List of UK top-ten singles in 1960
The UK Singles Chart is one of many music charts compiled by the Official Charts Company that calculates the best-selling singles of the week in the United Kingdom. Before 2004, the chart was only based on the sales of physical singles. This list shows singles that peaked in the Top 10 of the UK Singles Chart during 1960, as well as singles which peaked in 1959 and 1961 but were in the top 10 in 1960. The entry date is when the single appeared in the top 10 for the first time.
Ninety-five singles were in the top ten in 1960. Ten singles from 1959 remained in the top 10 for several weeks at the beginning of the year, while "I Love You" by Cliff Richard and The Shadows, and "Poetry in Motion" by John Tillotson were both released in 1960 but did not reach their peak until 1961. "Little White Bull" by Tommy Steele, "Rawhide" by Frankie Laine, "Seven Little Girls Sitting in the Backseat" by The Avons and "Staccato's Theme" by Elmer Bernstein, were the singles from 1959 to reach their peak in 1960. Twenty artists scored multiple entries in the top 10 in 1960. Billy Fury, The Drifters, Ken Dodd, Rolf Harris, Roy Orbison and Sam Cooke were among the many artists who achieved their first UK charting top 10 single in 1960.
The 1959 Christmas number-one, "What Do You Want to Make Those Eyes at Me For?" by Emile Ford & The Checkmates, remained at number-one for the first four weeks of 1960. The first new number-one single of the year was "Starry Eyed" by Michael Holliday. Overall, seventeen different singles peaked at number-one in 1960, with The Shadows having the most singles hit that position.
Background
Multiple entries
Ninety-five singles charted in the top 10 in 1960, with eighty-seven singles reaching their peak this year.Twenty artists scored multiple entries in the top 10 in 1960. The Shadows secured the record for most top 10 hits in 1960 with eight hit singles.
Jimmy Jones was one of a number of artists with two top-ten entries, including the number-one single "Good Timin'". Bobby Darin, Duane Eddy, Max Bygraves, Neil Sedaka and Tommy Steele were among the other artists who had multiple top 10 entries in 1960.
Chart debuts
Thirty-two artists achieved their first top 10 single in 1960, either as a lead or featured artist. Jimmy Jones and Johnny Preston both had one other entry in their breakthrough year.The following table does not include acts who had previously charted as part of a group and secured their first top 10 solo single.
| Artist | Number of top 10s | First entry | Chart position | Other entries |
| Freddy Cannon | 1 | "Way Down Yonder in New Orleans" | 3 | — |
| Johnny Preston | 2 | "Running Bear" | 1 | "Cradle of Love" |
| Acker Bilk | 1 | "Summer Set" | 5 | — |
| Marv Johnson | 1 | "You Got What It Takes" | 7 | — |
| Lance Fortune | 1 | "Be Mine " | 4 | — |
| Bobby Rydell | 1 | "Wild One" | 7 | — |
| Billy Fury | 1 | "Colette" | 9 | — |
| Jimmy Jones | 2 | "Handy Man" | 3 | "Good Timin'" |
| 1 | "Hit and Miss" | 10 | — | |
| Brenda Lee | 1 | "Sweet Nothin's" | 4 | — |
| Steve Lawrence | 1 | "Footsteps" | 4 | — |
| Tommy Bruce and the Bruisers | 1 | "Ain't Misbehavin'" | 3 | — |
| Michael Cox | 1 | "Angela Jones" | 7 | — |
| Johnny Kidd & the Pirates | 1 | "Shakin' All Over" | 1 | — |
| Connie Stevens | 1 | "Sixteen Reasons" | 9 | — |
| Gary Mills | 1 | "Look for a Star" | 7 | — |
| Brian Hyland | 1 | "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polkadot Bikini" | 8 | — |
| Rolf Harris | 1 | "Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport" | 9 | — |
| Ken Dodd | 1 | "Love is Like a Violin" | 8 | — |
| Ricky Valance | 1 | "Tell Laura I Love Her" | 1 | — |
| Roy Orbison | 1 | "Only the Lonely" | 1 | — |
| 1 | "Walk, Don't Run" | 8 | — | |
| Sam Cooke | 1 | "Chain Gang" | 9 | — |
| Hank Locklin | 1 | "Please Help Me, I'm Falling" | 9 | — |
| Bob Luman | 1 | "Let's Think About Living" | 6 | — |
| Johnny Burnette | 1 | "Dreamin'" | 5 | — |
| 1 | "Save the Last Dance for Me" | 2 | — | |
| Peter Sellers | 1 | "Goodness Gracious Me" | 4 | — |
| Sophia Loren | 1 | "Goodness Gracious Me" | 4 | — |
| Nina & Frederik | 1 | "Little Donkey" | 3 | — |
| The Jørn Grauengaard Quintet | 1 | "Little Donkey" | 3 | — |
| Johnny Tillotson | 1 | "Poetry in Motion" | 1 | — |
;Notes
The Shadows scored two singles independent of Cliff Richard for the first time in 1960, starting with "Apache" reaching number one in August. They followed it up with the double single "Man of Mystery"/"The Stranger" peaking at number 5 in December.
Songs from films
Original songs from various films entered the top 10 throughout the year. These included "A Voice in the Wilderness", "Theme from "A Summer Place" ", Do You Mind, "Because They're Young", "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polkadot Bikini" and "As Long as He Needs Me".Additionally, earlier versions of "Way Down Yonder in New Orleans" had appeared in several films prior to 1960, namely Is Everybody Happy?, Somebody Loves Me, The Benny Goodman Story and The Gene Krupa Story. "Clementine" featured as background music in The Grapes of Wrath before it was recorded by Bobby Darin. Fats Waller produced an instrumental version of "Ain't Misbehavin'" in 1929 and this was re-recorded with vocals for the 1943 film Stormy Weather. "Apache" was inspired by the film of the same name, originally recorded in instrumental version by composer Jerry Lordan before famously being released by The Shadows. The comedy song "Goodness Gracious Me" was due to be included on the soundtrack of The Millionairess but it was rejected by the producers. The stand-alone single was eventually used to promote the film.
Best-selling singles
Until 1970 there was no universally recognised year-end best-sellers list. However in 2011 the Official Charts Company released a list of the best-selling song of each year in chart history from 1952 to date. According to the list, "It's Now or Never " by Elvis Presley is officially recorded as the biggest-selling single of 1960. "It's Now or Never" also ranked in the top 10 best-selling singles of the decade.Top-ten singles
;KeyEntries by artist
The following table shows artists who achieved two or more top 10 entries in 1960, including singles that reached their peak in 1959 or 1961. The figures include both main artists and featured artists. The total number of weeks an artist spent in the top ten in 1960 is also shown.| Entries | Artist | Country of origin | Weeks | Singles |
| 8 | 65 | "Apache", "A Voice in the Wilderness", "Fall in Love with You", "I Love You", "Man of Mystery"/"The Stranger", "Nine Times Out of Ten", "Please Don't Tease", "Travellin' Light" | ||
| 6 | Adam Faith | 35 | "How About That", "Lonely Pup ", "Poor Me", "Someone Else's Baby", "What Do You Want?", "When Johnny Comes Marching Home"/"Made You" | |
| 6 | Cliff Richard | 48 | "A Voice in the Wilderness", "Fall in Love with You", "I Love You", "Nine Times Out of Ten", "Please Don't Tease", "Travellin' Light" | |
| 4 | Anthony Newley | 28 | "Do You Mind", "If She Should Come to You ", "Strawberry Fair", "Why" | |
| 4 | Johnny and the Hurricanes | 11 | "Beatnik Fly", "Down Yonder", "Red River Rock", "Rocking Goose" | |
| 3 | Connie Francis | 16 | "Everybody's Somebody's Fool", "Mama "/"Robot Man", "My Heart Has a Mind of Its Own" | |
| 3 | Elvis Presley | 27 | "A Mess of Blues", "It's Now or Never ", "Stuck on You" | |
| 3 | 26 | "Cathy's Clown", "Lucille"/"So Sad", "When Will I Be Loved" | ||
| 3 | Lonnie Donegan | 16 | "I Wanna Go Home ", "Lorelei", "My Old Man's a Dustman " | |
| 2 | Bobby Darin | 6 | "Oh My Darling, Clementine", "La Mer " | |
| 2 | Craig Douglas | 8 | "Pretty Blue Eyes", "The Heart of a Teenage Girl" | |
| 2 | Duane Eddy | 19 | "Because They're Young", "Shazam!" | |
| 2 | Emile Ford & The Checkmates | 13 | "On a Slow Boat to China", "What Do You Want to Make Those Eyes at Me For?" | |
| 2 | Jimmy Jones | 22 | "Good Timin'", "Handy Man" | |
| 2 | Johnny Preston | 17 | "Cradle of Love", "Running Bear" | |
| 2 | 19 | "A Mess of Blues", "Stuck on You" | ||
| 2 | Max Bygraves | 7 | "Fings Ain't Wot They Used T'Be", "Jingle Bell Rock" | |
| 2 | Neil Sedaka | 8 | "Oh! Carol", "Stairway to Heaven" | |
| 2 | Tommy Steele | 9 | "Little White Bull", "What a Mouth " |