How many No.1 hits did The Beatles have?

Music Related | 23rd April, 2025 theBeat.ie

Despite only 7 years of active recording, The Beatles have an astonishing total of 20 No.1 hit singles to their name in the UK and US Billboard Charts.

Released in 1962, Love Me Do would be The Beatles first release peaking at No.17 followed by Please Please Me, which did hit the top spot in the Melody Maker, however reached No.2 in the official UK charts.

The band's third single, From Me to You (1963), began a long unbroken string of British number-one singles. Before 1963 was over The Beatles topped the charts again with She Loves You, followed by I Want To Hold Your Hand, which would have went straight in at No.1 if their previous single had not been occupying that spot.

1964 would see The Beatles on the big screen in their own movie featuring two more No.1 hits, Cant Buy Me Love, and the title track, A Hard Days Night. By the end of the year the earliest use of guitar feedback in popular music was used on I Feel Fine, giving the band their sixth No.1 hit single.

The following year The band scored their seventh No.1 with the release of Ticket To Ride, marking a change in The Beatles music from previous releases. Taken from the same album, the title track, Help, would also take the No.1 spot. Before 1965 was over The Beatles would get another No.1 with the double A-Side We Can Work It Out and Day Tripper.

The Beatles would begin to expand their sound further in 1966 with the release of another No.1, Paperback Writer. The follow up, and double A-Side, Yellow Submarine and Eleanor Rigby, featured on the Revolver album, marked the end of a string of consecutive No.1's for the band.

The Beatles chart domination came into question in 1967 with the release of the double A-Side single, Penny Lane and Strawberry Fields Forever. Possibly ahead of their time, fans were confused by The Beatles new sound. Taking advantage of the situation, Engelbert Humperdincks version of Release Me would have the distinction of preventing the Beatles from achieving another No.1 hit.

The Beatles being kept off from the top of the charts was short lived. With the release of All You Need Is Love, which featured on the 1967 TV special, Our World, the first live global television broadcast by satellite. The singles Hello Goodbye and the B-Side I Am the Walrus, would also claim No.1 spot while marking the group's first release since the death of their manager, Brian Epstein.

In 1968, following a stay in India learning Transcendental Meditation from Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, The Bealtes were back at No.1 with the single, Lady Madonna, followed by Hey Jude, the first single released on their own Apple record label.

By the time 1969 came around a dark cloud was looming over The Beatles. A band on the verge of splitting, they still had some hits left in them. Get Back, featuring Billy Preston on keyboard, would hold the No.1 spot for 6 weeks. A different version than the one that appeared on the Let It Be album, the single was joined by Dont Let Me Down, as its B-Side.

1969 would also produce the last Beatles No.1 as a band with The Ballad Of John And Yoko. The playful track featured only Lennon and McCartney, with both covering all the instruments.

Surprisingly the Beatles last offering of 1969 would fail to reach No.1. Regarded as a fan favorite, and the first single written by George Harrison, Something, and the double A-Side Come Together, would reach No.4 in the charts.

1970's, Let It Be, would reach No.2 on its release marking the end of The Beatles long and successful career.

Despite the decades that would pass since their split, The Beatles were not finished. The 90's would see the band back in the charts with the release of a reworked John Lennon demo. The single, Free As A Bird, reached No.2, while the follow up, Real Love, peeked at No.4.

Another track available to The Beatles at the time was unusable due to sound quality. Fast forward a decade or two, and thanks to the advancement in technology, The Beatles scored their final No.1 with, Now And Then.