How many No. 1 Hits did the Beatles have in the United Kingdom and the United States? And how did the band perform commercially in countries like Australia, South Africa, Germany, Argentina, and the Philippines? What was The Beatles’ impact in Asia and Africa? In this article, we will explore the No. 1 hits The Beatles had around the world.
United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom, The Beatles had a total of 18 No. 1 hits on the Record Retailer/UK Singles Chart. The band’s biggest hits in the UK chart-wise were “From Me To You” and “Hello, Goodbye”, which both topped the UK Singles Chart for a total of 7 weeks. In November 2023, “Now and Then” – dubbed as ‘the last Beatles song’ – became the final song to top the chart.
Note: There was no official singles chart in the UK until 1969. Before 1969, several magazines, including NME, Melody Maker, Disc, Record Mirror, and Record Retailer, compiled their own chart. The UK’s Official Charts Company recognizes Record Retailer as the ‘official chart’ between 1960 and 1969, even though NME was more popular.
United States
In the United States, The Beatles had a total of 20 No. 1 hits on the US Billboard Hot 100. It’s still an all-time record for most No. 1 hits, just ahead of Mariah Carey (19) and Elvis Presley (18). The band’s first No. 1 hit on the US Billboard Hot 100 was “I Want to Hold Your Hand”, which sparked ‘Beatlemania’ in the United States.
“Hey Jude” was the band’s biggest hit in the United States (chart-wise). The ballad, written by McCartney, topped the US charts for a total of 9 weeks. The song also topped the year-end chart in 1968.
Canada
In Canada, The Beatles had a total of 18 No. 1 hits on the RPM charts. However, RPM didn’t publish the national chart until June 1964. Before RPM published its first chart, the CHUM Chart by Toronto radio station CHUM was considered the unofficial chart of Canada. On the CHUM Chart, The Beatles had a total of 22 No. 1 hits.
Chart-wise, “Get Back” was the band’s biggest hit in Canada. The song topped the RMP chart for a total of 6 weeks.
Australia
Go-Set, The newspaper that published the first Australian chart, didn’t originate until 1966. After Go-Set’s final chart in 1974, Kent Music Report became the country’s national chart. In 2005, the charts compiler, David Kent, published the charts from 1940 to 1969 in retrospect. On this chart, The Beatles had 23 No. 1 hits.
Europe
On the German Charts, The Beatles had 13 No. 1 hits. The band specifically re-recorded “I Want To Hold Your Hand” and “She Loves You” in the German language, with “Komm, gib mir deine Hand” (“I Want To Hold Your Hand”) topping the German chart.
In Sweden, The Beatles had 26 No. 1 hits on the Kvällstoppen chart. Though it may seem strange, the chart combined singles and albums. Abbey Road became the first album ever to top the Kvällstoppen chart and was the band’s last No. 1 hit in Sweden.
In the Netherlands, The Beatles had 22 No. 1 hits on the Dutch Singles Top 100. Chart-wise, “Yesterday” and “Ticket to Ride” were the band’s biggest hits in The Netherlands, both topping the chart for 8 weeks.
The Beatles were also successful in other European countries (19 No. 1 hits in Norway, 13 No. 1 hits in Ireland, 6 No. 1 hits in Switzerland) and had a chart-topping single in most European countries.
South America
In Argentina, The Beatles had 8 No. 1 hits (according to Billboard Magazine’s data by Rubén Machado). Chart-wise, “Michelle” was the biggest hit the band had in Argentina. Although a cover, the song topped the chart for 5 weeks.
In Brazil, the only No. 1 hit The Beatles had was “Hey Jude”. In Chile, “I Should Have Known Better” was a No. 1 hit. In Peru, “I Saw Her Standing There” topped the national chart for 5 weeks.
Africa
The Beatles had 8 No. 1 hits in Zimbabwe (1o if you count albums). Chart-wise, The most successful single was “We Can Work It Out”, which topped the charts for 6 weeks.
In South Africa, The Beatles had at least 3 No. 1 hits. “From Me To You”, “A Hard Day’s Night”, and “Help” all topped the Springbok Radio charts. However, Springbok Radio’s weekly charts are difficult to find, and thus, it’s hard to pin down how many No. 1 hits the band had in South Africa.
Asia
Chart archives for Asian countries are incredibly hard to find. Therefore, it’s difficult to exactly pin down how many No. 1 hits the band had in Asia.
In Singapore, The Beatles had at least 6 No. 1 hits, including “Hey Jude” and “Something”. In Malaysia, they had at least 3 No. 1 hits: “Hey Jude”, “Penny Lane”, and “I Should Have Known Better”. In the Philippines, they had at least 2 No. 1 hits: “Hey Jude” and “I Saw Her Standing There”.
Of course, The Beatles had No.1 hits in way more countries than I’ve mentioned (14 in New Zealand, for instance). But the fact that the band had multiple No. 1 hits on 6 continents tells you all you need to know: Their impact was massive – and it was worldwide.
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