Mr Blue Sky Flies to Request Chart Number One for 2021
For the fourth year in a row we have a surprise at the top of the annual request chart – and once again it’s a track which is over 40 years old which takes the crown.
“Mr Blue Sky” by the Electric Light Orchestra was confirmed as the most requested song of 2021 by patients and staff of the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital. The track, which was released back in 1977, has more recently been used in the closing ceremonies of the 2012 Olympic Games and the 2018 Commonwealth Games. It entered our request chart for the first time in 2018 and this year vaults to the top spot.
It comes at the expense of the unluckiest song on our request chart, as “My Way” by Frank Sinatra finishes at No.2 for the fourth time – still having never reached our top spot. It’s also finished third on another four occasions and has finished in our Top 5 no fewer than 14 times!
At a new peak of number three, “Sweet Caroline” by Neil Diamond has become a sporting anthem in recent years and has found a whole new audience. The track was used during England’s run to the Euros final last year, as well as after Emma Raducanu’s stunning US Open win.
Finishing fourth was the 2019 surprise number one – “Three Little Birds” by Bob Marley and the Wailers – proving that it was no “on off” on the request chart.
And the highest new entry of the year was at number five, as Adele’s single “Easy On Me” took the highest of the new releases from the year. The song was only released in October so it could do well next year too!
Queen had three songs in the Top 20, whilst The Killers enjoyed a new peak of number eight for “Mr Brightside” – a song which has now spent five years in the UK single charts Top 100!
MOST REQUESTED SONGS OF 2021
1 (re) MR BLUE SKY Electric Light Orchestra
2 (2) MY WAY Frank Sinatra
3 (7) SWEET CAROLINE Neil Diamond
4 (re) THREE LITTLE BIRD Bob Marley and the Wailers
5 (-) EASY ON ME Adele
6 (re) BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATER Simon and Garfunkel
7 (re) PERFECT Ed Sheeran
8 (re) MR BRIGHTSIDE The Killers
9 (13) BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY Queen
10 (14) DANCING QUEEN Abba
11 (re) I WANT TO BREAK FREE Queen
12 (-) REDEMPTION SONG Bob Marley and the Wailers
13 (4) HAPPY Pharrell Williams
14 (6) GREEN GREEN GRASS OF HOME Tom Jones
15 (19) DON’T STOP ME NOW Queen
16 (24) I HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE Marvin Gaye
17 (25) SWEET CHILD O’MINE Guns n Roses
18 (32) (SIMPLY) THE BEST Tina Turner
19 (re) I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU Whitney Houston
20 (re) I WANNA DANCE WITH SOMEBODY (WHO LOVES ME) Whitney Houston