Celine Dion's "The Power of Love" is the best-performing song in Retail Singles history[1]Michael Jackson was the first and only artist to replace themselves at number one[2]Four Milli Vanilli singles reached number one in 1989, the most of any artist in a calendar year[2]
Retail Singles was a weekly music chart compiled and published by Canadian magazine The Record from 1983 to 1996 that ranked the best-selling songs in Canada. Whereas the singles chart of rival magazine RPM was based solely on radio airplay after September 1988,[3] Retail Singles was based on a national sample of single sales reports given by Canadian retailers and rack jobbers.[4] It was regarded in the music industry as the premier Canadian single sales chart for the duration of its publication.[4][a] The chart was associated with Canada in the Hits of the World section of American magazine Billboard and was featured in Canadian newspapers such as the Montreal Gazette, Winnipeg Sun, and Edmonton Journal.[6]
Retail Singles was first published in the January 10, 1983, issue of The Record, and was dated seven days later. The chart contained thirty positions through the week ending October 24, 1983. It expanded to forty positions on the week ending October 31, 1983, and to fifty positions on the week ending February 11, 1985. From the week ending January 22, 1990, until its discontinuation after the week ending April 1, 1996, Retail Singles contained forty positions.[4] After thirteen years, 2,500 entries, and 193 number ones, The Record ceased publishing the chart due to a lack of sales reports owing to declining single sales in the country.[7] It was succeeded in October 1996 by the Canadian Singles Chart, compiled by SoundScan.[4]
