At the end of this piece is a list of songs that were “Stuck at 2” in the UK for one act but made it to #1 for at least one different act. First, a few notes.

In many cases, the original version only got as far as #2 but a later (and, you might argue, weaker) recording made it to #1. Fans of UK boy band A1 might believe that the group’s version of “Take On Me” improves on A-Ha’s original, but others might disagree. Either way, A1’s recording reached #1 in 2000. A-Ha’s version was kept at #2 by Jennifer Rush (“The Power of Love”) 15 years earlier. Similarly, 911 (another UK boy band) reached #1 with a version of “A Little Bit More” in 1999. Dr Hook’s recording was “Stuck at 2” for 5 weeks in the summer of 1976 while Elton John and Kiki Dee topped the chart with “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart”. A third and final example: Madonna made it to #1 with “American Pie” in 2000; Don McLean’s version was kept at #2 by Chicory Tip (“Son of my Father”) for 1 week and Nilsson (“Without You”) for 2 weeks, in 1972.

There are examples of songs that made it to #1 for multiple acts and were “Stuck at 2” for another. In 2002 “Unchained Melody” became the first song to top the UK chart by four different acts, but back in 1955 the recording by Al Hibbler was kept off the top for 2 weeks by Eddie Calvert (“Cherry Pink And Apple Blossom White”) and for a further 2 weeks by Jimmy Young’s recording. This feat, where two different version of the same song occupied the top two positions in the UK chart, was repeated in 2008: Jeff Buckley’s version of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” was kept at #2 by Alexandra Burke’s recording. “I Believe” was a UK #1 for Frankie Laine in the 1950s and for Robson and Jerome in the 1990s. Another version, by the Bachelors, reached #2 in the 1960s.

There are also songs that reached #1 on one release and #2 in a different release by the same artist, but they are not included in the list below. Examples include “Mysterious Girl” by Peter Andre (#2 in 1996, #1 when re-released in 2004) and “Albatross” by Fleetwood Mac (#1 in 1969 and #2 when re-released in 1973). In 2005, each of Elvis Presley’s #1 records from the previous 50 years was re-released, one per week: 3 of them reached #1 and 8 of them reached #2, including the double A side “A Fool Such As I” / “I Need Your Love Tonight”.

The debut hit by Jedward (also featuring Vanilla Ice) was the 2010 release “Under Pressure (Ice Ice Baby)”, a medley of two previous #1s. It peaked at #2, kept off the top for a single week by Owl City (“Fireflies”).

There are songs that have been “Stuck at 2” in multiple versions such as “Hole In My Shoe” (Traffic, 1967 and Neil, 1984) and “The Loco-Motion” (Little Eva, 1962 and Kylie Minogue, 1988). There are also recordings that have reached #2 on multiple occasions, such as “Move It” (Cliff Richard), “Last Christmas” (Wham!) and “All I Want For Christmas Is You” (Mariah Carey). However, for any songs that have reached #2 for one act and #1 for at least one different act, there is only one version that was “Stuck at 2”. The two lists below are ordered as follows: first, by date of the version that peaked at #2; second, alphabetically by song.

1 Date Order (according to the date of the version of that peaked at #2)

2 Alphabetically by song