Between 1981 and 2007, a total of 57 singles made the UK chart as an import copy prior to its UK release. Those were in the days when shops had the foresight to realise a song’s potential, order copies from abroad and sell them in the UK. Obviously in the current climate, this doesn’t happen anymore because everything is available more readily and if someone if desperate to get hold of something that hasn’t officially been released, they will obtain by other means, usually illegally. Anyway, here is the list with their import peak positions lists. Virtually all of them went on to be much bigger hits once a UK release became available.
Artist | Title | Import position | Year |
The Jam | That’s Entertainment | 21 | 1981 |
The Jam | Just Who Is The 5 O’clock Hero | 8 | 1982 |
U2 | In God’s Country | 48 | 1987 |
Depeche Mode | Little 15 | 60 | 1988 |
Run DMC Vs Jason Nevins | It’s Like That | 63 | 1998 |
Run DMC Vs Jason Nevins | It’s Tricky | 74 | 1998 |
Stardust | Music Sounds Better With You | 74 | 1998 |
Puff Daddy And Jimmy Page | Come With Me | 75 | 1998 |
ATB | (9pm) Till I Come | 73 | 1999 |
Lou Bega | Mambo No.5 (A Little Bit Of…) | 74 | 1999 |
Eiffel 65 | Blue (Da Ba Dee) | 39 | 1999 |
Ann Lee | 2 Times | 57 | 1999 |
Vengaboys | We’re Going To Ibiza | 69 | 1999 |
Christina Aguilera | Genie In A Bottle | 50 | 1999 |
ATB | Don’t Stop | 61 | 1999 |
R. Kelly | If I Could Turn Back The Hands Of Time | 64 | 1999 |
Puff Daddy Feat R. Kelly | Satisfy You | 73 | 2000 |
Kelis | Caught Out There | 52 | 2000 |
Backstreet Boys | Show Me The Meaning Of Being Lonely | 66 | 2000 |
Black Legend | You See The Trouble With Me | 62 | 2000 |
Zombie Nation | Kernkraft 400 | 61 | 2000 |
Warp Brothers Vs Aquagen | Phatt Bass | 58 | 2000 |
Outkast | Ms Jackson | 48 | 2001 |
Shaggy | It Wasn’t Me | 31 | 2001 |
Alien Ant Farm | Smooth Criminal | 74 | 2001 |
Afroman | Because I Got High | 70 | 2001 |
Nickelback | How You Remind Me | 65 | 2002 |
Enrique Iglesias | Escape | 71 | 2002 |
Ashanti | Foolish | 68 | 2002 |
Brandy | Full Moon | 72 | 2002 |
The Calling | Wherever You Will Go | 64 | 2002 |
Kelly Osbourne | Papa Don’t Preach | 65 | 2002 |
Avril Lavigne | Complicated | 64 | 2002 |
Las Ketchup | The Ketchup Song (Asereje) | 49 | 2002 |
P!nk | Family Portrait | 66 | 2002 |
Kelly Rowland | Stole | 57 | 2002 |
Punjabi MC | Mundian To Bach Ke | 59 | 2003 |
Thomas Bangalter & DJ Falcon | So Much Love To Give | 71 | 2003 |
T.A.T.U | All The Things She Said | 44 | 2003 |
Christina Aguilera | Beautiful | 51 | 2003 |
Madonna | American Life | 57 | 2003 |
Justin Timberlake | Rock Your Body | 46 | 2003 |
Evanescence | Bring Me To Life | 60 | 2003 |
Blu Cantrell Feat Sean Paul | Breathe | 59 | 2003 |
50 Cent | P.I.M.P. | 74 | 2003 |
Mc Jig | Cha Cha Slide | 37 | 2004 |
Eamon | Fuck It (I Don’t Want You Back) | 46 | 2004 |
Frankee | F.U.R.B. (F.U.Right Back) | 43 | 2004 |
Mario Winans Feat Enya & P. Diddy | I Don’t Wanna Know | 71 | 2004 |
Rammstein | Mein Teil | 63 | 2004 |
Twista Feat Anthony Hamilton | Sunshine | 60 | 2004 |
Akon Feat Styles P | Locked Up | 61 | 2004 |
Ciara Feat Petey Pablo | Goodies | 68 | 2005 |
U2 | All Because Of You | 51 | 2005 |
Mario | Let Me Love You | 53 | 2005 |
Pussycat Dolls Feat Busta Rhymes | Don’t Cha | 44 | 2005 |
Bow Wow Feat Omarion | Let Me Hold You | 64 | 2005 |