What Were The Top Ten Selling Singles In 1992?
The Cold Open
Britain wandered into 1992 like someone trying to find the exit in a carpeted conference centre. John Major scraped an election win and clung to power with a grey smile. Black Wednesday smashed the pound out of the ERM and smashed household finances with it. Euro 92 ended early for England while Denmark won the whole thing on a wildcard. CD singles overtook vinyl in the shops. MTV Europe carved out an identity, and dance music surged from clubs into the living room. The year belonged to Whitney, wet with Wet Wet Wet, and a pair of American soul boys who swore they would never lie.
Here are the top ten selling singles in the UK in 1992.
1. I Will Always Love You – Whitney Houston
Sales: 1,550,000 • Label: Arista • Catalogue: 74321 12786 2
From The Bodyguard. Dolly Parton’s ballad became a global supernova, lodged at No 1 for ten weeks, and set the standard for every karaoke blowout since.
2. Rhythm Is A Dancer – Snap!
Sales: 760,000 • Label: Logic • Catalogue: 74321 12207 2
Eurodance with muscle. Ruthless synths, cold rap, and a vocal hook that defined school discos. Six weeks at No 1.
3. Would I Lie To You – Charles & Eddie
Sales: 630,000 • Label: Capitol • Catalogue: CDCL 669
Soulful duo with a moustache and a falsetto. Sweet sincerity carried this all the way to two weeks at No 1.
4. Stay – Shakespears Sister
Sales: 590,000 • Label: London • Catalogue: LONCD 297
Siobhan Fahey’s gothic melodrama and Marcella Detroit’s piercing chorus. Eight weeks at No 1 and one of the decade’s strangest chart-toppers.
5. Please Don’t Go – KWS
Sales: 550,000 • Label: Network • Catalogue: KWSCD 001
A cover of KC and the Sunshine Band. Three blokes from Nottingham turned it into a house anthem. Five weeks at No 1.
6. End Of The Road – Boyz II Men
Sales: 520,000 • Label: Motown • Catalogue: TMG 1417
Philadelphia R&B at its lushest. Two weeks at No 1 in the UK, thirteen weeks in America.
7. Abba-esque EP – Erasure
Sales: 480,000 • Label: Mute • Catalogue: CD MUTE 144
Four-track tribute to the Swedish gods. Camp, joyous, and good enough for five weeks at No 1.
8. Ain’t No Doubt – Jimmy Nail
Sales: 460,000 • Label: EastWest • Catalogue: YZ 689CD
Newcastle hard man turned crooner. Spoken word verses, brass blasts, and a No 1 single nobody expected.
9. Heal The World – Michael Jackson
Sales: 450,000 • Label: Epic • Catalogue: 658488 2
Earnest pleas for global harmony. Peaked at No 2 but still one of the year’s top sellers.
10. Goodnight Girl – Wet Wet Wet
Sales: 420,000 • Label: Precious Organisation • Catalogue: JWLCD 20
The Wets at their most syrupy. Four weeks at No 1 through the winter gloom.
