Just wondering if one direction had returned to No1 this week, that would be three weeks after its last stint. But also falling to No6 before returning. I would assume once a single has left the top five sales start slowing down, and would have no chance of going back to No1. Are there are any scenarios previously where this has happened?

 

Longest gap between returning to No1

Biggest fall before returning to No1

I think that The Beatles' She Loves You holds the record for this. ^_^

"Perfect Day" in 1997 would be the best example post 60s {1}-1-2-2-3-3-1

The original version of 'Three Lions' by Baddiel, Skinner And The Lightning Seeds in 1996 fell to number 4 before returning to number 1:

 

1-2-2-4-2-1

Edited March 18, 201312 yr by Robbie

So did Bruno Mars' 'Just The Way You Are' (1-2-4-2-1). AFAIA that's the lowest a song has dropped before returning to #1 excluding returns to #1 on separate chart runs.

 

Moot point anyway as there's no chance at all of 1D returning to #1 now.

The original version of 'Three Lions' by Baddiel, Skinner And The Lightning Seeds in 1996 fell to number 4 before returning to number 1:

 

1-2-2-4-2-1

Same happened to Bruno Mars' Just the Way You Are (Amazing), too:

 

01-02-04-02-01-

David Whitfield - Answer Me fell to #5 between its 2 visits to #1: 12-8-4-1-2-2-2-5-1-2-2-2-6-xx-xx-12, although its 2nd week was as a joint #1 with Frankie Laine's version of the same song.

 

Beatles - She Loves You holds the record for longest gap between 2 trips to #1 in the same chart run: 12-3-1-1-1-1-3-3-3-2-2-3-2-1-1-2-2-2-3-5-5-8-16-19-21-23-28-33-35-42-48-xx-42-47.

Jailhouse Rock dropped from no 1 in February 1958 and returned to the top in January 2005!

If memory serves me correctly S Club 7 had a two week gap for 'Don't Stop Movin' (with Geri Halliwell at the top in between)...

In the US, if they hadn't added streaming to the chart, I Knew You Were Trouble would've debuted at #1 on its release week as a promo single, dropped quite far down the chart (out of the top 50) and returned to #1 a few months later around Christmas time, which would've been weird to see.

 

Payphone by Maroon 5 could've potentially had really long runs between #1 had it sold slightly more or less on various weeks.

Edited March 20, 201312 yr by Eric_Blob

Honourable mentions to Relax by Frankie Goes to Hollwood and Rivers of Babylon by Boney M that both dropped dramatically and then resurged as far as No.2 (with Frankie stopping themselves from returning to No.1).