It's been brought to my notice that in the USA Penny Lane was number one but Strawberry Fields was only number eight.
Can someone explain to me how the same single can have songs with two different chart ratings?

I think they also took the number of requests for a particular song into consideration.

Requests on the radio?

Quoted from zipp, posted May 17, 2004, 11:11am at here

Requests on the radio?

Yeah.

Anybody got any other suggestions?

It was mainly based on sales but also on what radio stations reported as being played the most.  It's a different system now.

Thanks m.c. but I find this hard to understand.
If it was 'mainly sales' then the two songs should be pretty close to each other with maybe an advantage to Penny Lane because it's more upbeat.How do you explain the eight place difference?

Radio requests being for the upbeat PL over the downbeat SFF.

So did Come Together and Something get exactly the same number of requests to both be number one?
This all looks very fishy to me.

Okay I'm lost Penny Lane and Strawberry fields are two different songs. So what are you asking exactly.

For the UK (BBC):

From 1960 until 1969, the chart  was compiled by combining the charts of  four music magazines of the time, namely 'Record Mirror, Melody Maker, New Musical Express and Disc and Music Echo. This dictated the chart for the popular BBC Light programme 'Pick of the Pops'.

Due to concerns over 'fixing' the charts by unscrupulous promoters  buying large quantities of records at key shops in order to increase the chart position, the collating method was changed in February 1969.

The British Market Research Bureau, backed by the music industry and the BBC used a method helped by computer. Under this system, every sale at 300 different UK shops was recorded. A random selection device chose a different 150 shops each week , thereby making a dishonest boost extremely expensive!

So this doesn't address 1967's PL and SFF but does affect CT/Something.

For the US:

Prior to 1991, the Hot 100 was compiled manually, by actual people. Billboard staff spent countless hours on the telephone with record stores to find out what music was selling, and more hours on the telephone with radio stations to find out what songs were on their playlists and what songs had been added that week.

On November 30, 1991, however, Billboard switched to two data collection services -- Broadcast Data Systems (BDS) and SoundScan -- both developed by Nielsen.

Which is how it's done now.

So to answer your question, it's sales tracked along with airplay.  And in the 60's it was done manually, so apparently 8 points less of people bought/requested SFF.  ANd apparently CT/Something was, if not exactly equal, close enough to merit the same #1 designation.

Quoted from misterchaz, posted May 17, 2004, 7:21pm at here

For the UK (BBC):

So this doesn't address 1967's PL and SFF but does affect CT/Something.

For the US:

So to answer your question, it's sales tracked along with airplay.  And in the 60's it was done manually, so apparently 8 points less of people bought/requested SFF.  ANd apparently CT/Something was, if not exactly equal, close enough to merit the same #1 designation.

Thanks again m.c.

BUT...for the UK the change didn't affect these two singles because they were double A sides which meant they were both number one at the same time regardless of radio play.Only sales counted.

AND...for the US on 28th November 1969 Billboard decided to stop giving separate numbers for A and B sides so Come Together and Something were given equal number one billing. (I just found this out so I'm not being clever over this).

Quoted from misterchaz, posted May 17, 2004, 7:21pm at here

For the UK (BBC):
From 1960 until 1969, the chart  was compiled by combining the charts of  four music magazines of the time, namely 'Record Mirror, Melody Maker, New Musical Express and Disc and Music Echo. This dictated the chart for the popular BBC Light programme 'Pick of the Pops'.

Due to concerns over 'fixing' the charts by unscrupulous promoters  buying large quantities of records at key shops in order to increase the chart position, the collating method was changed in February 1969.

So... how come Please Please Me is listed as being number 2 when every other UK chart had it at number one? That is what totally baffles and REALLY ANNOYS me!

Please Please Me is listed number two by Record Retailer which unfortunately was then the chart used by the Guinness British Hit Singles books and was also used to make ONE.
Anyone who was around at the time knows it's ridiculous to say that PPM wasn't number one.
Incidentally I've just discovered a BIG problem with ONE.
The Long and Winding Road was a double A side in the USA with FOR YOU BLUE.
And since they'd then adopted the British system logically FOR YOU BLUE should be on the album!
It makes you wonder who's pulling the strings at Apple...

Quoted from zipp, posted May 18, 2004, 3:51pm at here

It makes you wonder who's pulling the strings at Apple...

Some idiot without a clue, obviously!