Boyzone's Official Top 40 biggest songs in the UK revealed

One of the biggest boybands of their generation, a new documentary lifts the lid on their rise.

boyzone singles

Boyzone were one of the biggest boybands of the 90s, and for the first time in over 30 years, the band's surviving members - Ronan Keating, Keith Duffy, Shane Lynch and Mikey Graham - open up on their dramatic rise to fame in the brand new documentary Boyzone: No Matter What.

The brand new Sky Original documentary chronicles the rise of one of Ireland's most successful exports; from their inception in 1993 to present day.

During their time together, Boyzone scored six UK Number 1 singles and five UK Number 1 albums, enviable numbers indeed.

Below, we've revealed their Top 40 biggest tracks ever in the UK, but before that, let's dive in and take a closer look at the Top 3.

3. When The Going Gets Tough

Released: 1999
Official Singles Chart peak: Number 1
Total UK chart units: 767,000

A cover of the 1985 Billy Ocean original, When The Going Gets Tough was the pick for that year's Comic Relief single, and as such its star-studded video included cameos from the likes from Graham Norton, Davina McCall and even Mystic Meg (!).

Hitting Number 1 on the Official Singles Chart (just like Billy Ocean's original did), When The Going Gets Tough became the band's fifth chart-topper in the UK.

2. Father and Son

Released: 1995
Official Singles Chart peak: Number 2
Total UK chart units: 796,000

Another cover, this time from Yusuf/Cat Stevens (who released his original in 1970), Father and Son was released at around Christmas time 1995 - although it never got to Christmas Number 1, instead settling for second place. 

As of 2025, its streams in the UK now number more than 10 million.

1. No Matter What

Released: 1998
Official Singles Chart peak: Number 1
Total UK chart units: 1.4 million

No Matter What was Boyzone's fourth and longest-running Number 1, staying at the top of the Official Singles Chart for three weeks. 

It was written and composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Jim Steinman, given that it was taken from their musical Whistle Down The Wind. Boyzone's take on the track was engineered to tie in with the show's UK launch. 

Perhaps their most enduring single, Whistle Down The Wind was also included on the soundtrack for the popular romcom Notting Hill, which helped it become their first (and only) track to receive success in the US, although it did fail to enter the US Billboard Hot 100.

With 1.4 million chart units, it's Boyzone's biggest track in the UK, and has shifted over 1 million pure copies here, thanks to its physical purchase numbers. 

It takes second place as their second-most streamed track in the UK (35 million streams), taking second place to 1997's Picture Of You (36 million streams).

Picture: Tim Roney/Getty Images

Related artists

Join the conversation by joining the Official Charts community and dropping comment.

Already registered?

Log in

No account?

Register