Kylie overtakes Whitney on pop list
Pop princess Kylie Minogue has shot past stars such as Whitney Houston and Prince to claim a place as one of the most popular chart stars of all time.
The Aussie star’s string of hits this year - including Come Into My World and In Your Eyes – has seen her make a colossal leap in the list based on weeks spent in the charts.
She moves up from 40th to 25th position in the list compiled by the Guinness British Hit Singles book authors.
The upper reaches of the list barely change each year as they are dominated by classic artists with decades of hits from the days when songs stayed in the charts for months.
But Kylie has clocked up more than 40 weeks in the top 75 this year to push her up the league.
The list is topped as ever by Elvis Presley with 1,185 weeks on the chart. And 25 years after his death, The King furthered his lead with summer hit A Little Less Conversation, giving him an extra 12 weeks.
His nearest rival, Cliff Richard, would have to spend another 30 weeks on the chart to close the gap.
The only change in the entire top 20 in the past year has been Status Quo leapfrogging Stevie Wonder, switching from 14 to 13.
Oasis have been big climbers, rising from 29 to 21 through hits such as The Hindu Times in 2002 and passing the late Lonnie Donegan and crooner Jim Reeves.
Robbie Williams is at 66, up nine places from the previous year.
New Order are the only new entry in the entire Top 100 acts of all time, going in at 98, 21 years after they scored their first hit.
They squeezed Neil Sedaka out of the list.
Compilers of the British Hit Singles music bible assembled the list depending on the number of weeks spent in the chart, taking into account chart positions if there are any ties.
Top 100 artists of all time according to the Guinness Book of British Hit Singles (last year’s position in brackets):
1 (1) Elvis Presley
2 (2) Cliff Richard
3 (3) The Shadows
4 (4) Elton John
5 (5) Madonna
6 (6) Diana Ross
7 (7) Michael Jackson
8 (8) Rod Stewart
9 (9) The Beatles
10 (10) David Bowie
11 (11) Frank Sinatra
12 (12) Queen
13 (14) Status Quo
14 (13) Stevie Wonder
15 (15) Paul McCartney
16 (16) Tom Jones
17 (17) Rolling Stones
18 (18) Bee Gees
19 (19) Roy Orbison
20 (20) Everly Brothers
21 (29) Oasis
22 (21) UB40
23 (22) Shirley Bassey
24 (23) Perry Como
25 (40) Kylie Minogue
26 (24) Jim Reeves
27 (25) Lonnie Donegan
28 (26) The Hollies
29 (27) Four Tops
30 (28) Whitney Houston
31 (30) Pat Boone
32 (31) The Supremes
33 (32) Prince
34 (33) Donna Summer
35 (41) Janet Jackson
36 (34) Hot Chocolate
37 (35) Frankie Laine
38 (36) Beach Boys
39 (37) Billy Fury
40 (38) Slade
41 (39) Shakin’ Stevens
42 (42) Madness
43 (48) George Michael
44 (44) U2
45 (46) Mariah Carey
46 (43) Electric Light Orchestra
47 (45) Abba
48 (47) Adam Faith
49 (62) Celine Dion
50 (49) Nat ’King’ Cole
51 (50) Petula Clark
52 (51) The Who
53 (52) Connie Francis
54 (56) Bryan Adams
55 (53) Depeche Mode
56 (54) Engelbert Humperdinck
57 (59) Andy Williams
58 (55) T. Rex
59 (64) Pet Shop Boys
60 (57) The Jacksons
61 (58) Olivia Newton-John
62 (60) Ken Dodd
63 (61) Frankie Vaughan
64 (63) Phil Collins
65 (65) Cher
66 (75) Robbie Williams
67 (66) Tina Turner
68 (67) Fleetwood Mac
69 (68) Duran Duran
70 (69) The Tremeloes
71 (72) Bon Jovi
72 (70) Manfred Mann
73 (94) Steps
74 (71) The Kinks
75 (73) Simply Red
76 (74) Boyzone
77 (76) Gene Pitney
78 (77) Dusty Springfield
79 (78) Herman’s Hermits
80 (79) Brenda Lee
81 (80) Wet Wet Wet
82 (81) Showaddywaddy
83 (82) Eurythmics
84 (83) Kool and the Gang
85 (84) The Jam
86 (85) Erasure
87 (86) Temptations
88 (87) Marvin Gaye
89 (88) Bananarama
90 (89) Duane Eddy and the Rebels
91 (90) Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
92 (91) David Essex
93 (92) Bill Haley and his Comets
94 (93) John Lennon
95 (95) Cilla Black
96 (96) Kim Wilde
97 (97) Stranglers
98 (--) New Order
99 (98) David Whitfield
100 (99) Buddy Holly
