List of UK top-ten singles in 2008 explained
The UK Singles Chart is one of many music charts compiled by the Official Charts Company that calculates the best-selling singles of the week in the United Kingdom.[1] Since 2004 the chart has been based on the sales of both physical singles and digital downloads, with airplay figures excluded from the official chart.[2] [3] This list shows singles that peaked in the Top 10 of the UK Singles Chart during 2008, as well as singles which peaked in 2007 and 2009 but were in the top 10 in 2008. The entry date is when the single appeared in the top 10 for the first time (week ending, as published by the Official Charts Company, which is six days after the chart is announced).
One-hundred and twenty-two singles were in the top ten in 2008. Nine singles from 2007 remained in the top 10 for several weeks at the beginning of the year, while "Broken Strings" by James Morrison and Nelly Furtado was released in 2008 but did not reach its peak until 2009.[4] "Crank That" by Soulja Boy was the only song from 2007 to reach its peak in 2008.[5] Twenty-nine artists scored multiple entries in the top 10 in 2008. Adele, Flo Rida, Katy Perry, Kings of Leon, The Script and The Saturdays were among the many artists who achieved their first UK charting top 10 single in 2008.
The 2007 Christmas number-one, "When You Believe" by 2007 X Factor winner Leon Jackson, remained at number-one for the first two weeks of 2008. The first new number-one single of the year was "Now You're Gone" by Basshunter featuring DJ Mental Theo's Bazzheadz.[6] Overall, twenty different singles peaked at number-one in 2008, with Alexandra Burke (2) having the most singles hit that position (including her credit on "Hero" with The X Factor Finalists 2008).[7] [8]
Background
Multiple entries
One-hundred and twenty-two singles charted in the top 10 in 2008, with one-hundred and twelve singles reaching their peak this year. Two versions of the Leonard Cohen song "Hallelujah" - Alexandra Burke's X Factor winners single and Jeff Buckley's 1994 recording which was re-released in 2007 - reached the top 10.
Twenty-eight artists scored multiple entries in the top 10 in 2008. Cheryl Cole, Leona Lewis and Rihanna shared the record for most top 10 hits in 2008 with four hit singles each.
Chart debuts
Fifty-three artists achieved their first top 10 single in 2008, either as a lead or featured artist. Of these, eight went on to record another hit single that year: Alexandra Burke, Basshunter, Duffy, Geraldine McQueen, Katy Perry, Kings of Leon, The Saturdays and The Ting Tings.
The following table (collapsed on desktop site) does not include acts who had previously charted as part of a group and secured their first top 10 solo single.
- NotesChris Martin had his first official credit outside Coldplay (aside from the Band Aid 20 charity single in 2004) singing vocals on Kanye West's "Homecoming" which peaked at number 9.[9] Alex Turner from The Last Shadow Puppets had previous chart success as part of the Arctic Monkeys but "The Age of the Understatement" was his first chart entry with his new group.[10]
Frankie Sandford and Rochelle Humes of The Saturdays were formerly members of S Club Juniors (later known as S Club 8) who had multiple top 10 entries in 2002 and 2003.[11] Peter Kay, who played the character Geraldine McQueen, had previous chart credits on "Is This the Way to Amarillo in 2005 and "(I'm Gonna Be) 500 Miles" in 2007, but "The Winner's Song" was his first entry as McQueen.[12]
Estelle had her first chart hit in 2008 on "American Boy" with Kanye West but she was a vocalist on the number-one Band Aid 20 single "Do They Know It's Christmas?" in 2004.[13] Alexandra Burke sang on "Hero" with her fellow X Factor series five contestants prior to her debut solo hit "Hallelujah".[14] JLS and Diana Vickers would both go on to record number-one singles in later years.[15] [16]
Alesha Dixon recorded her first solo top 10 in 2008, "The Boy Does Nothing" which peaked at number five. Her previous chart entries were as part of girl group Mis-Teeq.[17] After chart success with The White Stripes and The Raconteurs, Jack White peaked at number 9 with his solo single "Another Way to Die" with Alicia Keys, recorded for the Quantum of Solace soundtrack.[18]
Songs from films
Original songs from various films entered the top 10 throughout the year. These included "Low" (from ),[19] "You Make It Real" (He's Just Not That Into You)[20] and "Another Way to Die" (Quantum of Solace).[21]
Charity singles
A number of singles recorded for charity reached the top 10 in the charts in 2008. The Sport Relief single was "Footprints in the Sand" by Leona Lewis, which was released as a double-A side single with "Better in Time". It peaked at number two on 22 March 2008 after a performance on the telethon.[22]
The finalists from the fifth series of The X Factor (which included winner Alexandra Burke, JLS and Diana Vickers) got together for a single, "Hero", which had been a hit for Mariah Carey. It reached number one on 8 November 2008, with profits going to benefit Help for Heroes and The Royal British Legion.[23]
McFly's official Children in Need single for 2008, "Do Ya/Stay with Me", only reached number 18 in the chart.[24] However Sir Terry Wogan and Aled Jones ranked at number 3 with a cover version of "Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy", originally by David Bowie and Bing Crosby, for the same cause on 20 December 2008.[25]
Best-selling singles
Alexandra Burke had the best-selling single of the year with "Hallelujah". The song spent five weeks in the top 10 (including three weeks at number one), sold over 887,000 copies and was certified platinum by the BPI. "Hero" by The X Factor Finalists 2008 came in second place, selling more than 751,000 copies and losing out by around 136,000 sales. Duffy's "Mercy",[26] "I Kissed a Girl" from Katy Perry[27] and "Rockstar" by Nickelback[28] made up the top five. Singles by Estelle featuring Kanye West,[29] Kings of Leon,[30] Basshunter, Madonna & Justin Timberlake[31] and Sam Sparro[32] were also in the top ten best-selling singles of the year.[33]
"Hallelujah" (5) was also ranked in the top 10 best-selling singles of the decade.
Top-ten singles
- Key
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|
| bgcolor=lightblue | ‡ | Single peaked in 2007 but still in chart in 2008. |
| ♦ | Single released in 2008 but peaked in 2009. |
| (#) | Year-end top ten single position and rank |
| Entered | The date that the single first appeared in the chart. |
|---|
| Peak | Highest position that the single reached in the UK Singles Chart. | |
|---|
Entries by artist
The following table shows artists who achieved two or more top 10 entries in 2008, including singles that reached their peak in 2007 or 2009. The figures include both main artists and featured artists, while appearances on ensemble charity records are also counted for each artist. The total number of weeks an artist spent in the top ten in 2008 is also shown.
| Entries | Artist | Weeks | Singles |
|---|
| 4 | | 9 | "Call the Shots", "Can't Speak French", "Heartbreaker", "The Promise" |
| 13 | "Better in Time"/"Footprints in the Sand", "Bleeding Love", "Forgive Me", "Run" |
| 35 | "Disturbia", "Don't Stop the Music", "Live Your Life", "Take a Bow" |
| 3 | | 18 | "Forever", "No Air", "With You" |
| 8 | "Homecoming", "Violet Hill", "Viva la Vida" |
| 12 | "American Boy", "Homecoming", "Love Lockdown" |
| 9 | "Call the Shots", "Can't Speak French", "The Promise" |
| 2 | | 6 | "Hallelujah", "Hero" |
| 3 | "Another Way to Die", "No One" |
| 16 | "All I Ever Wanted", "Now You're Gone" |
| Beyoncé | 8 | "If I Were a Boy", "Listen" |
| Britney Spears | 13 | "Piece of Me", "Womanizer" |
| Coldplay | 7 | "Violet Hill", "Viva la Vida" |
| Duffy | 17 | "Mercy", "Warwick Avenue" |
| Geraldine McQueen | 3 | "Once Upon a Christmas Song", "The Winner's Song" |
| 5 | "Broken Strings", "You Make It Real" |
| Katy Perry | 20 | "I Kissed a Girl", "Hot n Cold" |
| Kings of Leon | 11 | "Sex on Fire", "Use Somebody" |
| Kylie Minogue | 3 | "In My Arms", "Wow" |
| 4 | "Don't Call This Love", "When You Believe" |
| Madonna | 14 | "4 Minutes", "Give It 2 Me" |
| McFly | 2 | "Lies", "One for the Radio" |
| Ne-Yo | 15 | "Closer", "Miss Independent" |
| 9 | "Apologize", "Stop and Stare" |
| 4 | "If This Is Love", "Up" |
| Scouting for Girls | 5 | "Elvis Ain't Dead", "Heartbeat" |
| 7 | "Greatest Day", "Rule the World" |
| 10 | "Shut Up and Let Me Go", "That's Not My Name" |
|
Notes
- "Sex on Fire" re-entered the top 10 at number 6 on 12 September 2009 (week ending) after a performance of the song by Jamie Archer on The X Factor.
- "There You'll Be" originally peaked at number 3 when it was released in 2001.[34]
- Figure includes two hit singles with the group Coldplay.
- Figure includes song that peaked in 2007.
- Figure includes single as part of The X Factor Finalists 2008.
- Figure includes song that peaked in 2009.
- Figure includes three hit singles with the group Girls Aloud.
- Released as an official single for Children in Need and featured on the BandAged CD.[35]
- Released as the official single for Sport Relief.
- Figure includes appearance on T.I.'s "Live Your Life".
- Figure includes appearance on Estelle's "American Boy".
- Figure includes appearance on Kanye West's "Homecoming".
See also
References
General
- Web site: Six decades of singles charts . The Official Charts Company . 23 April 2017 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110303221018/http://www.theofficialcharts.com/archive-chart-singles/ . 3 March 2011 .
- Web site: 2008 Year-End Chart . Charts Plus . 23 April 2017.
Specific
External links
Notes and References
- Web site: The Official UK Charts Company . . 1 January 2012.
- Book: Roberts, David. Guinness World Records: British Hit Singles and Albums (18th edition). 2005. 1-904994-00-8. 14. Guinness World Records Limited.
- Web site: New singles formats to save the charts. BBC News. 16 October 2003 . 21 February 2010.
- Web site: Number one single for Lady GaGa. 11 January 2009. BBC News. British Broadcasting Corporation. 27 June 2017.
- Web site: Radiohead CD tops UK album chart. 6 January 2008. BBC News. British Broadcasting Corporation. 27 June 2017.
- Web site: MacDonald tops the UK album chart. 13 January 2008. BBC News. British Broadcasting Corporation. 27 June 2017.
- Web site: X Factor single tops UK charts. 2 November 2008. BBC News. British Broadcasting Corporation. 27 June 2017.
- Web site: Christmas double for Hallelujah. 22 December 2008. BBC News. British Broadcasting Corporation. 27 June 2017.
- Web site: Lil Yachty wants to work with Chris Martin and Coldplay. XXL Mag. Simmons. Ted. 9 August 2016. 27 June 2017.
- Web site: Story of the song: The age of the understatement, The Last Shadow Puppets (2008). Webb. Robert. 8 October 2009. The Independent. 27 June 2017.
- Web site: S Club Junior's Stacey McClean defiantly enjoys a honeymoon cocktail after dismissing claims of drunken chaos at wedding. Martin. Lara. 12 June 2017. Irish Mirror. 27 June 2017.
- Web site: Geraldine aims for the top spot. 13 October 2008. Newsbeat. British Broadcasting Corporation. 27 June 2017.
- Web site: Whatever happened to Estelle?. Corner. Lewis. 20 July 2016. Digital Spy. 27 June 2017.
- Web site: X Factor winner Alexandra Burke's 'Hallelujah' is biggest-selling single of 2008. 29 December 2008. The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group. 27 June 2017.
- Web site: 14 Stars Who Made The Most Out Of Finishing In Second Place. Welsh. Daniel. 9 January 2017. Huffington Post. 27 June 2017.
- Web site: Whatever happened to Diana Vickers?. Kheraj. Alim. 8 November 2016. Digital Spy. 27 June 2017.
- Web site: Everything you need to know about Britain's Got Talent judge Alesha Dixon. Griffiths. Eleanor Bley. Radio Times. 27 June 2017.
- Web site: James Bond Quantum of Solace theme tune sung by Alicia Keys and Jack White. Singh. Anita. 30 July 2008. The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group. 27 June 2017.
- Web site: Step Up 2: The Streets (2008) Soundtrack. IMDB. 27 June 2017.
- Web site: He's Just Not That Into You (2009) Soundtrack. IMDB. 27 June 2017.
- Web site: First Listen: Another Way To Die, James Bond Theme, Jack White and Alicia Keys. Bray. Elisa. 18 September 2008. The Independent. 27 June 2017.
- Web site: Leona Lewis does Sport Relief in South Africa. Jamieson. Natalie. 10 March 2008. Newsbeat. 27 June 2017.
- Web site: X Factor finalists are number one. 2 November 2008. NME. 27 June 2017.
- Web site: The Official biggest selling Children In Need singles revealed. Copsey. Rob. 17 November 2016. Official Charts. Official Charts Company. 27 June 2017.
- Web site: Sir Terry Wogan and Aled Jones wade into Christmas chart battle. 25 November 2008. The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group. 27 June 2017.
- Web site: Duffy's Mercy tops UK chart again. 24 February 2008. BBC News. British Broadcasting Corporation. 27 June 2017.
- Web site: Perry's Girl stays at number one. 7 September 2008. BBC News. British Broadcasting Corporation. 27 June 2017.
- Web site: Nickelback sign Live Nation deal. 8 July 2008. BBC News. British Broadcasting Corporation. 27 June 2017.
- Web site: Singer Estelle tops singles chart. 23 March 2008. BBC News. British Broadcasting Corporation. 27 June 2017.
- Web site: Kings of Leon reign over charts. 28 September 2008. BBC News. British Broadcasting Corporation. 27 June 2017.
- Web site: German techno band topple Madonna. 11 May 2008. BBC News. British Broadcasting Corporation. 27 June 2017.
- Web site: Madonna celebrates chart double. 4 May 2008. BBC News. British Broadcasting Corporation. 27 June 2017.
- Web site: Duffy and Burke top 2008 charts. 29 December 2008. BBC News. British Broadcasting Corporation. 27 June 2017.
- Web site: The Official Charts Company - Faith Hill - There You'll Be . . 5 February 2010.
- Web site: Terry Wogan sings Beatles song for charity. 7 September 2009. The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group. 27 June 2017.
