Most Played Song On British Radio

List makes interesting reading

A new poll to discover the most played song on British radio has thrown up some interesting reading.

Radio 2 has curated the poll, celebrating the 75th anniversary of public radio broadcasts in Britain. The station used the licensing firm PPL to tally the winners, who include some unlikely candidates.

So without further ado….

The most played song on British radio over the past 75 years of ‘A Whiter Shade Of Pale’ by Procol Harum. A massive hit in the summer of love, it stayed at number one while the sun shone, the beautiful people dropped out and Celtic won the European cup.

A favourite on oldies stations, the song has been re-released several times aiding its climb up the poll. Shortly behind the organ-led favourite is Queen’s mammoth single ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’.

Said to be an act of sheer folly when the group attempted it, the song became an unlikely hit twice over when it was re-released in the aftermath of Freddie Mercury’s death.

Further down the list, record breaking hit singles by Bryan Adams and Wet Wet Wet appear, bringing back unpleasant memories of a time when those two acts were quite literally glued to the number one spot.

Surprisingly, The Beatles don’t make the top ten however they do have three tracks on the list. Joining them with three entries is the tubby prince of pop Robbie Williams, whose awesomely horrific song ‘Angels’ claims the number six spot – one place ahead of Elvis.

Bing Crosby’s seasonal favourite ‘White Christmas’ claims the tenth position, with the Yuletide classic outlasting more contemporary favourites.

The Top Ten most played songs on UK radio are:

1. Procol Harum – A Whiter Shade Of Pale
2. Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody
3. Everly Brothers – All I Have To Do Is Dream
4. Wet Wet Wet – Love Is All Around
5. Bryan Adams – (Everything I Do) I Do It For You
6. Robbie Williams – Angels
7. Elvis Presley – All Shook Up
8. Abba – Dancing Queen
9. Perry Como – Magic Moments
10. Bing Crosby – White Christmas

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