Cher’s ‘Believe’ is UK’s biggest single ever by female artist

Cher’s Believe has been named the UK’s best-selling single of all-time by a female artist.

The diva’s 1998 chart-topper, famed for its innovative use of vocoder, has now sold nearly 1.79m copies in the UK.

Whitney Houston’s 1992 smash I Will Always Love You, taken from the soundtrack to The Bodyguard, is the UK’s second-biggest seller by a female artist with sales of 1.58m.

Britney Spears’ 1999 debut single …Baby One More Time is third with 1.53m – 460,000 of which came in its first week on sale.

Celine Dion has two singles in the all-time female top ten: My Heart Will Go On in fourth and Think Twice in eighth. 

Meanwhile, Adele’s Someone Like You, Spice Girls’ Wannabe and Rihanna’s We Found Love also appear in the top ten.

The Official Charts Company released a list of the UK’s top 40 biggest-selling singles of all-time by female artists to mark International Women’s Day today (March 8).

Perhaps surprisingly, not one single by Madonna features in the top 40 – though the Queen of Pop has notched up 13 number ones on the UK’s Official Singles Chart over the years.

> Rihanna is most streamed female artist ever on Spotify

The top ten in full:

1. Cher – Believe (1998)
2. Whitney Houston – I Will Always Love You (1992)
3. Britney Spears – … Baby One More Time (1999)
4. Celine Dion – My Heart Will Go On (1998)
5. Adele – Someone Like You (2011)
6. Jennifer Rush – The Power of Love (1998)
7. Spice Girls – Wannabe (1996)
8. Celine Dion – Think Twice (1994)
9. Rihanna – We Found Love (2011)
10. All Saints – Never Ever (1997)