Million-selling and Gold Records
Although official music recording sales certifications were not introduced until the British Phonographic Industry was formed in 1973, Disc introduced an initiative in 1959 to present a gold record to singles that sold over one million units. Information about when a record was classified gold by Disc is "not well documented". The awards relied on record companies correctly compiling and supplying sales information. This could lead to errors, such as The Archies' "Sugar, Sugar" incorrectly being awarded a gold disc in January 1970. Such inaccuracies led to the instigation of official classifications by the BPI. Nevertheless, following the introduction of music downloads in 2004, "Sugar, Sugar" passed the one-million sales mark.
The Shadows instrumental, "Apache", is the first known song to being awarded Disc's gold record but it is disputed whether one million copies were sold. The awarding of fifteen gold records (one erroneously) is documented and, notably, five were awarded to releases by The Beatles. No song is believed to have sold one million copies after 1967 – "The Last Waltz" by Engelbert Humperdinck – and before BPI instigated its platinum record (still one million units) in 1973. Although The Righteous Brothers first released "Unchained Melody" in August 1965 it had more success after being re-released in the 1990s reaching number one and selling over million copies.
| Artist | Song | Year of millionth sale |
|---|---|---|
| Shadows !The Shadows | "Apache" | N/AN/A |
| Presley, ElvisElvis Presley | "It's Now or Never" | 1960 |
| Bilk, AckerAcker Bilk | "Stranger on the Shore" | 1961–62 |
| Richard, CliffCliff Richard and The Shadows | "The Young Ones" | 1962 |
| Ifield, FrankFrank Ifield | "I Remember You" | 1962 |
| Beatles !The Beatles | "She Loves You" | 1963 |
| Beatles !The Beatles | "I Want to Hold Your Hand" | 1963 |
| Beatles !The Beatles | "Can't Buy Me Love" | 1964 |
| Beatles !The Beatles | "I Feel Fine" | 1964 |
| Dodd, KenKen Dodd | "Tears" | 1965 |
| Seekers !The Seekers | "The Carnival Is Over" | 1965 |
| Beatles !The Beatles | "Day Tripper" / "We Can Work It Out" | 1965–66 |
| Jones, TomTom Jones | "Green, Green Grass of Home" | 1966 |
| Humperdinck, EngelbertEngelbert Humperdinck | "Release Me" | 1967 |
| Humperdinck, EngelbertEngelbert Humperdinck | "The Last Waltz" | 1967 |
| Archies !The Archies | "Sugar, Sugar" | 2004–102004–10 |
Read more about this topic: List Of 1960s UK Singles Chart Number Ones
Famous quotes containing the words gold and/or records:
“The intelligent have a right over the ignorant, namely, the right of instructing them. The right punishment of one out of tune, is to make him play in tune; the fine which the good, refusing to govern, ought to pay, is, to be governed by a worse man; that his guards shall not handle gold and silver, but shall be instructed that there is gold and silver in their souls, which will make men willing to give them every thing which they need.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
“My confessions are shameless. I confess, but do not repent. The fact is, my confessions are prompted, not by ethical motives, but intellectual. The confessions are to me the interesting records of a self-investigator.”
—W.N.P. Barbellion (1889–1919)