Chart Performance
The record was an immediate hit after its release, remaining in the UK pop charts for 25 weeks, five of them at number one, and in the American charts for 16 weeks. "Telstar" was the first U.S. number one by a British group. Up to that point, and since World War II, there had only been three British names that topped the U.S. chart: in May 1962 "Stranger on the Shore" by clarinetist Mr. Acker Bilk; the second was "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands" by Laurie London (1958), whilst the first was "Auf Wiederseh'n Sweetheart" by Vera Lynn (1952). See List of songs by British artists which reached number-one on the Hot 100 (USA).
| Chart (1962) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles Chart | 1 |
| Belgian Singles Chart | 1 |
| Dutch Singles Chart | 3 |
| German Singles Chart | 6 |
| Irish Singles Chart | 1 |
| Norwegian Singles Chart | 3 |
| South African Singles Chart | 1 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 1 |
| US Billboard Black Singles | 5 |
| Preceded by "She's Not You" by Elvis Presley |
UK number one single 4 October 1962 (five weeks) |
Succeeded by "Lovesick Blues" by Frank Ifield |
| Preceded by "Big Girls Don't Cry" by The Four Seasons |
Billboard Hot 100 number one single 22 December 1962 (three weeks) |
Succeeded by "Go Away Little Girl" by Steve Lawrence |
Read more about this topic: Telstar (song)
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