List of UK top 12 singles in 1952
| 1950s in music in the UK | |
| Number-one singles | |
| Number-one albums | |
| Best-selling singles | |
| Best-selling albums | |
| Summaries and charts 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959 | |
| ←1949 | 1960→ |
| Top 10/12 singles | |
| 1952, 1953, 1954 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959 | |
| 1960→ | |
The UK Singles Chart, compiled by the Official Charts Company, calculates the best-selling record singles of the week in the United Kingdom.[1] New Musical Express (NME) magazine published the United Kingdom record charts for the first time in 1952.[2][3][4] NME originally published only a top 12 (although the first chart had a couple of songs that were tied so a top 15 was announced) but this was gradually extended to encompass a top 20 by October 1954.[5][6][7] Songs that entered the top 12 in 1952 but did not peak until 1953 are included in the table, as well as in List of top 12 singles in 1953 (UK).
Eighteen songs reached their peak in 1952. "Because You're Mine" was recorded by Nat King Cole and Mario Lanza and both versions reached the top 10. Additionally, five songs entered the charts in 1952 but did not peak until 1953. The first song to reach number-one in the United Kingdom was "Here in My Heart" by Al Martino; the song debuted at the top of the charts on 9 November 1952 and spent nine consecutive weeks in that position.[5][8]
American Bing Crosby and British singer Vera Lynn shared the record for most top 12 hits in 1952, both achieving three. One of Crosby's songs, "Zing a Little Zong", was a collaboration with Jane Wyman. This was one of three collaborations to record hit singles in 1952; the others were Doris Day and Frankie Laine ("Sugar Bush", which peaked at number 8), and Johnnie Ray and The Four Lads ("Faith Can Move Mountains", which reached number 7). Lynn had three songs—"The Homing Waltz", "Auf Wiederseh'n Sweetheart" and "Forget Me Not"—in the chart at the same time.
Top 12 singles
Key
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ♦ | Single released in 1952 but peaked in 1953. |
| Entered | The date that the song first appeared in the chart. |
| Peak | Highest position that the song reached in the UK Singles Chart. |
The table is sorted by the date the song entered the chart, then by the date the song reached its peak position in the chart.
| Entered[A] | Weeks in top 12 | Single | Artist | Peak | Peak reached[A] | Weeks at number 1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 November | 7 | "High Noon (Do Not Forsake Me)" | Laine, FrankieFrankie Laine | 7 | 9 November | 0 |
| 9 November | 8[B] | "Sugar Bush" | Day, DorisDoris Day and Frankie Laine | 8 | 9 November | 0 |
| 9 November | 4[B] | "Blue Tango" | Martin, RayRay Martin | 8 | 9 November | 0 |
| 9 November | 3 | "The Homing Waltz" | Lynn, VeraVera Lynn | 9 | 9 November | 0 |
| 9 November | 1 | "Auf Wiederseh'n Sweetheart" | Lynn, VeraVera Lynn | 10 | 9 November | 0 |
| 9 November | 1 | "Walkin' My Baby Back Home" | Ray, JohnnieJohnnie Ray | 12 | 9 November | 0 |
| 9 November | 18 | "Here in My Heart" | Martino, AlAl Martino | 1 | 16 November | 9 |
| 9 November | 7 | "Somewhere Along the Way" | Cole, Nat KingNat King Cole | 3 | 16 November | 0 |
| 9 November | 10 | "Feet Up" | Mitchell, GuyGuy Mitchell | 2 | 16 November | 0 |
| 9 November | 9 | "Half as Much" | Clooney, RosemaryRosemary Clooney | 3 | 16 November | 0 |
| 9 November | 24 | "Because You're Mine" | Lanza, MarioMario Lanza | 3 | 30 November | 0 |
| 9 November | 6[B] | "Forget Me Not" | Lynn, VeraVera Lynn | 5 | 7 December | 0 |
| 9 November | 12 | "Isle of Innisfree" | Crosby, BingBing Crosby | 3 | 7 December | 0 |
| 9 November | 19 | "You Belong to Me"♦ | Stafford, JoJo Stafford | 1 | 11 January | 1 |
| 9 November | 8[C] | "Cowpuncher's Cantata"♦ | Bygraves, MaxMax Bygraves | 6 | 18 January | 0 |
| 16 November | 1 | "Take My Heart" | Martino, AlAl Martino | 9 | 16 November | 0 |
| 16 November | 2 | "My Love and Devotion" | Day, DorisDoris Day | 10 | 23 November | 0 |
| 30 November | 2 | "Zing a Little Zong" | Crosby, BingBing Crosby and Jane Wyman | 10 | 30 November | 0 |
| 30 November | 16 | "Comes A-Long A-Love"♦ | Starr, KayKay Starr | 1 | 18 January | 1 |
| 7 December | 6[B] | "Britannia Rag"♦ | Atwell, WinifredWinifred Atwell | 5 | 18 January | 0 |
| 14 December | 3 | "White Christmas" | Mantovani | 6 | 14 December | 0 |
| 14 December | 3 | "Because You're Mine" | Cole, Nat KingNat King Cole | 6 | 14 December | 0 |
| 14 December | 3[B] | "Faith Can Move Mountains" | Ray, JohnnieJohnnie Ray and The Four Lads | 7 | 14 December | 0 |
| 14 December | 2 | "Silent Night, Holy Night" | Crosby, BingBing Crosby | 8 | 14 December | 0 |
| 14 December | 2 | "Jambalaya (On the Bayou)" | Stafford, JoJo Stafford | 11 | 14 December | 0 |
| 14 December | 4[B] | "Walkin' to Missouri"♦ | Brent, TonyTony Brent | 7 | 4 January | 0 |
| 14 December | 10 | "Takes Two to Tango"♦ | Armstrong, LouisLouis Armstrong | 6 | 18 January | 0 |
Notes
- A The dates are for when the song charted, which is six days before the published "Week ending" date.
- B Re-entered the chart on one occasion.
- C Re-entered the chart three times in early 1953.
Entries by artist
| Artist | Number of top 12 singles |
|---|---|
| Crosby, BingBing Crosby | 3 |
| Lynn, VeraVera Lynn | 3 |
| Cole, Nat KingNat King Cole | 2 |
| Day, DorisDoris Day | 2 |
| Laine, FrankieFrankie Laine | 2 |
| Martino, AlAl Martino | 2 |
| Ray, JohnnieJohnnie Ray | 2 |
| Stafford, JoJo Stafford | 2[D] |
Notes
- D Figure includes song that peaked in 1953.
See also
References
- General
- "UK Top 40 Chart Archive". everyhit.com. Retrieved 19 May 2010. (Type artist or song into search box and click "Search".)
- "UK Singles & Albums Chart Archive". Chart Stats. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
- Osborne, Roger (1995). The Complete NME Singles Charts (2nd edition). Boxtree Limited.
- Osborne, Roger; Rees, Daffyd; Lazell, Barry (1992). 40 Years of NME Charts. Boxtree Limited.
- Specific
- ↑ "The Official UK Charts Company". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2 January 2010.
- ↑ "The Story of the Single". BBC News. British Broadcasting Corporation. 23 March 2001. Retrieved 19 May 2010.
- ↑ "'The Godfather' singer Al Martino dies". New Musical Express. 14 October 2009. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
- ↑ "Key dates in the history of the Official UK Charts (archived)". The Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 10 January 2008. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
- 1 2 "Top 10 chart starts to sound a little off-key". Yorkshire Post. 17 January 2005. Retrieved 19 May 2010.
- ↑ "First ever top 12: 14 November 1952". The Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 10 January 2008. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
- ↑ "First ever top 20: 01 October 1954". The Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 10 January 2008. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
- ↑ "Announcing the first record Hit Parade". New Musical Express. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
