‘She Loves You’, The Beatles’ second number one hit, has topped a chart of the group’s biggest selling songs in the United Kingdom.
The chart was commissioned by BBC Radio 2, and was compiled by the Official UK Charts Company. It collated the all-time best-selling singles by The Beatles, including the songs’ various re-releases.
Although ‘Love Me Do’ only reached number 17 upon its release in 1962, over the years it outsold the follow-up, ‘Please Please Me’.
Elsewhere, although it has the most cover versions of any song ever written, ‘Yesterday’ was only released as a single in 1976, and so peaks on the chart at number 24.
The Beatles’ top 30 best-selling songs in the UK:
- She Loves You
- ‘I Want To Hold Your Hand’
- ‘Can’t Buy Me Love’
- ‘I Feel Fine’
- ‘Day Tripper’/‘We Can Work It Out’
- ‘Hey Jude’
- ‘From Me To You’
- ‘Help!’
- ‘Hello, Goodbye’
- ‘Get Back’
- ‘Paperback Writer’
- ‘All You Need Is Love’
- ‘Yellow Submarine’/‘Eleanor Rigby’
- ‘Ticket To Ride’
- Magical Mystery Tour EP
- ‘A Hard Day’s Night’
- ‘Penny Lane’/‘Strawberry Fields Forever’
- ‘Lady Madonna’
- Love Me Do
- Please Please Me
- ‘The Ballad Of John And Yoko’
- ‘Let It Be’
- ‘Free As A Bird’
- ‘Something’/‘Come Together’
- The Beatles Movie Medley
- Yesterday
- ‘Real Love’
- ‘Baby It’s You’
- ‘Back In The USSR’
- Strawberry Fields Forever (1976 re-issue)
Last updated: 1 September 2009
Also on this day...
- 2019: Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band live: Greek Theatre, Los Angeles
- 2018: Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band live: Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa, Catoosa
- 2009: BBC Radio 2’s bank holiday Beatles bonanza
- 2001: Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band live: Rio Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas
- 1998: Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band live: Grugahalle, Essen
- 1992: Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band live: Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre, Greenwood Village
- 1989: Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band live: Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View
- 1986: UK album release: Press To Play by Paul McCartney
- 1969: Bob Dylan visits John Lennon at Tittenhurst Park
- 1967: The Beatles discuss their future after Brian Epstein
- 1965: Travel: Los Angeles to London
- 1965: Paul McCartney and George Harrison attend a Byrds recording session
- 1963: Television: Big Night Out
- 1962: The Beatles live: Subscription Rooms, Stroud
- 1961: The Beatles live: Cavern Club, Liverpool (evening)
- 1961: The Beatles live: Cavern Club, Liverpool (lunchtime)
- 1960: The Beatles live: Indra Club, Hamburg
Want more? Visit the Beatles history section.
To my surprise, “She Loves You” topped the chart.I think it would be I Want To Hold Your Hand or Yesterday.
Is there a similar list for US releases?
“Baby It’s You” was released as a single??
Yes, in 1995 shortly after Live At The BBC, in the UK at least. It had three extra tracks that weren’t on the album – BBC versions of I’ll Follow The Sun, Devil In Her Heart and Boys. It’s worth checking out because those other songs aren’t available (officially) anywhere else.
I don’t understand Strawberry Fields at #30 based on the 1976 reissue. It was never issued here (UK) without Penny Lane on the other side, so – as a single – they have both sold an identical amount. So, how does Strawberry Fields appear with Penny Lane at #17 and as an individual track at #30?