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| List of number one singles | |
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This is a summary of the year 2008 in British music. 21 singles occupied the number one position during the year, with 11 being new releases. Because of the increase in downloads over physical sales, singles now tend to enter the chart at a lower position, before climbing to the top a few weeks later: a trend which was previously unseen in the 90's/00's. The average sale for a number one, for the whole of 2008 was 71,528, a vast improvement over 2007, when the average sale for a number one was 55,425.[citation needed] Sales slowly, but surely, improved each week.[citation needed]
Contents |
[edit] Summary
[edit] January
The 6 January chart saw The X Factor winner Leon Jackson at number one in the Singles Chart for a third week with "When You Believe". Radiohead achieved their fifth number-one album at the start of the month with In Rainbows, an album released three months earlier on the group's website on a "pay what you want" policy. Nickelback climbed into the top ten with "Rockstar" and Soulja Boy Tell 'Em's "Crank That (Soulja Boy)" climbed to number two.
Amy Macdonald climbed to number one on 13 January with her debut album This Is the Life, six months after the album's release. Swedish DJ Basshunter went to number one with his UK debut single "Now You're Gone". Britney Spears climbed to number two with "Piece of Me", while Lupe Fiasco debuted in the top ten on downloads alone with "Superstar".
London band Scouting for Girls climbed to number one on 20 January with their eponymous debut album Scouting for Girls, on the strength of the success of their singles "She's So Lovely" and "Elvis Ain't Dead". "Chasing Cars" by Snow Patrol overtook "Amazing Grace" by Judy Collins to become the second most charted single in the history of the UK charts with 68 weeks inside the top 75. BRIT School graduate Adele entered the top ten at number two on downloads alone with "Chasing Pavements", while Kanye West's latest single "Homecoming", featuring Chris Martin, peaked at number nine, and "Be Mine!", the fourth single from Robyn's eponymous top 20 album Robyn, climbed 13 places to its peak at number ten.
On 27 January, Basshunter stayed at number one for a third week, holding off the heavily-favoured Adele, who failed to climb from her download-only position of number two with a physical release of "Chasing Pavements". Nickelback's "Rockstar" reached a new peak of number three fourteen weeks after its initial debut, and Kelly Rowland climbed to number seven on downloads alone making a jump of 24 places with "Work". On the Albums Chart, Lupe Fiasco's album Lupe Fiasco's The Cool debuted at number seven, and Robert Plant and Alison Krauss's Raising Sand took the runner-up spot and a new peak behind Scouting for Girls.
[edit] February
On 3 February, Adele's debut album 19 went in at number one. Nickelback's All The Right Reasons climbed seven places to number three, and Welsh metalcore band Bullet for My Valentine were new at number five with Scream Aim Fire. In the singles, Basshunter held on to the top spot for a fourth week, while Kelly Rowland climbed to number four. There were new entries for electropop band Hot Chip at number six with "Ready for the Floor" and indie group One Night Only with "Just For Tonight" at number nine. British singer/songwriter David Jordan made his top ten debut with "Sun Goes Down" at number ten.
Hawaiian singer/songwriter Jack Johnson's album Sleep Through The Static was new at the top on 10 February. There were new entries for Hot Chip at number four with Made in the Dark and Mary J. Blige's Growing Pains at number six. Basshunter made it five weeks as the number one single, seeing off tough competition from Nickelback (number two) and Adele (number three), while David Jordan climbed to number five. Wet Wet Wet, who went to number one for fifteen weeks in 1994 with "Love Is All Around", scored their first top ten single in eleven years with "Weightless" at number ten, and soft rock band The Feeling also returned to the chart at number twelve with "I Thought It Was Over", the first single from their second album Join With Us.
Soul diva Duffy, who came second in the BBC's Sound of 2008 poll, entered the chart at number one with her retro-pop style second single "Mercy" on 17 February, pushing Basshunter down to number three. Dance act H "Two" O debuted in the chart with "What's It Gonna Be" at number seven, while Goldfrapp's "A&E" climbed into the top ten. US pop rock band OneRepublic, who enjoyed success in 2007 with their debut single "Apologize", were new at number eleven with follow-up single "Stop & Stare".
The 2008 BRIT Awards took place on 20 February at Earls Court in London. Winners included Foo Fighters, Kate Nash, Mika and Take That (see Brit Awards).
On 24 February, Duffy stayed at number one for a second week, while Nickelback were replaced by H "Two" O at number two. Kylie Minogue's "Wow" climbed into the top ten, as did OneRepublic's "Stop & Stare". After a successful performance at the BRIT Awards ceremony, Mark Ronson and Amy Winehouse's "Valerie" climbed back into the top twenty, over thirty weeks after its original release. Ronson and Winehouse also saw an increase in sales of their albums, with Version and Back to Black both re-entering the top five.
The Shockwaves NME Awards 2008 took place on 28 February at The O2 in London. Winners included The Enemy, The Killers, Klaxons, Manic Street Preachers and Radiohead.
[edit] March
On 1 March, The X Factor finalist Andy Abraham's song "Even If" won the BBC's Eurovision: Your Decision 2008 show, and therefore was chosen to represent the UK in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 final in Belgrade, Serbia on 24 May.
Three months after its initial release, the deluxe edition of Amy Winehouse's Grammy Award-winning sophomore album Back to Black climbed to number one on 2 March, holding off Goldfrapp's fourth studio album Seventh Tree which entered the chart at number two. Duffy held on to the singles top spot for a third week, managing to keep H "Two" O, Nickelback and Kylie Minogue all from climbing up.
Leona Lewis' double A-side Sport Relief charity single "Better in Time/Footprints in the Sand" peaked at number two on 16 March, earning Lewis her third consecutive UK top three hit. Dance duo Utah Saints climbed into the top ten with the remixed version of their 1992 hit "Something Good", while alternative rock band Panic at the Disco entered the chart at number fourteen with "Nine In The Afternoon", the first single from their sophomore album Pretty. Odd.. Duffy stayed on top of the albums for a second week with her debut Rockferry.
On 23 March, London hip-hop sensation Estelle's single "American Boy", a collaboration with Kanye West, went to number one on download sales alone. Madonna returned to the chart with the Timbaland-produced "4 Minutes", featuring vocals from Justin Timberlake, at number seven. Girls Aloud scored their eighteenth UK top ten single with "Can't Speak French" which climbed to number nine, while their rivals the Sugababes missed out on the top ten with "Denial" peaking at number fifteen.
US rapper Flo Rida's "Low" was denied the top spot on 30 March, as Estelle and Kanye West held on for a second week. House musician Sam Sparro climbed into the top ten with "Black and Gold", as did Chris Brown's "With You". Duffy's album Rockferry stayed at number one for a fourth week, seeing off competition from Panic at the Disco, Foals and OneRepublic.
[edit] April
In April, Madonna and Justin Timberlake's "4 Minutes" climbed to number one, earning Madonna her thirteenth UK number one single. Mariah Carey and Usher both returned to the top ten with "Touch My Body" and "Love in This Club" respectively. Hip-hop star will.i.am's second solo single "Heartbreaker", featuring guest vocals from Girls Aloud's Cheryl Cole, entered the top ten, along with British rapper Wiley's "Wearing My Rolex". New albums from R.E.M., The Kooks and Arctic Monkeys' frontman Alex Turner's side project The Last Shadow Puppets all topped the charts. Coldplay released their new single "Violet Hill" on their website as a free of charge download for one week, and it was subsequently downloaded two million times.
[edit] May
Number one albums in May were Madonna's Hard Candy, Scooter's Jumping All Over the World, Neil Diamond's Home Before Dark, and We Started Nothing by The Ting Tings, who also went to number one in the Singles Chart with their second single "That's Not My Name". Other new entries to the top ten included "In My Arms" by Kylie Minogue, Duffy's third single "Warwick Avenue", Coldplay's "Violet Hill", which was released commercially on 6 May, and Rihanna's "Take a Bow", which later climbed to number one.
Andy Abraham's song "Even If" represented the UK in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 final in Belgrade, Serbia on 24 May. The song received just fourteen points and came joint last, raising questions over the United Kingdom's future in the contest.
[edit] June
After it was featured in George Sampson's winning performance on Britain's Got Talent, Mint Royale's 2005 top 20 hit "Singin' in the Rain" re-entered the Singles Chart in June at number one following strong download sales. Other new additions to the top ten included American singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles and Australian teen sensation Gabriella Cilmi, along with R&B singers Chris Brown ("Forever"), Jordin Sparks ("No Air"), and Ne-Yo, who climbed to number one with latest single "Closer" - his second UK number one single to date. June was a big month for Coldplay, as they earned their first UK number one single with "Viva la Vida" and their album of the same name also went to number one, selling over 300,000 copies in its first week of release. Albums from Usher and Paul Weller also topped the charts.
[edit] July
In July, Dizzee Rascal's project with Calvin Harris and Chrome - "Dance Wiv Me" - claimed the top spot on download sales alone; the first UK number one single for all three artists. Basshunter returned to the top five with "All I Ever Wanted", while his debut UK album Now You're Gone – The Album topped the Album Chart for one week. Country rocker Kid Rock made his top ten debut with "All Summer Long", and McFly scored their fourteenth top ten single with "One for the Radio". Other new additions to the top ten included singles by The Ting Tings ("Shut Up and Let Me Go") and Madonna ("Give It 2 Me").
The 2008 T in the Park festival took place on 11, 12, and 13 July at Balado, in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. Headlining acts included The Verve, Rage Against the Machine, R.E.M., and the Kaiser Chiefs.
[edit] August
On 3 August, Kid Rock's "All Summer Long" replaced Dizzee Rascal's "Dance Wiv Me" at number one. One week later, however, American singer-songwriter Katy Perry's controversial debut UK single "I Kissed a Girl" claimed the top spot, after reaching number one in over twenty other countries. Elsewhere in August, Rihanna returned to the top ten with "Disturbia", and folk rock band Noah and the Whale made their top ten debut with "5 Years Time". Other new additions to the top ten included singles by Scottish band Biffy Clyro ("Mountains") and Norwegian band Madcon ("Beggin'"). Following the success of Mamma Mia! The Movie, ABBA's greatest hits album returned to number one - 16 years after it was originally released. Pop rock band The Script's debut album Script, and The Verve's comeback LP Forth also topped the charts.
[edit] September
"I Kissed A Girl" remained at number 1 for the fifth week in a row and Forth from The Verve stayed at number 1 in the album chart. Pussycat Dolls came back (with 1 less member) and their new single "When I Grow Up" which charted at number 3 on downloads alone. Kings of Leon soar to the top of the UK singles chart on 14th September with "Sex On Fire". It remained at the top spot the following week. Ne-Yo's third album Year of the Gentleman enters at number 2 on 21st September. Dreamgirls actress and formed American Idol contestant Jennifer Hudson enters at 15. On 28th September, Kings of Leon stay at number one for a third week. Their new album soars to the top of the album chart, with over 200,000 sales.
[edit] October
On 5 October Pink made it to number 1 with her new single So What. Sugababes made a comeback with Girls which got to number 3 on the singles chart.
Oasis (Dig Out Your Soul), Boyzone (Back Again - No Matter What) and Keane (Perfect Symmetry) all had new albums, whilst, Kaiser Chiefs (Off With Their Heads) got to number 2 and Leon Jackson (Right Now) got to number 4 on 26 October.
On 20 October, Girls Aloud rocketed to number 1 on the iTunes chart, after a performance on The X Factor. This makes it the 7th X Factor related single of 2008 to chart. The Friday midweek sales show that Girls Aloud, with sales of nearly 60,000, had already outsold forty one of the forty three weekly number one sales so far, and more than twice the sales of two of those. It had already outsold Coldplay's Viva la Vida first week sales on its day of release. It is incredibly likely to be one of the year's biggest selling singles, and has outsold the biggest one week sales of 2008, overtaking Duffy's (Mercy) 72,724. It sold 77,110 in its first week. The Promise was number 1 on the official singles chart, their first number 1 since last years Walk This Way with Sugababes.
Also on 25 October all of the twelve finalists of the fifth series of the The X Factor performed a new song for the Help for Heroes charity which Simon Cowell predicted will go straight to the top of the charts. It was released on download on 26 October and single on 27 October. On 27 October it shot to number 1 on the iTunes chart, overtaking X Factor judge and bandmates Girls Aloud. Midweek sales revealed that this single had sold 100,500 copies on its first day - more than any single of 2008 so far has sold in a week, and more than twice the average weekly sale.
[edit] November
The X Factor Finalists reached number one on 2 November selling over 300,000 copies in it's first week of release. On November 9 there were new entries by many well-known female artists including Christina Aguilera (Keeps Gettin' Better), Alesha Dixon (The Boy Does Nothing), Leona Lewis (Forgive Me), Britney Spears (Womanizer) and Beyoncé (If I Were a Boy) which charted at 14, 8, 5, 4 and 2 respectively.
Pink's new album Funhouse got the 1st No.1 album of November selling 112,000+, whilst there were new entries by Snow Patrol and Celine Dion, a week later Pink was knocked off the Album chart by Girls Aloud who scored their second number one album with Out of Control whilst there were greatest hits albums from Status Quo and Enrique Iglesias.
Beyoncé scored her 4th No.1 with If I Were a Boy knocking off charity single Hero after it's 3 week reign. The next week it was knocked off by Take That's new song, who scored their 11th No.1 single with Greatest Day.
The deluxe version of Leona Lewis's debut album Spirit: The Deluxe Edition was released and shot straight to No.1 knocking off Il Divo's The Promise. Spirit: The Deluxe Edition was then knocked off by The Killers' 4th album Day & Age.
[edit] December
Leona Lewis' version of the Snow Patrol track "Run" was released digitally and went to number one on 7 December with sales of over 130,000 copies. Lewis held the top spot the following week too, selling a further 85,034 copies of the single in its second week of release. Take That's fifth studio album The Circus went to number one with sales of over 432,000 copies in its first week of release, while Britney Spears' sixth studio LP - similarly entitled Circus - charted at number four. Many classic Christmas songs, including Wham!'s "Last Christmas" and "Fairytale of New York" by The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl, returned to the chart throughout December.
Alexandra Burke won the fifth series of The X Factor on 13 December, and released her debut single - a cover of Leonard Cohen's track "Hallelujah" - on 14 December. The single sold over 576,000 copies in its first week of release, and was the Christmas number one single of 2008. The late Jeff Buckley's version of "Hallelujah" - originally recorded for his 1994 album Grace - charted at number two, following a campaign to raise Buckley's version higher in the chart than Burke's version. Elsewhere in the Christmas chart, Geraldine McQueen's Christmas single "Once Upon a Christmas Song" charted at number five, while James Morrison and Nelly Furtado's "Broken Strings" climbed to number six. "Listen", a song recorded by Beyoncé for the 2006 movie Dreamgirls, returned to the top ten after Beyoncé and Alexandra Burke performed the track together on the final of The X Factor. Take That's The Circus was the Christmas number one album of 2008.
The competitors for this year's Year-End No.1 were: Duffy with Mercy, The X Factor Finalists with Hero, Alexandra Burke with Hallelujah, Nickelback with Rockstar and Katy Perry with I Kissed a Girl. Alexandra Burke got the spot on 28th December, the first X Factor winner to achieve this with their winner's song.
[edit] Number-ones
[edit] Number-one singles
| Issue date | Song title | Artist | Sales[1] |
| 6 January | "When You Believe" | Leon Jackson | 32,098 |
| 13 January | "Now You're Gone" | Basshunter | 35,112 |
| 20 January | "Now You're Gone" | Basshunter | 47,930 |
| 27 January | "Now You're Gone" | Basshunter | 43,841 |
| 3 February | "Now You're Gone" | Basshunter | 38,356 |
| 10 February | "Now You're Gone" | Basshunter | 35,739 |
| 17 February | "Mercy" | Duffy | 38,366 |
| 24 February | "Mercy" | Duffy | 50,962 |
| 2 March | "Mercy" | Duffy | 72,724 |
| 9 March | "Mercy" | Duffy | 53,594 |
| 16 March | "Mercy" | Duffy | 40,778 |
| 23 March | "American Boy" | Estelle featuring Kanye West | 51,857 |
| 30 March | "American Boy" | Estelle featuring Kanye West | 60,497 |
| 6 April | "American Boy" | Estelle featuring Kanye West | 49,690 |
| 13 April | "American Boy" | Estelle featuring Kanye West | 39,376 |
| 20 April | "4 Minutes" | Madonna featuring Justin Timberlake | 40,634 |
| 27 April | "4 Minutes" | Madonna featuring Justin Timberlake | 49,771 |
| 4 May | "4 Minutes" | Madonna featuring Justin Timberlake | 38,965 |
| 11 May | "4 Minutes" | Madonna featuring Justin Timberlake | 29,821 |
| 18 May | "That's Not My Name" | The Ting Tings | 40,204 |
| 25 May | "Take a Bow" | Rihanna | 41,005 |
| 1 June | "Take a Bow" | Rihanna | 35,561 |
| 8 June | "Singin' in the Rain" | Mint Royale | 45,987 |
| 15 June | "Singin' in the Rain" | Mint Royale | 27,537 |
| 22 June | "Viva la Vida" | Coldplay | 23,212 |
| 29 June | "Closer" | Ne-Yo | 30,676 |
| 6 July | "Dance Wiv Me" | Dizzee Rascal featuring Calvin Harris & Chrome | 49,414 |
| 13 July | "Dance Wiv Me" | Dizzee Rascal featuring Calvin Harris & Chrome | 53,083 |
| 20 July | "Dance Wiv Me" | Dizzee Rascal featuring Calvin Harris & Chrome | 41,879 |
| 27 July | "Dance Wiv Me" | Dizzee Rascal featuring Calvin Harris & Chrome | 38,275 |
| 3 August | "All Summer Long" | Kid Rock | 37,111 |
| 10 August | "I Kissed a Girl" | Katy Perry | 45,935 |
| 17 August | "I Kissed a Girl" | Katy Perry | 44,500 |
| 24 August | "I Kissed a Girl" | Katy Perry | 41,131 |
| 31 August | "I Kissed a Girl" | Katy Perry | 40,587 |
| 7 September | "I Kissed a Girl" | Katy Perry | 46,293 |
| 14 September | "Sex on Fire" | Kings of Leon | 44,943 |
| 21 September | "Sex on Fire" | Kings of Leon | 50,834 |
| 28 September | "Sex on Fire" | Kings of Leon | 44,936 |
| 5 October | "So What" | Pink | 53,264 |
| 12 October | "So What" | Pink | 44,037 |
| 19 October | "So What" | Pink | 44,982 |
| 26 October | "The Promise" | Girls Aloud | 77,110 |
| 2 November | "Hero" | The X Factor Finalists | 313,244 |
| 9 November | "Hero" | The X Factor Finalists | 189,600 |
| 16 November | "Hero" | The X Factor Finalists | 101,183 |
| 23 November | "If I Were a Boy" | Beyoncé | 47,949 |
| 30 November | "Greatest Day" | Take That | 70,302 |
| 7 December | "Run" | Leona Lewis | 131,593 |
| 14 December | "Run" | Leona Lewis | 85,034 |
| 21 December | "Hallelujah" | Alexandra Burke | 576,046 |
| 28 December | "Hallelujah" | Alexandra Burke | 311,887 |
[edit] Number-one downloads
| Issue date | Song Title | Artist |
| 2 January | "When You Believe" | Leon Jackson |
| 9 January | "Apologize" | Timbaland Feat. OneRepublic |
| 16 January | "Now You're Gone" | Basshunter Feat. DJ Mental Theo's Bazzheadz |
| 23 January | "Now You're Gone" | Basshunter Feat. DJ Mental Theo's Bazzheadz |
| 30 January | "Now You're Gone" | Basshunter Feat. DJ Mental Theo's Bazzheadz |
| 6 February | "Chasing Pavements" | Adele |
| 13 February | "Rockstar" | Nickelback |
| 20 February | "Mercy" | Duffy |
| 27 February | "Mercy" | Duffy |
| 5 March | "Mercy" | Duffy |
| 12 March | "Mercy" | Duffy |
| 19 March | "Mercy" | Duffy |
| 26 March | "American Boy" | Estelle Feat. Kanye West |
| 2 April | "American Boy" | Estelle Feat. Kanye West |
| 9 April | "American Boy" | Estelle Feat. Kanye West |
| 16 April | "American Boy" | Estelle Feat. Kanye West |
| 23 April | "4 Minutes" | Madonna Feat. Justin Timberlake |
| 30 April | "4 Minutes" | Madonna Feat. Justin Timberlake |
| 7 May | "4 Minutes" | Madonna Feat. Justin Timberlake |
| 14 May | "4 Minutes" | Madonna Feat. Justin Timberlake |
| 21 May | "Take a Bow" | Rihanna |
| 28 May | "That's Not My Name" | The Ting Tings |
| 4 June | "Take a Bow" | Rihanna |
| 11 June | "Singin' in the Rain" | Mint Royale |
| 18 June | "Singin' in the Rain" | Mint Royale |
| 25 June | "Viva la Vida" | Coldplay |
| 2 July | "Viva la Vida" | Coldplay |
| 9 July | "Dance Wiv Me" | Dizzee Rascal Feat. Calvin Harris & Chrome |
| 16 July | "Dance Wiv Me" | Dizzee Rascal Feat. Calvin Harris & Chrome |
| 23 July | "Dance Wiv Me" | Dizzee Rascal Feat. Calvin Harris & Chrome |
| 30 July | "Dance Wiv Me" | Dizzee Rascal Feat. Calvin Harris & Chrome |
| 6 August | "All Summer Long" | Kid Rock |
| 13 August | "I Kissed a Girl" | Katy Perry |
| 20 August | "I Kissed a Girl" | Katy Perry |
| 27 August | "I Kissed a Girl" | Katy Perry |
| 3 September | "I Kissed a Girl" | Katy Perry |
| 10 September | "I Kissed a Girl" | Katy Perry |
| 17 September | "Sex on Fire" | Kings of Leon |
| 24 September | "Sex on Fire" | Kings of Leon |
| 1 October | "Sex on Fire" | Kings of Leon |
| 8 October | "So What" | Pink |
| 15 October | "So What" | Pink |
| 22 October | "So What" | Pink |
| 29 October | "The Promise" | Girls Aloud |
| 5 November | "Hero" | X Factor Finalists |
| 12 November | "Hero" | X Factor Finalists |
| 19 November | "Live Your Life" | T.I. Feat. Rihanna |
| 26 November | "If I Were a Boy" | Beyoncé |
| 3 December | "Greatest Day" | Take That |
| 10 December | "Run" | Leona Lewis |
| 17 December | "Run" | Leona Lewis |
| 24 December | "Hallelujah" | Alexandra Burke |
| 31 December | "Hallelujah" | Alexandra Burke |
[edit] Number-one albums
[edit] Year-End Charts
[edit] Top 40 singles of 2008
[edit] Top 40 albums of 2008
Not all of the albums and singles peaked in 2008. Only the number one albums have been stated what year they peaked.
[edit] British Music awards
[edit] Brit Awards
The 2008 BRIT Awards were hosted by Ozzy, Sharon, Kelly and Jack Osbourne on February 20, 2008.
- British male solo artist: Mark Ronson
- British female solo artist: Kate Nash
- British group: Arctic Monkeys
- MasterCard British album: Arctic Monkeys - Favourite Worst Nightmare
- British single: Take That - "Shine"
- British breakthrough act: Mika
- British live act: Take That
- International male solo artist: Kanye West
- International female solo artist: Kylie Minogue
- International group: Foo Fighters
- International album: Foo Fighters - Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace
- Critic's Choice: Adele
- Outstanding Contribution to Music: Sir Paul McCartney
[edit] Mercury Prize
The 2008 Mercury Prize was awarded to Elbow - The Seldom Seen Kid
[edit] Popjustice £20 Music Prize
The 2008 Popjustice £20 Music Prize was awarded to Girls Aloud - "Call The Shots"
[edit] Record of the Year
The The Record of the Year was awarded to Nickelback - "Rockstar"