Almost Tomorrow"0.54 ""2 "No Other Love"5 "I'll Be Home"5 and The Teenagers"Why Do Fools Fall in Love"3 "Whatever Will Be, Will Be"1 and The Teenagers"Why Do Fools Fall in Love"2 "Whatever Will Be, Will Be"3 "Lay Down Your Arms"4 "A Woman in Love"3 "Just Walking in the Rain"910 "Singing the Blues"211 ""4 12 "Young Love"813 "Cumberland Gap"414 "Butterfly"415 "Yes Tonight Josephine"416 "All Shook Up" 817 "Diana" 818 "Party" † 119 "That'll Be the Day" 1 "Party" † 120 "Mary's Boy Child" 721 "Ma He's Making Eyes at Me" † 1.5122 "Great Balls of Fire" 0.5223 "Jailhouse Rock" 224 "" 225 "Magic Moments" / "Catch a Falling Star" 726 "Whole Lotta Woman" 427 "Who's Sorry Now" 628 "All I Have to Do Is Dream" 929 "When" 430 "Stupid Cupid" / "Carolina Moon" 531 "Bird Dog" † 332 Lord Rockingham's XI "Hoots Mon" 333 "It's Only Make Believe" 734 "I Got Stung" / "One Night" 335 with Wally Stott & His Orchestra "As I Love You" 136 "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" 437 "Side Saddle" 338 "It Doesn't Matter Any More" 539 "" / "I Need Your Love Tonight" 440 "Roulette" 141 "Dream Lover" 5542 "Living Doll" 4.0543 "Only Sixteen" 644 "Travellin' Light" 745 "What Do You Want to Make Those Eyes at Me For?" 146 "What Do You Want" 3 "What Do You Want to Make Those Eyes at Me For?" 447 "Why" 648 "Poor Me" 149 "Running Bear" 250 "My Old Man's a Dustman" 251 "Stuck on You" † 1 "My Old Man's a Dustman" 152 "Do You Mind" 153 "Cathy's Clown" 954 "Good Timin'" 355 and The Shadows "Please Don't Tease" 456 The Shadows "Apache" 457 "A Mess of Blues""The Girl of My Best Friend" † 158 "Tell Laura I Love Her" 259 "Only the Lonely" 360 "It's Now or Never" 861 and The Shadows "I Love You" 162 "Poetry in Motion" 363 "Are You Lonesome Tonight" 564 "Walk Right Back" 365 "Wooden Heart" 666 "You're Driving Me Crazy" 167 "Blue Moon" 268 "Runaway" 169 "Surrender" 3 "Runaway" 570 "Temptation" 171 "Well I Ask You" 272 "You Don't Know" 273 "Johnny Remember Me" 674 "Kon-Tiki" 175 "Michael – Row the Boat" 176 "Walking Back to Happiness" 477 "His Latest Flame" 378 "Tower of Strength" 379 "Stranger on the Shore" † 280 "" 681 "Rock-A-Hula Baby""Can't Help Falling in Love" 482 "Wonderful Land" 883 B. Bumble and the Stingers "Nut Rocker" 184 "Good Luck Charm" 685 "Come Outside" 186 "" † 187 "I Can't Stop Loving You" 188 "I Remember You" 889 "She's Not You" 290 "Telstar" 691 "Lovesick Blues" 592 "Return to Sender" 293 and The Shadows """Bachelor Boy" 494 and Tony Meehan "Diamonds" 495 "Please Please Me" † 296 and The Shadows "Summer Holiday" 397 "Foot Tapper" 198 Gerry & The Pacemakers "How Do You Do It?" 399 "From Me to You" 6100 & The Dakotas "Do You Want to Know a Secret" † 1101 Gerry & The Pacemakers "I Like It" 4102 "I'm Confessin'" 3103 "Sweets for My Sweet" 2104 & The Dakotas "Bad to Me" 2105 "She Loves You" 5106 "Do You Love Me?" 2107 Gerry & The Pacemakers "You'll Never Walk Alone" 4 "She Loves You" 2108 "I Want to Hold Your Hand" 5109 "Glad All Over" 3110 "Needles and Pins" 3111 "Anyone Who Had a Heart" 4112 and The Dakotas "Little Children" 1113 "Can't Buy Me Love" 3114 Peter & Gordon "" 2115 "Don't Throw Your Love Away" 2116 "Juliet" 2117 "You're My World (Il Mio Mondo)" 3118 "It's Over" 2119 "House of the Rising Sun" 1120 "It's All Over Now" 1121 "" 4122 "Do Wah Diddy Diddy" 2123 "Have I the Right?" 3124 "You Really Got Me" 1125 Herman's Hermits "I'm Into Something Good" 2126 "Oh, Pretty Woman" 3127 "" 1 "Oh, Pretty Woman" 1128 "Baby Love" 3129 "I Feel Fine" 6130 "Yeh Yeh" 1131 "Go Now" 1132 "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" 2133 "Tired of Waiting for You" 1134 "I'll Never Find Another You" 2135 "It's Not Unusual" 1136 "" 4137 ""1138 "Ticket to Ride" 5139 "Where Are You Now?" 1140 "Long Live Love" 2141 "Crying in the Chapel" 3142 "I'm Alive" 2143 "Mr. Tambourine Man" 2144 "Help!" 4145 Sonny & Cher "I Got You Babe" 2146 "" 2147 "Make It Easy on Yourself" 1148 "Tears" 5149 "Get Off My Cloud" 2150 "" 4151 "Day Tripper""We Can Work It Out" 4152 "Keep On Running" 2153 "Michelle" 2154 "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" 1155 "19th Nervous Breakdown" † 3156 Small Faces "Sha-La-La-La-Lee" † 1157 "" 3158 "Somebody Help Me" 2159 "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me" 2160 "Pretty Flamingo" 3161 "Paint It Black" 1162 "Strangers in the Night" 2163 "Paperback Writer" 4164 and the Blue Flames "Getaway" 2165 "Out of Time" 1166 "With a Girl Like You" 2167 "Yellow Submarine""Eleanor Rigby" 3168 Small Faces "All or Nothing" 2169 "Distant Drums" 2170 "I'm a Boy" † 2171 Four Tops "Reach Out I'll Be There" 3172 "Good Vibrations" 3173 "Green, Green Grass of Home" 7174 "I'm a Believer" 4175 "This Is My Song" 1176 "Release Me" 1177 "Penny Lane""Strawberry Fields Forever" † 3 "Release Me" 2178 and Frank Sinatra "Somethin' Stupid" 2179 "Puppet on a String" 4180 "Silence Is Golden" 3181 Procol Harum "" 5182 "Alternate Title" † 1183 "All You Need Is Love" 3184 "San Francisco" 3185 "" 7186 Bee Gees "Massachusetts" 3187 "Baby Now That I've Found You" 2188 "Let the Heartaches Begin" 2189 "Hello Goodbye" 5190 Magical Mystery Tour † 1191 "" 1192 Love Affair "Everlasting Love" 3193 "Mighty Quinn" 2194 "Cinderella Rockefella" 4195 "Delilah" † 2196 "What a Wonderful World" 5197 "Young Girl" 4198 "Jumpin' Jack Flash" 3199 "Baby Come Back" 3200 "Mony Mony" 5201 "This Guy's in Love With You" † 1202 "Hey Jude" 4203 "Those Were the Days" 5204 "With a Little Help from My Friends" 1205 "Eloise" † 1206 "" 3207 "Lily the Pink" 4208 Marmalade "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" 3209 Fleetwood Mac "Albatross" 2210 "Blackberry Way" 1211 Amen Corner "" 2212 "Where Do You Go To (My Lovely)?" 4213 "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" 3214 & The Aces "Israelites" 1215 with Billy Preston "Get Back" 5216 "Dizzy" 2217 "" 3218 Thunderclap Newman "Something in the Air" 1219 "In the Ghetto" ‡ 1220 "Honky Tonk Women" 5221 Zager and Evans "In the Year 2525" 3222 Creedence Clearwater Revival "Bad Moon Rising" 3223 "I'll Never Fall in Love Again" 3224 "Sugar, Sugar" 6225 "Yester-Me, Yester-You, Yesterday" ‡ 1226 "Two Little Boys" 6
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