This is a summary of 1996 in music in the United Kingdom, including the official charts from that year.
This year saw the start of an increase in the number of number 1 singles. 24 hit the top spot this year, the highest since 1980, which had an equal number.
The first number 1 single of the year was "Jesus to a Child", George Michael's first solo #1 for 10 years. This was followed by Babylon Zoo's "Spaceman", which had been used in an advert for Levi's. The single was quite different from the version used in the advert, which had been sped up and re-arranged. It stayed at #1 for five weeks, sold over a million copies, and Jas Mann, the man behind Babylon Zoo, became the first solo male to make their chart debut at number 1.
After five years, the boy band Take That announced that they were splitting up, resulting in such distress for their many fans that a telephone helpline had to be set up. Their final number 1 came in March, a cover of the Bee Gees song "How Deep Is Your Love". Several of the members went on to start a solo career, with Gary Barlow the first to hit #1 with "Forever Love" in July. However, it would be Robbie Williams who would go on to score the most success as a solo artist.
After George Michael scored another number 1 with "Fastlove" in April, Gina G reached the top spot with "Ooh Aah... Just a Little Bit" in May. This song was the UK's entry to the 1996 Eurovision Song Contest, and originally reached #6 when it was released at the beginning of April. It hovered around the top 5 for the next few weeks, before moving up to 1 in the week of the contest. Although it failed to win, it still became the first Eurovision song to hit #1 since Nicole's "A Little Peace", which won the contest in 1982.
The next number 1 was also influenced by media events: "Three Lions", released by comedians David Baddiel and Frank Skinner and the band The Lightning Seeds, was the official song of the 1996 European Football Championship (Euro '96), which was being held in England. A rewritten version of the song ("Three Lions '98") would reach number 1 two years later, coinciding with the Football World Cup 1998 (France '98).
The Fugees had the biggest selling single of the year, with a cover of Roberta Flack's "Killing Me Softly With His Song". It sold over a million copies.
However, by far the most successful act of the year was the Spice Girls, who kickstarted their career with three number 1 singles – the million-selling "Wannabe" in July, which was one of the longest No 1 stints by any girl group (7 weeks); (Shakespears Sister's "Stay" is the longest girl group No 1, with 8 weeks), and remains the biggest-selling single by a girl group; "Say You'll Be There" in October; and "2 Become 1" in December, also a million-seller, the year's Christmas number one single and the UK's fastest selling single of 1996. The Spice Girls debut album Spice was the fastest selling album of 1996, shifting over 1.8 million copies in just 7 weeks. It was also the Number 1 album for Christmas 1996 and the second-best-selling album of the year.
Oasis smashed the record for most weeks in the singles chart (previously held by Adam and the Ants in 1981) with 134 weeks, thanks to mass waves of re-entries of songs from their back catalogue throughout the year.
1996 is also grimly notable for having the drummers of two popular bands, Mathew Fletcher of Heavenly, on 14 June, and Chris Acland of Lush, on 17 October, commit suicide. Lush had at the time been in the final stages of planning an American tour, which his devastated bandmates cancelled; they then disbanded.
Prolific classical composer Peter Maxwell Davies produced the tenth of his Strathclyde Concertos, an orchestral work which was first performed in Glasgow in October by the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, under the composer's baton. In June, his new opera, The Doctor of Myddfai, was premièred in Cardiff. Other British composers who produced new works were Michael Berkeley (Viola Concerto) and John Tavener (Innocence). Andrew Lloyd Webber's new musical, Whistle Down the Wind opened in Washington D.C. in December, to poor reviews, but its score would go on to provide Boyzone with one of the best-selling singles of the decade in the form of "No Matter What"; the show did not appear in the West End until 1998.
| Chart date (week ending) | Song | Artist(s) | Sales | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 January | "Earth Song" | 55,000 | ||
| 13 January | 80,000 | |||
| 20 January | "Jesus to a Child" | George Michael | 110,000 | |
| 27 January | "Spaceman" | 418,000 | ||
| 3 February | 204,000 | |||
| 10 February | 128,000 | |||
| 17 February | 80,000 | |||
| 24 February | 63,000 | |||
| 2 March | "Don't Look Back in Anger" | 250,000 | ||
| 9 March | "How Deep Is Your Love" | 257,000 | ||
| 16 March | 120,000 | |||
| 23 March | 90,000 | |||
| 30 March | "Firestarter" | 119,000 | ||
| 6 April | 80,000 | |||
| 13 April | 75,000 | |||
| 20 April | "Return of the Mack" | 90,000 | ||
| 27 April | 90,000 | |||
| 4 May | "Fastlove" | George Michael | 111,000 | |
| 11 May | 75,000 | |||
| 18 May | 55,000 | |||
| 25 May | "Ooh Aah... Just a Little Bit" | 75,000 | ||
| 1 June | "Three Lions" | 110,000 | ||
| 8 June | "Killing Me Softly" | 157,000 | ||
| 15 June | 195,000 | |||
| 22 June | 173,000 | |||
| 29 June | 160,000 | |||
| 6 July | "Three Lions" | Baddiel, Skinner & The Lightning Seeds | 140,000 | |
| 13 July | "Killing Me Softly" | The Fugees | 103,000 | |
| 20 July | "Forever Love" | 109,000 | ||
| 27 July | "Wannabe" | 108,000 | ||
| 3 August | 154,000 | |||
| 10 August | 150,000 | |||
| 17 August | 145,000 | |||
| 24 August | 125,000 | |||
| 31 August | 110,000 | |||
| 7 September | 90,000 | |||
| 14 September | "Flava" | 129,000 | ||
| 21 September | "Ready or Not" | The Fugees | 72,000 | |
| 28 September | 75,000 | |||
| 5 October | "Breakfast at Tiffany's" | 85,000 | ||
| 12 October | "Setting Sun" | 99,000 | ||
| 19 October | "Words" | 232,000 | ||
| 26 October | "Say You'll Be There" | Spice Girls | 349,000 | |
| 2 November | 163,000 | |||
| 9 November | "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted" / "Saturday Night at the Movies" / "You'll Never Walk Alone" | 196,000 | ||
| 16 November | 113,000 | |||
| 23 November | "Breathe" | The Prodigy | 195,000 | |
| 30 November | 95,000 | |||
| 7 December | "I Feel You" | Peter Andre | 87,000 | |
| 14 December | "A Different Beat" | Boyzone | 90,000 | |
| 21 December | "Knockin' on Heaven's Door"/"Throw These Guns Away" | 189,000 | ||
| 28 December | "2 Become 1" | Spice Girls | 462,000 |
| Chart date (week ending) | Album | Artist | Sales |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 January | Robson & Jerome | Robson & Jerome | 216,000 |
| 13 January | (What's the Story) Morning Glory? | Oasis | 53,000 |
| 20 January | 48,000 | ||
| 27 January | 46,000 | ||
| 3 February | 45,000 | ||
| 10 February | 48,000 | ||
| 17 February | 42,000 | ||
| 24 February | Expecting to Fly | 83,000 | |
| 2 March | (What's the Story) Morning Glory? | Oasis | 81,000 |
| 9 March | 107,000 | ||
| 16 March | 84,000 | ||
| 23 March | Falling into You | 101,000 | |
| 30 March | Anthology 2 | 78,000 | |
| 6 April | Greatest Hits | 276,000 | |
| 13 April | 174,000 | ||
| 20 April | 100,000 | ||
| 27 April | 52,000 | ||
| 4 May | Jagged Little Pill | 54,000 | |
| 11 May | 65,000 | ||
| 18 May | 1977 | 54,000 | |
| 25 May | Older | 281,000 | |
| 1 June | 114,000 | ||
| 8 June | 80,000 | ||
| 15 June | Load | 70,000 | |
| 22 June | 18 Til I Die | 54,000 | |
| 29 June | Jagged Little Pill | Alanis Morissette | 42,000 |
| 6 July | Recurring Dream | 80,000 | |
| 13 July | 47,000 | ||
| 20 July | Jagged Little Pill | Alanis Morissette | 41,000 |
| 27 July | 37,000 | ||
| 3 August | 59,000 | ||
| 10 August | 62,000 | ||
| 17 August | 56,000 | ||
| 24 August | 49,000 | ||
| 31 August | 45,000 | ||
| 7 September | 47,000 | ||
| 14 September | Coming Up | 42,000 | |
| 21 September | New Adventures in Hi-Fi | 125,000 | |
| 28 September | K | 133,000 | |
| 5 October | 54,000 | ||
| 12 October | Natural | 45,000 | |
| 19 October | Greatest Hits | 87,000 | |
| 26 October | 84,000 | ||
| 2 November | Blue Is the Colour | 80,000 | |
| 9 November | A Different Beat | 95,000 | |
| 16 November | Spice | 128,000 | |
| 23 November | Take Two | Robson & Jerome | 187,000 |
| 30 November | 168,000 | ||
| 7 December | Spice | Spice Girls | 170,000 |
| 14 December | 217,000 | ||
| 21 December | 271,000 | ||
| 28 December | 364,000 |
| Chart date (week ending) | Album | |
|---|---|---|
| 6 January | Hits 96 | |
| 13 January | ||
| 20 January | ||
| 27 January | ||
| 3 February | Sisters of Swing | |
| 10 February | The Best Album in the World...Ever | 2 |
| 17 February | ||
| 24 February | The No.1 Love Album | |
| 2 March | In the Mix 96 | |
| 9 March | ||
| 16 March | ||
| 23 March | ||
| 30 March | Now 33 | |
| 6 April | ||
| 13 April | ||
| 20 April | ||
| 27 April | ||
| 4 May | Dance Zone 7 | |
| 11 May | Boyz of Swing | |
| 18 May | New Hits 96 | |
| 25 May | ||
| 1 June | ||
| 8 June | ||
| 15 June | ||
| 22 June | ||
| 29 June | ||
| 6 July | ||
| 13 July | ||
| 20 July | Big Mix '96 | |
| 27 July | ||
| 3 August | ||
| 10 August | ||
| 17 August | The Best Dance Album in the World...Ever! Part 6 | |
| 24 August | Now 34 | |
| 31 August | ||
| 7 September | ||
| 14 September | ||
| 21 September | ||
| 28 September | ||
| 5 October | ||
| 12 October | In the Mix 96 – 3 | |
| 19 October | Kiss in Ibiza '96 | |
| 26 October | ||
| 2 November | ||
| 9 November | ||
| 16 November | Huge Hits 1996 | |
| 23 November | ||
| 30 November | Now 35 | |
| 7 December | ||
| 14 December | ||
| 21 December | ||
| 28 December |
| scope=col | scope=col | Title | scope=col | Artist | scope=col | Peak position | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 1 | "Killing Me Softly" | Fugees | 1 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 2 | "Wannabe" | Spice Girls | 1 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 3 | "Spaceman" | Babylon Zoo | 1 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 4 | "Say You'll Be There" | Spice Girls | 1 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 5 | "Return of the Mack" | 1 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 6 | "Ooh Aah... Just a Little Bit" | 1 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 7 | "Three Lions" | Baddiel & Skinner & Lightning Seeds | 1 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 8 | "Children" | 2 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 9 | "Mysterious Girl" | featuring Bubbler Ranx | 2 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 10 | "2 Become 1" | Spice Girls | 1 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 11 | "Don't Look Back in Anger" | Oasis | 1 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 12 | "How Deep Is Your Love" | Take That | 1 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 13 | "Un-Break My Heart" | 2 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 14 | "Breathe" | 1 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 15 | "Firestarter" | 1 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 16 | "Words" | Boyzone | 1 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 17 | "Breakfast at Tiffany's" | Deep Blue Something | 1 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 18 | "If You Ever" | East 17 featuring Gabrielle | 2 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 19 | "What Becomes of the Broken Hearted"/ "Saturday Night at the Movies"/"You'll Never Walk Alone" | Robson & Jerome | 1 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 20 | "Anything" | 3T | 2 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 21 | "Fastlove" | 1 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 22 | "Macarena" | Los del Río | 2 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 23 | "Born Slippy .NUXX" | Underworld | 2 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 24 | "Ready or Not" | Fugees | 1 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 25 | "The X Files" | 2 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 26 | "One & One" | featuring Maria Nayler | 3 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 27 | "Because You Loved Me" | 5 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 28 | "Give Me a Little More Time" | Gabrielle | 5 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 29 | "Nobody Knows" | 4 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 30 | "You're Gorgeous" | Babybird | 3 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 31 | "Knockin' on Heaven's Door"/"Throw These Guns Away" | Dunblane | 1 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 32 | "Cecilia" | Suggs featuring Louchie Lou & Michie One | 4 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 33 | "Flava" | 1 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 34 | "Don't Stop Movin'" | Livin' Joy | 5 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 35 | "It's All Coming Back to Me Now" | 3 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 36 | "I Love You Always Forever" | 5 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 37 | "How Bizarre" | OMC | 5 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 38 | "Jesus to a Child" | 1 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 39 | "Virtual Insanity" | Jamiroquai | 3 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 40 | "Forever Love" | 1 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 41 | "Hillbilly Rock Hillbilly Roll" | 5 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 42 | "I Wanna Be a Hippy" | Technohead | 6 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 43 | "There's Nothing I Won't Do" | JX | 4 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 44 | "Insomnia" | Faithless | 3 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 45 | "What's Love Got to Do with It" | featuring Adina Howard | 2 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 46 | "Freedom" | 2 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 47 | "I Got 5 on It" | Luniz | 3 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 48 | "Earth Song" | 1 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 49 | "Spinning the Wheel" | 2 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 50 | "A Design for Life" | Manic Street Preachers | 2 |
| scope=col | scope=col | Title | scope=col | Artist | scope=col | Peak position | scope=col | Sales[9] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 1 | Jagged Little Pill | 1 | 2,000,000 | |||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 2 | (What's the Story) Morning Glory? | Oasis | 1 | 1,840,000 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 3 | Spice | Spice Girls | 1 | 1,678,000 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 4 | Falling into You | 1 | ||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 5 | Older | 1 | ||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 6 | Take Two | Robson & Jerome | 1 | |||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 7 | The Score | Fugees | 2 | |||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 8 | Greatest Hits | Take That | 1 | |||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 9 | Greatest Hits | Simply Red | 1 | |||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 10 | Blue Is the Colour | 1 | ||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 11 | Moseley Shoals | Ocean Colour Scene | 2 | |||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 12 | Crowded House | 1 | ||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 13 | Ocean Drive | Lighthouse Family | 3 | |||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 14 | Bizarre Fruit/Bizarre Fruit II | M People | 3 | |||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 15 | Travelling Without Moving | Jamiroquai | 2 | |||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 16 | K | Kula Shaker | 1 | |||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 17 | The Smurfs Go Pop! | 2 | ||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 18 | A Different Beat | Boyzone | 1 | |||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 19 | Different Class | Pulp | 2 | |||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 20 | Everything Must Go | Manic Street Preachers | 2 | |||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 21 | Definitely Maybe | Oasis | 9 | |||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 22 | Hits | Mike and the Mechanics | 3 | |||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 23 | East 17 | 3 | ||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 24 | 18 til I Die | 1 | ||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 25 | Garbage | Garbage | 6 | |||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 26 | Wildest Dreams | 4 | ||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 27 | All Change | Cast | 7 | |||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 28 | Secrets | 10 | ||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 29 | 1977 | Ash | 1 | |||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 30 | Sheryl Crow | 5 | ||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 31 | Christmas Party | 8 | ||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 32 | Stanley Road | 7 | ||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 33 | Free Peace Sweet | Dodgy | 7 | |||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 34 | New Adventures in Hi-Fi | R.E.M. | 1 | |||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 35 | 3 | |||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 36 | Said and Done | Boyzone | 5 | |||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 37 | Robert Miles | 7 | ||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 38 | Spiders | Space | 5 | |||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 39 | Robson & Jerome | Robson & Jerome | 1 | |||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 40 | The Bends | Radiohead | 4 | |||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 41 | Expecting to Fly | 1 | ||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 42 | Natural | 1 | ||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 43 | If We Fall in Love Tonight | 8 | ||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 44 | Life | Simply Red | 8 | |||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 45 | Crocodile Shoes II | 10 | ||||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 46 | Walking Wounded | Everything but the Girl | 4 | |||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 47 | Evita | Madonna/Various Artists | 7 | |||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 48 | The It Girl | Sleeper | 5 | |||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 49 | The Finest | Fine Young Cannibals | 10 | |||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 50 | Mercury Falling | Sting | 4 |
| scope=col | scope=col | Title | scope=col | Peak position | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 1 | Now 35 | 1 | ||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 2 | Now 34 | 1 | ||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 3 | Trainspotting Original Soundtrack | 2 | ||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 4 | The Best Sixties Album in the World... Ever! II | 2 | ||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 5 | Now 33 | 1 | ||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 6 | New Hits 96 | 1 | ||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 7 | The Best Dance Album in the World... Ever! 6 | 1 | ||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 8 | Heartbeat: No. 1 Love Songs of the 60s | 2 | ||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 9 | The Annual II | 3 | ||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 10 | The Love Album III | 2 |
Notes:
The 1996 BRIT Awards winners were:
The 1996 Mercury Music Prize was awarded to Pulp – Different Class.