WAY BACK IN the 1930s, informal ‘charts’ were compiled listing the best-selling sheet music of the day. Favourite popular tunes have always existed, but it wasn’t until the 40s and 50s that official record charts began to appear. The Billboard Hot 100 was created in the USA, followed shortly afterwards by the first official British chart when the New Musical Express carried out a poll of record stores and DJs.

The first-ever Number One was listed in 1952, by crooner Al Martino singing Here Is My Heart. At that time there was rivalry between Columbia Records, who introduced the first 12-inch, 33 1/3 rpm disc in 1948, and RCA Victor who brought out the first seven-inch, 45 rpm disc the following year. These discs were made of vinyl, not shellac like earlier records, and were virtually unbreakable.
Elvis Presley managed to have 21 Number One hits in Britain.

Cliff Richard – with 14 Number Ones – and the Shadows, who had five additional Number Ones, were also favourites, as were the Beatles (with 18 chart-toppers) and the Rolling Stones (with eight) in the 1960s. Teen idols like Paul Anka (Diana) and Bobby Darin (Mack the Knife) took over the end of the decade. Today’s pop charts are compiled by complex systems combining streaming, digital downloads, physical sales and sometimes also radio airplay.

There’s not much doubt about the all-time best-selling single in British pop history. That honour goes to Elton John’s super-hit Candle In The Wind 1997 which is now estimated to have sold 33 million copies worldwide, including 4.94 million in the UK and 8.8 million in the USA. Elton and his long-time collaborator and lyricist Bernie Taupin, who had worked together for years and produced many hits, wrote the song back in 1973 as a tribute to Marilyn Monroe, who had died 11 years previously.

The song appeared on his album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road the same year. With its allusions to the fleeting nature of fame and the pressures of life in the spotlight, the lyrics only had to be changed slightly for the 1997 version, which was released shortly after the death of Diana Princess of Wales, and which Elton sang at the Princess’s funeral. He knew the Princess well and hearing him singing “Goodbye, England’s Rose…” touched the hearts of the nation. He hasn’t sung the song on stage since. Although Elton continues to write and perform to this day, it’s unlikely he will ever produce such an iconic song.

Read more of the best-selling artists in the September issue of AlgarvePLUS.