Placebo: Chart facts you never knew as they release new album Never Let Me Go
18 March 2022 | Official Charts Company

Placebo are back; bolder and more courageous than ever.

The group - formed of vocalist Brian Molko and guitarist Stefan Olsdal - are set to release their new album Never Let Me Go on March 25. Their first studio record since 2013's Loud Like Love, the album sees the band address issues affecting society today; with commentary on everything from inequality to surveillance culture.

As we await the release of the record, we're taking a look back through Placebo's UK chart history and celebrating their biggest achievements to date.

1. Without You I'm Nothing is the group's biggest album to date.
Released in October 1998, Without You I'm Nothing has achieved over 391,000 UK chart sales to date. The album peaked at Number 7, and included the singles Pure Morning, You Don't Care About Us, Every You Every Me and title track Without You I'm Nothing.

2. Placebo boast three Platinum-certified albums.
1996's self-titled album Placebo, 1998's Without You I'm Nothing and 2004 hits compilation Once More with Feeling: Singles 1996-2004 are all certified Platinum in the UK; racking up in excess of 300,000 chart sales each.

3. Their cover of Running Up That Hill has 14 million streams to date.
Running Up That Hill - a reinterpretation of Kate Bush's 1985 single taken from their 2003 album Covers - has scored 14 million streams and counting.

4. Though Every You Every Me is officially the group's most-streamed song.
The 1998 single boasts 19 million streams to date.

5. They've spent 58 weeks in the Official Singles Chart Top 75.
With 17 UK Top 75 singles to their name, Placebo have spent a combined 58 weeks on the chart.

6. Three of their albums have been certified Gold.
2000's Black Market Music, 2003's Sleeping with Ghosts and 2006 release Meds have all achieved Gold status; with in excess of 100,000 chart sales each.

7. The group have spent 61 weeks in the Official Albums Chart Top 75 so far.

8. Nancy Boy and Pure Morning boast their highest Official Singles Chart positions to date.
Both tracks peaked at Number 4 on the Official Singles Chart, in 1997 and 1998 respectively.

In January 1997, Nancy Boy entered at Number 4 alongside other new entries including Blur’s Beetlebum, George Michael’s Older and Blueboy’s Remember Me.

Other new entries the week Pure Morning reached Number 4 in 1998 came from the likes of Sash! (Mysterious Times), Boyzone (No Matter What) and Ace of Base (Life is a Flower).

My favourite Placebo song is Special K and I never knew why it didn't chart in the UK.

"The band originally planned to release the single in the UK as a two part CD set as well as a 12" vinyl release. However, several radio stations refused to play the single due to its lyrical content, which would prevent the song from charting highly. Undeterred, the band reshuffled the release into one 7-track enhanced EP for CD, which would be ineligible for the charts."

You're welcome.

What lyrical content?

Without You I'm Nothing is a great album, one of my favourites of the 90s at the time as I played it almost to death

One of their facts has an error in it.