In 2002, the 50th anniversary of the UK singles chart, 76 singles had sold in excess of one million copies.
BBC: Elton John Diana tribute tops best-selling single chart
But the fact he could still not reach the top spot highlights the dominance of downloads in today's UK singles chart.
He has sold over 100 million records worldwide and achieved seven US number one singles, 11 number one UK singles and six number one albums.
The film also scooped a nomination for its theme song, sung by Adele, which went to number two in the UK singles chart in October.
The craze drove the song to the top of the iTunes US chart and number three on the iTunes Australia list and on the UK singles chart.
Ja Rule, who topped the UK singles charts last November with his single Wonderful, has had a string of hits in recent years, including duets with Jennifer Lopez and Ashanti.
While Skyfall missed out on a number one in the official UK singles chart, the track topped the iTunes chart within 10 hours of being released on 5 October 2012.
Take That star Barlow featured on the Queen's Birthday Honours list just days after the Jubilee single Sing, which he penned with Andrew Lloyd Webber, topped the UK singles chart.
But the group split last year, and the sisters - recording under the name Appleton - are currently at number two in the UK singles chart with Fantasy, their first post-All Saints offering.
Despite the levels of piracy, the BPI was able to announce in October that we are living in "the era of the digital single", after figures revealed 2009 was biggest ever year for UK singles, with more than 117m sold.
There were also screams and chants for Kosovo-born, London-raised pop star Rita Ora, whose three UK number one singles this year helped her to the best newcomer crown.
But it was in 1994, that one of Presley's songs would become one of the UK biggest ever selling singles when Wet Wet Wet famously covered Love Is All Around, which topped the UK chart for 15 weeks.
Britons have bought 3.7 billion music singles since the UK chart was launched 60 years ago, figures have revealed.
BBC: UK singles chart: 3.7bn music records sold over 60 years
The Boomtown Rats scored 14 hit singles in the UK charts between 1977 and 1984 - including two number ones - and released five hit albums.
In the UK, nine number one singles have been by homegrown hip-hop acts since May 2009, most by artists that have emerged from the east London grime scene.
Earlier this month the group became the highest charting UK boy band in the US singles chart after they reached number five with Glad You Came.
He points out that the last time the Beatles singles were reissued in the UK, in 1976, only Yesterday broke the top 10.
Figures collated by the BPI (British Phonographic Industry) show that in 2011, 177.9m singles were sold in the UK with more than 99% sold as digital tracks.
BBC: Elton John Diana tribute tops best-selling single chart
Status Quo have scored more hit singles than any other band in UK chart history, with 61 chart hits since their first smash, Pictures of Matchstick Men, was released in 1968.
BBC: NEWS | Entertainment | Throat surgery for Quo's Parfitt
The statistics, from monitoring service Musicmetric, conclude that in the first half of 2012, UK users illegally shared over 40 million albums and singles.
In the UK, this could have a rather strange effect on the singles chart - which recently began accepting any downloaded track into the Top 40.
The singles chart has been a weekly fixture in the UK since 1952, when Al Martino claimed the first number one with Here In My Heart.
Robbie Williams is celebrating his first solo UK number one for eight years, after Candy topped the official singles chart.
Jay Sean and Taio Cruz have both scored number one singles in the US in recent months - the first male UK urban artists to reach the top spot.
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