Sixty years ago, on 14th November 1952, the first ever the first ever Official Singles Chart based on record sales was published in the popular music magazine New Musical Express.
Up until that point a song's popularity was measured by sheet music sales. The US, Billboard had been charting record sales since 1940. The chart was compiled by telephoning 20 record shops up and down the country every week and tallying up their biggest-selling singles.
The first ever Top 12 (which was actually a Top 15 given that sales of the Number 7, Number 8, and Number 11 singles were tied) was published in the New Musical Express on November 14, 1952. Here they are....
| 1 | Here In My Heart | Al Martino |
| 2 | You Belong To Me | Jo Stafford |
| 3 | Somewhere Along The Way | Nat King Cole |
| 4 | The Isle Of Innisfree | Bing Crosby |
| 5 | Feet Up (Pat Him On The Po-Po) | Guy Mitchell |
| 6 | Half As Much | Rosemary Clooney |
| 7 | High Noon (Do Not Forsake Me) | Frankie Laine |
| 7 | Forget Me Not | Vera Lynn |
| 8 | Sugarbush | Doris Day And Frankie Laine |
| 8 | Blue Tango | Ray Martin |
| 9 | The Homing Waltz | Vera Lynn |
| 10 | Auf Wiederseh'n Sweetheart | Vera Lynn |
| 11 | Cowpuncher's Cantata | Max Bygraves |
| 11 | Because You're Mine | Mario Lanza |
| 12 | Walkin' My Baby Back Home | Johnnie Ray |
Source and thanks: Official Charts Company
