Wonderwall has returned to Number 2 on the UK Official Singles Chart, matching the peak it first reached more than 30 years ago. Despite becoming one of the most recognisable British songs ever released, the Oasis classic has still never made it to Number 1.
The song originally peaked at Number 2 in November 1995, when Robson & Jerome’s double A-side I Believe/Up on the Roof held onto the top spot. Its latest chart return means a new generation has taken it back to exactly where it started, but that missing Number 1 remains one of British music’s strangest chart facts.
According to the Official Charts Company, Wonderwall remains the biggest song by a British artist never to reach Number 1. The overall record belongs to American band The Killers with Mr Brightside, which overtook it in 2024 after years of steady sales and streaming.
They are not alone. Some of the UK’s most enduring songs stopped just short of the top, while others never came particularly close in the first place. Here are some of the biggest songs that missed out on Number 1.
Mr Brightside – The Killers
Original UK peak: Number 10
It seems almost impossible that Mr Brightside only reached Number 10 when it was first released in 2004. There was no dramatic two-song battle for the top spot because the track never climbed high enough to have one clear blocker.
Instead, it became successful over time. Regular streaming, club nights, weddings and festival performances kept returning it to the chart until it eventually became the UK’s biggest song ever not to reach Number 1. Official Charts confirmed in 2024 that it had passed Wonderwall, with combined UK sales and streams then standing at 5.57 million chart units.
Wonderwall – Oasis
Original UK peak: Number 2
Blocked by: Robson & Jerome’s I Believe/Up on the Roof
Oasis achieved eight UK Number 1 singles, but their most famous song was not among them. Wonderwall entered behind Robson Green and Jerome Flynn’s collection of covers in November 1995 and never managed to move above Number 2.
Its cultural impact has outlasted the song that beat it. It remains Oasis’ most-streamed track in the UK, a fixture at live shows and arguably the first song handed to anyone learning four chords on a guitar.
All of Me – John Legend
UK peak: Number 2
Blocked at its peak by: Aloe Blacc’s The Man
John Legend’s piano ballad climbed to Number 2 in April 2014, sitting behind Aloe Blacc’s The Man. It remained a major chart presence for months and passed one million UK sales by the beginning of 2015.
The song became a wedding favourite and one of Legend’s defining releases. He later secured his first UK Number 1 through his version of Lay Me Down with Sam Smith, but All of Me remains his biggest solo hit.
Take Me to Church – Hozier
UK peak: Number 2
Blocked by: Ellie Goulding’s Love Me Like You Do
Hozier’s breakthrough single spent time at Number 2 in early 2015 while Ellie Goulding’s Love Me Like You Do held the top spot.
Its dramatic sound and striking video turned Hozier into an international star, while the track remained popular long after its original release. He eventually reached Number 1 in the UK with Too Sweet in 2024, almost a decade after Take Me to Church stopped one place short.
Fairytale of New York – The Pogues featuring Kirsty MacColl
UK peak: Number 2
Blocked by: Pet Shop Boys’ Always on My Mind
Few songs return as reliably as Fairytale of New York. The festive favourite reached Number 2 in 1987 but lost the Christmas Number 1 race to Pet Shop Boys’ cover of Always on My Mind.
It has returned to the chart almost every Christmas since and remains one of the season’s most recognisable songs. Despite repeated campaigns to take it to the top, Number 1 continues to elude it.
Castle on the Hill – Ed Sheeran
UK peak: Number 2
Blocked by: Ed Sheeran’s Shape of You
At least Ed Sheeran only had himself to blame for this one. He released Castle on the Hill and Shape of You together in January 2017, with both immediately occupying the top two positions.
Shape of You won the internal chart battle and spent weeks at Number 1, while Castle on the Hill remained behind it at Number 2. Although it missed the top, the nostalgic track became another of Sheeran’s major hits and remains closely associated with his upbringing in Suffolk.
Pompeii – Bastille
UK peak: Number 2
Blocked by: Justin Timberlake’s Mirrors
Bastille’s breakthrough single entered the chart at Number 2 in March 2013, with Justin Timberlake’s Mirrors taking Number 1 that week.
Pompeii quickly became much bigger than its chart peak suggested. It later passed one million UK sales and was named the country’s most-streamed song when streaming was first incorporated into the Official Singles Chart in 2014. More than a decade later, that opening “eh-oh” remains instantly recognisable.
Cheap Thrills – Sia
UK peak: Number 2
Blocked by: Drake’s One Dance
Sia’s Cheap Thrills reached Number 2 during Drake’s long run at the top with One Dance. The song remained directly behind it as Drake dominated the UK chart throughout spring 2016.
Featuring Sean Paul, the single became one of Sia’s biggest international hits and proved that a Number 1 peak is not always necessary for a song to become unavoidable.
Can’t Stop the Feeling! – Justin Timberlake
UK peak: Number 2
Blocked by: Drake’s One Dance
Drake also denied Justin Timberlake another UK chart-topper in 2016. Can’t Stop the Feeling! spent several weeks at Number 2 while One Dance remained firmly above it.
Released for the Trolls soundtrack, the song became a major radio hit and earned an Academy Award nomination. It may not have reached Number 1 in the UK, but it has certainly had the staying power of one.
Other Huge Songs That Missed the Top
Several of the country’s longest-lasting hits did not even reach Number 2. Snow Patrol’s Chasing Cars originally peaked at Number 6, Journey’s Don’t Stop Believin’ also reached Number 6 and Goo Goo Dolls’ Iris stopped at Number 3.
Vance Joy’s Riptide matched Mr Brightside with a peak of Number 10, while Arctic Monkeys’ Do I Wanna Know? reached only Number 11. George Ezra’s Budapest peaked at Number 3, despite becoming one of the biggest British singles of the streaming era. All appear among the Official Charts Company’s biggest songs never to reach Number 1.
A chart peak captures what happened during one particular week. It does not always reflect the songs people continue playing years later, and this list proves it. Some were beaten by another major hit, some arrived at the wrong moment and others slowly became classics long after leaving the Top 10.
For CultureCues, there is something quite brilliant about Wonderwall returning to its original Number 2 peak three decades later. It still cannot quite reach the top, but at this point, that has become part of its story. From Mr Brightside to Fairytale of New York, plenty of songs have proved that missing Number 1 does not stop them becoming the ones everyone remembers.
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