I started trying to work this out manually (I've got up to 1956 with Frankie Laine currently way out in front) as I couldn't find the information easily, but was wondering if anybody knew the answer to who has the most overall top 40 singles?

 

Figured it might be a stat someone round here knew anyway?

cliff richard he has at least a hundred.

I think Elvis has even more than Cliff, but alas depends on how you count the re-issues

 

One easy way to check it is on the OCC website, if you go to Artists, for each artists it lists how many #1s, top 10s, top 40s, top 75s, top 100

so for Elvis the OCC has him officially on 139 Top 40 hits

while Cliff is on 124 top 40 hits

 

 

ah but the occ number is with the reissues which I don’t count so cliff is the moral winner

I always underestimate the impressive chart record Cliff has. Definitely wouldn't think it as he's not held in the same light as the other chart legends.

Drake and D-Block Europe are coming for that record.

Yeah Cliff has a really impressive set of chart stats. If I remember correctly, over half of his top 40 hits made the top 10.

I always underestimate the impressive chart record Cliff has. Definitely wouldn't think it as he's not held in the same light as the other chart legends.

 

The media are very, very, very unfair to him. People in the music industry mostly seem to really despise him. It's really unfair in my opinion. I think at one point they even tried to frame him as a pedophile. Maybe he doesn't support gay marriage or something but it's no reason to be THAT nasty to him.

tbh he would be a bit of a hypocrite not to support gay marriage

tbh he would be a bit of a hypocrite not to support gay marriage

Why would he be a hypocrite? Because you think he's gay? He's constantly denied those rumours, but whether he is or he isn't I don't think you can call him a hypocrite for not supporting gay marriage.

He's always denied he's gay and whether he actually is or isn't is nobody's business but his.

 

I'm not sure his personal opinions have anything to do with how he's not perhaps as well regarded as other chart legends in the public consciousness either. I'd say his plethora of naff Christmas songs have done more to damage his reputation than any comment he might have made. Living Doll, Devil Woman & We Don't Talk Anymore are absolute greats though and shoutout to the less remembered Carrie which I think is a brilliant track.

I can't seem to find anything about this supposed comment he made about not supporting gay marriage? According to Google he does in fact support it.

I was just taking the comment in this thread at face value, can't say i've ever heard of him been vocal about it myself.

Always according to the occ, Cliff has 68 top 10s

Elvis has more, 76 top 10s but 13 are those infamous re-issues I believe, so he'd be on 63 or 76 depending if you count them or not

 

Madonna would be tied with Elvis if you don't count the reissues, 63 top 10s,

but what's impressive about Madonna is how she has 75 top 40 overall, so the % of top 10s is crazy

only 8 of her top 40 singles missed the top 10

 

 

By my reckoning, the OCC have given Elvis an extra 16 Top 5 hits from the early 2005 reissues plus a further 14 Top 20 hits, none of which made the Top 10, from the late 2007 reissues. Take those out and he has 60 Top 10 singles (so actually less than Madonna as well as Cliff) and 109 Top 40 singles.

^some of those 2005 reissues had never charted in the UK in the same form, so not all should be excluded I believe

I mean, Rock-a-Hula Baby had previously charted as a double A side Can’t Help Falling In Love/Rock-a-Hula Baby

A Fool Such As I had previously charted as a double A side, A Fool Such As I/I Need Your Love Tonight

His Latest Flame had previously charted as It’s His Latest Flame/Little Sisters

Edited December 10, 20213 yr by Bjork

Madonna would be tied with Elvis if you don't count the reissues, 63 top 10s,

but what's impressive about Madonna is how she has 75 top 40 overall, so the % of top 10s is crazy

only 8 of her top 40 singles missed the top 10

What's even more impressive about Madonna's stats is that she had 35 *consecutive* Top 10 singles, which is just phenomenal. Nobody else has even come close to that and I doubt anyone ever will.

Side note: Ed Sheeran will draw level with Rihanna on 49 Top 40 hits later today... and then overtake her with a 50th in two weeks' time based on today's news.

Madonna has had some crazy record, thats true, 35 top 10 in a row

and I believe 65 top 20 in a row