Western Bureau:
IT TOOK over half-a-century for a record to outstrip Bing Crosby's 1942 White Christmas as the top-selling single of all time.
Bing Crosby, who amassed total sales of more than 300 million records in three decades, and was featured in about 50 movies, used his resonant baritone to cover the Ken Darby Singers' and John Scott Trotters' original White Christmas in 1947, which made the pop charts for 20 consecutive Christmas seasons.
Bing's combined recorded versions of the very popular Xmas tune was, up to 1998, the overall best-selling single of all times.
Elton John's 1997 make-over of his own Candle In The Wind, recorded originally as a tribute to Marilyn Monroe in 1987, with the latter version eulogising Princess Diana, has, to date, generated estimated worldwide sales of 37 million singles, or 7 million more than White Christmas. Proceeds from the Elton John super single went to the many charities of the late Princess of Wales.
Bill Haley and His Comets' May 1955 benchmark hit (We're Gonna) Rock Around The Clock is the tune that separated the so-called rock era from what had gone before. Still popular today at 'oldies sessions', the soundtrack from Blackboard Jungle, starring Glenn Ford and Anne Francis, is the first charted song of the rock era.
The rock era's two biggest artistes, The Beatles and Elvis Presley, have two songs each on the world Top 10 selling singles list. The world's most popular group has secured consecutive positions in the top five with I Want To Hold Your Hand and Hey Jude, while Elvis Presley is in with Its Now Or Never and the double sided Hound Dog/Don't Be Cruel.
Established in the record books as the artiste with the best-selling debut album, Whitney Houston is the lone female in an elitist roster of greatest pop artistes. I Will Always Love You, a magnificent cover of a Dolly Parton tune. It was the signature tune of the Kevin Costner/Whitney Houston film, The Bodyguard.
The following are the top selling singles of all time worldwide, completed with chart position, unit sales in million, title and artist:
1. (37) Candle In The Wind (1997)/Something About The Way You Look - Elton John
2. (30) White Christmas - Bing Crosby
3. (17) Rock Around The Clock - Bill Haley & His Comets
4. (12) I Want To Hold Your Hand - The Beatles
5. (10) Hey Jude - The Beatles
6. (10) It's Now or Never - Elvis Presley
7. (10) I Will Always Love You - Whitney Houston
8. (9) Hound Dog/Don't Be Cruel - Elvis Presley
(9) Diana - Paul Anka
10.(8) I'm A Believer - The Monkees
(8) (Every thing I Do)I Do It For You - Bryan Adams
