Here is a list of songs which have reached #1 despite being over a year old when they did so. Note that the song need not have charted (or even been released originally). Obviously it can be difficult to ascertain the exact age of a song (i.e. when it was recorded).

 

Bill Haley & His Comets - Rock Around The Clock

Jim Reeves - Distant Drums

Marvin Gaye - I Heard It Through The Grapevine

Smokey Robinson & The Miracles - Tears Of A Clown

Tams - Hey Girl Don't Bother Me

Tammy Wynette - Stand By Your Man

David Bowie - Space Oddity

John Lennon - Imagine

Michael Jackson - One Day In Your Life

Charlene - I've Never Been To Me

Irene Cara - Fame

Pet Shop Boys - West End Girls

Jackie Wilson - Reet Petite

Ben E King - Stand By Me

Hollies - He Ain't Heavy He's My Brother

Steve Miller Band - The Joker

Righteous Brothers - Unchained Melody

Clash - Should I Stay Or Should I Go

Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody*^

Bluebells - Young At Heart

Freddie Mercury - Living On My Own $

D:Ream - Things Can Only Get Better $

Baby D - Let Me Be Your Fantasy $

Wamdue Project - King Of My Castle

Sonique - It Feels So Good $

George Harrison - My Sweet Lord*

Elvis Presley - A Little Less Conversation $

Michael Andrews ft Gary Jules - Mad World

Peter Andre - Mysterious Girl

DJ Casper - Cha Cha Slide

Elvis Presley - Jailhouse Rock*

Elvis Presley - One Night / I Got Stung*

Elvis Presley - It's Now Or Never*

Tony Christie - (Is This The Way To) Amarillo

Mint Royale - Singin' In The Rain

Rage Against The Machine - Killing In The Name

PJ & Duncan - Let's Get Ready To Rhumble

Icona Pop ft Charli XCX - I Love It

Lilly Wood & Robin Schulz - Prayer In C

OMI - Cheerleader $

Lewisham & Greenwich NHS Choir - A Bridge Over You

 

* = song also reached #1 on original released

^ = song was a double A-side with a new song when re-issued

$ = chart-topping was largely due to a 'new' remix

 

There may be some that I am missing.

Edited December 27, 20159 yr by paulgilb

Bing Cosby White Christmas is surely one?

 

EDIT didn't reach no1 only top 5 in 1977

Edited December 26, 20159 yr by Christmaseve201

Sam Smith - Lay Me Down is another one (reached number one due to the John Legend remix)

 

Also I think Icona Pop - I Love It was a year old when it entered at number one

Let Me Be Your Fantasy wasn't a remix, was it? The 1994 radio edit was just the '92 original with a bit in the middle snipped out.

Are You With Me? by Lost Frequencies is one too I believe. The original was recorded by Easton Corbin in 2012.

 

 

Also Prayer In C, it was originally released in 2010 on the Prick/Lilywood's album I think, before being remixed by Robin Schulz.

Edited December 27, 20159 yr by mdh32

Stand By Your Man by Tammy Wynette is another.

 

No.1 in May 1975 but originally recorded and released in 1968. Charted in US that year.

Olive - You're not alone

Livin' Joy - Dreamer

Madison Avenue - Don't Call Me Baby

Tori Amos - Professional Widow (It's Got To Be Big)

Culture Beat - Mr Vain

Peter Andre - Mysterious Girl

Tony Christie - (Is This The Way To) Amarillo

 

I'm sure there's dozens more

Candle in the wind

Michael Jackson - One Day In Your Life

 

Originally released as a single in 1975, no.1 six years later

Gary Jules Mad World was first recorded for the Donnie Darko movie in 2001 and became the Xmas #1 a couple years later

 

Freddie Mercury . Living on my own

 

not sure about Cornershop - Brimful of Asha

 

also many 90s dance tracks, I believe King of My Castle for instance

Yes, Brimful Of Asha is another song that benefitted from a remix, by Norman Cook in thus instance. The original is far more basic and stripped-down.

Florence + The Machine - Spectrum (Say My Name) is another. It appeared on her 2011 album and reached #1 due to the Calvin Harris remix

Pet Shop Boys' West End Girls was a hit a year or so after its original release.

Tori Amos - Professional Widow (It's Got To Be Big)

 

 

The remix was released in July 1996 so it was less than a year old when it hit number 1 in Jan 1997.

I Heard It Through The Grapevine was recorded in 1967, Tears Of A Clown 1968 or so, I've Never Been To Me was also old I think by the time it charted, all Motown.

 

 

Thanks for these - have updated the first post.

 

Some of the tracks that reached #1 on re-issue (Dreamer, Professional Widow, Brimful Of Asha, Don't Call Me Baby etc) reached #1 less than a year after their first release - these may or may not have been recorded more than a year before they topped the chart.

 

I have excluded complete re-recordings e.g. Candle In The Wind '97, Lay Me Down (which in the download era at least would be considered separate from the original recordings).

 

I have not included Are You With Me as it is a Lost Frequencies track that samples the Easton Corbin track, as opposed to a re-mix of the Easton Corbin track.

Professional Widow (the remix) certainly did not exist a year before it hit number 1 because the original hadn't even been released on its parent album a year before it hit number 1.

Are You With Me? by Lost Frequencies is one too I believe. The original was recorded by Easton Corbin in 2012.

 

 

Also Prayer In C, it was originally released in 2010 on the Prick/Lilywood's album I think, before being remixed by Robin Schulz.

 

Easton doesn't sing on the Lost Frequencies version though so it's just a cover

Can't find any more #1s.. Michael Jackson's Give In To Me got to #2 over a year after the album was released but there's probably loads like that

Edited December 28, 20159 yr by AcerBen