What’s the best-selling song in Welsh history?
It’s hardly a surprise that the people of Wales want to see themselves as separate to the rest of the United Kingdom, specifically England, because the principality has so much more to offer as an entity of its own rather than it gets to offer as a constituent part of a larger group of nations.
After all, why wouldn’t you want to be separate from England? There’s plenty to be ashamed of by proximity to the most dominant section of the UK, with its oppressive rule over Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland giving them far less power than many would argue they deserve, and its deplorable actions on a global political level being the sort of thing that the proud people of these nations would generally frown upon.
Wales has to offer in terms of its identity, boasting a language of its own and a culture that’s distinct from the rest of the British Isles, and for those who don’t believe that Wales would be able to survive on its own, perhaps remind yourself of all of the major inventions from passenger railways to iron smelting that have originated from the land of the red dragon.
Aside from its scientific causes for celebration, Wales has a lot to offer musically as well, with a rich history of artists in a variety of different areas, having put their country on the map. Indie acts such as Super Furry Animals, Cate Le Bon and Adwaith all give Wales a good name, while the successes of Manic Street Preachers and Stereophonics have put Welsh indie on the map for some time.
On top of this, some of the biggest names in the pop charts, from Shirley Bassey to Charlotte Church, were born and raised in Wales, arguably bringing more attention in the direction of their home for its cultural exports.
But, despite the wide variety of acts to have come from Wales, who can claim to have released the biggest-selling Welsh single of all time, surpassing the worldwide sales of all of their compatriots?
So, what’s the best-selling song in Welsh history?
While he’s one of the country’s biggest stars, the answer is surprisingly not Sir Tom Jones, but in fact, Bonnie Tyler, who reached number one in nine different countries, including the UK and US, with her 1983 power-ballad, ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’.
Despite the global successes of the song, which sold over 6million copies around the world and remained number one in the UK for two weeks, it was the only number one hit she ever had in the UK or the US, and is the song she’s synonymous with around the world.
Jones isn’t far behind on this front, though, with a couple of his songs, such as ‘Delilah’ and ‘Green Green Grass of Home’, having sold in excess of 5million copies. You’d also think that Bassey, with her Bond themes, would have done pretty well herself, but given how neither ‘Goldfinger’, ‘Diamonds Are Forever’, nor ‘Moonraker’ ever reached the top of the charts, they end up languishing far behind the exploits of Tyler and Jones.
