As we dive head-first into a New Year, we’re taking a second to look back on the music 2020 had to offer and the biggest releases of the past 12 months.
During the pandemic, music has been a constant for many and, according to data from the Official Charts Company, we were looking to the past and supporting new releases in equal amounts.
We’ve picked out all you need to know from the End of Year charts to keep you up to speed with the Retro Pop successes of 2020.
Greatest Hits collections dominate the Albums Top 40
For all its shortcomings, 2020 was a brilliant year for music – but the end of year figures show we still couldn’t get enough of nostalgia.
That’s proven in End of Year Albums Chart, which includes nine classic compilations in its Top 40:
Queen – Greatest Hits – No. 8 (2019 No. 81)
Elton John – Diamonds – No. 9 (2019 No. 15)
Fleetwood Mac – 50 Years: Don’t Stop – No. 10 (2019 No. 13)
ABBA – Gold – No. 19 (2019 No. 32)
Bob Marley & The Wailers – Legend – No. 21 (2019 No. 48)
Oasis – Time Flies: 1994-2009 – No. 24 (2019 No. 37)
The Beatles – 1 – No. 34 (2019 No. 49)
David Bowie – Legacy – No. 35 (2019 No. 43)
Michael Jackson – Number Ones – No. 39 (2019 No. 56)
The two biggest hits by classic stars were holiday hits
According to the data, the biggest single of 2020 by a classic pop star was Mariah Carey’s holiday hit All I Want for Christmas is You, which came in at No. 53 on the End of Year Singles Chart – up from 84 in 2019.
Ending the year in second place was another festive staple – Wham!’s Last Christmas – which climbed 35 places from 95 to 60 in the 2020 End of Year rundown.
It’s a result that comes at the end of a monumental year for both songs, which topped the Singles Chart for the final week of last year and first week of 2021, respectively. It was the first time either has topped the charts – Mariah’s became her first No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart in 20 years, while Wham!’s ended their run as the Biggest Selling No. 2 single, being replaced by Maroon 5 and Christina Aguilera’s Moves Like Jagger.
Kylie’s DISCO was a big vinyl seller
In 2020, sales of vinyl records rose to 4.8 million, according to the BPI, with the format accounting for 18% of total album sales. The figure is the highest since the early ’90s and, while today’s chart acts fare well from vinyl sales, its Kylie Minogue who came out on top in 2020.
Over on the Vinyl Sales Chart, it’s Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours that snags the No. 1 spot once again, with classic releases Oasis – (What’s The Story) Morning Glory? and Amy Winehouse – Back To Black rounding out the Top 3. However, only three albums in the entire Top 10 were released in 2020 – the most successful of which is Kylie’s DISCO at No. 6.
The LP also made it into the Top 40 on the overall End of Year Albums Chart, finishing at No. 33.
Retro fans can’t get enough of cassettes
Following the same trend as vinyl was cassette sales, which saw an increase of 94.7% compared to the previous year, with 156,542 cassettes sold in the UK – the highest total since 2003.
While they only amount to a small proportion of the market overall, their increase in appeal will have no doubt contributed to the success of some of our favourite stars over the past 12 months.
In the End of Year Cassettes Chart, four classic acts landed in the Top 20, including:
Kylie Minogue – Disco – N0. 7
Steps – What The Future Holds – No. 13
Gary Barlow – Music Played By Humans – No. 15
McFly – Young Dumb Thrills – No. 16
