Which song spent the most weeks in the UK Top 100 charts?
For many musicians, making it into the charts is the ultimate signifier of success, only trumped by winning a prestigious award. Of course, only a select handful of songs will hit number one, but a place on the UK Charts is an indicator of significant commercial popularity.
The UK Singles Chart began in 1969, with Elvis Presley holding the title of the most number one hits, closely followed by The Beatles. Since then, some incredible tracks have topped the charts, and others much less so, proving that popularity isn’t always an indicator of quality. Elsewhere, some songs have enjoyed extended tenures on the charts without ever climbing to the top.
Most surprisingly, The Killer’s indie classic ‘Mr Brightside’ has never reached number one, despite its popularity. However, it holds the record for the most amount of weeks spent in the UK Top 100, having found a place there throughout the years for a total of 379 weeks. Since its release in 2003, the song has been unavoidable, becoming a DJ’s favourite, playing at every wedding, party, club and school disco around the country.
Whether you love the song or absolutely loathe the opening guitar riffs and subsequent chants of “Coming out of my cage and I’ve been doing just fine”, which echo around the vicinity of wherever the song is being played, it’s hard to dispute its status as one of indie’s most iconic songs. Acting as the band’s debut single, the song appeared on The Killers’ first album, Hot Fuss, which hit the top of the UK Album Charts.
The record was also nominated for ‘Best Rock Album’ at the Grammys, as well as ‘Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal’ for ‘Mr. Brightside’. According to Brandon Flowers, the band’s lead vocalist, the song was inspired by his fears that his then-girlfriend was being unfaithful, stating, “I was asleep and I knew something was wrong. I have these instincts. I went to the Crown and Anchor, a bar in Vegas, and my girlfriend was there with another guy.”
‘Mr. Brightside’ was one of the first songs the band wrote, unaware of the sheer success it would bring them. Despite releasing a handful of other popular singles, such as ‘Somebody Told Me’, ‘Jenny Was A Friend of Mine’ and ‘Human’, none reached the same levels of popularity as their debut single.
Additionally, the song has been streamed over 281 million times, becoming the most-played pre-2010 song until 2018, when Oasis’ ‘Wonderwall’ took the crown.
