TOP 10 MOST PLAYED SONGS
1. Procol Harum - A Whiter Shade Of Pale
2. Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody
3. Everly Brothers - All I Have To Do Is Dream
4. Wet Wet Wet - Love Is All Around
5. Bryan Adams - (Everything I Do) I Do It For You
6. Robbie Williams - Angels
7. Elvis Presley - All Shook Up
8. Abba - Dancing Queen
9. Perry Como - Magic Moments
10. Bing Crosby - White Christmas

Procol Harum's A Whiter Shade of Pale is the most played song in public places in the last 75 years, according to a chart compiled for BBC Radio 2.

The song, with its distinctive organ riff, stayed at number one for six weeks in the UK in the summer of 1967.

Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody was at number two followed by All I Have To Do Is Dream by the Everly Brothers. There was no place in the top 10 for The Beatles.

The UK chart, presented by Rob Brydon, was compiled by licensing firm PPL.

Procol Harum lead singer Gary Brooker, who last year won back full royalty rights to the band's hit after a court battle, said its number one position in the 100-song chart was a "great and unsought honour".

"It isn't something I could have remotely imagined when I wrote the song and then made that legendary recording with Procol Harum all those years ago.

"Every musician and singer hopes to reach out and communicate to the audience so it means a great deal that the record has such an indefinable popularity and lasting appeal."

Wet Wet Wet's summer smash of 1994, Love Is All Around, was at number four followed by Bryan Adams' 1991 hit (Everything I Do) I Do It For You.

The Beatles and Robbie Williams both had the most number of entries in the chart with three each.

For the Beatles, Hello Goodbye was at number 11, Get Back was at number 13 and From Me To You was at number 51.

For Williams, Angels was at number six, Rock DJ was at number 16 and Strong was at number 56.

The People's chart (after the title is the release date):
1 Procol Harum - A Whiter Shade Of Pale 8/6/67
2 Queen- Bohemian Rhapsody 29/11/75
3 Everly Brothers - All I Have To Do Is Dream 4/7/58
4 Wet Wet Wet - Love Is All Around 4/6/94
5 Bryan Adams - (Everything I Do) I Do It For You 13/7/91
6 Robbie Williams - Angels 1/12/97
7 Elvis Presley - All Shook Up 12/7/57
8 Abba - Dancing Queen 4/9/76
9 Perry Como - Magic Moments 28/2/58
10 Harry Lillis Crosby - White Christmas 01/01/1942
11 Beatles - Hello Goodbye 6/12/67
12 Rod Stewart - Maggie May 9/10/71
13 Beatles - Get Back 23/4/69
14 All Saints - Pure Shores 14/2/00
15 Cristiano Spiller - Groovejet (If This Ain't Love) 14/8/00
16 Robbie Williams - Rock DJ 31/7/00
17 Whitney Houston - I Will Always Love You 5/12/92
18 George Harrison - My Sweet Lord 30/1/71
19 Rolling Stones - Honky Tonk Women 23/7/69
20 Sinead O'Connor - Nothing Compares 2 U 3/2/90
21 The Verve - Bitter Sweet Symphony 16/6/97
22 Natalie Imbruglia - Torn 27/10/97
23 Elton John & Kiki Dee - Don't Go Breaking My Heart 24/7/76
24 T Rex - Hot Love 20/3/71
25 Madonna - Vogue 14/4/90
26 Stardust - Music Sounds Better With You 10/8/98
27 Doris Day - Whatever Will Be Will Be 10/8/56
28 Al Martino - Here In My Heart 14/11/52
29 Paul Anka - Diana 30/8/57
30 Harry Lillis Crosby - Santa Claus...01/01/1943
31 Freda Payne - Band Of Gold 19/9/70
32 John Lennon - Imagine 10/1/81
33 Candi Staton - Young Hearts Run Free 1/1/76
34 Glenn Miller - In The Mood 01/01/1939
35 Elton John - Sacrifice / Healing Hands 23/6/90
36 Texas - Say What You Want 1/1/97
37 Frankie Goes To Hollywood -Two Tribes 16/6/84
38 New Radicals - You Get What You Give 20/4/99
39 Everly Brothers - Cathy's Clown 5/5/60
40 John Travolta & Olivia Newton John - You're The One That I Want 17/6/78
41 David Whitfield - Cara Mia 2/7/54
42 Archies - Sugar Sugar 25/10/69
43 Elvis Presley - It's Now Or Never 3/11/60
44 Cliff Richard - The Young Ones 11/1/62
45 Human League - Don't You Want Me 12/12/81
46 Judy Garland - The Trolley Song 01/01/1944
47 Slim Whitman - Rose Marie 29/7/55
48 Celine Dion - Think Twice 4/2/95
49 Macy Gray - I Try 27/9/99
50 Nilsson - Without You 11/3/72
51 Beatles - From Me To You 2/5/63
52 Band Aid - Do They Know It's Christmas 15/12/84
53 Les Brown And His Orchestra - Sentimental Journey 01/01/1944
54 Harry Belafonte - Mary's Boy Child 22/11/57
55 Cher - Shoop Shoop Song (It's In His Kiss) 4/5/91
56 Robbie Williams - Strong 8/3/99
57 Billy Joel - Uptown Girl 5/11/83
58 Frankie Laine - I Believe 24/4/53
59 Gerry & The Pacemakers - You'll Never Walk Alone 31/10/63
60 Outkast - Hey Ya 10/11/03
61 Tony Christie - (Is This The Way To) Amarillo 1/11/71
62 Shadows - Wonderful Land 22/3/62
63 Barry White - You're The First, The Last, My Everything 7/12/74
64 East 17 - Stay Another Day 10/12/94
65 No Doubt - Don't Speak 22/2/97
66 Bee Gees - Stayin' Alive 13/12/77
67 Sean "Puffy" Combs - I'll Be Missing You 28/6/97
68 Tom Jones - Green Green Grass Of Home 1/12/66
69 The Real Thing - You To Me Are Everything 26/6/76
70 John Travolta & Olivia Newton John - Summer Nights 30/9/78
71 Ella Fitzgerald - It'S Only A Paper Moon 01/01/1945
72 Wings - Mull Of Kintyre 3/12/77
73 Eddie Calvert - Oh Mein Papa 8/1/54
74 The Police - Every Breath You Take 4/6/83
75 Snap - Rhythm Is A Dancer 8/8/92

I gather Sacrifice / Healing hands was a double AA side in the UK?  A little surprised to see both of those in a most played list.  I remember when both songs were popular, but around here, I'll be danged if I've heard them on radio in years

#5 - Bryan Adams.  That song is painfully overplayed here as well.  I like BA, but that song makes me want to stab someone ;D

Would be interesting to see a North-American list and look at the differences and similarities.

Woudl be inetresting to see a North-American list and look at the differences and similarities.


I can almost bet a Canadian list would definately have the 1982 hit 'Eyes of A Stranger' by The Payola$.  I hear that song atleast once a day on the radio :o

I can almost bet a Canadian list would definately have the 1982 hit 'Eyes of A Stranger' by The Payola$.  I hear that song atleast once a day on the radio :o

Yup, no doubt. ( I saw them in concert in 1982, they opened for Supertramp at the CNE in Toronto)
A few more CDN songs on that list I hear often: Summer of '69 (Bryan Adams), You ain't seen nothin yet (BTO), The spirit of radio ( Rush), Seasons in the sun (Terry Jacks)

I wouldn't have guessed Procul Harem, but it's no surprise when I think about it.  WSOP still gets around plenty in the U.S. too!

The surprise there was Wet Wet Wet at #5.  I remember that song, but when was it a hit?  I'm confused....
???

I wouldn't have guessed Procul Harem, but it's no surprise when I think about it.  WSOP still gets around plenty in the U.S. too!

The surprise there was Wet Wet Wet at #5.  I remember that song, but when was it a hit?  I'm confused....
???


1994.  It just missed the US Top 40, but it was in the Top 40 in many other countries including Australia, Canada, The UK, and a partridge in a pear tree lol

1994.  It just missed the US Top 40, but it was in the Top 40 in many other countries including Australia, Canada, The UK, and a partridge in a pear tree lol


Oh, OK, that explains it.  I just remember seeing Wet Wet Wet in all the Brit pop magazines I used to read in the '80s and thinking it was a terrible name!
:D