Shortest No.1 on the UK Official Singles Chart

“What Do You Want?”, the debut single by Adam Faith (UK, b. Terence Wright, 1940–2003), officially clocks in at 1 minute 37 seconds on today’s most popular streaming services, but the final piano note is heard after 1 minute 33 seconds. “What Do You Want?” spent three consecutive weeks at No.1 on the UK Official Singles Chart from 10 December 1959 – the last week, for the final time in UK chart history, in a tie with “What Do You Want to Make Those Eyes at Me For?” by Emile Ford & The Checkmates.

“Poor Me”, the No.1 follow-up to “What Do You Want?”, is officially 1 minute 46 seconds long but actually lasts for 1 minute 42 seconds, making it the second-shortest UK chart-topper of all time.

There have been shorter UK chart hits than “What Do You Want?”, most notably the 30-second (officially 34-second) “Steve’s Lava Chicken” by Jack Black, which climbed to No.9 in 2025.

Elvis Presley could have set the record with “(Let’s Have A) Party” in 1957, but the 1-minute 29-second-long single (which ends at 1 minute 25 seconds) stalled at No.2 for four non-consecutive weeks behind “Diana” (Paul Anka), “That’ll Be the Day” (The Crickets) and “Mary’s Boy Child” (Harry Belafonte).

“What Do You Want?” credits: Writer – Les Vandyke (b. John Worsley). Producer – John Burgess. Arranger – John Barry (b. John Barry Prendergast).