Tuttavilla

Forgive me absence. Are chart rules about to change? Happy Boxing Day and New Year!

Each country's performance by their average percentage of points scored for each year in which they have participated. The headings are: Ranking - Country - Percentage Points - Number of years of participation, out of a maximum of 69 - 1st Places - 2nd Places - Last Places Countries highlighted in green took part in 2025. Yugoslavia in blue does not exist anymore. Germany leads in total participation years; Ireland and Sweden in victories; the UK, massively, in 2nd places; Norway in Nul Points.

5 consecutive weeks at No 7 for Benson Boone equals the record held by Lloyd Price 1959, Paul Anka 1959 and Rudimental 2012.

Merci

Total weeks at No 2?

I found another one: Mark Knopfler: January 1997 - March 2024, partly disguised as Dunblane and Guitar Heroes. 27 years 2 months.

Yes, albeit as part of a duet in 2020. Thank you, I'll add him in...

Brilliant, thank you! There's always one that get's away - the Douglas Bader effect...

The 25 acts who experienced at least 25 years between visits to the UK Top 20 Singles Chart - José Feliciano being the most recent addition. 1 Bobby Helms 63 years 5 months 1958 - 2022 2 Vera Lynn 62.11 1957 - 2020 3 Ronettes 59.10 1964 - 2024 4 José Feliciano 56.2 1968 - 2025 5 Brenda Lee 53.2 1964 - 2017 6 Gerry and the Pacemakers 47.5 1964 - 2012 7 Neil Diamond 40.6 1981 - 2021 8 Leeds United FC / Team and Supporters 37.11 1972 - 2010 9 Perez Prado 36.7 1958 - 1995 10 Tony Christie 33.2 1972 - 2005 11 Wizzard 32.10 1975 - 2007 12 Lou Reed 31.1 1973 - 2004 13 Mamas and the Papas 29.11 1967 - 1997 14 Donny Osmond 29.10 1974 - 2004 15 Andy Stewart 28.4 1961 - 1989 16 Boney M 28.4 1993 - 2021 17 Bobby Vinton 27.11 1962 - 1990 18 Beatles 27.8 1996 - 2023 19 Yes 27.6 1977 - 2005 20 Arsenal Football Club 27.0 1971 - 1998 21 Sham 69 26.9 1979 - 2006 22 Eddie Cochran 26.6 1961 - 1988 23 Louis Armstrong 26.5 1968 - 1994 24 Nat King Cole 25.0 1962 - 1987 25 Andy Williams 25.0 1974 - 1999

I agree. In the meantime, seven new Top 20 entries would be the most since Ed Sheeran placed 13 tracks in the Top 20 in March 2017.

Yes, it's pretty much a re-entry rather than a cover.

Fairytale has uniquely visited every Top 20 position except for No 1. I guess it will never do it now.

Immaculate as always, thank you JW.

30 I get around Beach Boys 1964 29 You got what it takes Marv Johnson 1960 28 Home lovin' man Andy Williams 1970 27 Everybody hurts REM 1993 26 Visions Cliff Richard 1966 25 Ball of confusion (that's what the world is today) Temptations 1970 24 Pictures of matchstick men [2,000] Status Quo 1968 23 Elenore Turtles 1968 22 Gimme hope Jo'anna Eddy Grant 1988 21 Green onions Booker T and the MG's 1980 20 White lines (don't do it) Grandmaster (Flash) / (Melle Mel) 1984 19 For the good times Perry Como 1973 18 Lamplight David Essex 1973 17 Breaking up is hard to do [1972] Neil Sedaka 1962 16 I'll take you home again Kathleen Slim Whitman 1957 15 Shout [1986] Lulu / (Luvvers) 1964 14 Black Betty [1990] Ram Jam 1977 13 Seven drunken nights Dubliners 1967 12 California man Move 1972 11 Ben Michael Jackson 1972 10 Swinging on a star Big Dee Irwin 1963 9 It's my life Animals 1965 8 We didn't start the fire Billy Joel 1989 7 Arthur's theme (the best that you can do) Christopher Cross 1982 6 Funny familiar forgotten feelings Tom Jones 1967 5 Car 67 Driver 67 1979 4 Girls girls girls Sailor 1976 3 Love cats Cure 1983 2 Logical song Supertramp 1979 1 I get a kick out of you Gary Shearston 1974

Definitely No 9 from 2001 from my own database: moved No 9, No 15 in the Top 20 that November. I make it 721 different songs - or rather 718 because three titles all reached No 7 by two different artists...

Totally.

Good commentary. The only correction is that I do not count the actual number of performers in a group - each act has a value of 1 - so that Sharleen Spiteri (good lady) represented 25% of the four-piece Texas at the time they had their first hit single in 1989. The 29 performers on Band Aid 40 have a total value of 1, just the same as Elvis Presley has a value of 1.

An opinion with much merit... Statistics are just the bonus after the song.

No: Abba is 50% male and 50% female. If a mixed band has, say, 3 men and 1 woman, that's 75% male and 25% female. As an extreme example, 6 of the 29 performers on Band Aid 40 were ladies, so 21% and 23 were gentlemen 79%. I do the same for nationalities: on Band Aid 40 25 (86%) were English, 3 (10%) were Irish and 1 (4%) was from Kosovo (where she was born).

That's a good question: if a song is registered to an artist "featuring" another artist, I only give the credit to the first artist - Lady Gaga - and not to the featured artist - Colby O'Donis. For a song to be credited with all mentioned artists, the performers have to be joined by "and" or "with" or "X". I recognise that this is simply my interpretation of linguistic semantics and I have no problem with others crediting everybody associated with a song, named or not, even to the extent of someone like George Martin who played the piano on several Beatles' tracks without getting performing credits. I just like to draw the line somewhere and to be consistent. It's worked for me for 56 years and counting... sorry 57 years now!!

The gender of the artists who reach the Top 20 charts for singles and albums in the UK. An artist who has one hit is treated the same as another who has had, for example, 50 hits. The Singles Top 20 has seen 4,785 different acts up to the end of 2024; the Albums 2,762. An artist who reaches the Top 20 album chart has an average career of 3 years 8 months and 3 days. An artist who reaches the Top 20 singles chart has an average career of 2 years 2 months and 28 days. The singles hitmakers can expect an average of 3.01 Top 20 hits. For the albums, the average is 3.60 hits.

I think it's great that the ladies have had a stellar 2024 in the UK charts. The media's excitement is justified for the Singles chart but for the Albums, the 2020's still have a way to go to catch up the fairer species from the 1980's. Here are the percentages for each decade. I have split up mixed groups according to how many boys and girls were in each ensemble. Solo, all male and all female are self-explanatory. Albums: 1950's M 80 F 20 1960's M 75 F 25 1970's M 78 F 22 1980's M 70 F 30 1990's M 78 F 22 2000's M 76 F 24 2010's M 77 F 23 2020's M 76 F 24 All time: M 73 F 27 Singles: 1950's M 78 F 22 1960's M 81 F 19 1970's M 79 F 21 1980's M 73 F 27 1990's M 74 F 26 2000's M 74 F 26 2010's M 72 F 28 2020's M 68 F 32 All time: M 74 F 26 (Numeric totals are available).

1. Fairytale of New York Pogues 20 times 2. All I want for Christmas is you Mariah Carey 19 3. Last Christmas Wham! 12 4. Merry Christmas everyone Shakin' Stevens 9 5. Do they know it's Christmas? Band Aid 8 6. Rockin' around the Christmas tree Brenda Lee 8 7. It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas Michael Bublé 8 8. I wish it could be Christmas everyday Wizzard 7 9. Step into Christmas Elton John 7 10. Driving home for Christmas Chris Rea 7 11. Merry Xmas everybody Slade 6 12. Santa tell me Ariana Grande 6 13. One more sleep Leona Lewis 5 14. It's the most wonderful time of the year Andy Williams 5 15. Wonderful Christmastime Paul McCartney 4 16. Happy Christmas (war is over) John Lennon / (Plastic Ono Band) 4 17. Underneath the tree Kelly Clarkson 4 18. Merry Christmas Ed Sheeran and Elton John 3 19. Jingle bell rock Bobby Helms 3 20. Little donkey Beverley Sisters 2 No others more than once.

I'm guessing that's the order you want rather than the points awarded?! Merry Christmas!

I should add that in 1990, Iron Maiden charted 10 quasi albums in the Top 20, which were really 12" singles, too long to be included in the Singles chart - plus one genuine album. So, technically, they equalled Jim Reeves' record.