Pharrell Williams had the best-selling single of 2014 with "Happy", taken from the soundtrack of Despicable Me 2, which first entered the top 10 in December 2013, peaked at number-one on 4 January 2014, and spent 20 weeks in the top 10 altogether.John Legend spent 19 non-consecutive weeks in the UK top 10 this year with "All of Me", which peaked at number two in April and became the third best selling single of the year.
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.[1] Since 2004 the chart has been based on the sales of both physical singles and digital downloads, with airplay figures excluded from the official chart.[2][3] From 6 July, streaming figures became incorporated into the singles chart which means that a song will count as a sale, if streamed 100 times.[4] This list shows singles that peaked in the Top 10 of the UK Singles Chart during 2014, as well as singles which peaked in 2013 but were in the top 10 in 2014. The entry date is when the single 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).
One-hundred and fifty-five singles were in the top ten in 2014. Seven singles from 2013 remained in the top 10 for several weeks at the beginning of the year. "Happy" by Pharrell Williams" (from the Despicable Me 2 soundtrack) and "Trumpets" by Jason Derulo were the singles from 2013 to reach their peak in 2014. Fifty-eight artists scored multiple entries in the top 10 in 2014. Ariana Grande, Clean Bandit, George Ezra, Jess Glynne, Meghan Trainor and Shawn Mendes were among the many artists who achieved their first UK charting top 10 single in 2014.
The first number-one single of the year was "Happy", which spent four non-consecutive weeks on top of the chart. The song vacated number-one for a week on 11 January 2014, being replaced by "Timber" by Kesha and Pitbull before returning to the top spot. Overall, thirty-eight different singles peaked at number-one in 2014, with Ed Sheeran and Sam Smith (3) having the joint most singles hit that position (including artist's participation on the Band Aid 30 charity single).
Background
Multiple entries
One-hundred and fifty-two singles charted in the top 10 in 2014, with one-hundred and forty-three singles reaching their peak this year.
Fifty-eight artists scored multiple entries in the top 10 in 2014. Sam Smith secured the record for most top 10 hits in 2014 with five hit singles.
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.
French Montana was featured on the East/West coast version of Chris Brown's "Loyal" but not credited on the UK release. Becky Hill previously sang uncredited vocals on the Wilkinson song "Afterglow" in 2013. Clean Bandit officially had three singles as a group this year, but their members Grace Chatto and Jack and Luke Patterson featured on the Band Aid 30 charity single "Do They Know It's Christmas?".
Sam Smith had five UK top 10 singles in 2014, the most of any artist. These included the number-one solo hits "Money on My Mind" and "Stay with Me" (which became the year's fourth best seller), as well as a guest appearance on "Do They Know It's Christmas" with Band Aid 30.Ed Sheeran had four UK top 10 singles this year. These included his number-one solo hits "Sing" and "Thinking Out Loud" (which became the fifth best seller of 2014), as well as a guest appearance on "Do They Know It's Christmas" with Band Aid 30.Ella Henderson, who finished in sixth place in the ninth series of The X Factor, achieved two top 10 hits in 2014, including her debut single "Ghost", which debuted at number-one in June and became the year's sixth best selling single.Meghan Trainor made her UK top 10 debut in October of this year with "All About That Bass", which spent four weeks at number-one and became one of the biggest selling singles of the year.Australian rapper Iggy Azalea scored three UK top singles in 2014, including "Problem", a collaboration with American singer Ariana Grande, which reached number-one for one week in July.Another Australian act who made it big this year was 5 Seconds of Summer, who achieved three UK top 10 entries, including the number-one hit "She Looks So Perfect".
The following table shows artists who achieved two or more top 10 entries in 2014, including singles that reached their peak in 2013. 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 2014 is also shown.