UK Singles Chart Records and Statistics - Fastest Selling Single

Fastest Selling Single

In the 1990s, record companies became much more focused at promoting singles and producing ones with maximum chart impact. The fastest selling single became the new phenomenon. This is basically how many copies a single shifts in its first full week of sale.

The record is held by Elton John with "Candle in the Wind 1997" which sold 1.55 million copies in its first week (it sold 658,000 on the first day of release, 13 September 1997). It is also the biggest selling single in the UK as well as the fastest selling, and the biggest selling single in the world (37m copies) and the fastest selling single in many other countries also – it went platinum (sold a million copies) in 24 hours in the US. Elton outsold Dario G's "Sunchyme" by a clear margin, and this is the biggest ratio between #1 and #2 to date. Dario G sold 85,000 to hit the #2 slot that week.

The fastest selling debut single is "Anything is Possible/Evergreen" by Will Young. It sold 1.11 million copies in its first week of sale. Massive publicity had built up in his single due to Pop Idol and the massive phone vote of 8.7 million people phoning in the final showed how popular the show was, with he himself receiving over 4 million votes.

The fastest selling single from a group (and also fastest selling debut from a group) is Hear'Say's debut single, "Pure and Simple". Winning ITV's first series of Popstars, massive interest in the group had built up and their debut single sold 0.55 million copies in its first week. This is only true if we discount Band Aid from being classified as a group whose single "Do They Know It's Christmas?" sold 0.75 million copies in its first week due to the pictures shown of the famine in Ethiopia.