List of number one hits in the UK charts (1961)

This is a list of the number one hits on the UK charts in 1961. It is based on the Official Singles Chart Top 50 and Albums Chart Top 20 compiled by the Chart Information Network . There were 21 number one singles and 7 number one albums that year.

Singles • Albums • Hit parades of the year • Bottom of page

Singles

← 1960 ←	List of number one hits in the UK charts			1962 →
Period Where. total Interpreter Title Author (s) Additional Information (Period, weeks in first place, artist, title , author [s], additional information) December 23, 1960 - January 5, 1961 2 weeks 2 Cliff Richard and the Shadows I Love You Peter W. Allen, Jeff Barry - January 6, 1961 - January 19, 1961 2 weeks 2 Johnny Tillotson Poetry in Motion Paul Kaufman, Mike Anthony - January 20, 1961 - February 16, 1961 4 weeks 4th Elvis Presley Are You Lonesome Tonight? Lou Handman , Roy Turk - February 17, 1961 - February 23, 1961 1 week 1 Petula Clark Sailor Fini Busch , Werner Scharfenberger , David West In Sailor is an adaptation of the German Schlager sailor (your home is the sea) from the Austrian singer Lolita . Clark achieved the top position in Great Britain for the first time. The German authors Busch and Scharfenberger also reached the top of the British charts for the first time. February 24, 1961 - March 16, 1961 3 weeks 3 The Everly Brothers Walk Right Back / Ebony Eyes Sonny Curtis / John D. Loudermilk - March 17, 1961 - April 27, 1961 6 weeks 6th Elvis Presley Wooden Heart Traditional; Editors: Kathleen G. Twomey, Berthold Kaempfert ; English text: Fred Wise, Ben Weisman - April 28, 1961 - May 11, 1961 2 weeks 2 The Marcels Blue Moon Music: Richard Rodgers ; Text: Lorenz Hart - May 12, 1961 - May 18, 1961 1 week 1 Floyd Cramer On the rebound Floyd Cramer - May 19, 1961 - May 25, 1961 1 week 1 The Temperance Seven You're Driving Me Crazy Walter Donaldson - May 26, 1961 - June 22, 1961 4 weeks 4th Elvis Presley Whirring music: Ernesto de Curtis; Editors: Doc Pomus , Mort Shuman - June 23, 1961 - July 13, 1961 3 weeks 3 Del Shannon Runaway Max D. Crook, Del Shannon - July 14, 1961 - July 27, 1961 2 weeks 2 The Everly Brothers Temptation Music: Nacio Herb Brown ; Text: Arthur Freed - July 28, 1961 - August 3, 1961 1 week 1 Eden Kane Well I Ask You Les Vandyke - August 4, 1961 - August 24, 1961 3 weeks 3 Helen Shapiro You Don't Know John Francis Schroeder, Michael Edwin Hawker - August 25, 1961 - September 14, 1961 3 weeks (4 in total) 4th John Leyton Johnny Remember Me Geoffrey Goddard - September 15, 1961 - September 21, 1961 1 week 1 Shirley Bassey Reach for the Stars / Climb Ev'ry Mountain Udo Jürgens ; English text: David West / Music: Richard Rodgers ; Text: Oscar Hammerstein II - September 22, 1961 - September 28, 1961 1 week (4 in total) 4th John Leyton Johnny Remember Me Geoffrey Goddard - September 29, 1961 - October 5, 1961 1 week 1 The Shadows Kon-Tiki Michael Carr - October 6, 1961 - October 12, 1961 1 week 1 The Highwaymen Michael Traditional; Text: David L. Fisher - October 13, 1961 - November 2, 1961 3 weeks 3 Helen Shapiro Walkin 'Back to Happiness John Francis Schroeder, Michael Edwin Hawker - November 3, 1961 - November 30, 1961 4 weeks 4th Elvis Presley His Latest Flame / Little Sister Doc Pomus , Mort Shuman - December 1, 1961 - December 21, 1961 3 weeks 3 Frankie Vaughan Tower of Strength Burt F. Bacharach , Bob Hilliard - December 22, 1961 - January 4, 1962 2 weeks 2 Danny Williams Moon River Music: Henry N. Mancini ; Text: John H. Mercer -
← 1960				→ 1962 →

Albums

← 1960 ←	List of number one hits in the UK charts			1962 →
Period Where. total Interpreter title Additional Information (Period, weeks in first place, artist, title , additional information) October 9, 1960 - January 7, 1961 13 weeks (115 in total) 115 ( Soundtrack ) South Pacific - January 8, 1961 - February 27, 1961 8 weeks (total 22) 22nd Elvis Presley GI blues - February 28, 1961 - March 4, 1961 1 week (115 in total) 115 (Soundtrack) South Pacific - March 5, 1961 - March 25, 1961 3 weeks (total 22) 22nd Elvis Presley GI blues - March 26, 1961 - April 1, 1961 1 week (115 in total) 115 (Soundtrack) South Pacific - April 2, 1961 - June 24, 1961 12 weeks (total 22) 22nd Elvis Presley GI blues - June 25, 1961 - July 22, 1961 4 weeks (115 in total) 115 (Soundtrack) South Pacific - July 23, 1961 - August 19, 1961 4 weeks (9 in total) 9 George Mitchell Minstrels The Black and White Minstrel Show - August 20, 1961 - August 26, 1961 1 week (115 in total) 115 (Soundtrack) South Pacific - August 27, 1961 - September 2, 1961 1 week (9 in total) 9 George Mitchell Minstrels The Black and White Minstrel Show - September 3, 1961 - September 9, 1961 1 week (115 in total) 115 (Soundtrack) South Pacific - September 10, 1961 - September 16, 1961 1 week (9 in total) 9 George Mitchell Minstrels The Black and White Minstrel Show - September 17, 1961 - October 14, 1961 4 weeks (total 5) 5 The Shadows The Shadows - October 15, 1961 - October 21, 1961 1 week (9 in total) 9 George Mitchell Minstrels The Black and White Minstrel Show - October 22, 1961 - October 28, 1961 1 week (total 5) 5 The Shadows The Shadows - October 29, 1961 - November 4, 1961 1 week 1 Cliff Richard and the Shadows I'm 21 today - November 5, 1961 - December 30, 1961 8 weeks 8th George Mitchell Minstrels Another Black and White Minstrel Show - December 31, 1961 - January 6, 1962 1 week (total of 18) 18th Elvis Presley Blue Hawaii -
← 1960				→ 1962 →

---

The figures are based on the Chart Information Network's official UK sales hit parades . The dates refer to the validity date of the charts, i.e. the week following the sales week.

Annual hit parades

← 1960 ←	List of number one hits in the UK charts			1962 →
Singles position# Albums Runaway Del Shannon Max D. Crook, Del Shannon 1 GI Blues Elvis Presley Wooden Heart Elvis Presley Traditional; Editors: Kathleen G. Twomey, Berthold Kaempfert ; English text: Fred Wise, Ben Weisman 2 Another Black and White Minstrel Show George Mitchell Minstrels You Don't Know Helen Shapiro John Francis Schroeder, Michael Edwin Hawker 3 South Pacific ( soundtrack ) Halfway to Paradise Billy Fury Carole King , Gerry Goffin 4th The Shadows The Shadows Well I Ask You Eden Kane Les Vandyke 5 The Black and White Minstrel Show George Mitchell Minstrels Are You Sure The Allisons Music: John Brian Alford ; Text: Bob Colin Day 6th The Sound of Music ( Original London Cast ) Walkin 'Back to Happiness Helen Shapiro John Francis Schroeder, Michael Edwin Hawker 7th I'm 21 Today Cliff Richard and the Shadows Walk Right Back / Ebony Eyes The Everly Brothers Sonny Curtis / John D. Loudermilk 8th The Roaring Twenties - Songs from the TV Series Dorothy Provine His Latest Flame / Little Sister Elvis Presley Doc Pomus , Mort Shuman 9 Listen to Cliff Cliff Richard and the Shadows Johnny Remember Me John Leyton Geoffrey Goddard 10 The Best of Barber and Bilk Volume 1 Cris Barber & Mr Acker Bilk
← 1960				→ 1962 →

swell

• British Hit Singles & Albums. 18th Edition, Guinness World Records Limited 2005, ISBN 978-1-904994-00-8 .
• GEMA repertoire search

Web links

• Official Charts: All The Number 1 Singles
• Chart Surfer: Number 1 - Hits UK 1961
• everyhit: Top Hits of 1961 / Top Albums of 1961

See also: 1961 number one hits in Australia , Belgium , Germany , France , Italy , the Netherlands , Norway , Spain, and the United States .