List of UK top-ten singles in 1969
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 1969, as well as singles which peaked in 1968 and 1970 but were in the top 10 in 1969. The entry date is when the single appeared in the top 10 for the first time.
One-hundred and fifteen singles were in the top ten in 1969. Eight singles from 1968 remained in the top 10 for several weeks at the beginning of the year while "All I Have to Do Is Dream" by Bobbie Gentry and Glen Campbell, "Melting Pot" by Blue Mink, "Suspicious Minds" by Elvis Presley and "Tracy" by The Cuff Links were all released in 1969 but did not reach their peak until 1970. "Albatross" by Fleetwood Mac and "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" by Marmalade were the singles from 1968 to reach their peak in 1969. Thirty artists scored multiple entries in the top 10 in 1969. David Bowie, Glen Campbell, Jethro Tull, Johnny Cash and Marvin Gaye were among the many artists who achieved their first UK charting top 10 single in 1969.
The 1968 Christmas number-one, "Lily the Pink" by The Scaffold, remained in the top 10 for the first weeks of 1969. The first new number-one single of the year was "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" by Marmalade. Overall, eighteen different singles peaked at number-one in 1969, with The Beatles having the joint most singles hit that position.
Background
Multiple entries
One-hundred and fifteen singles charted in the top 10 in 1969, with one-hundred and five singles reaching their peak this year.Thirty artists scored multiple entries in the top 10 in 1969. The Beatles, Fleetwood Mac, Marvin Gaye and Robin Gibb shared the record for most top 10 hits in 1969 with three hit singles each.
Amen Corner was one of a number of artists with two top-ten entries, including the number-one single " Half as Nice". The Beach Boys, Elvis Presley, Marmalade. Simon & Garfunkel and The Temptations were among the other artists who had multiple top 10 entries in 1969.
Chart debuts
Forty-five artists achieved their first top 10 single in 1969, either as a lead or featured artist. Of these, eight went on to record another hit single that year: Bobbie Gentry, Clodagh Rodgers, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Desmond Dekker & the Aces, Glen Campbell, Jethro Tull, Peter Sarstedt and The Temptations. Marvin Gaye had two other entries in his 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 |
| Judy Bell | 1 | "Private Number" | 8 | — |
| William Bell | 1 | "Private Number" | 8 | — |
| Martha and the Vandellas | 1 | "Dancing in the Street" | 4 | — |
| 2 | "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me" | 3 | "Get Ready" | |
| Donald Peers | 1 | "Please Don't Go " | 3 | — |
| Peter Sarstedt | 2 | "Where Do You Go To ?" | 1 | "Frozen Orange Juice" |
| Glen Campbell | 2 | "Wichita Lineman" | 7 | "All I Have to Do Is Dream" |
| Marvin Gaye | 3 | "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" | 1 | "Too Busy Thinking About My Baby", "The Onion Song" |
| Joe South | 1 | "Games People Play" | 6 | — |
| Desmond Dekker & the Aces | 2 | "The Israelites" | 1 | "It Miek" |
| Noel Harrison | 1 | "The Windmills of Your Mind" | 8 | — |
| Billy Preston | 1 | "Get Back" | 1 | — |
| Clodagh Rodgers | 2 | "Come Back and Shake Me" | 3 | "Goodnight Midnight" |
| Bob & Earl | 1 | "Harlem Shuffle" | 7 | — |
| 1 | "Oh Happy Day" | 2 | — | |
| Booker T. & the M.G.'s | 1 | "Time Is Tight" | 4 | — |
| Smokey Robinson | 1 | "The Tracks of My Tears" | 9 | — |
| The Miracles | 1 | "The Tracks of My Tears" | 9 | — |
| Jethro Tull | 2 | "Living in the Past" | 3 | "Sweet Dream" |
| Thunderclap Newman | 1 | "Something in the Air" | 1 | — |
| Creedence Clearwater Revival | 2 | "Proud Mary" | 8 | "Bad Moon Rising" |
| 1 | "A Way of Life" | 6 | — | |
| Plastic Ono Band | 1 | "Give Peace a Chance" | 2 | — |
| Joe Dolan | 1 | "Make Me an Island" | 3 | — |
| Vanity Fare | 1 | "Early in the Morning" | 8 | — |
| Max Romeo | 1 | "Wet Dream" | 10 | — |
| Zager and Evans | 1 | "In the Year 2525 " | 1 | — |
| Jane Birkin | 1 | "Je t'aime... moi non plus" | 1 | — |
| Serge Gainsbourg | 1 | "Je t'aime... moi non plus" | 1 | — |
| Humble Pie | 1 | "Natural Born Bugie" | 4 | — |
| Oliver | 1 | "Good Morning Starshine" | 6 | — |
| Bobbie Gentry | 2 | "I'll Never Fall in Love Again" | 1 | "All I Have to Do Is Dream" |
| Johnny Cash | 1 | "A Boy Named Sue" | 4 | — |
| Hank Marvin | 1 | "Throw Down a Line" | 7 | — |
| Karen Young | 1 | "Nobody's Child" | 6 | — |
| Lou Christie | 1 | "I'm Gonna Make You Mine" | 2 | — |
| David Bowie | 1 | "Space Oddity" | 5 | — |
| 1 | "Sugar, Sugar" | 1 | — | |
| 1 | "Return of Django"/"Dollar in the Teeth" | 5 | — | |
| Jimmy Cliff | 1 | "Wonderful World, Beautiful People" | 6 | — |
| Kenny Rogers & The First Edition | 1 | "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town" | 2 | — |
| Harry J All Stars | 1 | "The Liquidator" | 9 | — |
| Blue Mink | 1 | "Melting Pot" | 3 | — |
| Tammi Terrell | 1 | "The Onion Song" | 9 | — |
| 1 | "Tracy" | 4 | — |
;Notes
Robin Gibb was a member of the chart-topping British group Bee Gees, who had their first top 10 entry in 1967. His number two single "Saved by the Bell" was his debut appearance in the chart as a solo artist. Cass Elliott sang in the band The Mamas & the Papas from 1965 to 1968 until they broke up. "It's Getting Better" was her only solo recording to reach the top 10 on the UK chart.
Songs from films
Original songs from various films entered the top 10 throughout the year. These included "The Windmills of Your Mind" and "Time Is Tight".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 single of each year in chart history from 1952 to date. According to the list, "Sugar, Sugar" by The Archies is officially recorded as the biggest-selling single of 1969.Top-ten singles
;KeyEntries by artist
The following table shows artists who achieved two or more top 10 entries in 1969, including singles that reached their peak in 1968 or 1970. The figures include both main artists and featured artists, while appearances on ensemble charity records are also counted for each artist. The total number of weeks an artist spent in the top ten in 1969 is also shown.| Entries | Artist | Country of origin | Weeks | Singles |
| 3 | 19 | "Get Back", "Something"/"Come Together", "The Ballad of John and Yoko" | ||
| 3 | Fleetwood Mac | / | 23 | "Albatross", "Man of the World", "Oh Well" |
| 3 | Marvin Gaye | 16 | "I Heard It Through the Grapevine", "The Onion Song", "Too Busy Thinking About My Baby" | |
| 3 | Robin Gibb | 19 | "Don't Forget to Remember", "First of May", "Saved by the Bell" | |
| 2 | Amen Corner | 8 | "Hello Susie", " Half as Nice " | |
| 2 | 5 | "Break Away", "I Can Hear Music" | ||
| 2 | Bee Gees | 11 | "Don't Forget to Remember", "First of May" | |
| 2 | Bobbie Gentry | 10 | "All I Have to Do Is Dream", "I'll Never Fall in Love Again" | |
| 2 | Cilla Black | 7 | "Conversations", "Surround Yourself with Sorrow" | |
| 2 | Cliff Richard | 3 | "Big Ship", "Throw Down a Line" | |
| 2 | Clodagh Rodgers | 11 | "Come Back and Shake Me", "Goodnight Midnight" | |
| 2 | Creedence Clearwater Revival | 11 | "Bad Moon Rising", "Proud Mary" | |
| 2 | Desmond Dekker & the Aces | 11 | "It Miek", "The Israelites" | |
| 2 | Elvis Presley | 12 | "In the Ghetto", "Suspicious Minds" | |
| 2 | Engelbert Humperdinck | 8 | "The Way It Used to Be ", "Winter World of Love" | |
| 2 | 9 | "Build Me Up Buttercup", "In the Bad Bad Old Days " | ||
| 2 | Frank Sinatra | 9 | "Love's Been Good to Me", "My Way " | |
| 2 | Glen Campbell | 6 | "All I Have to Do Is Dream", "Wichita Lineman" | |
| 2 | Herman's Hermits | 10 | "My Sentimental Friend", "Something's Happening " | |
| 2 | 10 | "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother", "Sorry Suzanne" | ||
| 2 | Jethro Tull | 7 | "Living in the Past", "Sweet Dream" | |
| 2 | Johnny Nash | 6 | "Cupid", "You Got Soul" | |
| 2 | Manfred Mann | 6 | "Fox on the Run", "Ragamuffin Man" | |
| 2 | Marmalade | 11 | "Baby Make It Soon", "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" | |
| 2 | Nina Simone | 5 | "Ain't Got No, I Got Life"/"Do What You Gotta Do", "To Love Somebody" | |
| 2 | Peter Sarstedt | 8 | "Frozen Orange Juice", "Where Do You Go To ?" | |
| 2 | Simon & Garfunkel | 7 | "Mrs. Robinson EP", "The Boxer" | |
| 2 | Stevie Wonder | 19 | "For Once in My Life", "My Cherie Amour", "Yester-Me, Yester-You, Yesterday" | |
| 2 | 7 | "Get Ready", "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me" | ||
| 2 | Tom Jones | 3 | "Love Me Tonight ", "Without Love " |