SHORTEST LIVED NUMBER ONE SINGLES

This week, the Artists For Grenfell charity version of "Bridge Over Troubled Water" laves the chart after just 5 weeks in the Top 75, giving it one of the shortest chart runs by a Number 1 single ever.

Here is the complete list (in chronological order) of those Number Ones that spent 5 or less (consecutive) weeks on the chart. (dates are week ending dates).

Bring Your Daughter...To The Slaughter (Iron Maiden) - 1st week on chart 5th January 1991 (Number 1) - last week 2nd February 1991 - 5 weeks

The Fly (U2) - 1st week on chart 2nd November 1991 (Number 1) - last week 30th November 1991 - 5 weeks (returned for a further week on 4th January 1992)

Beetlebum (Blur) - 1st week on chart 1st February 1997 (Number 1) - last week 1st March 1997 - 5 weeks (returned for 2 further weeks from 26th April 1997)

It's Now Or Never (Elvis Presley) - 1st week on chart 5th February 2005 (Number 1) - last week 26th February 2005 - 4 weeks (had previously hit Number 1 and spent 19 weeks on the chart back in 1960)

Baby's Coming Back/Transylvania (McFly) - 1st week on chart 19th May 2007 (Number 1) - last week 9th June 2007 - 4 weeks

What A Wonderful World (Eva Cassidy & Katie Melua) - 1st week on chart 22nd December 2007 (Number 1) - last week 12th January 2008 - 4 weeks

(Barry) Islands In The Stream (Vanessa Jenkins & Bryn West featuring Sir Tom Jones & Robin Gibb) - 1st week on chart 21st March 2009 (Number 1) - last week 11th April 2009 - 4 weeks

Killing In The Name (Rage Against The Machine) - 1st week on chart 26th December 2009 (Number 1) - last week 9th January 2010 - 3 weeks (previously charted for 4 weeks back in 1993)

Everybody Hurts (Helping Haiti) - 1st week on chart 20th February 2010 (Number 1) - last week 20th March 2010 - 5 weeks

Wishing On A Star (X Factor Finalists 2011) - 1st week 10th December 2011 (Number 1) - last week 31st December 2011 - 4 weeks

He Ain't Heavy...He's My Brother (The Justice Collective) - 1st week 29th December 2012 (Number 1) - last week 19th January 2013 - 4 weeks

Let's Get Ready To Rhumble (PJ & Duncan) - 1st week 6th April 2013 (Number 1) - last week 27th April 2013 - 4 weeks ((had previously hit Number 9 and spent 11 weeks on the chart back in 1994)

Wake Me Up (Gareth Malone's All Star Choir) - 1st week 22nd November 2014 (Number 1) - last week 6th December 2014 - 3 weeks

A Bridge Over You (Lewisham & Greenwich NHS Choir) - 1st week 2nd January 2016 (Number 1) - last week 9th January 2016 - 2 weeks

Bridge Over Troubled Water (Artists For Grenfell) - 1st week 1st July 2017 (Number 1) - last week 29th July 2017 - 5 weeks

As you can see, 15 Number Ones have spent 5 or less consecutive weeks on the chart during their run.  Of these 2 (U2 & Blur), would re-enter later in the year to increase their total weeks above 5 and 3 (Elvis, Rage Against The Machine & PJ and Duncan) were reissues/re-entries of tracks which had previously charted.

Of the 15, 6 were in aid of charity.

So here is the first ever Number One single to spend less than 6 weeks on the chart - this is the mighty Iron Maiden with "Bring Your Daughter...To The Slaughter".