Queen classic Bohemian Rhapsody has been confirmed as the biggest-selling rock single in UK history.
And with 2.35m sales notched up since its 1975 release, only Elton John’s Candle In The Wind ’97 tribute to Princess Diana and Band Aid’s Do They Know It’s Christmas have sold more copies.
Queen head a top-ten also starring Wings, the Beatles and Bryan Adams, taken from figures released by the Official Charts Company to celebrate 60 years since the first-ever singles chart.
Freddie Mercury’s outfit are also the second-biggest selling band in terms of overall single sales, having shifted 12.8m units. Only the Beatles have sold more – nearly twice as many, with 22.1m.
Unsurprisingly most of the top ten were released in the 50s, 60s and 70s, with Survivor’s Eye of the Tiger and Bryan Adams’ Everything I Do the only releases to appear later. The Beatles dominate with four entries while Paul McCartney and John Lennon have one solo entry each.
Bohemian Rhapsody was recently voted the UK’s most popular number one single of all time, polling more public votes than pop-pappers Britney Spears, Whitney Houston and Kylie Minogue.
UK’s biggest-selling rock singles of all time
1. Queen: Bohemian Rhapsody (1975) 2.36m
2. Wings: Mull of Kintyre / Girls’ School (1977) 2.00m
3. The Beatles: She Loves You (1963) 1.90m
4. The Beatles: I Want To Hold Your Hand (1963) 1.77m
5. Bryan Adams: (Everything I Do) I Do It For You (1991) 1.72m
6. John Lennon: Imagine (1975) 1.60m
7. The Beatles: Can’t Buy Me Love (1964) 1.53m
8. Bill Haley & His Comets: Rock Around The Clock (1955) 1.42m
9. The Beatles: I Feel Fine (1964) 1.41m
10. Survivor: Eye of the Tiger (1982) 1.41m
UK’s best-selling singles rock bands
1. The Beatles: 22.1m – most successful track: She Loves You
2. Queen: 12.8m – most successful track: Bohemian Rhapsody
3. Rolling Stones: 10.1m – most successful track: (I Can’t Get No) Satisfactino
4. U2: 7.5m – most successful track: With Or Without You
5. Status Quo: 7.2m – most successful track: Rockin’ All Over the World
-Classic Rock Magazine
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