Huge pop acts who never scored a Number 1 single in the UK

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Janet Jackson


A career spanning four decades, huge era-defining singles and albums, one of the most well-known popstars in the world, 17 Top 10s to her name... And yet despite all this success, Janet Jackson has yet to take one of her singles all the way to the top.

Since her very first hit What Have You Done For Me Lately - Number 3 in 1986 - she's come close a couple of times; The Best Things In Life Are Free with Luther Vandross in 1992, and That's The Way Love Goes the following year both reached Number 2. The saving grace for the latter, though, is that it is the longest-reigning Number 1 in the US by any member of the Jackson family. Let's hope she gets one soon, or things could get Nasty.

Janet Jackson to me is this




Bon Jovi



Great at growing hair and then cutting it again to become strangely even more attractive – less great at conquering the summit of the Official Singles Chart. Can't have everything.

With one more Top 10 than Janet Jackson, Bon Jovi claim the dubious honour of being the act with the most Top 10s to never get to Number 1. The nearest they came was the heartfelt Always, which spent 11 weeks in the Top 10 and had two separate stints at Number 2 in 1994.

Bon Jovi to me is this
 

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Amy Winehouse



Back To Black is one of the biggest selling albums of all time, yet the late, great Amy Winehouse never scored a chart-topping single. She made it all the way to Number 2 with her old mate Mark Ronson on their jaunty cover of the Zutons' Valerie, in 2007, but were held off the top by Sugababes' About You Now.

Amy Winehouse to me is


Shania Twain



Surely this can't be right? Well, it is. Life is cruel sometimes guys. In fact. Shania Twain has never been above Number 3, where she peaked twice in 1999 with That Don't Impress Me Much and Man! I Feel Like A Woman. Shania released a song called When back in 1998, and we're guessing she is still asking that question to this day.

Shania Twain to me is this

 

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Michael Bublé



Don't cry us a river, Mickey. While your Mum, Aunt, Nan and Great Gran have sent Michael Buble to Number 1 on the Official Albums Chart on four occasions, most recently in 2018, but he's never gone further than Number 5 when it comes to singles. Just Haven't Met You Yet.

Michael to me would be this



Alanis Morissette




Isn't it ironic, don't you think, as Alanis might say, before 10,000 pedants jump out of her cutlery drawer to mansplain to her that she doesn't know what irony is. Anyway...

Alanis can proudly point to her 10 Top 40s and beam, but as for a chart-topping single, there's no joy yet. Her nearest flirtation with the top spot came in the form of Thank U, which hit Number 5 in 1998. What Alanis does have, though is one of the biggest selling albums of all time, Jagged Little Pill, which spent 11 weeks at Number 1.

Alanis to me would be this
 

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The Who



Icons of rock, huge influences of mod, pop and punk culture, over 50 years of chart success and touring and yet… one thing missing. A Number 1 single. The Who have managed to top the Official Albums Chart once, in 1971, with Who's Next, but when it comes to singles… nope. The closest they've come is, like it is for most artists, Number 2, which they've reached twice, with My Generation (1965) and I'm A Boy (1966).

The Who to me are this


Guns N' Roses



12 Top 10s and some stone-cold karaoke classics in the shape of Sweet Child O Mine and Paradise City and, yet, the trophy cabinet is bare for Guns N' Roses. They came so close with their 1992 cover of Knockin' On Heaven's Door, but while it may have knocked, it never got to cross the threshold – peaking no higher than Number 2. Over on the Official Albums Chart, they've hit the top twice, and they have the most streamed music video of both the 1980s and 1990s. Those are some sweet consolation prizes.

For me, the Roses are this

 

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Dolly Parton



Dolly Parton may well be one of the most recognisable faces in the music industry, not to mention one of country's biggest stars, but when it comes to Number 1 singles, she has a tally of precisely zero. Not a one. In fact, she's only made the Top 10 twice in over 40 years of releasing music, hitting Number 7 both times, thanks to Jolene (1976) and Islands in the Stream with Kenny Rogers in 1983. What a way to make a living indeed.

We're sure a banging remix of 9 To 5 is just around the corner, and then justice will be served and a Number 1 will be all hers. Oh, and she did write (and originally release) what would become one the best-selling singles of all time, Whitney Houston's 10-week chart-topper I Will Always Love You, so there's that.

My Dolly would be this


Bruce Springsteen



He may be The Boss, but despite amassing a whopping 11 Number 1 albums, Bruce Springsteen has never ruled the roost over on the Official Singles Chart. 19 Top 40 hits, four of which went Top 10, and over 40 years of music – so he's not done too badly, let's be real – but the closest he's got to the main podium is 1994's Streets Of Philadelphia. It managed to reach Number 2, fended off by a truly unforgettable classic that's stood the test of time: Doop, by Doop. Yep.

Bruce, to me is this
 

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Alicia Keys




She's been a mainstay the chart for almost 20 years, ever since she hit Number 3 with Fallin' in late 2001, but no Number 1 for Alicia Keys. Nine Top 10s later, and her closest shot at the top was with Jay Z in 2009 on Empire State Of Mind – it got to 2. Maybe now we know what Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart was about.

My Alicia would sound like this



Bob Marley



He scored his very first UK hit back in 1975 and over the course of his career, not even his untimely passing could halt the succession of big hits. Enjoying eight Top 10s from 18 Top 40s, Bob Marley has one of the biggest selling albums of all time in the shape of his hits collection Legend, but a Number 1 single? Nope.

His closest call was the 1999 dance version of Sun Is Shining, which reached Number 3 and was, interestingly, his most recent Top 10. But there's still plenty of interest in Bob's talents - a remix of Is This Love topped out at 16 in 2016 - so don't rule him out of the running to score a chart-topper just yet.

My Marley would sound like this

 

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Aerosmith



I could stay awake, just to hear you... go on, and on, and on about how you haven't had a Number 1!

Veteran rockers Aerosmith have been racking up hits since 1986, with 14 Top 40s under their slinky crocodile skin belts. But a Number 1 single has yet to walk this way for them. They only got as close as Number 4, with the very emosh, and ironically titled, ballad I Don't Want To Miss A Thing, taken from the 1998 movie Armageddon. It's sold over a million, though, and is actually one of the biggest selling love songs of all time. So that's nice.

My Aerosmith has to be this




Green Day



It's been 25 years since they scored their very first hit Welcome To Paradise, but in all that time the American not-remotely-Idiots haven't had a Number 1. Green Day have the Top 10 five times, with their nearest shot to the target going to their collaboration with U2 – The Saints Are Coming peaked at 2 in 2006.

My Green Day would be a struggle, so right now I'm going with this
 

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The Carpenters



When The Carpenters scored their first UK smash in 1970 with (They Long To Be) Close To You - a Number 6 hit - they wouldn't have known how many times they would get near the top spot. Yesterday One More was a Number 2 in 1973, as was Please Mr Postman in 1975. With seven UK Top 10s, it's shame they were never quite Top of the World.

The Carpenters to me are most definitely this





Anastacia



The most powerful lungs in pop, perhaps, but they seem to run out of puff just as they approach Number 1. Anastacia's had 12 Top 40s, but her closest brush with the top spot was 2004's Left Outside Alone, which reached Number 3. It did manage to spend 11 weeks in the Top 10, though, so it's not all bad news.


Anastacia for me is this
 

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Texas



Since Sharleen Spiteri and the guys first burst onto the pop scene in 1989 with the country-tinged I Don't Want A Lover, they've landed 22 UK Top 40s, with 13 of those going Top 10. It wasn't until another eight years after their debut that they went Top 10 again, with Say What You Want also becoming their highest peaking single because – spoiler alert – they never had a Number 1 either. Look back at all of Texas' chart hits.

Texas to me is simply this




Morrissey



Considering his work as the lead singer of the Smiths, plus his solo career, Mozza has accrued a very impressive 51 Top 40s, of which 13 have made it to the Top 10. This Charming Man came first in 1983, peaking at 25, while his most recent foray into the Top 40 was back in 2009, when I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris reached 21. But in the 16 years in between, the big prize eluded him.

He's made it to Number 3 – and no further – twice: Irish Blood, English Heart (2004) and You Have Killed Me (2006). We're sure he is totally cool with this anyway.


My Morris would be this
 

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Depeche Mode



The synth-pop pioneers have enjoyed a hugely successful career despite no Number 1 single. 42 Top 40s on the Official Singles Chart is, by any standards, very impressive, but the closest they've come to the top spot is Number 4 on three occasions, People Are People (1984), Barrel Of A Gun (1997) and Precious (2005). Look at Depeche Mode's complete Official Chart history so far.

I have no f**king idea what would be my Mode, so I'm going with this





Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark




40 singles, among other releases. Since the late 1970s, the group have cultivated a legacy as innovators within popular music, with sales of more than 15 million albums and 25 million singles.

Another dilemma, so I'm going with this one today
 

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Bananarama



English girl group Bananarama have released 11 studio albums, two live albums, 16 compilation albums, two extended plays, 47 singles (including three as a featured artist) and four video albums.

My Banana is probably this






The Killers



Mr Brightside has sold over 3 and half million and only ever reached number 10.

38 singles, four promotional singles, and I still can't pick a favourite, so I'm going with one that touches me in more ways than I imagine.



 

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Ultravox



While active from 1975 to 1996, the band released a number of LPs and CDs, although more discs were released after their demise. An anthology disc was planned, according to their official web page. Their best selling song Vienna has famously kept off the number one spot byJoe Dolce.

Today, I'm going for a slightly lesser hit, but one so bloody worthy of a number one spot


Led Zeppelin




I was shocked to see they have only had one song make the official chart and that was a re-release in 1997

For me, this would be my chosen Zepplin
 

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Radiohead​




Many consider Radiohead to be the one of the most important bands ever to come out of the UK. They’ve had six number one albums, won four Grammy Awards and were recently nominated to be inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

But despite all the accolades, not one of the band’s tracks - not even ‘Creep’, ‘No Surprises’ or ‘Karma Police’ - made it to number one. ‘Paranoid Android’ climbed the highest to number three.

My head would land on this one




Foo Fighters​




Despite scoring four number one albums in the UK, and massive critical acclaim for their latest record 'Concrete and Gold', the ‘Run’ rockers have yet to secure a chart-topping single.

The band has had four top ten hits in the UK: ‘The Pretender’, ‘Best of You’, ‘All My Life’ and their first ever single ‘This Is a Call’.

I'm Foo Foo for
 

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Nirvana



Yep, ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ might be one of the most iconic track of all time, but in terms of cold hard numbers, it wasn’t even Nirvana’s biggest hit in the UK. That accolade goes to ‘Heart-Shaped Box’, which still only reached Number Five.

I'm all for some of this


The Cure



Meanwhile, The Cure – another beloved British institution – also never quite did the deed, despite the likes of ‘Boys Don’t Cry’ and ‘Friday I’m In Love’ literally being at least 10 million times better than anything Jason Derulo’s ever had reach Number One.

This is my perfect Cure
 

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Metallica



Glastonbury headliners, this year’s Reading and Leeds headliners, one of the biggest heavy rock bands of all time and yet still, no Number One. Where’s the justice?

I would go a little Metal for some of this


Bob Dylan



58 singles over more than five decades and yet the highest chart placing Dylan’s ever had was for ‘Like A Rolling Stone’ in 1965 (Number Four). That same year, however, The Byrds did get to the top with a cover of Bob’s ‘Mr Tambourine Man’, which is some small compensation. Possibly.

I'm always happy to Bob along to this one
 

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Pulp



‘Common People’ must have been Number One, right? Surely? ‘Disco 2000’, then? No?! WHAT EVEN IS THIS WORLD.

I'm feeling very much like a child



Johnny Cash



Like Dylan and The Who, there are some artists that are so ingrained in the fabric of music mythology that it seems frankly bonkers that they’ve never had that last little accolade. Johnny Cash is another such one who’s been criminally overlooked by the charts of old. Soz mate.

I never have enough Cash
 

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James Brown



Unlikely as it may sound, many of The Godfather Of Soul’s prolific single releases didn’t even chart in the UK. Of the few that inched into the Top 40, ‘It’s A Man’s, Man’s World’ did best, hitting Number 13.

I'm all for some




Tears for Fears




Lots of singles, lots of artists covering their songs, but not a number one in sight.

I'm always Mad for this band
 

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I'm done for the day, so if anyone can think of other acts that had bid songs but no number one, drop them in here.
 

Willie Oleson

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I checked your list against the Dutch top 40, some of them scored a #1 hit (Janet Jackson and Bruce Springsteen had 2).
The biggest shock was: no #1 hits for Bob Marley. That's just so not how I remember it.
 
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