Will Young's Official biggest selling singles revealed: "I'm shocked by that!"

26 May 2015

By Rob Copsey

 

To celebrate the release of his new album 85% Proof, Official Charts reveals Will Young's 10 biggest sellers.

 

With his sixth studio album 85% Proof out this week, we at Official Charts thought it was about time we revealed Will Young’s Official biggest selling singles.

 

It won’t come as shock that his Pop Idol winner’s single Evergreen tops the list with massive sales of 1.79 million. Released in 2002, it remains one of the biggest selling singles of the 21st Century. “I’m really very fond of this song these days,” Will insists. “It was so different and far away from me when I first sang it, so I probably resented it more back then than I do now.

 

“I remember Simon Cowell saying – even though he’s a tit – ‘one day you’ll link the moment of winning with this song and you’ll be fond of it’, and he’s right. I’m also really proud of it – I mean it’s a record breaker!”

 

Again, perhaps unsurprising to some, Leave Right Now ranks as Will’s second best-seller. The track, which spent two weeks at the top in December 2013 (holding off Shane Richie’s I’m Your Man in its opening week, no less), has sold 622,000 copies and is a song that Will still today describes as a “biggie”.

 

“That song made me,” he said. “It made my career – I wouldn’t be sitting here if it weren’t for that song.”

 

While his second single Light My Fire finishes third on the list with sales of 383,000, it's the more recent Jealousy that stands out for Will on the list, currently his fourth biggest seller on 368,000 copies. “I’m genuinely shocked by that!” he admitted, adding: “That’s brilliant. It really struck something, that song.”

 

Jealousy was an unexpected hit for Will at the time, landing on the Official Singles Chart at Number 5 in September 2011 - his first Top 5 in five years. “It all just came together,” he recalls. "Mima (Kish Mauve) had the lyric Jealousy, and we came up with a chorus melody, then Richard X came on board and put it together, and it just worked. I had a feeling that it was working at the time. It’s a goody, isn't it?"

 

As for his ultimate Will Young single, it’s got to be Leave Right Now, right? “Wrong!” he insists. “It’s Jealously. No question. 100%."

 

Check out Will Young's Official Top 10 biggest selling singles below:

 

1 ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE/EVERGREEN WILL YOUNG 1,790,000

2 LEAVE RIGHT NOW WILL YOUNG 622,000

3 LIGHT MY FIRE WILL YOUNG 383,000

4 JEALOUSY WILL YOUNG 368,000

5 THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD/SUSPICIOUS WILL YOUNG & GARETH GATES

6 ALL TIME LOVE WILL YOUNG

7 WHO AM I WILL YOUNG

8 YOUR GAME WILL YOUNG

9 DON'T LET ME DOWN/YOU AND I WILL YOUNG

10 CHANGES WILL YOUNG

© 2014 Official Charts Company. All rights reserved.

I know there's a Will Young AF but I thought chart fans would want to see too.

'Who Am I' is gorgeous and 'Changes' is another of my favourites. Shame we don't have sales for these. 'Jealousy' is amazing and should be Gold, it's 100% his best single, for me.

Edited May 26, 201510 yr by Joe.

Thanks Liam.

 

Jealousy was a brilliant single. By far his best to date. Deserved to be an even bigger hit.

 

 

This is what his best sellers list looked like in June 2009:

 

[01] Anything Is Possible / Evergreen 1,796,000

[02] Leave Right Now 535,940

[03] Light My Fire 368,345

[04] The Long and Winding Road / Suspicious Minds 307,124

[05] All Time Love 157,517

[06] Don't Let Me Down / You and I 109,946

[07] Who Am I 103,220

[08] Your Game 101,327

[09] Changes 81,901

[10] Switch It On 72,300

[11] Grace 56,235

[12] Friday's Child 54,825

[13] Let It Go 9,988

 

'Leave Right Now' is, unsurprisingly, quite the trickle seller, managing 86k in 6 years (14.3k per year). It managed a similar 82k between end of 2004 (466k) and end of 2009 (548k).

 

I agree that 'Jealousy' is perhaps his best, which is quite the achievement so far into his career. 'Leave Right Now', 'Who Am I' and 'Friday's Child' are all gems too. :wub:

Leave Right Now is my favourite of his songs.

More up to date figures.

 

Evergreen 1,799,000

Leave Right Now 608,000

 

All Time Love is classic Will for me.

 

Shame once Capital and Heart lost interest in his later stuff his sales dropped dramatically.

 

I have no doubt Jealousy would have topped the chart and been an even bigger seller if it had been released by a more supported artist.

 

 

 

 

Expected that top 2 - and pleasing to see 'Jealousy' in top 5. Surprised 'Grace' isn't in his top 10 best sellers, I know it only went top 40 but I thought it's use in the Natwest adverts in the two years after it's release would have boosted it sales wise.

Jealousy is sublime and his standout moment.

To be honest, I have always preferred songs on his albums far more than his single releases. The exception is Jealousy. Such a shame he is so ignored by radio with the exception of radio 2. He deserves to have his music heard after fighting prejudice to maintain his career successfully after coming from 'one of those shows'.

Estimates from Shireblogger on Haven for the rest of the Top 10:

 

5. Will Young & Gareth Gates -- Long & Winding Road / Suspicious :: 310k

6. Will Young -- All Time Love :: 165k

7. Will Young -- Who Am I :: 115k

8. Will Young -- Your Game :: 110k

9. Will Young -- Don't Let Me Down / You And I :: 110k

10. Will Young -- Changes :: 100k

Jealousy is definitely my favourite of his - I didn't realise it had done as well as that either!

Not trying to discredit him, but wasn't Jealousy the song he release a few years ago when sales were at an all-time high? It's impressive that he managed to get a big hit so long after he got famous, but some of the lower songs were probably bigger in the charts, but were released in lower sales climates, meaning they're lower in a list like this.

Not trying to discredit him, but wasn't Jealousy the song he release a few years ago when sales were at an all-time high? It's impressive that he managed to get a big hit so long after he got famous, but some of the lower songs were probably bigger in the charts, but were released in lower sales climates, meaning they're lower in a list like this.

 

True - but also, 'Jealousy' was released the same week as the 'Echoes' album was, and that went to number one, which doubtless boosted it in the long run. Also he had his ITV special aired over the bank holiday it charted which again boosted it at a time of year when sales are traditionally a bit lower than usual.

Edited May 27, 201510 yr by ThePensmith

All Time Love is my fave Will song, although I really like his new one 'Like a River'

Not trying to discredit him, but wasn't Jealousy the song he release a few years ago when sales were at an all-time high? It's impressive that he managed to get a big hit so long after he got famous, but some of the lower songs were probably bigger in the charts, but were released in lower sales climates, meaning they're lower in a list like this.

 

I'd argue only 'All Time Love' was a bigger chart hit in a lower sales climate, 'Jealousy' had a legitimately consistent run and was a definite surprise hit at the time.

 

I agree that it's by far and away his best too! :wub:

Come On is fave followed by Leave Right Now. All Time Love and Who am I are great too.

Evergreen/Anything is possible would never have done so well if it hadn't been on the back of pop idol. He has done far better stuff including jealousy and leave right now.

Edited May 28, 201510 yr by slowdown73

I only properly got on board with Will with "Tell me the worst", the Fred Falke mix specifically.

Echoes is an absolute masterpiece, his performance of "Hearts on Fire" on the ITV special reduced me to tears.

I eventually went backwards & now adore all his post-1st album ballads, "You & I" is rather amazing too.

 

Must check out 85% proof!

Evergreen/Anything Is Possible to reach 3 x Platinum soon then as am sure it sells a few copies a week and gets streamed.