Million-selling and Platinum Records
In April 1973, the British Phonographic Industry began classifying singles and albums by the number of units sold. The highest threshold is "platinum record" and was then awarded to singles that sold over 1,000,000 units. Thirteen records were classified platinum in the 1970s and two number-one songs from the 1970s were classified as platinum in the subsequent decade. Slade's "Merry Xmas Everybody" subsequently sold over one-million copies but in 1985, after sales from its re-release were included.
Two other songs originally released in the 1970s became platinum and become million selling records but both were number-ones in a subsequent decade after being re-released: "Imagine" by John Lennon charted at number six in 1975 but reached number one in 1981 following Lennon's death at the end of the previous year and Tony Christie's "(Is This The Way To) Amarillo" reached number eighteen in 1971 but later took top spot after being re-release as a charity single in 2005. Five number-ones – ABBA's "Dancing Queen", Ian Dury and The Blockheads' "Hit Me with Your Rhythm Stick", The New Seekers' "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing (In Perfect Harmony)", Julie Covington's "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" and Pink Floyd's "Another Brick in the Wall (Part II)" – passed the million-sales mark following the introduction of music downloads in 2004.
| Artist | Song | Date released | Date certified platinum |
Year of millionth sale |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glitter, GaryGary Glitter | "I Love You Love Me Love" | 01973-11-099 November 1973 | 01974-01-011 January 1974 | 1973 |
| Brotherhood of Man | "Save Your Kisses for Me" | 01976-03-055 March 1976 | 01976-05-011 May 1976 | 1976 |
| Queen | "Bohemian Rhapsody" | 01975-10-3131 October 1975 | 01976-01-011 January 1976 | 1975 |
| Wings | "Mull of Kintyre" | 01977-11-1111 November 1977 | 01977-12-011 December 1977 | 1977 |
| Soul, DavidDavid Soul | "Don't Give Up on Us" | 01976-12-033 December 1976 | 01977-02-011 February 1977 | 1977 |
| Boney M. | "Rivers of Babylon"/"Brown Girl in the Ring" | 01978-04-1414 April 1978 | 01978-05-011 May 1978 | 1978 |
| Boney M. | "Mary's Boy Child – Oh My Lord" | 01978-11-2424 November 1978 | 01978-12-011 December 1978 | 1978 |
| Simon Park | "Eye Level" | 01972-11-033 November 1972 | 01978-01-011 January 1978 | 1977 |
| Travolta, JohnJohn Travolta and Olivia Newton-John | "You're the One That I Want" | 01978-05-011 May 1978 | 01978-07-011 July 1978 | 1978 |
| Travolta, JohnJohn Travolta and Olivia Newton-John | "Summer Nights" | 01978-09-011 September 1978 | 01978-10-011 October 1978 | 1978 |
| Village People | "Y.M.C.A." | 01978-11-011 November 1978 | 01979-01-011 January 1979 | 1979 |
| Blondie | "Heart of Glass | 01979-01-1919 January 1979 | 01979-02-011 February 1979 | 1979 |
| Garfunkel, ArtArt Garfunkel | "Bright Eyes" | 01979-01-099 January 1979 | 01979-05-011 May 1979 | 1979 |
| Pink Floyd | "Another Brick in the Wall (Part II)" | 01979-11-2323 November 1979 | 01980-01-011 January 1980 | 2004–10 |
| Slade | "Merry Xmas Everybody" | 01973-12-077 December 1973 | 01980-12-011 December 1980 | 1985 |
| New Seekers !The New Seekers | "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing (In Perfect Harmony)" | 01971-12-1111 December 1971 | — | 2004–10 |
| ABBA | "Dancing Queen" | 01976-08-066 August 1976 | — | 2004–10 |
| Covington, JulieJulie Covington | "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" | 01976-11-1212 November 1976 | — | 2004–10 |
| Dury, Ian !Ian Dury and The Blockheads | "Hit Me with Your Rhythm Stick" | 01978-11-011 November 1978 | — | 2004–10 |
Read more about this topic: List Of 1970s UK Singles Chart Number Ones
Famous quotes containing the words platinum and/or records:
“Flouncing your skirts, you blueness of joy, you flirt of
politeness,
You leap, you intelligence, essence of wheelness with silvery nose,
And your platinum clocks of excitement stir like the hairs of a
fern.”
—Karl Shapiro (b. 1913)
“Philosophy, astronomy, and politics were marked at zero, I remember. Botany variable, geology profound as regards the mud stains from any region within fifty miles of town, chemistry eccentric, anatomy unsystematic, sensational literature and crime records unique, violin player, boxer, swordsman, lawyer, and self-poisoner by cocaine and tobacco.”
—Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859–1930)