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Olly Murs’ Official Top 10 Best Selling Songs
22/11/2014
By Justin Myers



As Olly Murs returns with new album Never Been Better, we count down the former X Factor star’s big sellers.

Five years ago, one young man from Essex was about to have a Christmas that would change his life. Olly Mursmay not have won The X Factor back in 2009, but that runner-up prize was just the beginning of superstardom.

It was almost another year before we’d hear Olly’s first single Please Don’t Let Me Go, but four years, three hit albums and 11 Top 40 hits later, the magnificent Mr Murs is all set to release his all-new album Never Been Better. And with lead single Wrapped Up poised to debut in the Top 5 this week, what better way to celebrate than count down Olly’s bestselling singles so far? Fact: there is no better way. Nope.

Yep, we’re going all official and ranking Olly’s Top 10 songs – it’s the only Olly Murs chart you’ll ever need. Well, until he has more hits and we have to update it, of course.

First, the big five:

1. Dance With Me Tonight (2011)

Olly’s third chart-topper was the second single to be lifted from his sophomore album In Case You Didn’t Know and spent two weeks patiently waiting at Number 2 behind first Rihanna’s We Found Love and then The X Factor Finalists 2011 with Wishing On A Star.

Then, with not a hint of solidarity for the show that made him a star, the track took the top spot. While uncredited, Olly really pulled out the A-listers for that one, performing the track on his old stomping ground The X Factor with none other than the Muppets.

SALES: 760,000

CHART FACT: X Factor scored its third successive Official Singles Chart Number 1 in as many weeks when 2011 show winners Little Mix knocked Olly off the top with their version of Damien Rice’s Cannonball.

2. Troublemaker FT Flo Rida (2012)

We all know a troublemaker, don’t we? Someone who ruins it for everyone – and usually at Christmas or birthdays. No such worry for Monsieur Murs on this one, though – Troublemaker was a scallywag in name only, for Olly anyway.

Going straight in at the top and spending two weeks there – the only Olly Number 1 to do so – Troublemaker not only deposed One Direction’s Little Things, it blocked Girls Aloud’s comeback track Something New. Now that really is a bit of a Troublemaker. In its first week alone, it sold over 120,000 copies!

SALES: 730,000

CHART FACT: Troublemaker was a fourth Number 1 for Olly, and a fifth for his guest star Flo Rida. So far, it’s the most recent chart-topper for both of them. Watch this space, though…

3. Heart Skips A Beat FT Rizzle Kicks (2011)

The lead single from second album In Case You Didn’t Know, the catchy reggae-inspired track was a second Number 1 for Olly, and a first for Rizzle Kicks. Heart Skips A Beat sold over 100,000 copies in its first week on sale, beating nearest rival Calvin Harris’ Feel So Close by over 30,000 copies.

SALES: 680,000

CHART FACT: Example’s Stay Awake replaced Heart Skips A Beat at Number 1. For the US release, Rizzle Kicks were replaced by American rap duo Chiddy Bang. The song just missed out on being one of the Top 20 bestselling singles of 2011, edged out by… One Direction’s What Makes You Beautiful.

4. Dear Darlin’ (2013)

Dear Darlin’ secures a Top 5 placing despite not hitting the Number 1 spot in the Official Singles Chart. A relatively slow burner, the track took a month to reach its peak of Number 5. Spending six weeks in the Top 10 certainly helped its sales. Oh, that and it’s a pretty good tune of course!

SALES: 560,000

CHART FACT: Dear Darlin’ was nominated at the 2014 BRIT Awards for Best British Single, losing out to Rudimental’s Waiting All Night.

5. Please Don’t Let Me Go (2010)

Olly’s big debut got his career kicked off in fine style – going straight in at Number 1. It was the first of six Top 10s for Olly, who wasn’t sure whether the track was going to make it all the way to Number 1, as Katy Perry’s Teenage Dream was out the same week.

So sure was Olly that Katy would beat him to it, he agreed to pose naked in a magazine if Please Don’t Let Me Go scored the Number 1. Whether this influenced his fans, we couldn’t possibly say, but Please Don’t Let Me Go ended up beating Teenage Dream by over 40,000 copies. Oh, and Olly kept that promise!

SALES: 425,000

CHART FACT: Another X Factor star ended Olly’s run at Number 1 – Alexandra Burke’s Start Without You took up residency for the following two weeks.

Other notable entries

Olly’s second single Thinking Of Me just misses out on a Top 5 spot, selling over 400,000 copies. 2011 single Busy may have missed the Top 40, but it still makes the Official Top 10 best sellers – overtaking other tracks that charted higher. That’s the way the chart works – full of surprises!

Here’s the full 10:

SONG PEAK POSITION YEAR
1 DANCE WITH ME TONIGHT 1 2011
2 TROUBLEMAKER 1 2012
3 HEART SKIPS A BEAT 1 2011
4 DEAR DARLIN' 5 2013
5 PLEASE DON'T LET ME GO 1 2010
6 THINKING OF ME 4 2010
7 ARMY OF TWO 12 2013
8 OH MY GOODNESS 13 2012
9 BUSY 45 2011
10 HEART ON MY SLEEVE 20 2011

© 2014 The Official Charts Company. All rights reserved.