Tony Christie had the best-selling single of the year with "(Is This the Way to) Amarillo", re-released in aid ofComic Relief. The music video featured the comedianPeter Kay (who was credited on the release) and the single topped the chart for seven weeks. When it was initially released in 1971, the song peaked at number 18 in the UK.Elvis Presley had seventeen singles in the UK top 10 this year, setting a record, which still stands to this day, as the artist with the most UK top 10 entries in a single year. These entries were re-issues of all his UK number-one singles. The re-released singles were issued to mark what would have been Presley's 70th birthday. Three of these topped the chart: "Jailhouse Rock", "One Night"/"I Got Stung" (which became the 1000th number-one in theUK Singles Chart) and "It's Now or Never".Crazy Frog spent four weeks at number-one with its cover version of "Axel F", which became the third biggest-selling single of 2005. Crazy Frog scored a second top 10 hit later in the year with "Jingle Bells/U Can't Touch This", which peaked at number five in December.James Blunt's "You're Beautiful" was the fourth best selling single of this year, spending 13 consecutive weeks in the top 10, with five straight weeks at number-one.
TheUK Singles Chart is one of many music charts compiled by theOfficial Charts Company that calculates the best-selling singles of the week in the United Kingdom.[1] Since 2004 the chart has been based on the sales of bothphysical singles anddigital downloads, withairplay figures excluded from the official chart.[2][3] This list shows singles that peaked in the Top 10 of theUK Singles Chart during2005, as well as singles which peaked in2004 and2006 but were in the top 10 in 2005. The entry date is when the song appeared in the top 10 for the first time (week ending, as published by the Official Charts Company, which is six days after the chart is announced).
Two hundred and twenty-eight singles were in the top ten in 2005. Ten singles from 2004 remained in the top 10 for several weeks at the beginning of the year, while "When I'm Gone" byEminem was released in 2005 but did not reach its peak until 2006.[4] Fifty-two artists scored multiple entries in the top 10 in 2005.Akon,Arctic Monkeys,James Blunt,Rihanna,Kaiser Chiefs andThe Pussycat Dolls were among the many artists who achieved their first UK charting top 10 single in 2005.
To markElvis Presley's 70th birthday, all eighteen of his UK number-one singles were re-released. The first single, "All Shook Up", came with a collectors' box that made it ineligible to chart again; each of the other seventeen reissues hit the UK top 5.[5] Two of the three re-released singles which topped the chart - "One Night"/"I Got Stung" and "It's Now or Never" - were also the first and second singles in chart history to spend their only week in the top 10 at number-one before dropping out.
Elvis Presley set several chart records in 2005. With a selection of his back-catalogue (all his UK number-one singles) being reissued to mark what would have been the late singer's 70th birthday, his seventeen entries were the most by any artist in the same year. It remains a record as of 2024, withEd Sheeran's2017 haul of eleven top 10s in a calendar year the closest anyone has come since (Sheeran had seventeen singles in the top 20 that year).
On 16 January 2005 (22 January 2005, week ending), the re-release of Presley's 1959 chart-topper "One Night"/"I Got Stung" became the 1000th number-one in theUK Singles Chart. "One Night"/"I Got Stung" also became one of the first singles to drop out of the top 10 entirely the week after topping the chart. The feat was repeated by another Presley classic, “It's Now or Never”, with its only week in the top ten spent on top of the chart. “Baby's Coming Back”/Transylvania” byMcFly (2007) was the next single to join Presley on the list.
Two hundred and twenty-eight singles charted in 2005, with two-hundred and seventeen singles reaching their peak this year (including the re-entry "Fairytale of New York" and a series ofElvis Presley re-releases which charted in previous years but reached a peak on their latest chart run).Cabin Crew andSunset Strippers both reached the charts with a remixed version of "Waiting for a Star to Fall", under the title "Star to Fall" and "Falling Stars" respectively.
50 Cent andGirls Aloud both recorded five top ten hit singles this year. The former spent eleven weeks in the top 10 with his five entries, which included a collaboration onThe Game's number four single "Hate It or Love It". "Candy Shop" peaked at the same position,[24] while he had another feature on another song with The Game, "How We Do", which reached number five.[15] "Outta Control Remix" landed at number seven and "Just a Lil Bit" squeezed into the top ten.[25]
Girls Aloud's "I'll Stand by You" originally charted at number-one at the end of 2004 in support ofChildren in Need and spent a couple more weeks near the top of the chart in January 2005.[26] "Wake Me Up" was their next hit when it reached number four in March.[20] "Long Hot Summer" took seventh spot in September,[27] "Biology"[28] was another number four entry and they finished the year with "See the Day" peaking at number ten.[29]
The following table (collapsed on desktop site) does not include acts who had previously charted as part of a group and secured their first top 10 solo single.
A second single was released in aid of Comic Relief, a re-release ofTony Christie's "(Is This the Way to) Amarillo", featuring comedianPeter Kay, who shot a music video featuring various celebrities and was credited on the release. It topped the charts on 26 March 2005 and spent eleven weeks in the top 10, including seven at number-one.[18]
Band Aid 20's "Do They Know It's Christmas?", first released in 2004, also spent several weeks in the top 10 at the beginning of the year, having peaked at number-one on 11 December 2004.[55]
Eminem was a four-time entrant to the UK top 10 in 2005. The highest charting of these entries was "Like Toy Soldiers", which was a number-one hit in February.McFly recorded this year'sComic Relief single, "All About You"/"You've Got a Friend". The song stayed at number one for a single week in March. The group had a total of four top 10 hits this year, with "I'll Be OK" also topping the chart.Country music singerTim McGraw provided guest vocals onNelly's 2005 number-one hit "Over and Over". As of 2021, it remains McGraw's only top 40 single in the UK.Welsh singerCharlotte Church appeared in the top 10 with two singles this year. The most successful of these was "Crazy Chick", which reached number two in July.FormerBusted singerJames Bourne hit the top 10 in November 2005 with his new bandSon of Dork, their debut single "Ticket Outta Loserville" reaching number three. He also featured on the Band Aid 20 single.Jessica Simpson recorded a cover of "These Boots Are Made for Walking" for theDukes of Hazzard film soundtrack. It reached number four in the UK in September of this year.
The following table shows artists who achieved two or more top 10 entries in 2005, including singles that reached their peak in 2004 or 2006. 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 2005 is also shown.
a "Tilt Ya Head Back" re-entered the top 10 at number 9 on 8 January 2005 (week ending).[59]
b Released as a charity single byBand Aid 20 to aid the Darfur region in Sudan.[60]
c Elvis Presley's 18 UK number-one singles were re-released each week, some as double A-sides, throughout 2005. 17 of them entered theUK Singles Chart, all making the top five, with three of them reaching number-one.
f The JXL remix originally reached number-one in 2002.[63]
gYing Yang Twins are credited as featured artist on "Get Low". Usher and Ludacris are credited for "Lovers and Friends".[64]
h "Jacques Your Body (Make Me Sweat)" was originally released in 1997 and then again in 1999. It was used in an advert forCitroën C4 in 2005 and subsequently released as a single.[65]
p Figure includes three top 10 hits with the group Coldplay.[69]
q Figure includes appearance on Pharrell's "Can I Have It Like That".
r Figure includes one top 10 hit with the group British Whale and one top 10 hit with the group The Darkness.[70]
s Figure includes appearance on 2Pac's "Ghetto Gospel".
t Figure includes appearance on Ciara's "1, 2 Step".
u Figure includes credit for featuring on Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz's "Lovers and Friends".[71]
v "Fairytale of New York" first charted at its original peak of number 2 for two weeks in 1987. It re-entered the Top 10 on 31 December 2005 (week ending) at number 3.