The UK Rock & Metal Singles Chart is a record chart which ranks the best-selling rock and heavy metal songs in the United Kingdom. Compiled and published by the Official Charts Company, the data is based on each track's weekly physical sales, digital downloads and streams. In 2016, there were 14 singles that topped the 52 published charts. The first number-one single of the year was Motörhead's 1980 single "Ace of Spades", which spent the first three weeks atop the chart following the death of the band's frontman Lemmy Kilmister. The final number-one single of the year was the 2003 release "Christmas Time (Don't Let the Bells End)" by The Darkness, which reached number one for the week ending 22 December and remained there for three weeks into January 2017.
The most successful song on the UK Rock & Metal Singles Chart in 2016 was Disturbed's cover version of Simon & Garfunkel's "The Sound of Silence", which spent 17 weeks running atop the chart between 21 April and 21 August. "Can't Stop" by Red Hot Chili Peppers spent 14 weeks at number one in 2016, while Fall Out Boy were number one for five weeks during the year with two singles from the album American Beauty/American Psycho – "Centuries" for two weeks and "Irresistible" for three weeks. Motörhead and Biffy Clyro each spent three weeks at number one during the year, while three more singles – "Iris" by Goo Goo Dolls, "Sweet Child o' Mine" by Guns N' Roses and "Christmas Time (Don't Let the Bells End)" by The Darkness – were all number one for two weeks each in 2016.
Chart history
Issue dateSingleArtist(s)Record label(s)Ref.7 January"Ace of Spades"MotörheadCastle14 January21 January28 January"Don't Threaten Me with a Good Time"Panic! at the DiscoFueled by Ramen4 February"Centuries" Fall Out BoyIsland11 February"Irresistible"Def Jam18 February"Iris"Goo Goo DollsWarner Bros.25 February3 March"Irresistible"Fall Out BoyDef Jam10 March17 March"Centuries"Island24 March"Paranoia"A Day to RememberADTR31 March"Follow You"Bring Me the HorizonRCA7 April"Wolves of Winter"Biffy Clyro14th Floor14 April"Sweet Child o' Mine"Guns N' RosesGeffen21 April"The Sound of Silence"DisturbedReprise28 April5 May12 May19 May26 May2 June9 June16 June23 June30 June7 July14 July21 July28 July4 August11 August18 August"Sweet Child o' Mine"Guns N' RosesGeffen25 August"Bang Bang"Green DayReprise1 September"Can't Stop"Red Hot Chili PeppersWarner Bros.8 September15 September22 September29 September6 October13 October20 October27 October3 November10 November17 November24 November1 December8 December"Re-Arrange"Biffy Clyro14th Floor15 December22 December"Christmas Time (Don't Let the Bells End)"The DarknessMust Destroy29 December
See also 2016 in British music List of UK Rock & Metal Albums Chart number ones of 2016
References
External links Official UK Rock & Metal Singles Chart Top 40 at the Official Charts Company The Official UK Top 40 Rock Singles at BBC Radio 1