I remember it was reported that the Christmas Top 5 in 1997 was the first time that the top 5 had all sold over 100,000 copies. If that was true then the number 5 was a record high.

Official sales given by MusicWeek the w/c 16 October 2011:

Thanks Liam. I knew I'd seen a more up to date set of figures for Heartbeat/Tragedy but just couldn't recall where. That post with the sales / estimated sales for the single that I quoted was from 1999 and as Alan Jones didn't give out as much sales information then or when he did do he tended to round the sales figures, some of the sales figures that we used to post at Dotmusic back then were educated guesswork.

 

Candy tumbles 1-6 (54,682 sales). Its sales, however, were the sixth highest for a number six single in the 21st century - the highest, 66,684, was achieved by Will Young's Leave Right Now in Christmas week 2003.

 

01 66,684 Will Young - Leave Right Now

63,862 Little Mix - Cannonball

59,689 Rihanna - Only Girl (In the World)

59,000 Oxide & Neutrino - No Good 4 Me (feat. Megaman, Romeo & Lisa Maffia)

06 54,682 Robbie Williams - Candy

Edited November 20, 201212 yr by liamk97

Are these UK sales only? It's hard to believe a single used to (be able to) sell over 1 million in a week. :o

I Would suspect that christmas 2000 is probably one of the missing ones you're looking for Liam!

Are these UK sales only? It's hard to believe a single used to (be able to) sell over 1 million in a week. :o

Yeah, they are UK only. And I think only three times has a song sold over 1 million in a week (Will Young's Evergreen/Anything is Possible once, Elton John's Candle in the Wind/Something About the Way You Look Tonight twice).

I Would suspect that christmas 2000 is probably one of the missing ones you're looking for Liam!

Yeah, I think all of the missing ones are from Christmas, although I noticed the Top 4 sold 80k+ the week that Nelly & Kelly were on their second week at #1.

Yeah, I think all of the missing ones are from Christmas, although I noticed the Top 4 sold 80k+ the week that Nelly & Kelly were on their second week at #1.

I have Oxide & Neutrino on 66k for that week in 2000 I see! :D

 

The week in 2002 you refer to isn't one I note, records fell off to sharply by that point- I'll keep looking at my sales figures for the other one!

I have Oxide & Neutrino on 66k for that week in 2000 I see! :D

 

The week in 2002 you refer to isn't one I note, records fell off to sharply by that point- I'll keep looking at my sales figures for the other one!

Okay, thank you very much! :D

Incidentally your No 3 on that list should be Little Mix "Cannonball" not "We Found Love" :D

 

Apologies my Oxide & Neutrino figure was actually 59k (I was being blind)

 

I can't locate the other one though I have about three tracks that I estimate within a couple of K of beating "Candy"'s figure so it could be any of them- sorry!

The week that Steps were #6, who was the #5 and #4?

 

Were sales so close that the #4 didn't sell more than just over 100K?

The week that Steps were #6, who was the #5 and #4?

 

Were sales so close that the #4 didn't sell more than just over 100K?

 

Sadly Chart Stats has had to remove all its charts ( :drama: ) so this is purely from memory and could well be incorrect. All sales figures are taken from my database.

 

1. Spice Girls - Goodbye (sold 380k this particular week)

2. Chef - Chocolate Salty Balls (sold 220k the following week when it climbed to no. 1)

3. Johnny & Denise - Especially For You (although it might've been Billie 'She Wants You'?)

4. Cher - Believe (sold 114k on its 7th week at no. 1 two weeks earlier)

5. B*Witched - To You I Belong (sold 150k previous week at #1)

6. Steps - Heartbeat/Tragedy (99k as quoted from Music Week)

Sadly Chart Stats has had to remove all its charts ( :drama: ) so this is purely from memory and could well be incorrect. All sales figures are taken from my database.

 

1. Spice Girls - Goodbye (sold 380k this particular week)

2. Chef - Chocolate Salty Balls (sold 220k the following week when it climbed to no. 1)

3. Johnny & Denise - Especially For You (although it might've been Billie 'She Wants You'?)

4. Cher - Believe (sold 114k on its 7th week at no. 1 two weeks earlier)

5. B*Witched - To You I Belong (sold 150k previous week at #1)

6. Steps - Heartbeat/Tragedy (99k as quoted from Music Week)

That is indeed the correct top 6 for that week! I checked on the OCC site. :cheer:

Incidentally your No 3 on that list should be Little Mix "Cannonball" not "We Found Love" :D

 

Apologies my Oxide & Neutrino figure was actually 59k (I was being blind)

 

I can't locate the other one though I have about three tracks that I estimate within a couple of K of beating "Candy"'s figure so it could be any of them- sorry!

Cheers, fixed it. ;)

Bumped because Gezza's new '12 Charts of Christmas' thread could solve a few mysteries :) We already have Christmas 1997 as a contender for highest selling #4, #5, #6, #7, #8 and #9!