"Two" good ! - The songs prevented from reaching No. 1

Going further afield; If I Can Dream was thwarted [for 5 weeks!] by The Beatles' Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da on the Australian Weekly Single Charts.
Curiously, on the alternative Australian "Go Set Magazine" Top Singles Chart, sides were flipped, and Edge Of Reality became the A-side, but again, was stopped in it's tracks by the fabs - for 3 weeks this time.
(P.S. I was always under the impression that "Edge" hit number one down under, but research indicates that not to be the case).

Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da (The Beatles)

If I Can Dream (Australia)

Edge of Reality (Australia)

What about Australia's singles chart.

You must have been reading my mind, brian!

Anyone have any info on Moody Blue - apparently a number 2 on the Swedish charts in 1977?

I've looked here > http://swedishcharts.com/archiv.asp?tod ... 7&sparte=s < but cannot find any trace of it.
It couldn't have charted on the alternative "Svensktoppen," as this was [up until 2003] for Swedish language recordings only.

This one kept One Broken Heart For Sale from no1 in Norway in 1963 would you believe!!!
Cliff and the Shadows with Summer Holiday.

In Switzerland, "In The Ghetto" was kept off the top spot by the wonderful "Je t'aime moi non plus" by Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin!

Going further afield; If I Can Dream was thwarted [for 5 weeks!] by The Beatles' Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da on the Australian Weekly Single Charts.
Curiously, on the alternative Australian "Go Set Magazine" Top Singles Chart, sides were flipped, and Edge Of Reality became the A-side, but again, was stopped in it's tracks by the fabs - for 3 weeks this time.
(P.S. I was always under the impression that "Edge" hit number one down under, but research indicates that not to be the case).

Thanks for that.

Do you know the others from the Australia singles chart?

On the Dutch top 40 (October 1st,1977)
#1 I remember Elvis presley - Danny Mirror
#2 Wooden heart - Elvis Presley

This one kept InThe Ghetto off the no1 spot for 3 weeks in July 1969.

In Switzerland, "In The Ghetto" was kept off the top spot by the wonderful "Je t'aime moi non plus" by Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin!

Thanks, guys.
1969 produced an array of classic recordings.

Strangely, it would appear "Ghetto" was the sole American Sound recording to hit number 1 in the UK for Elvis.
It achieved this feat for a week [in July 1969] only on the prevalent [at the time] NME chart.

Je t'aime... moi non plus (Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin)

In The Ghetto (Switzerland)

Going further afield; If I Can Dream was thwarted [for 5 weeks!] by The Beatles' Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da on the Australian Weekly Single Charts.
Curiously, on the alternative Australian "Go Set Magazine" Top Singles Chart, sides were flipped, and Edge Of Reality became the A-side, but again, was stopped in it's tracks by the fabs - for 3 weeks this time.
(P.S. I was always under the impression that "Edge" hit number one down under, but research indicates that not to be the case).

Thanks for that.
Do you know the others from the Australia singles chart?

Tom Dooley (The Kingston Trio)

Hard Headed Woman (Australia)

Mona Lisa (Conway Twitty)

A Big Hunk o' Love (Australia)

I'm Counting On You / Right Now (Johnny O’Keefe)

(Marie's The Name) His Latest Flame / Little Sister (Australia)

In a four week stay at number 2; two songs prevented (You're The) Devil In Disguise from reaching number 1 in Australia:

Surf City (Jan & Dean)

55 Days At Peking (Rob E.G.)

(You're The) Devil In Disguise (Australia)

Thank you elvisalisellers.

''Big hunk o' love'', ''(You're the) Devil in disguise'' and ''(Marie's the name) latest flame'' all should have been #1 hits in Australia.

The rest of Elvis' #2 hits in the U.K. singles charts

Don't be cruel/ hound dog
Party
Hard headed woman
Don't
King Creole
A Mess of blues.

Does anyone know which songs prevented these songs from going to #1 in the U.K.?

Thought for sure "Burning Love" was going to Hit #1 on Billboard's Hot 100 with all the airplay it was getting and many record stores couldn't keep enough stock.

Record shops had Elvis banners everywhere throughout the store.

Love it when DJ's would say before playing Burning Love, “Elvis is still the King!”

For the weeks of October 21 and 28, 1972, "Burning Love" rose to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100, being kept from #1 by Chuck Berry's novelty song "My Ding-a-Ling." However, it reached #1 on Cashbox's Top 40 Charts for the week of November 11, which gave him 20 US #1 hits.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burning_Love]

I believe that I saw that the reason Burning Love didn't hit #1 is because the New York DJ's refused to play it. Elvis wasn't cool enough for them in 1972.

Hello,

Olivia Newton-John's "If Not For You" kept Elvis' "I'm Leavin'" from reaching #1 on the Easy Listening Chart in 1971.

Frankie Lane kept Hound Dog off no1 with this tune in October 56 in the UK

Hound Dog was 2 weeks at no2

Paul Anka was No1 with Diana, when Party reached No2 in October 57 in the UK

Party was at No2 for 1 week then returned to No2 two weeks later and stayed there for 3 weeks.

By now, we're all well aware of Elvis' unparalleled chart statistics and domination; but what were the songs that actually prevented him from adding to his number one singles tally?

Well, to get the ball rolling, I've thrown a few into the mix, and the results are interesting and at times somewhat surprising.

Feel free to chime in with any other songs that stopped Elvis in his tracks. And it doesn't just have to be the major U.S. and U.K. markets - any charts from around the world are welcome.
For instance, it would be cool to find out what prevented I'm Yours from reaching number one on the Canadian charts!

Please make sure to include BOTH the number one recording that halted him [first], plus whatever the song was Elvis missed out on reaching the top spot with.

(Interesting Footnote: Elvis and Madonna are tied with the most number 2 hits on the prominent Billboard Singles Charts, with 6 apiece).

No Other Love (Ronnie Hilton) [N.B., Hilton went on to score a 1959 U.K. hit with The Wonder Of You]

Heartbreak Hotel (U.K.)

Thanks for posting. Ronie Hilton not the greatest vocalist and its surprising he held off elvis from top spot.

Thanks Daylon for the info.

Thanks Daryl do you know what song kept ''Moody Blue'' from hitting #1 on the Easy listening chart?

''Love me'' was reportedly a number 2 hit in the U.S. does anyone know what song kept it from reaching the top spot?

I've heard that ''Don't cry daddy'' peaked at #2 in New Zealand in 1969 so i'm wondering what prevented it from becoming a #1 hit?

Also ''My Way'' peaked at #2 on the Billboard Country singles chart in 1977 and i'd liked to know what song was #1 at the time.

The Shadows with Apache kept Mess Of Blues off the top spot in September 1960

Olivia Newton-John's "If Not For You" kept Elvis' "I'm Leavin'" from reaching #1 on the Easy Listening Chart in 1971.

Thanks for that, Daryl.
The more obscure charts do tend to throw up some surprising results.

Speaking of which... I finally found it!
Yes, Elvis' 1961 recording of I'm Yours [on the back of it's appearance in "Tickle Me"] was only prevented from reaching the top spot in Canada [in November 1965] by Sonny & Cher's Baby Don't Go! Quite a remarkable feat. (N.B. It actually went one better on the BB Easy Listening chart).

Baby Don't Go (Sonny & Cher)

I'm Yours (Canada)

"Love me'' was reportedly a number 2 hit in the U.S. does anyone know what song kept it from reaching the top spot?

It was Guy Mitchell's Singing the Blues [Most Played By Disc Jockeys chart].

For more on Love Me, and in particular the version that proved to be a major influence on Elvis' own recording, read here > viewtopic.php?f=1&t=73166

Singing the Blues (Guy Mitchell)

Love Me (Billboard)