{"id":593446,"date":"2026-08-23T11:24:12","date_gmt":"2026-08-23T11:24:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/593446\/"},"modified":"2026-08-23T11:24:12","modified_gmt":"2026-08-23T11:24:12","slug":"songs-that-led-the-uk-chart-for-8-weeks-but-didnt-go-top-10-in-u-s","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/593446\/","title":{"rendered":"Songs That Led the UK Chart for 8+ Weeks, But Didn\u2019t Go Top 10 in U.S."},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tUPDATE (Aug. 21): \u201cRein Me In\u201d by Sam Fender<\/a> and Olivia Dean<\/a> logs its 22nd nonconsecutive week at No. 1 on the U.K.\u2019s Official Singles Chart on the tally that was published on Friday (Aug. 21). The song hasn\u2019t been nearly as big a hit in the U.S., though it isn\u2019t done yet. It leaps from No. 70 to No. 50 in its 21st week on the Billboard Hot 100<\/a> dated Aug. 22, its highest ranking to date. Its previous peak was No. 64 in April.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cRein Me In\u201d is the first single to log 22 weeks at No. 1 in the U.K., but it has yet to reach the top 10 (or even the top 40) on the Hot 100. In the 68 years that the Hot 100 has been in place, music fans in the U.S. and the U.K. have never been so far apart in their reactions to a song.<\/p>\n

\n\tHere\u2019s an essay<\/a> on how \u201cRein Me In\u201d became the U.K.\u2019s longest-running No. 1 single ever. And here\u2019s a look<\/a> at the song that previously held the record, Frankie Laine<\/a>\u2018s \u201cI Believe.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tPREVIOUSLY (April 23): Music fans in the United States and the United Kingdom often agree on big hits. Six songs have logged 10 or more weeks at No. 1 on both the Billboard Hot 100, the flagship chart for success in the U.S., and the Official Singles Chart in the U.K. Whitney Houston<\/a>\u2019s \u201cI Will Always Love You\u201d from The Bodyguard (1992-93) became the first song to reach double digits in weeks at No. 1 on both sides of the Atlantic. Alex Warren<\/a>\u2019s \u201cOrdinary\u201d (2025) marked the most recent.<\/p>\n

\n\tIn between those two megahits, four other singles achieved the feat: Drake<\/a>\u2018s \u201cOne Dance,\u201d featuring WizKid <\/a>& Kyla<\/a> (2016), Ed Sheeran<\/a>\u2019s \u201cShape of You\u201d (2017), Luis Fonsi<\/a> & Daddy Yankee<\/a>\u2018s \u201cDespacito,\u201d featuring Justin Bieber<\/a> (2017) and Harry Styles<\/a>\u2019 \u201cAs It Was\u201d (2022).<\/p>\n

\n\tBut music fans in our two countries don\u2019t always agree. \u201cRein Me In\u201d by Sam Fender<\/a> and Olivia Dean<\/a> is currently in its eighth week at No. 1 on the Official Singles Chart in the U.K., but it hasn\u2019t broken through in nearly the same way on the Hot 100. This week, it drops from its No. 64 high point to No. 73. Part of the problem is that two other Dean hits simply refuse to yield: \u201cMan I Need\u201d (which holds at its No. 2 peak) and \u201cSo Easy (to Fall in Love)\u201d (which keeps at its No. 6 high). Both are catchier and closer to the core sound in pop music right now. And while Fender is an established star in the U.K., with four top 10 hits, this is his first Hot 100 hit.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cRein Me In\u201d is the ninth song since 1958 (when the Hot 100 originated) to log eight or more weeks at No. 1 on the Official Singles Chart in the U.K. but fall short of the top 10 on the Hot 100.<\/p>\n

\n\tHere\u2019s a complete list of those songs, in chronological order:<\/p>\n


<\/a>\"Billboard<\/p>\n

\tThe Shadows, \u201cWonderful Land\u201d (1962)<\/p>\n

\n\tU.K. peak: No. 1 for eight weeks<\/p>\n

\n\tHot 100 peak: didn\u2019t chart<\/p>\n

\n\tProducer: Norrie Paramor<\/p>\n

\n\tNotes: The Shadows were the backing band for British pop idol Cliff Richard. Their first two No. 1 hits in the U.K. were collabs with Richard \u2013 \u201cLiving Doll\u201d and \u201cTravellin\u2019 Light.\u201d (They were billed as The Drifters on \u201cLiving Doll\u201d in 1959 but subsequently changed their name to The Shadows to avoid confusion with the great American R&B group.) Their only songs to make the Hot 100 were \u201cLiving Doll\u201d (No. 30 in 1959) and another collab with Richard, \u201cBachelor Boy\u201d (No. 99 in 1964).<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWonderful Land\u201d had the longest run at No. 1 in the U.K. of any instrumental hit. It was the second song from the 1960s to top the U.K. chart for eight weeks, following Elvis Presley\u2019s \u201cIt\u2019s Now or Never.\u201d (The feat was later equaled by a third \u201960s hit, The Archies\u2019 \u201cSugar, Sugar.\u201d) \u201cWonderful Land\u201d failed to crack the Hot 100 even though instrumentals were hot at the time. Three instrumentals topped the Hot 100 in 1962: Mr. Acker Bilk\u2019s \u201cStranger on the Shore,\u201d David Rose\u2019s \u201cThe Stripper\u201d and The Tornadoes\u2019 \u201cTelstar.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tListen here<\/a><\/p>\n

\tWings, \u201cMull of Kintyre\u201d\/\u201cGirls\u2019 School\u201d (1977)<\/p>\n

\n\tU.K. peak: No. 1 for nine weeks<\/p>\n

\n\tHot 100 peak: No. 33 (\u201cGirls\u2019 School\u201d)<\/p>\n

\n\tProducer: Paul McCartney (both songs)<\/p>\n

\n\tNotes: This double A-sided single was Wings\u2019 biggest hit in Britain and is one of the best-selling singles of all time in the U.K. It was McCartney\u2019s first No. 1 in his home country since The Beatles disbanded. It was the second song to top the U.K. chart for nine weeks in the 1970s, following Queen\u2019s \u201cBohemian Rhapsody.\u201d (The feat was later matched by a third \u201970s smash: John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John\u2019s \u201cYou\u2019re the One That I Want\u201d from Grease.) In the U.S., \u201cGirls\u2019 School\u201d (with \u201cMull\u201d on the B-side) peaked at No. 33. For Wings at that time, that was a disappointing showing. Wings had made the top 10 on the Hot 100 earlier in 1977 with a belated single release of \u201cMaybe I\u2019m Amazed.\u201d \u201cWith a Little Luck,\u201d their very next single following \u201cGirls\u2019 School,\u201d brought the group back to No. 1. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tPaul McCartney and Denny Laine co-wrote the gentle ballad \u201cMull of Kintyre\u201d as a tribute to the idyllic area in southwest Scotland where McCartney has owned High Park Farm since 1966. \u201cI certainly loved Scotland enough, so I came up with a song about where we were living: an area called Mull of Kintyre,\u201d he explained in a book that accompanied his 2001 compilation Wingspan: Hits and History. \u201cIt was a love song really, about how I enjoyed being there and imagining I was travelling away and wanting to get back there.\u201d The song featured Great Highland bagpipes played by the Campbeltown Pipe Band. It was recorded on Aug. 9, 1977, during a break in recording the forthcoming London Town album. Neither \u201cMull\u201d nor \u201cGirls\u2019 School\u201d was included on London Town, but both songs were added to the 1993 CD reissue.<\/p>\n

\n\tListen to \u201cMull of Kintyre\u201d here<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\tListen to \u201cGirls\u2019 School\u201d here<\/a><\/p>\n

\tFrankie Goes to Hollywood, \u201cTwo Tribes\u201d (1984)<\/p>\n

\n\tU.K. peak: No. 1 for nine weeks<\/p>\n

\n\tHot 100 peak: No. 43<\/p>\n

\n\tProducer: Trevor Horn<\/p>\n

\n\tNotes: \u201cTwo Tribes\u201d is an anti-war song with a nihilistic lyric expressing enthusiasm for nuclear war. The single was a phenomenal success in the U.K., boosted by multiple remixes. It entered the Official Singles Chart on June 10, 1984, at No. 1, where it remained for nine consecutive weeks, during which time the group\u2019s previous single \u201cRelax\u201d (which had logged five weeks at No. 1) climbed back to No. 2. \u201cTwo Tribes\u201d was the longest-running No. 1 in the U.K. of the 1980s. \u201cRelax\u201d made the top 10 on the Hot 100, and Frankie Goes to Hollywood received a Grammy nod for best new artist, but \u201cTwo Tribes\u201d didn\u2019t do nearly as well.<\/p>\n

\n\tFun Fact: Frankie Goes to Hollywood drew its name from publicity recounting Frank Sinatra\u2019s move into the movie industry.<\/p>\n

\n\tListen here<\/a><\/p>\n

\tWet Wet Wet, \u201cLove Is All Around\u201d (1994)<\/p>\n

\n\tUK peak: No. 1 for 15 weeks<\/p>\n

\n\tHot 100 peak: No. 41<\/p>\n

\n\tProducer: Wet Wet Wet<\/p>\n

\n\tNotes: The Scottish group recorded this cover version of The Troggs\u2019 1968 hit \u201cLove Is All Around\u201d for the 1994 film Four Weddings and a Funeral, which starred Hugh Grant and Andie MacDowell. It\u2019s the longest-running No. 1 in U.K. chart history by an ongoing group or duo. \u201cLove Is All Around\u201d reached No. 8 on Billboard\u2019s Adult Contemporary radio chart. Four Weddings was a big hit on both sides of the Atlantic and even received an Oscar nod for best picture (back when there were only five nominees in the category and landing a spot was twice as hard to do as it is today, with 10 nominees in the category).<\/p>\n

\n\tListen here<\/a><\/p>\n

\tCalvin Harris & Dua Lipa, \u201cOne Kiss\u201d (2018)<\/p>\n

\n\tU.K. peak: No. 1 for eight weeks<\/p>\n

\n\tHot 100 peak: No. 26<\/p>\n

\n\tProducer: Calvin Harris<\/p>\n

\n\tNotes: \u201cOne Kiss\u201d was written by Harris and Lipa alongside Canadian singer\/songwriter Jessie Reyez. Critics praised the throwback sound of \u201cOne Kiss,\u201d as well as its summertime aesthetic. The song spent eight weeks atop the U.K. singles chart. In the U.S., it reached No. 9 on the Mainstream Top 40 chart, but didn\u2019t even come especially close to the top 10 on the Hot 100. Lipa performed the song at the 2019 Grammy Awards on Feb. 10, 2019, where she was crowned best new artist. Ten days later, she and Harris performed it together at the Brit Awards, where it won British single of the year.<\/p>\n

\n\tListen here<\/a><\/p>\n

\tLF System, \u201cAfraid To Feel\u201d (2022)<\/p>\n

\n\tU.K. peak: No. 1 for eight weeks<\/p>\n

\n\tHot 100 peak: didn\u2019t chart<\/p>\n

\n\tProducer: LF System<\/p>\n

\n\tNotes: This was the first (and to date, only) U.K. chart entry for LF SYSTEM, a production duo consisting of Scottish DJs Conor Larkman and Sean Finnigan. The recording samples Silk\u2019s 1979 song \u201cI Can\u2019t Stop (Turning You On),\u201d which spent a few weeks on Billboard\u2018s Hot Soul Singles chart, as it was known at the time. (That disco studio group from Philadelphia is not to be confused with the Georgia-based R&B group of the same name which topped the Hot 100 in 1993 with \u201cFreak Me.\u201d)<\/p>\n

\n\tListen here<\/a><\/p>\n

\tCalvin Harris and Ellie Goulding, \u201cMiracle\u201d (2023)<\/p>\n

\n\tU.K. peak: No. 1 for eight weeks<\/p>\n

\n\tHot 100 peak: didn\u2019t chart<\/p>\n

\n\tProducers: Calvin Harris, Matthew Burns<\/p>\n

\n\tNotes: Inspired by Eurodance and techno, \u201cMiracle\u201d became Harris\u2019 11th No. 1 hit as an artist in the U.K.; Goulding\u2019s fourth. It was nominated for best pop dance recording at the 2024 Grammy Awards and for song of the year at the 2024 Brit Awards.<\/p>\n

\n\tListen here<\/a><\/p>\n

\tDave & Central Cee, \u201cSprinter\u201d (2023)<\/p>\n

\n\tU.K. peak: No. 1 for 10 weeks<\/p>\n

\n\tHot 100 peak: didn\u2019t chart (No. 2 on Bubbling Under)<\/p>\n

\n\tProducers: Jonny Leslie, Phoebe Stephens, Jo Caleb, Santan, Jim Legxacy, TR, Kyle Evans<\/p>\n

\n\tNotes: \u201cSprinter\u201d is a collab by British rappers Dave and Central Cee. It debuted at No. 1 on the U.K. Singles chart, becoming Dave\u2019s third No. 1 and Central Cee\u2019s first. With 10 weeks at No. 1, it became the longest-running No. 1 rap song ever in the U.K. <\/p>\n

\n\tListen here<\/a><\/p>\n

\tSam Fender and Olivia Dean, \u201cRein Me In\u201d (2026)<\/p>\n

\n\tU.K. peak: No. 1 for 22 weeks<\/p>\n

\n\tHot 100 peak: No. 50 (so far)<\/p>\n

\n\tProducers: Sam Fender\/Markus Dravs with additional production by Adam Granducial, Joe Atkinson and Dean Thompson<\/p>\n

\n\tNotes: \u201cRein Me In\u201d first appeared as a solo recording in February 2025 on Fender\u2019s third studio album, People Watching. A remix featuring Dean was released in June 2025. Fender said<\/a> at the time that Dean \u201cadded a female perspective to \u2018Rein Me In,\u2019 and I think it\u2019s all the better for it.\u201d In the meantime, Dean exploded. Her \u201cMan I Need\u201d topped the U.K. Singles Chart in October 2025. Their remix of \u201cRein Me In\u201d reached No. 1 on that chart in February 2026, soon after it won the Brit Award for song of the year. It was Fender\u2019s first and Dean\u2019s second U.K. No. 1. The song also became Fender\u2019s first entry on the Hot 100. In the U.S., the collab has reached No. 10 on Hot Rock Songs, which uses the same multimetric methodology as the Hot 100.<\/p>\n

\n\tListen here<\/a><\/p>\n

\t


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