From producing countless great bands and record labels to being renowned for our world-class venues and raucous audiences, the city has always been able to carry a tune - and we've got the number ones to prove it.
Glasgow acts have achieved the number one spot in the UK singles charts since the 1960s and we thought it’d be fun to list those elite tier artists who have done the city proud by clinching the coveted accolade.
Starting chronologically, let’s take a closer look at the Glasgow acts who have been top of the pops down the decades.
READ MORE: When Glasgow hosted legendary BBC chart show Top of the Pops
There a few Clyde-born crooners and household names, such as Texas, Travis, Deacon Blue and Franz Ferdinand, that didn't make the cut, as, surprisingly, they never scored a UK number one single. Others have been omitted as it's debatable what constitutes a 'Glasgow' band - do let us know in the comments if you feel we have unfairly left any acts out of the equation.
Marmalade - Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da (1969)
In 1969, Glasgow five-piece Marmalade, who were originally called The Gaylords, did what The Beatles couldn't by getting this famous ditty to number one, becoming the first Scottish group to rule the top of the charts. Life goes on, bra!
Middle of the Road - Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep (1971)
Middle of the Road have often been described as a proto-Abba, and looking and listening to footage of them, it's not hard to see why. Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep, despite its ridiculous title and lyrics, was a mega-hit of the day. In 1971, the Glasgow group didn't just get to the top of the charts in the UK, they sold more than 10 million copies of this unforgettable slice of pop magic worldwide.
Billy Connolly - D.I.V.O.R.C.E. (1975)
This has to be one of our favourite entries on this list, as not only does it involve arguably the city's most famous son, legendary comic Billy Connolly, but the song, a parody of the Tammy Wynette break-up classic, is hilarious. D.I.V.O.R.C.E. spent a week at number one in 1975 - gaun' yersel', Big Yin!
Slik - Forever and Ever (1976)
Regarded as one of the most obscure number ones of the 1970s, Glasgow pop group Slik's track Forever and Ever ruled the airwaves and the number one slot for a week in February 1976, knocking Abba off the top in the process. Most intriguingly, the band's singer was none other than Midge Ure, who would later go on to achieve even more spectacular success with Ultravox and a long-lasting solo career. More from Midge later...
Lena Martell - One Day at a Time (1979)
Lena Martell's classic tear-jerker One Day at a Time gave us our last number one of the 1970s. The Possilpark-born singer, real name Helen Thomson, sadly had a torrid time in the years after this number one when she developed cancerous nodules on her throat and was forced to step away from the limelight. Thankfully, she was able to make a recovery and a comeback, and, to date, has recorded 30 albums.
Jim Diamond - I Should Have Known Better (1984)
A chart-topper for one week in the run up to Christmas 1984, Jim Diamond's I Should Have Known Better was a worldwide smash, and has been covered on numerous occasions and in different languages. After his song was knocked off the number one spot by Frankie Goes To Hollywood's Power of Love, Bridgeton boy Jim Diamond, who was basically born with a pop star's name, famously told the public to go out and buy Band Aid's legendary charity single Do They Know It's Christmas instead.
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Midge Ure - If I Was (1985)
We promised more from Midge Ure and here it is. As the first single from the Cambuslang-born musician's debut solo album, If I Was grabbed the number one slot in the UK charts and sat there for a week in September 1985. It was knocked off the top by The Power of Love by Jennifer Rush - what was it about songs of that title in the 1980s?
Simple Minds - Belfast Child (1989)
Simple Minds' emotional and politically-charged epic Belfast Child was, rather surprisingly given the Glasgow band's worldwide fame at that point, their first UK number one single. The song, which details how Ireland was once united but now divided along religious lines, was inspired by the 1987 Enniskillen bombing, when the IRA targeted a Remembrance Day service which was being held to commemorate British military war dead.
Take That Ft Lulu - Relight My Fire (1993)
Boy band Take That may be the lead name on this 1993 chart-topper, but it's Lulu who truly makes Relight My Fire, a cover of a 1979 disco tune by Dan Hartman, burst into flames. After the '60s hit Shout, this was definitely one of the finest moments for the Dennistoun-raised vocalist.
Darius - Colourblind (2002)
Back in 2002, the late Darius Danesh Campbell had all of Glasgow behind him as the singer finished third on the first series of Pop Idol. That same year, Darius released his debut single, the co-penned Colourblind, and deservedly scored top spot in the charts. The star's untimely death this year at the age of 41 came almost exactly 20 years since his number one triumph.t
Michelle McManus - All This Time (2003)
Glasgow acts seemed to have a lot of success during the early years of the Pop Idol phenomenon. Just one year after Darius finished third, another of our very own Michelle McManus went two steps further and won the entire series in 2003. Michelle's debut single All This Time went in straight at number one upon its release in January 2004.
Lewis Capaldi - Forget Me (2022)
There's been a bit of gap for local musicians making it to number one in recent years, so, while it's well-known Lewis Capaldi was brought up in West Lothian, the fact is he was born in Glasgow and we are most definitely claiming him! Forget Me (how could we??) is Lewis's third number one since 2019, and, by our reckoning, that makes him the Glasgow artist with the most number ones of all time (if we're not including Clydebank's finest Wet Wet Wet) and the most successful Scottish artist in that respect after Calvin Harris. All hail the Scottish Beyonce!
Article originally published in November 2022.
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