Top 40 Music on Compact Disc: 1964 Billboard list of million-sellers

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Brian W.
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Posted: 17 August 2014 at 1:38am \| IP Logged

In a couple days, I'm going to post a list of alleged million-selling singles that Billboard published in early 1964. But until then, here is another Billboard list of alleged million-sellers from early 1955, published as "juke box favorites." Interesting to see what were considered singles that any juke box operator should have in their machines at the dawn of the rock era. (You can zoom in by clicking the magnifying glass in the upper-left corner.)

Billboard "All Time Juke Box Favorites" from 1955

Edited by Brian W. on 17 August 2014 at 1:40am

Paul Haney
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Posted: 18 August 2014 at 3:42am \| IP Logged

That 1955 list is a pretty good start, but I'd say it's not nearly complete enough. For example, where's "Mona Lisa" by Nat King Cole?

Of course, any non-RIAA list must be taken with a grain of salt. Prior to the RIAA, it was the record companies themselves that announced and handed-out "gold" records. That said, surely there were many records that sold over a million copies. A few years ago we decided to use a special symbol to designate those titles in the RR books. The best book to check those 1940s and 1950s non-RIAA million-sellers is our Top 10 Pop Hits book which starts in 1940.

torcan
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Posted: 18 August 2014 at 8:17am \| IP Logged

It surprises me what was certified, and what wasn't over the years.

One that comes to mind which, to me, *should* have sold over a million copies, is "I Go Crazy" by Paul Davis. It spent a then-record 40 weeks on the Hot 100 in 1978 and almost half a year in the top 40. How could it have NOT sold a million? Yet, I've never seen a certification for it.

I know that some labels, like Motown, didn't always seek RIAA certifications, but there probably are a lot of records that should be gold but aren't listed that way.

I also find it very confusing with the 1989 rule changes that halved the requirement for gold/platinum singles. Labels were allowed to go back and re-certify at the higher levels, but not all of them did. As a result, some gold singles are half-million sellers, and some are million-sellers, and there's no way of telling which is which. The 1989 rule should have been "form this point on", rather than allowing all the old hits to be re-certified.

Brian W.
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Posted: 19 August 2014 at 5:47pm \| IP Logged

Paul Haney wrote:

That 1955 list is a pretty good
start, but I'd say it's not nearly complete enough. For
example, where's "Mona Lisa" by Nat King Cole?

Of course, any non-RIAA list must be taken with a grain
of salt. Prior to the RIAA, it was the record companies
themselves that announced and handed-out "gold" records.
That said, surely there were many records that sold over
a million copies. A few years ago we decided to use a
special symbol to designate those titles in the RR books.
The best book to check those 1940s and 1950s non-RIAA
million-sellers is our Top 10 Pop Hits book which starts
in 1940.

Yeah, not sure why "Mona Lisa" isn't on that list. It is
on the list I'm going to post from 1964. (I want to
correct the release dates on the 1964 list, as half of
them were wrong, which is why I haven't posted it yet.)

But I've always wondered, Paul, where did Record Research
get its info on non-RIAA-certified records? Was it from
the Murrells book? Because much of Murrell's information
came from these Billboard lists. (And actually, some of
the 1920s records on the above list and in Murrells' book
were debunked as million-sellers in the article "The
Million Seller Fallacy," published several years ago.
One record that Murrells listed as a million-seller
actually only sold about 10,000 copies, according to
records in the Columbia archives!)

torcan wrote:

"I Go Crazy" by Paul Davis. It spent a
then-record 40 weeks on the Hot 100 in 1978 and almost
half a year in the top 40. How could it have NOT sold a
million? Yet, I've never seen a certification for it.

It was on the Bang label, and they never had any of their
records certified. It could be because they didn't want
to be audited by the RIAA, or because certifications cost
money.

torcan wrote:

Some gold singles are half-million
sellers, and some are million-sellers, and there's no way
of telling which is which.

There actually is... you can look it up on the RIAA
website in their database and see when it was certified.
If it was certified after 1988, Gold means 1/2 million
and Platinum means a million, no matter what year the
original record was released. But I agree, that was a
stupid policy change on the RIAA's end. That's why I've
always thought Record Research should have their bullet
and triangle symbols in their books mean "a million" or
"half a million" rather than "platinum" or "gold."

Paul Haney
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Posted: 20 August 2014 at 4:09am \| IP Logged

Brian, the majority of the non-RIAA certified titles in our books came from a huge list published by Cash Box in the issue dated December 27, 1975. They mixed in the older titles with the RIAA ones and I had to go through that list and enter any non-RIAA titles. Also, Joel actually went through several back-issues of Billboard from the 1940s and 1950s and made note of any additional titles that were mentioned as being "million-sellers", usually with a picture of the artist actually getting a "gold record" from the company. We're very aware of the Murrells book, but didn't use it because we'd heard that it may not be totally accurate.

Edited by Paul Haney on 20 August 2014 at 4:10am

Brian W.
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Posted: 20 August 2014 at 6:55pm \| IP Logged

Huh, cool! I'll have to seek out that Cash Box issue.

Brian W.
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Posted: 22 August 2014 at 3:30am \| IP Logged

Okay, here is the April 11, 1964 blurb in Billboard, a pull-out section that was "a list of all singles which have sold one million or more copies in the United States as of the end of September 1963, according to the record manufacturers... None of these listings can be verified by Billboard, but in the absence of any absolute auditing procedure, it is felt that this is the most accurate list that can be compiled."

I've corrected all the dates I could, as many of them were wrong, and put the date before the artist/title so they can be sorted by year, if anyone wants. Here also is the link to the original article:

Billboard - All Million Sellers, 4/11/64

I'm HIGHLY skeptical about some of these, particularly some of the Imperial, Ace, and Specialty label titles. Come on, there are Fats Domino singles listed here that didn't even chart on the R&B chart, for goodness sake! And, ironically, Moran & Mack's 1927 "Two Black Crows, Parts 1 & 2," a record which has been documented in the Columbia files as selling a million, is nowhere to be found here.

1938 Acuff, Roy - Wabash Cannon Ball (Columbia)
1950 Ames Brothers - Rag Mop (Coral)
1950 Ames Brothers - Sentimental Me (Coral)
1951 Ames Brothers - Undecided (Coral)
1953 Ames Brothers - You, You, You (RCA Victor)
1954 Ames Brothers - Naughty Lady From Shady Lane (RCA Victor)
1951 Anderson, Leroy - The Syncopated Clock (Decca)
1951 Anderson, Leroy - Blue Tango (Decca)
1944 Andrews Sisters - Rum And Coca-Cola (Decca)
1946 Andrews Sisters - Winter Wonderland/Christmas Island (Decca)
1949 Andrews Sisters - I Can Dream, Can't I (Decca)
1963 Angels - My Boyrfriend's Back (Smash)
1957 Anka, Paul - Diana (ABC-Paramount)
1959 Anka, Paul - Lonely Boy (ABC-Paramount)
1960 Anka, Paul - Puppy Love (ABC-Paramount)
1948 Arnold, Eddy - Bouquet Of Roses (RCA Victor)
1928 Austin, Gene - Ramona (RCA Victor)
1931 Autry, Gene - That Silver Haired Daddy Of Mine (Columbia)
1947 Autry, Gene - Here Comes Santa Claus (Columbia)
1949 Autry, Gene - Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer (Columbia)
1950 Autry, Gene - Peter Cottontail (Columbia)
1958 Avalon, Frankie - Dede Dinah (Chancellor)
1959 Avalon, Frankie - Venus (Chancellor)
1959 Avalon, Frankie -Why (Chancellor)
1955 Baker, Lavern -Tweedle Dee (Atlantic)
1956 Baker, Lavern -Jim Dandy (Atlantic)
1958 Baker, Lavern - I Cried A Tear (Atlantic)
1954 Ballard, Hank & The Midnighters - Work With Me, Annie (King)
1954 Ballard, Hank & The Midnighters - Sexy Ways (King)
1954 Ballard, Hank & The Midnighters - Annie Had A Baby (King)
1960 Ballard, Hank & The Midnighters - Finger Poppin' Time (King)
1960 Ballard, Hank & The Midnighters - The Twist (King)
1959 Barber, Chris & His Jazz Band - Petite Fleur (Laurie)
1949 Barron, Blue - Cruising Down The River (MGM)
1950 Barton, Eileen - If I Knew You Were Comin' (I'd've Baked A Cake) (National)
1956 Baxter, Les - The Poor People Of Paris (Capitol)
1964 Beatles - She Loves You (Swan)
1964 Beatles - I Want To Hold Your Hand (Capitol)
1957 Belafonte, Harry - Day-O (The Banana Boat Song) (RCA Victor)
1951 Bennett, Tony - Because Of You (Columbia)
1951 Bennett, Tony - Cold, Cold Heart (Columbia)
1953 Bennett, Tony - Rags To Riches (Columbia)
1954 Bennett, Tony -Stranger In Paradise (Columbia)
1959 Benton, Brook - It's Just A Matter Of Time/So Many Ways (Mercury) ??????
1960 Benton, Brook (with Dinah Washington) - Baby (You Got What It Takes) (Mercury)
1962 Bilk, Acker - Stranger On The Shore (Atco)
1958 Billie & Lillie - Lah Dee Dah (Swan)
1959 Black, Bill & His Combo - Smokie (Part 2) (Hi)
1960 Black, Bill & His Combo - White Silver Sands (Hi)
1960 Black, Jeanne - He'll Have to Stay (Capitol)
1961 Bonds, Gary U.S. - Quarter To Three (Le Grand)
1962 Booker T. & The MGs - Green Onions (Stax)
1955 Boone, Pat - Ain't That A Shame (Dot)
1956 Boone, Pat - I'll Be Home (Dot)
1956 Boone, Pat - I Almost Lost My Mind (Dot)
1957 Boone, Pat - Friendly Persuasion (Dot)
1957 Boone, Pat - Don't Forbid Me (Dot)
1957 Boone, Pat - Why, Baby, Why (Dot)
1957 Boone, Pat - Love Letters In The Sand (Dot)
1957 Boone, Pat - Remember You're Mine (Dot)
1957 Boone, Pat - April Love (Dot)
1958 Boone, Pat - A Wonderful Time Up There (Dot)
1962 Boone, Pat - Speedy Gonzales (Dot)
1952 Bostic, Earl - Flamingo (King)
1952 Boyd, Jimmy - I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus (Columbia)
1954 Bradford, Alex - Too Close To Heaven/I Don't Care What The World May Do (Specialty)
1950 Brewer, Teresa - Music! Music! Music! (London)
1952 Brewer, Teresa - Till I Waltz Again With You (Coral)
1953 Brewer, Teresa - Ricochet (Coral)
1942 Britt, Elton - There's A Star-Spangled Banner Waving Somewhere
1956 Brown, James - Please, Please, Please (Federal)
1958 Brown, James - Try Me (Federal)
1945 Brown, Les - Sentimental Journey
1948 Brown, Les - I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm
1952 Brown, Ruth - 5-10-15 Hours (Atlantic)
1953 Brown, Ruth - Mama, He Treats Your Daughter Mean (Atlantic)
1957 Brown, Ruth - Lucky Lips (Atlantic)
1959 Browns - The Three Bells (RCA Victor)
1956 Buchanan & Goodman - The Flying Saucer (Luniverse)
1959 Byrnes, Ed & Connie Stevens - Kookie Kookie (Warner Bros.)
1939 Calloway, Cab - The Jumpin' Jive (Columbia)
1959 Cannon, Freddy - Way Down Yonder In New Orleans (Swan)
1959 Cannon, Freddy - Talahassee Lassie (Swan) 1959
1962 Cannon, Freddy - Palisades Park (Swan) 1962
1945 Cavallaro, Carmen - Chopin's Polonaise (Decca)
1953 Chacksfield, Frank - Ebb Tide (London)
1958 Champs - Tequila (Challenge)
1961 Chandler, Gene - Duke Of Earl (Vee Jay)
1952 Chandler, Karen - Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me (Coral)
1959 Charles, Ray - What'd I Say (Atlantic)
1962 Charles, Ray - I Can't Stop Loving You (ABC-Paramount)
1962 Charles, Ray - You Don't Know Me (ABC-Paramount)
1960 Checker, Chubby - The Twist (Cameo)
1961 Checker, Chubby - Pony Time (Cameo)
1961 Checker, Chubby - Let's Twist Again (Cameo)
1962 Checker, Chubby -Slow Twistin' (Cameo)
1962 Checker, Chubby - Limbo Rock
1963 Chiffons - He's So Fine (Laurie)
1954 Chordettes - Mr. Sandman (Cadence)
1958 Clanton, Jimmy - Just A Dream (Ace)
1958 Clanton, Jimmy - Letter To An Angel (Ace)
1959 Clanton, Jimmy - Ship On A Stormy Sea (Ace)
1961 Clark, Dee - Raindrops (Vee Jay)
1951 Clooney, Rosemary - Come On-A My House (Columbia)
1952 Clooney, Rosemary - Half As Much (Columbia)
1954 Clooney, Rosemary - Hey There/This Ole House (Columbia)
1957 Coasters - Searchin' (Atco)
1958 Coasters - Yakety Yak (Atco)
1959 Coasters - Poison Ivy (Atco)
1959 Coasters - Charlie Brown (Atco)
1948 Cole, Nat King - Nature Boy (Capitol)
1950 Cole, Nat King - Mona Lisa (Capitol)
1951 Cole, Nat King - Too Young
1962 Cole, Nat King - Ramblin' Rose
1945 Como, Perry - Till The End Of Time (RCA Victor)
1945 Como, Perry - Dig You Later (A Hubba-Hubba-Hubba) (RCA Victor)
1946 Como, Perry - Prisoner Of Love(RCA Victor)
1947 Como, Perry - When You Were Sweet Sixteen/Chi-Baba Chi-Baba (RCA Victor)
1948 Como, Perry - Because (RCA Victor)
1952 Como, Perry - Don't Let The Stars Get In Your Eyes (RCA Victor)
1954 Como, Perry - Wanted (RCA Victor)
1954 Como, Perry - Papa Loves Mambo (RCA Victor)
1956 Como, Perry - Hot Diggity (RCA Victor)
1957 Como, Perry - Round And Round (RCA Victor)
1958 Como, Perry - Catch A Falling Star (RCA Victor)
1957 Cooke, Sam - You Send Me (Keen)
1957 Cooke, Sam - I'll Come Running Back To You (Specialty) 1958
1948 Copas, Cowboy - Signed, Sealed & Delivered (Starday)
1948 Copas, Cowboy - Tennessee Waltz (Starday)
1952 Cornell, Don - I'm Yours (Coral)
1955 Cornell, Don - It Isn't Fair (Coral) (original hit version 1950 with Sammy Kaye)
1960 Costa, Don - Never On Sunday (United Artists)
1958 Covington, Warren - Tea For Two Cha Cha (Decca)
1958 Crescendos - Oh, Julie (Nasco)
1958 Crests - Sixteen Candles (Coed)
1954 Crew-Cuts - Sh-Boom (Mercury)
1937 Crosby, Bing - Sweet Leilani (Decca)
1938 Crosby, Bing - Silent Night (Decca)
1941 Crosby, Bing - New San Antonio Rose (Decca)
1942 Crosby, Bing - White Christmas (Decca)
1943 Crosby, Bing - Sunday, Monday, Or Always (Decca)
1943 Crosby, Bing - I'll Be Home For Christmas (Decca)
1943 Crosby, Bing - Pistol Packin' Mama (with The Andrews Sisters) (Decca)
1943 Crosby, Bing - Jingle Bells (with The Andrews Sisters) (Decca)
1944 Crosby, Bing - Swinging On A Star (Decca)
1944 Crosby, Bing - Too-Ra-Loo-Ra-Loo-Ral (Decca)
1944 Crosby, Bing - Don't Fence Me In (with The Andrews Sisters) (Decca)
1945 Crosby, Bing - I Can't Begin To Tell You (Decca)
1946 Crosby, Bing - McNamara's Band (Decca)
1946 Crosby, Bing - South America, Take It Away (with The Andrews Sisters) (Decca)
1947 Crosby, Bing - Whiffenpoof Song (Decca)
1948 Crosby, Bing - Now Is The Hour (Decca)
1949 Crosby, Bing - Galway Bay (Decca)
1949 Crosby, Bing - Dear Hearts And Gentle People/Mule Train (Decca)
1950 Crosby, Bing - Play A Simple Melody/Sam's Song (with Gary Crosby) (Decca)
1956 Crosby, Bing - True Love (with Grace Kelly) (Capitol)
1955 Dale, Alan - Sweet And Gentle (Coral)
1955 Dale, Alan - Cherry Pink & Apple Blossom White (Coral)
1925 Dalhart, Vernon - The Prisoner's Song (RCA Victor)
1949 Damone, Vic - Again (Mercury)
1949 Damone, Vic - You're Breaking My Heart (Mercury)
1956 Damone, Vic - On The Street Where You Live (Columbia)
1957 Danny & The Juniors - At The Hop (ABC-Paramount)
1961 Darren, James - Goodbye, Cruel World (Colpix)
1958 Day, Bobby - Rockin' Robin (Class)
1948 Day, Doris - Love Somebody/Confess (with Buddy Clark) (Columbia)
1948 Day, Doris - It's Magic (Columbia)
1952 Day, Doris - A Guy Is A Guy (Columbia)
1952 Day, Doris - Sugarbush (with Frankie Laine) (Columbia)
1954 Day, Doris - Secret Love (Columbia)
1956 Day, Doris - Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Columbia)
1961 Dean, Jimmy - Big Bad John (Columbia)
1961 Dee, Joey & The Starlighters - Peppermint Twist (Roulette)
1957 Dell-Vikings - Come Go With Me (Dot)
1959 Denny, Martin - Quiet Village (Liberty)
1943 Dexter, Al - Pistol Packin' Mama (Columbia)
1957 Diamonds - Little Darlin' (Mercury)
1957 Diamonds - The Stroll (Mercury)
1959 Dickey Doo & The Don'ts - Teardrops Will Fall (Swan) [hard to believe]
1959 Dinning, Mark - Teen Angel (MGM)
1959 Dion & The Belmonts - Teenager In Love (Laurie)
1961 Dion - Runaround Sue (Laurie)
1961 Dion - The Wanderer (Laurie)
1959 Dobkins, Carl - My Heart Is An Open Book (Decca)
1956 Doggett, Bill - Honky Tonk (King)
1950 Domino, Fats - The Fat Man (Imperial)
1952 Domino, Fats - Goin' Home (Imperial)
1953 Domino, Fats - Going To The River (Imperial)
1953 Domino, Fats - Please Don't Leave Me (Imperial)
1953 Domino, Fats - I Lived My Life (Imperial) (did not chart on R&B chart)
1954 Domino, Fats - You Said You Love Me /**Rose Mary (Imperial)
1955 Domino, Fats - Thinking Of You (Imperial)
1955 Domino, Fats - Ain't That A Shame (Imperial)
1955 Domino, Fats - All By Myself (Imperial)
1956 Domino, Fats - I'm In Love Again
1956 Domino, Fats - Blue Monday (Imperial)
1956 Domino, Fats - Blueberry Hill (Imperial)
1956 Domino, Fats - I'm Walkin' (Imperial)
1958 Domino, Fats - Whole Lotta Lovin' (Imperial)
1960 Domino, Fats - Walking To New Orleans/Don't Come Knockin' (Imperial)
1941 Dorsey, Jimmy - Amapola (Decca)
1941 Dorsey, Jimmy - Green Eyes/Maria Elena (Decca)
1957 Dorsey, Jimmy - So Rare (Fraternity)
1937 Dorsey, Tommy - Marie (RCA Victor)
1938 Dorsey, Tommy - Boogie Woogie (RCA Victor)
1942 Dorsey, Tommy - There Are Such Things (RCA Victor)
1944 Dorsey, Tommy - Opus No. 1(RCA Victor)
1953 Draper, Rusty - Gambler's Guitar (Mercury)
1955 Dream Weavers - It's Almost Tomorrow (Decca)
1959 Drifters - There Goes My Baby (Atlantic)
1960 Drifters - Save The Last Dance For Me (Atlantic)
1962 Drifters - Up On The Roof (Atlantic)
1950 Eckstine, Billy - My Foolish Heart (MGM)
1951 Eckstine, Billy - I Apologize (MGM)
1958 Eddy, Duane - Rebel Rouser (Jamie)
1960 Eddy, Duane - Because They're Young (Jamie)
1958 Edwards, Tommy - It's All In The Game (MGM)
1958 Elegants - Little Star (Apt)
1963 Essex - Easier Said Than Done (Roulette)
1957 Everly Brothers - Bye Bye Love (Cadence)
1957 Everly Brothers -Wake Up Little Susie (Cadence)
1958 Everly Brothers - All I Have To Do Is Dream (Cadence)
1958 Everly Brothers - Bird Dog/Devoted To You (Cadence)
1960 Everly Brothers - Cathy's Clown (Warner Bros.)
1962 Fabares, Shelly - Johnny Angel (Colpix)
1953 Faith, Percy - Song From Moulin Rouge (Columbia)
1960 Faith, Percy - Theme From A Summer Place (Columbia)
1960 Ferrante & Teicher - Exodus (United Artists)
1949 Fiedler, Arthur - Jalousie (RCA Victor)
1951 Fisher, Eddie - Anytime (RCA Victor)
1953 Fisher, Eddie - I'm Walking Behind You (RCA Victor)
1953 Fisher, Eddie - Oh! My Pa-Pa (RCA Victor)
1954 Fisher, Eddie - I Need You Now (RCA Victor)
1938 Fitzgerald, Ella - A-Tisket, A-Tasket (Decca)
1944 Fitzgerald, Ella - Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall (with the Ink Spots) (Decca)
1959 Fleetwoods - Come Softly To Me (Dolton)
1959 Fleetwoods - Mr. Blue (Dolton)
1950 Foley, Red - Chattanoogie Shoe Shine Boy (Decca)
1951 Foley, Red - Peace In The Valley (Decca)
1954 Fontaine Sisters - Hearts Of Stone (Dot)
1959 Ford, Frankie - Sea Cruise (Ace)
1955 Ford, Tennessee Ernie - Sixteen Tons (Capitol)
1954 Four Aces - Three Coins In The Fountain (Decca)
1951 Four Aces - Tell Me Why (Decca)
1953 Four Aces - Stranger In Paradise (Decca)
1955 Four Aces - Love Is A Many-Splendored Thing (Decca)
1955 Four Lads - Moments To Remember (Columbia)
1956 Four Lads - No Not Much! (Columbia)
1958 Four Preps - Twenty-Six Miles (Capitol)
1962 Four Seasons - Sherry (Vee Jay)
1962 Four Seasons - Big Girls Don't Cry (Vee Jay)
1963 Four Seasons - Walk Like A Man (Vee Jay)
1953 Four Tunes - Marie (Jubilee)
1954 Four Tunes - I Understand Just How You Feel (Jubilee)
1958 Francis, Connie - Who's Sorry Now? (MGM)
1959 Francis, Connie - Lipstick On Your Collar/Frankie (MGM)
1960 Francis, Connie - Mama/Teddy (MGM)
1960 Francis, Connie - Everybody's Somebody's Fool (MGM)
1953 Freberg, Stan - St. George And The Dragonet (Capitol)
1952 Gaylords - Tell Me You're Mine (Mercury)
1952 Gibbs, Georgia - Kiss Of Fire (Mercury)
1955 Gibbs, Georgia -Dance With Me, Henry (Mercury)
1955 Gibbs, Georgia - Tweedle Dee (Mercury)
1963 Gilmer, Jimmy & The Fire Balls - Sugar Shack (Dot)
1939 Glahe, Will - Beer Barrel Polka (RCA Victor)
1953 Gleason, Jackie - Melancholy Serenade
1947 Godfrey, Arthur - The Too Fat Polka (Columbia)
1955 Gordon, Barry - Nuttin' For Christmas (MGM)
1963 Gore, Lesley - It's My Party (Mercury)
1957 Gracie, Charlie - Butterfly (Cameo)
1958 Grammer, Billy - Gotta Travel On (Monument)
1956 Grant, Gogi - The Wayward Wind (Era)
1954 Guitar, Slim - The Things I Used To Do (Specialty)
1954 Haley, Bill - Rock Around The Clock (Decca)
1954 Haley, Bill - Shake, Rattle & Roll (Decca)
1956 Haley, Bill - See You Later, Alligator (Decca)
1956 Hamilton, George - A Rose And A Baby Ruth (ABC-Paramount)
1950 Harmonicats - Peg o' My Heart (Mercury, original hit Vitacoustic in 1947)
1950 Harris, Phil - The Thing (RCA Victor)
1959 Harrison, WIlbert - Kansas City (Fury)
1955 Hayes, Bill - Ballad Of Davy Crockett (Cadence)
1943 Haymes, Dick - You'll Never Know (Decca) .
1948 Haymes, Dick - Little White Lies (Decca)
1942 Heidt, Horace - Deep In The Heart Of Texas (Columbia)
1957 Helms, Bobby - My Special Angel
1958 Helms, Bobby - Jingle Bell Rock
1939 Herman, Woody - At The Woodchopper's Ball (Decca)
1945 Herman, Woody - Laura (Columbia)
1961 Highwaymen - Michael (United Artists)
1953 Hilltoppers - P.S. I Love You (Do)
1957 Holly, Buddy - That'll Be The Day (Brunswick)
1958 Holly, Buddy - Peggy Sue (Coral)
1960 Hollywood Argyles - Alley-Oop (Lute) 1960
1954 Holmes, Leroy - High And The Mighty (MGM)
1959 Horton, Johnny - The Battle Of New Orleans (Columbia)
1946 Howard, Eddy - To Each His Own (Mercury)
1951 Howard, Eddy - Sin (Merury)
1948 Hunt, Pee Wee - Twelfth Street Rag (Capitol)
1953 Hunt, Pee Wee - Oh! (Capitol)
1956 Hunter, "Ivory" Joe - Since I Met You, Baby (Atlantic)
1957 Hunter, Tab - Young Love (Dot)
1960 Hyland, Bryan - Itsy, Bitsy, Teenie, Weenie, Yellow Polka Dot Bikini (Kapp)
1963 Hyland, Bryan - Sealed With A Kiss (ABC-Paramount)
1956 Hyman, Dick - Moritat (MGM)
1959 Impalas - Sorry (I Ran All The Way Home) (Cub)
1946 Ink Spots - The Gypsy (Decca)
1946 Ink Spots - To Each His Own (Decca)
1962 Isley Brothers - Twist And Shout (Wand)
1945 Iturbi, Jose - Chopin's Polonaise In A-Flat (RCA Victor)
1946 Iturbi, Jose - Clair de Lune (RCA Victor)
1959 Jackson, Stonewall - Waterloo (Columbia)
1956 Jacobs, Dick - Main Title and Molly-O (Coral)
1938 James, Harry -One O'Clock Jump (Columbia)
1940 James, Harry - Ciribirin (Columbia)
1941 James, Harry - You Made Me Love You (Columbia)
1942 James, Harry - Easter Parade (Columbia)
1942 James, Harry - I Had The Craziest Dream (Columbia)
1943 James, Harry - I've Heard That Song Before/Moonlight Becomes You (Columbia)
1952 James, Joni - Why Don't You Believe Me? (MGM)
1953 James, Joni - Have You Heard? (MGM)
1953 James, Joni - Your Cheating Heart (MGM)
1955 James, Joni - How Important Can It Be? (MGM)
1956 James, Sonny - Young Love (Capitol)
1963 Jan & Dean - Surf City (Liberty)
1948 Jenkins, Gordon - Maybe You'll Be There (Decca)
1950 Jenkins, Gordon & The Weavers - Goodnight, Irene/Tzena Tzena Tzena (Decca)
1948 Johnson, Lonnie - Tomorrow Night (King)
1946 Jolson, Al - California, Here I Come/Rockabye Your Baby (Decca)
1946 Jolson, Al - You Made Me Love You/Ma Blushin' Rosie (Decca)
1947 Jolson, Al - Anniversary Song (Decca)
1947 Jolson, Al - Sonny Boy/My Mammy (Decca)
1947 Jolson, Al - April Showers/Swanee (Decca)
1959 Jones, Jimmy - Handy Man (Cub)
1960 Jones, Jimmy - Good Timin' (Cub)
1945 Jones, Spike - Cocktails For Two (RCA Victor)
1948 Jones, Spike - All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth (RCA Victor)
1946 Jordan, Louis - Choo Choo Ch' Boogie (Decca)
1957 Justis, Bill - Raunchy (Phillips Int'l.)
1958 Kalin Twins - When (Decca)
1954 Kallen, Kitty - Little Things Mean A Lot (Decca)
1951 King, Pee Wee - Slow Poke (RCA Victor)
1958 Kingston Trio - Tom Dooley (Capitol)
1948 Knight, Evelyn - A Little Bird Told Me (Decca)
1957 Knox, Buddy - Party Doll (Roulette)
1939 Kyser, Kay - Three Little Fishies (Columbia)
1942 Kyser, Kay - Who Wouldn't Love You (Columbia)
1942 Kyser, Kay - Jingle Jangle Jingle (Columbia)
1942 Kyser, Kay - Strip Polka (Columbia)
1942 Kyser, Kay - Praise The Lord And Pass The Ammunition (Columbia)
1948 Kyser, Kay - Woody Woodpecker (Columbia)
1948 Kyser, Kay - On A Slow Boat To China (Columbia)
1950 Lanza, Mario - Be My Love (RCA Victor)
1951 Lanza, Mario - The Loveliest Night Of The Year (RCA Victor)
1947 Laine, Frankie - That's My Desire (Mercury)
1948 Laine, Frankie - Shine (Mercury)
1949 Laine, Frankie - Mule Train (Mercury)
1949 Laine, Frankie - That Lucky Ol' Sun (Mercury)
1950 Laine, Frankie - Cry Of TheWild Goose (Mercury)
1951 Laine, Frankie - Jezebel (Columbia)
1953 Laine, Frankie - I Believe (Columbia)
1957 Laine, Frankie - Moonlight Gambler (Columbia)
1953 La Rosa, Julius - Eh, Cumpari (Cadence)
1960 Lee, Brenda - I'm Sorry/That's All You Gotta Do (Decca)
1948 Lee, Peggy - Manana (Capitol)
1952 Lee, Peggy - Lover (Decca)
1962 Lester, Ketty - Love Letters (Era)
1961 Lewis, Bobby - Tossin' And Turnin' (Belltone)
1957 Lewis, Jerry Lee - Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On (Sun)
1957 Lewis, Jerry Lee - Great Balls Of Fire (Sun)
1958 Lewis, Jerry Lee - Breathless (Sun)
1945 Liggins, Joe - I Gotta Right To Cry/Honeydripper (Specialty)
1950 Liggins, Joe - Pink Champagne (Specialty)
1958 Little Anthony & The Imperials - Tears On My Pillow (End)
1962 Little Eva - The Loco-Motion (Dimension)
1956 Little Richard - Tutti Frutti (Specialty)
1956 Little Richard - Long Tall Sally (Specialty)
1956 Little Richard - Rip It Up (Specialty)
1957 Little Richard - Lucille (Specialty)
1957 Little Richard - Jenny Jenny (Specialty)
1957 Little Richard - Keep A-Knockin' (Specialty)
1958 Little Richard - Good Golly, Miss Molly (Specialty)
1946 Lombardo, Guy & Andrews Sisters - Christmas Island/Winter Wonderland (Decca)
1944 Lombardo, Guy - Humoresque (Decca)
1947 Lombardo, Guy - Easter Parade (Decca)
1950 Lombardo, Guy - Third Man Theme (Decca)
1958 London, Laurie - He's Got The Whole World In His Hands (Capitol)
1940 Long, Johnny - In A Shanty In Old Shanty Town (Decca)
1963 Lopez, Trini - If I Had A Hammer (Reprise)
1957 Lowe, Jim - The Green Door (Dot)
1947 Lund, Art - Mam'selle (MGM)
1956 Lymon, Frankie & The Teen-Agers - Why Do Fools Fall In Love (Gee)
1952 Lynn, Vera - Auf Wiedersehen (London)
1952 Lynn, Vera - Yours (London)
1936 MacDonald, Jeanette & Nelson Eddy - Indian Love Call (RCA Victor)
1955 Maddox, Johnny - Crazy Otto (Dot)
1953 Mangano, Sylvana - Anna (MGM)
1951 Mantovani - Charmagne (London)
1961 Mar-Keys - Last Night (Stax)
1953 Marterie, Ralph - Pretend (Mercury)
1953 Marterie, Ralph - Caravan (Mercury)
1963 Martha & The Vandellas - Heat Wave (Gordy)
1953 Martin, Dean - That's Amore (Capitol)
1955 Martin, Dean - Memories Are Made Of This (Capitol)
1941 Martin, Freddy - Piano Concerto In B-Flat (RCA Victor)
1942 Martin, Freddy - White Christmas (RCA Victor)
1946 Martin, Tony - To Each His Own (Mercury)
1961 Marvelettes - Please, Mr. Postman (Tamla)
1957 Mathis, Johnny - Chances Are (Columbia)
1950 Mayfield, Percy - Please Send Me Someone To Love (Specialty)
1935 McCoy, Clyde - Sugar Blues (Decca) (originally on Columbia in 1931)
1955 McGuire Sisters - Sincerely (Coral)
1957 McGuire Sisters - Sugartime (Coral)
1958 McPhatter, Clyde - A Lover's Question (Atlantic)
1939 Miller, Glenn - Moonlight Serenade/Sunrise Serenade (RCA Victor)
1939 Miller, Glenn - Little Brown Jug (RCA Victor)
1939 Miller, Glenn - In The Mood (RCA Victor)
1940 Miller, Glenn - Tuxedo Junction (RCA Victor)
1940 Miller, Glenn - Pennsylvania 6-5000 (RCA Victor)
1941 Miller, Glenn - Chattanooga Choo Choo (RCA Victor)
1942 Miller, Glenn - American Patrol (RCA Victor)
1942 Miller, Glenn - Kalamazoo (RCA Victor)
1955 Miller, Mitch - Yellow Rose Of Texas (Columbia)
1958 Miller, Mitch - March From The River Kwai And Colonel Bogie (Columbia)
1943 Mills Brothers - Paper Doll (Decca)
1944 Mills Brothers - You Always Hurt The One You Love (Decca)
1952 Mills Brothers - Glow Worm (Decca)
1946 Milton, Roy - R.M. Blues (Specialty)
1960 Miracles - Shop Around (Tamla)
1950 Mitchell, Guy - My Heart Cries For You/The Roving Kind (Columbia)
1951 Mitchell, Guy - My Truly, Truly Fair (Columbia)
1952 Mitchell, Guy - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (Columbia)
1956 Mitchell, Guy - Singing The Blues (Columbia)
1959 Mitchell, Guy - Heartaches By The Number (Columbia)
1958 Modugno, Domenico - Volare (Decca)
1941 Monroe, Vaughn - Racing With The Moon (RCA Victor)
1945 Monroe, Vaughn - There! I've Said It Again (RCA Victor)
1947 Monroe, Vaughn - Ballerina (RCA Victor)
1949 Monroe, Vaughn - Riders In The Sky (RCA Victor)
1962 Monte, Lou - Pepino The Italian Mouse (Reprise)
1962 Montez, Chris - Let's Dance (Monogram)
1948 Mooney, Art - I'm Looking Over A Four-Leaf Clover (MGM)
1948 Mooney, Art - Baby Face (MGM)
1955 Mooney, Art - Honey Babe (MGM)
1957 Morgan, Jane - Fascination (Kapp)
1949 Morgan, Russ - Cruising Down The River (Decca)
1952 Morse, Ella Mae - Blacksmith Blues (Capitol)
1947 Mullican, Moon - New Pretty Blonde (New Jole Blon) (King)
1950 Mullican, Moon - I'll Sail My Ship Alone (King)
1957 Nelson, Ricky - Be-Bop Baby (Imperial)
1957 Nelson, Ricky - Stood Up (Imperial)
1958 Nelson, Ricky - Believe What You Say (Imperial)
1958 Nelson, Ricky - Poor Little Fool (Imperial)
1958 Nelson, Ricky - Lonesome Town (Imperial)
1961 Nelson, Ricky - Travelin' Man/Hello, Mary Lou (Imperial)
1959 Nelson, Sandy - Teen Beat (Original Sound)
1960 Orbison, Roy - Only The Lonely (Monument)
1961 Orbison, Roy - Cryin' (Monument)
1953 Orioles - Crying In The Chapel (Jubilee)
1962 Orlons - Wah-Watusi (Cameo)
1963 Orlons - South Street (Cameo)
1950 Page, Patti - Tennessee Waltz (Mercury)
1952 Page, Patti - I Went To Your Wedding (Mercury)
1953 Page, Patti - Doggie In The Window (Mercury)
1953 Page, Patti - Changing Partners (Mercury)
1954 Page, Patti - Cross Over The Bridge (Mercury)
1962 Paul & Paula - Hey, Paula (Philips)
1951 Paul, Les & Mary Ford - Mockin' Bird Hill (Capitol)
1951 Paul, Les & Mary Ford - How High The Moon (Capitol)
1951 Paul, Les & Mary Ford - The World Is Waiting For The Sunrise (Capitol)
1953 Paul, Les & Mary Ford - Vaya Con Dios (Capitol)
1959 Phillips, Phil - Sea Of Love (Mercury)
1962 Pickett, Bobby "Boris" - Monster Mash (Garpax)
1962 Pitney, Gene - Only Love Can Break A Heart/If I Didn't Have A Dime (Musicor)
1955 Platters - Only You (Mercury)
1955 Platters - The Great Pretender (Mercury)
1956 Platters - My Prayer (Mercury)
1958 Platters - Twilight Time (Mercury)
1958 Platters - Smoke Gets In Your Eyes (Mercury)
1958 Playmates - Beep, Beep (Roulette)
1955 Prado, Perez - Cherry Pink & Apple Blossom White (RCA Victor)
1958 Prado, Perez - Patricia (RCA Victor)
1956 Presley, Elvis - Heartbreak Hotel/I Was The One (RCA Victor)
1956 Presley, Elvis - I Want You, I Need You, I Love You (RCA Victor)
1956 Presley, Elvis - Don't Be Cruel/Hound Dog (RCA Victor)
1956 Presley, Elvis - Love Me Tender/Anyway You Want Me (RCA Victor)
1957 Presley, Elvis - Too Much/Playing For Keeps (RCA Victor)
1957 Presley, Elvis - All Shook Up/That's When Your Heartaches Begin (RCA Victor)
1957 Presley, Elvis - Teddy Bear/Loving You (RCA Victor)
1957 Presley, Elvis - Jailhouse Rock/Treat Me Nice (RCA Victor)
1958 Presley, Elvis - Don't/I Beg Of You (RCA Victor)
1958 Presley, Elvis - Wear My Ring Around Your Neck (RCA Victor)
1958 Presley, Elvis - Hard Headed Woman (RCA Victor)
1958 Presley, Elvis - I Got Stung / One Night (RCA Victor)
1959 Presley, Elvis - A Fool Such As I (RCA Victor)
1959 Presley, Elvis - A Big Hunk O' Love (RCA Victor) **(only certified as Gold in 1992)
1960 Presley, Elvis - Stuck On You (RCA Victor)
1960 Presley, Elvis - It's Now Or Never/A Mess Of Blues (RCA Victor)
1960 Presley, Elvis - Are You Lonesome To-night?/I Gotta Know (RCA Victor)
1961 Presley, Elvis - Surrender (RCA Victor)
1961 Presley, Elvis - Can't Help Falling In Love (RCA Victor)
1962 Presley, Elvis - Good Luck Charm (RCA Victor)
1962 Presley, Elvis - Return To Sender (RCA Victor)
1959 Preston, Johnny -Running Bear (Mercury)
1952 Price, Lloyd - Lawdy Miss Clawdy (Specialty)
1958 Price, Lloyd - Stagger Lee (ABC-Paramount)
1959 Price, Lloyd - Personality (ABC-Paramount)
1956 Price, Ray - Crazy Arms (Columbia)
1958 Price, Ray - City Lights (Columbia)
1957 Rainwater, Marvin - Gonna Find Me A Blue Bird (MGM)
1951 Ray, Johnnie - Cry (Columbia)
1952 Ray, Johnnie - Please, Mr. Sun/Here Am I Broken-Hearted (Columbia)
1956 Ray, Johnnie - Just Walking In The Rain (Columbia)
1957 Rays - Silhouettes (Cameo)
1959 Reeves, Jim - He'll Have To Go (RCA Victor)
1951 Reynolds, Debbie & Carl Carlton - Aba Daba Honeymoon (MGM)
1957 Reynolds, Debbie - Tammy (Coral)
1955 Riddle, Nelson - Lisbon Antigua (Capitol)
1957 Robbins, Marty - A White Sport Coat (Columbia)
1957 Rodgers, Jimmy - Honeycomb (Roulette)
1957 Rodgers, Jimmy - Kisses Sweeter Than Wine (Roulette)
1958 Rodgers, Jimmy - Secretly (Roulette)
1963 Rooftop Singers - Walk Right In (Vanguard)
1943 Rose, David - Holiday For Strings (Victor)
1957 Rose, David - Calypso Melody (MGM)
1960 Rydell, Bobby - Wild One/Little Bitty Girl (Cameo)
1960 Rydell, Bobby - Swingin' School/Ding-A-Ling (Cameo)
1960 Rydell, Bobby - Volare (Cameo)
1963 Rydell, Bobby - Forget Him (Cameo)
1963 Sakamoto, Kyu - Sukiyaki (Capitol)
1957 Sands, Tommy - Teen-Age Crush (Capitol)
1960 Scott, Jack - What In The World's Come Over You (Top Rank)
1958 Seville, David - Witch Doctor (Liberty)
1958 Seville, David & The Chipmunks - The Chipmunk Song (Liberty)
1959 Seville, David & The Chipmunks - Alvin's Harmonica (Liberty)
1962 Sharp, Dee Dee - Mashed Potato Time (Cameo)
1938 Shaw, Artie - Begin The Beguine/Indian Love Call (Bluebird/RCA Victor)
1941 Shaw, Artie - Summit Ridge Drive (RCA Victor)
1941 Shaw, Artie - Star Dust (RCA Victor)
1960 Shirelles - Will You Love Me Tomorrow (Scepter)
1962 Shirelles - Soldier Boy (Scepter)
1956 Shirley & Lee - Let The Good Times Roll (Aladdin)
1948 Shore, Dinah - Buttons And Bows (Columbia)
1958 Silhouettes - Get A Job (Ember)
1959 Simone, Nina - I Loves You, Porgy (Bethlehem)
1943 Sinatra, Frank with Harry James Orch - All Or Nothing At All (Columbia)
1954 Sinatra, Frank - Young-At-Heart (Capitol)
1957 Smith, Huey (Piano) - Rockin' Pneumonia (Ace)
1958 Smith, Huey (Piano) - Don't You Just Know It (Ace)
1942 Smith, Kate - Rose O'Day (Columbia)
1950 Snyder, Bil - Bewitched (Tower) (am not able to find a Decca single reissue, which is what was listed as the label in the article)
1963 Soul, Jimmy - If You Wanna Be Happy (S.P.Q.R)
1947 Stafford, Jo & Red Ingle - Temptation (Tim-tay-shun) (Capitol)
1952 Stafford, Joe - Jambalaya/Early Autumn (Columbia)
1954 Stafford, Jo - Make Love To Me (Columbia)
1952 Standley, Johnny - It's In The Book (Capitol)
1952 Starr, Kay - Wheel Of Fortune (Capitol)
1955 Starr, Kay - Rock And Roll Waltz (RCA Victor)
1950 Steele, Jon and Sondra - My Happiness (Coral) (re-recording of 1948 hit on Damon)
1960 Stevens, Connie - Sixteen Reasons (Warner Bros.)
1959 Stevens, Dodie - Pink Shoelaces (Crystalette)
1952 Stokowski, Leopold - Tales From The Vienna Woods (RCA Victor)
1956 Stoloff, Morris - Moonglow And Theme From Picnic (Decca)
1960 Stone, Roland - Something Special (Ace)
1955 Storm, Gale - I Hear You Knocking (Dot)
1958 Teddy Bears - To Know Him Is To Love Him (Dore)
1952 Thompson, Hank - Wild Side Of Life (Capitol)
1948 Thompson, Sonny - Long Gone (Parts 1 & 2) (Miracles)
1961 Tokens - The Lion Sleeps Tonight (RCA Victor)
1962 Tornadoes - Telstar (London)
1939 Tucker, Orrin - Oh, Johnny, Oh (Columbia)
1954 Turner, Joe - Corina, Corina (Atlantic)
1956 Turner, Joe - Chains Of Love (Atlantic)
1958 Twitty, Conway - It's Only Make Believe (MGM)
1963 Tymes - So Much In Love (Parkway)
1958 Valens, Ritchie - La Bamba/Donna (Del-Fi)
1957 Vaughn, Billy - Sail Along Silvery Moon (Dot)
1961 Vaughn, Billy - Wheels (Dot)
1960 Ventures - Walk, Don't Run (Dolton)
1962 Vinton, Bobby - Roses Are Red (Epic)
1963 Vinton, Bobby - Blue Velvet (Epic)
1949 Warning, Fred - 'Twas The Night Before Christmas (Decca)
1960 Washington, Dinah & Brook Benton - Baby (You Got What It Takes) (Mercury)
1951 Weavers - On Top Of Old Smoky (Decca)
1954 Weber, Joan - Let Me Go, Lover (Columbia)
1947 Weems, Ted - Heartaches (Decca)
1947 Weems, Ted - Mickey (Mercury)
1960 Welk, Lawrence - Calcutta (Dot)
1920 Whiteman, Paul - Whispering (RCA Victor) (BOGUS... only sold 214,575)
1922 Whiteman, Paul - Three O'Clock In The Morning (RCA Victor)
1954 Whitfield, David - Cara Mia (London)
1949 Whiting, Margaret & Jimmy Wakely - Slipping Around (Capitol)
1952 Whitman, Slim - Indian Love Call (Imperial)
1954 Whitman, Slim - Secret Love (Imperial)
1954 Whiman, Slim - Rose Marie (Imperial)
1957 Williams, Billy - I'm Gonna Sit Right Down (Coral)
1949 Williams, Hank - Lovesick Blues (MGM)
1951 Williams, Hank - Cold, Cold Heart (MGM)
1952 Williams, Hank - Jambalaya (MGM)
1957 Williams, Larry - Short Fat Fanny (Specialty)
1957 Williams, Larry - Bony Maronie (Specialty)
1954 Williams, Otis & His Charms - Hearts Of Stone (Deluxe)
1956 Williams, Otis & His Charms - Ivory Tower (Deluxe)

Edited by Brian W. on 22 August 2014 at 2:20pm

Paul Haney
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Posted: 22 August 2014 at 3:57am \| IP Logged

That 1964 list is interesting, but flawed.

"Something Special" by Roland Stone sold a million but "Goodnight Irene" by The Weavers didn't...come on now!

Brian W.
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Posted: 22 August 2014 at 4:07am \| IP Logged

LOL! Well, "Goodnight Irene" is listed under "Gordon Jenkins & The Weavers," as it was in the original article, but a Wikipedia article says the "Something Special" sales are estimated at 100,000. A bit shy of a million. (I don't believe all those Al Jolson Decca singles sold a million, either.)

I've long dreamed of writing the definitive, documented book on million-selling singles, but you'd have to have access to record company archives, and I don't even know how one would go about doing such a thing.

Edited by Brian W. on 22 August 2014 at 4:08am

80smusicfreak
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Posted: 22 August 2014 at 5:06am \| IP Logged

Brian W. wrote:

I've admittedly never cared too much for the music of most of the era covered on this list, but the one single that immediately popped into my head from this time frame that surely has to be among the top ten-biggest sellers of all time was a two-sided hit from 1956, "Don't Be Cruel"/"Hound Dog" - and I know I don't even have to give his name. :-) Yet it's not on your list - although when I clicked on your link for the original article from '64, it's there. I assume we're not challenging that one, are we??? :-) An exhaustive list to transcribe, to be sure...

Paul Haney
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Posted: 22 August 2014 at 5:45am \| IP Logged

Brian W. wrote:

Yeah, I should've checked under Jenkins, although I'll always think of "Goodnight Irene" as a Weavers song.

I'd also love to see a definitive list of early million sellers, but who's to say that the record company tallies from back then are 100% accurate? After all, there's a good reason why the RIAA was created in the first place.

That said, these types of lists DO give us a pretty good idea of what sold the most. Thanks for posting them, Brian.

Hykker
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Posted: 22 August 2014 at 6:59am \| IP Logged

Brian W. wrote:

torcan wrote:

It was on the Bang label, and they never had any of their
records certified. It could be because they didn't want
to be audited by the RIAA, or because certifications cost
money.

Not to mention that Bang Records was pretty much
breathing its last gasps in 1978. If they weren't
willing/able to spend the money to certify during their
mid-late 60s heyday I'm sure they'd be less willing/able
to at the end.

Brian W.
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Posted: 22 August 2014 at 2:45pm \| IP Logged

80smusicfreak wrote:

but the one single that immediately popped into my head from this time frame that surely has to be among the top ten-biggest sellers of all time was a two-sided hit from 1956, "Don't Be Cruel"/"Hound Dog"

Whoops! Added now. Thanks. (BTW, see my note that "A Big Hunk o' Love" was apparently not quite a million seller.)

Paul Haney wrote:

I'd also love to see a definitive list of early million sellers, but who's to say that the record company tallies from back then are 100% accurate? After all, there's a good reason why the RIAA was created in the first place.

Well, I would think that internal record company documention not meant for the public to see would be accuarate. But the RIAA certifications can be problematic, as well, as they're for shipments to retailers, not retail sales.

It used to be that record companies had to wait six months before applying for a gold RIAA cert, to be sure returns were factored in. That was changed to 30 days around the same time that Gold became 1/2 million.

Several previously-certified Gold singles even from way back apparently did not quite sell a million when factoring in returns. Elvis's entire catalog was recertified in the 1990s, with everything previously certified as Gold upped to Platinum, with one exception: "Mama Liked the Roses" remained Gold. So that one likely didn't quite sell a million after returns.

The same has been true for several other artists: The Gold-certified "The Girl is Mine" and "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" were not upped to Platinum when the rest of Michael Jackson's Epic singles were in 1989. Also true for a couple of Elton John singles, including "Mama Can't Buy You Love" and "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word."

Brian W.
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Posted: 10 October 2014 at 12:29am \| IP Logged

Speaking of million sellers, did anyone else notice
that The Beatles' singles "Love Me Do," "Please Please
Me," and "Twist and Shout" were all (finally) RIAA-
certified as Platinum (for a million) on July 24th of
this year? So was the album "Introducing The
Beatles." Strangely, they're all listed as Capitol on
the RIAA website.

And "Do You Want to Know a Secret" was certified Gold,
for sales of between 500,000 and 1,000,000.

It's all in the RIAA's searchable database. And these
are listed as "Standard," not "Digital."

Edited by Brian W. on 10 October 2014 at 12:32am

Paul Haney
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Posted: 10 October 2014 at 3:59am \| IP Logged

Brian, thanks for the heads-up on those Beatles singles. I very rarely check the "Standard" certifications as they so seldom happen these days.

Brian W.
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Posted: 10 October 2014 at 1:46pm \| IP Logged

Apparently Bruce Spizer, author of several Beatles books,
has this to say about "Do You Want to Know a Secret"
being certified as Gold and not Platinum:

Quote:

Vee-Jay sold Beatles singles to distributors on a
buy 9, get one free basis. Capitol was paid royalties
only on records actually sold to distributors less
returns. The RIAA reviewed Vee-Jay documents showing what
was paid to Capitol and only counted records actually
sold and paid for less returns. Do You Want To Know A
Secret clearly sold over a million copies in stores, but
sales to distributors could only be certified for about
929,000 units, including sales of OL-149.

As for She Loves You, I am not aware of any surviving
paperwork to verify sales, although we know it sold about
2,500,000 units.

Below is from another website detailing Vee-Jay sales
figures from one of Spizer's books:

Quote:

The answer can be found in Bruce Spizer`s
excellent and informative book "The Beatles Records On
Vee Jay", published in 1998.

Spizer (a lawyer) went throught the documents of the 1964
Capitol Records vs. Vee Jay lawsuit. Capitol demanded
that Vee Jay should stop releasing Beatles records in
1964, the judge however decided that Vee Jay could
release Beatles records up to October 1964. He ruled,
however, that Vee Jay had to pay Capitol royalties for
each sold record. Thus Vee Jay had to bring their net-
sales documents to the court, so that the judge could
determine how high the payments to Capitol had to be.
These documents are extremely interesting, they show how
many Beatles records had been sold during the frantic
days of 1964 Beatlemania.

Singles:

Please Please Me, 1,185,725
Twist And Shout, 1,209,731
Do You Want To Know A Secret?, 1,025,022
Love Me Do (released by VJ subsidiary Tollie), 1,166,309

Albums:

Introducing The Beatles, 1,346,226
Jolly What! The Beatles & Frank Ifield, 24,470
Songs, Pictures And Stories Of The Fabulous Beatles,
391,525
Hear The Beatles Tell All, 9,687
The Beatles & Frank Ifield On Stage, 20,450
The Beatles Vs. The Four Seasons (2-LP), 19,425

EP

Souvenir Of Their Visit To America, 78,873

Total sales of Vee Jay`s Beatles` releases during 1964:

6,512,649

So with the "buy nine get one free" policy of Vee-Jay
(which I did find referenced in a 1965 Billboard
article), I guess multiply the above singles figures by
.9 for the RIAA-certifiable number. (Their LP policy was
buy seven get one free.)

Edited by Brian W. on 10 October 2014 at 1:57pm

Brian W.
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Posted: 02 May 2018 at 3:18am \| IP Logged

On the subject of catalog million-sellers, I guess Elton
just had a couple old 45s have their certification upped
by the RIAA.

"Bennie and the Jets" was upped to 2X Platinum (it had
previously been certified as Platinum in 1996, after its
initial gold cert in the 70s -- Platinum certification
didn't exist at the time), and "Don't Go Breaking My
Heart" and "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" were both
certified Platinum for the first time.

A few years ago "Your Song" and "Tiny Dancer" were
certified million-sellers as downloads. (And I have to
admit I wonder if the RIAA is allowing digital to be
counted towards old standard certifications for singles,
and if that's the source for these new certs.)

Edited by Brian W. on 02 May 2018 at 3:19am

Brian W.
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Posted: 02 June 2022 at 10:16pm \| IP Logged

Columbia just did a few back catalog certifications for some physical
singles:

Bruce Springsteen

Born in the USA - Platinum (1 million)
Santa Claus is Comin to Town - Platinum (1 million)
Dancing in the Dark - Platinum (1 million)
Streets of Philadelphia Platinum (1 million)

Mariah Carey

Without You - Platinum (1 million)
Honey - Platinum (1 million)

Whitney Houstons All the Man That I Need was also certified for 1 million
copies (physical) last August.

Edited by Brian W. on 02 June 2022 at 10:55pm

Hykker
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Posted: 03 June 2022 at 5:09am \| IP Logged

Brian W. wrote:

Columbia just did a few back catalog certifications for some physical
singles:

Bruce Springsteen

Santa Claus is Comin to Town - Platinum (1 million)

Wasn't this only released as a B side? Interesting that they chose to have this side certified, but not the other (unless it had been
previously).

LunarLaugh
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Posted: 03 June 2022 at 10:52am \| IP Logged

Springsteen's Santa Claus was issued again as a promo with
holiday cover artwork on the sleeve and the song appearing
on both sides but I don't see how that'd be able to
qualify.

Before that it was indeed the flipside of "My Hometown" but
I'm assuming since it's the better-remembered of the two
(and it gets more airplay) maybe that's why they decided to
go with that one over it.

Edited by LunarLaugh on 03 June 2022 at 10:52am

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