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BuzzJack Music Forum _ UK Charts _ Unluckiest #2 song that didn't reach #1
Posted by: jimwatts 11th February 2021, 08:57 PM
Vote for the #2 song which you think was the unluckiest not to reach #1. As a brief justification of the choices:
Groove Is In The Heart smallest known margin
Love The Way You Lie best selling song of 2010
Terry's Theme From 'Limelight' most weeks at #2 (8), most runs at #2 (4)
Happy Xmas (War Is Over) apparently would have been #1 in a week with no new chart compiled
Foundations smallest known combined margin for two different weeks or #1 songs
Crazy For You most weeks at #2 from multiple releases
Moves Like Jagger behind most different #1s (6), highest pure all-time sales for a #2
Wonderwall highest combined all-time sales for a #2
Fairytale Of New York most weeks Top 20, Top 40
God Save The Queen apparently outsold the #1
If you voted for another song, please say which and why in the comments.
Posted by: Tafty 11th February 2021, 09:22 PM
I went for Deee-Lite and I say that as someone who hates GIITH! 
Didn't that lose a tie, due to a technicality or something? I can't remember.
EDIT: I always forget just how close Kate was, too! She was extremely unlucky to have 2 weeks SO close to the number 1.
Posted by: jszmiles 11th February 2021, 09:40 PM
Robert Miles' Children at the top of my head
Posted by: Dot Branning 11th February 2021, 09:41 PM
Interesting debate!
I think the title has to go to 'Moves Like Jagger' not just because it ranks as the biggest selling non Number 1 ever (although I suspect that will be 'Wonderwall' next time the all time ranking is updated) but it was held off the top by 6 different songs over 7 straight weeks. Furthermore with the exceptions of 'We Found Love', and 'What Makes You Beautiful', i'd say the songs that kept it from the top would rank as forgotten hits now.
I think my honorable mention would go to 'Groove Is In The Heart' though, in the end I believe it was calculated to be something ridiculous like 8 copies behind 'The Joker' but the methodology wasn't as accurate in the early 90s so with a margin that small it might actually have outsold it, there's no way of knowing for sure.
Posted by: Hadji 11th February 2021, 09:44 PM
GIITH should’ve got #1. They should’ve had rules in 1990 that in the event of a tie, the newer song should be given the #1 position. If they did it like that, that and The Joker would’ve both had turns at #1
Posted by: Mart!n 11th February 2021, 09:46 PM
I would say Sash missed a few times
Posted by: Bré 11th February 2021, 09:46 PM
Has to be 'Happy Xmas (War Is Over)' - all of the others, while unfortunate, did in fact never have a week where they should have been #1 (unless you believe the Sex Pistols conspiracy) so fair is fair.
I'd say a close 2nd place is a song not listed - Years & Years' 'Shine' would, I believe, have almost certainly got to #1 if the chart had covered the full 7 days of its release week, it just got unlucky to narrowly lose out to another song in the singular 5 day week in the history of the charts.
Not sure if there are any songs that peaked at #2 behind a song that could have been on ACR if it had had a slightly different sales trajectory in the previous 3 weeks? That'd fall into a similar category.
Posted by: Jade 11th February 2021, 09:49 PM
Honourable mention to Gordon Haskell 'How Wonderful You Are' from 2001, which finished at #2 behind Robbie/Nicole's 'Somethin Stupid' cover:
"Despite limited promotion, it charted as the Christmas number two in the UK Singles Chart. Although appearing on Top of the Pops that week, the broadcast was delayed for 14 months due to pressure from EMI Records, Robbie Williams' Management (David Enthoven who had managed him in King Crimson) and the City of London Bank who were arranging a 42 million pound deal with Williams. It is generally accepted that had he been broadcast he would have taken the No 1 from Williams and no explanation or apology was ever given by the BBC Executive Producer."
Apparently Radio 2's most requested song ever.
Posted by: Liam.k. 11th February 2021, 09:51 PM
I'd say a close 2nd place is a song not listed - Years & Years' 'Shine' would, I believe, have almost certainly got to #1 if the chart had covered the full 7 days of its release week, it just got unlucky to narrowly lose out to another song in the singular 5 day week in the history of the charts.
I agree with these. I think there's a good case to be made for all the listed songs but it just doesn't compare to a song being the best seller of the week but not recognised as such because there wasn't a chart or there wasn't a full chart week.
Not sure if there's an example of a song missing out on #1 entirely due to one format being ineligible. I think this happened to Kylie's 'Hand On Your Heart' and Ronan Keating's 'Life is a Rollercoaster' but they both did reach #1 at one occasion.
Posted by: gooddelta 11th February 2021, 09:53 PM
I'd go with Moves Like Jagger, just relentlessly unlucky not to overthrow any of those flash in the pan No.1s (at least many of them were).
And obviously Groove Is In The Heart, it doesn't get any closer than that, although Foundations ran it close and I so wish that had got a week at the top.
Posted by: Gezza 11th February 2021, 09:53 PM
Probably not- the "boost" a track got being No 1 would probably carried Deee-lite to the top for a second week. They did change the rules later on to allow "ties" but in 1990 it was done on panel sales which then got rounded up.
To quote Alan Jones at the time "‘The Joker’ and ‘Groove is In The Heart’ both had published panel sales of 2595, but these are “rounded” figures. The Gallup computer actually adjudged that ‘The Joker’ sold 44,118 copies and that ‘Groove is In The Heart’ sold 44,110 copies, which equate to panel sales of 2595.2 and 2594.7 respectively. Current chart rules dictate that in the event of the tie on rounded figures then the track showing the greatest increase in sales week on week would be the higher placed so in either case The Steve Miller Band would be No 1"
Posted by: AcerBen 11th February 2021, 10:06 PM
My pick: All-4-One "I Swear" was stuck behind Wet Wet Wet for 7 weeks in 1994
Posted by: T Boy 11th February 2021, 10:17 PM
The thing with Moves Like Jagger was that it would have gotten a week if Rihanna hadn’t released midweek. I famously predicted that Rihanna would do that after several members said Maroon 5 would be a shoe in that week and I think loads of We Found Love fakes going around. Can anyone without checking name the other four songs (not Rihanna or 1D) that held them off?
Posted by: dan :: G 11th February 2021, 10:22 PM
Pixie Lott - All About Tonight
Example - Stay Awake
Dappy - No Regrets
Sak Noel - Loca People
it's definitely those 4 songs, although I don't remember the order they went to #1 in off the top of my head
Posted by: T Boy 11th February 2021, 10:24 PM
Pixie Lott - All About Tonight
Example - Stay Awake
Dappy - No Regrets
Sak Noel - Loca People
it's definitely those 4 songs, although I don't remember the order they went to #1 in off the top of my head
Correct (almost exact order as well!) 4 very forgettable tracks when you think about it and what’s worse is I think the most forgettable of the bunch was the first to beat MLJ and by the smallest margin.
Posted by: Liam.k. 11th February 2021, 10:27 PM
I knew they were songs that quickly fell away but I couldn't think of a single title! :')
Posted by: J00prstar 11th February 2021, 10:30 PM
Moves Like Jagger, of these
But my first thought was Years & Years - Shine
which iirc was a victim of the chart tracking week changing (?) or something similar
Posted by: Bré 11th February 2021, 10:34 PM
That was 'Stay Awake' right?
Still the best of the #1s from that stretch imo. (It was close to if not my favourite song of the year at the time, not aged amazingly well but it's still a tune)
In fairness though, it is probably the most forgettable of those, I'm just biased.
Posted by: T Boy 11th February 2021, 10:35 PM
Still the best of the #1s from that stretch imo. (It was close to if not my favourite song of the year at the time, not aged amazingly well but it's still a tune)
Yeah, but I’d still say it’s the one that everyone would forget the most.
Posted by: jimwatts 11th February 2021, 10:38 PM
Completely forgot about the Years & Years thing when setting the options here. I now see David Zowie outsold them by less than 1k over the 5-day 'week', while they outsold him by more than 10k the next week in the first full tracking week of the Friday charts - so even if the switch had been staggered over two 6-day weeks, Shine would likely have been the #1 on one of those.
I'd still go with Moves Like Jagger myself - even if the charts continue for another 70 years, I doubt there'll be another song held at #2 by new entries over so many weeks again.
Posted by: Chez Wombat 11th February 2021, 10:39 PM
I never actually knew that about Happy Xmas (War is Over)! 
Tough to argue with that, though Groove is in the Heart and its tiebreak/panel thing still feels far, far too close than a song ever should be to number 1.
I'd give an honourable mention to All-4-One's I Swear (seven consecutive weeks at number 2 which is the longest consecutive ever I believe?) and Dario G's Sunchyme (for the unwanted achievement of the biggest ever gap between a number 1 and number 2 purely down to the circumstances)
Posted by: Dot Branning 11th February 2021, 11:04 PM
I forgot all about Years & Years and 'Shine' as well until it was mentioned, a shame it never got it's week at the top as it's a great song.
Posted by: paulgilb 11th February 2021, 11:15 PM
I voted for Moves Like Jagger (for the reasons already mentioned), but a few others deserve a mention:
Beatles - Please Please Me: spent a total of 3 weeks at #2 in the Record Retailer chart (retrospectively deemed 'official'), apparently only missing out on #1 on one of those weeks on a tie-break. It topped the other charts that were compiled at the time e.g. NME, thus was widely considered a #1 at the time.
DJ Jurgen pts Alice Deejay - Better Off Alone: spent 3 weeks at #2 behind 3 different tracks, only losing out to Westlife by about 1,000 sales in the second of those weeks.
Puretone - Addicted To Bass: missed out on #1 by a small margin to Aaliyah's posthumous More Than A Woman, but may have made it had a few copies not accidentally been sold the previous week (causing it to chart at #68).
Posted by: JulianT 11th February 2021, 11:17 PM
MLJ for me - I remember the week it was finally going to No 1 and Rihanna’s completely unnecessary panic release. To think that they were worried We Found Love might not be a hit because of a fake version kicking around for a few days!
Posted by: Bré 11th February 2021, 11:20 PM
I forgot about 'Please Please Me', that's certainly worthy of a mention as well indeed!
Posted by: chartjack2 11th February 2021, 11:25 PM
Better in Time?
Posted by: Dot Branning 11th February 2021, 11:34 PM
Not sure if there's an example of a song missing out on #1 entirely due to one format being ineligible. I think this happened to Kylie's 'Hand On Your Heart' and Ronan Keating's 'Life is a Rollercoaster' but they both did reach #1 at one occasion.
I seem to remember reading about an ineligible format situation having an impact on Oasis/Blur chart placings in 1995. IIRC Blur would always have beaten Oasis in the first week battle regardless but in the second week they remained Top 2, 'Roll With It' might have taken #1 if not for ineligible format sales which charted separately at the bottom end of the chart.
Posted by: Herbs 11th February 2021, 11:36 PM
Lose My Breath for me - it stayed at #2 when songs that kept it off the top spot fell below
Otherwise I’d say Kate Nash
A couple of unlucky ones for me are:
Just Give Me A Reason - would have been number one if the Ant & Dec campaign hadn’t happened
White Flag - held off top spot by biggest selling song of the year
Teenage Dirtbag - as above
Posted by: Bré 11th February 2021, 11:40 PM
'Teenage Dirtbag' was lucky to sell even one copy, if the public had working ears it wouldn't have managed even that xox
Posted by: JulianT 11th February 2021, 11:45 PM
Actually Foundations surely has to be up there - 5 weeks at #2 and losing to Umbrella by 131 copies on the 4th and The Way I Are by 16 on the 5th!
Posted by: Herbs 11th February 2021, 11:46 PM
Lol it was a thing of it’s time. I would agree it hasn’t aged well and would not get anywhere near the top now.
Posted by: Tawdry Hepburn 11th February 2021, 11:54 PM
Didn't a similar thing also happen with Steps - It's the Way You Make Me Feel?
Although I'm not sure if the amount it sold the previous week would have been enough to see it at #1...
Posted by: Mangø 11th February 2021, 11:55 PM
I think you need to invest in some soap Bré, so that you can WASH YOUR MOUTH OUT.
Posted by: Mangø 12th February 2021, 12:01 AM
Quite a few of those deserve the vote for the various different reasons given but I went for 'Wonderwall' on the grounds that Oasis were absolutely stellar at the time of its release and I'm sure it sold a massive number the week it entered at #2. I still can't get over the fact that it was beaten to #1 by Robson & Jerome of all people!
Anyone know what the highest weekly sale is for a #2 single - would that be Wham?
Posted by: JulianT 12th February 2021, 12:19 AM
Not sure but the highest this century must surely be Joe McElderry’s 450k in Christmas week 2009 (but that did then make #1 obviously).
I guess the Darkness in Christmas 2003 felt pretty unlucky given that it was close and how big a deal selling over 200k in a week was at that point as physicals were dying.
Posted by: diva thin muffin 12th February 2021, 12:38 AM
ohhhh I forgot about Years & Years. Yes that was particularly unlucky and unfair tbh. Shine is one of my fav songs of all time too so I wish it had gotten the top spot 
Posted by: Herbs 12th February 2021, 12:41 AM
Although I'm not sure if the amount it sold the previous week would have been enough to see it at #1...
If I remember rightly Steps would still have been number 2. It’s one of their songs that was quite popular with fans when they reunited though
Posted by: BillyH 12th February 2021, 02:49 AM
My vote goes to Addicted to Bass for reasons mentioned earlier, although Sunchyme too had the bad luck of being released just after one of the biggest deaths of the 20th century.
Posted by: ...ready for it 12th February 2021, 03:20 AM
Eminem feat. Rihanna - Love The Way You Lie
Posted by: Dircadirca 12th February 2021, 05:53 AM
I have to admit I thought of Maroon 5 before I opened the thread but there are a lot of very peculiar cases here! Does anyone know what is the most that a song has sold in a week without being a #1 hit at any point? I know "The Climb" did close to half a million but it also got to #1 the week after anyway.
I also find "Moves Like Jagger" an interesting story on the Australian charts just because it was #2 for 10 consecutive weeks, the first behind Adele's "Someone Like You" just winding its run down. It actually hit #1 on the digital tracks chart in that 2nd week so I have no idea how video-less "Someone Like You" outsold it but it must have been super close. Then the next 8 weeks are all behind Gotye's new monster smash hit filling in the instant Adele gives way. That in itself was a very unlucky moment for Maroon 5 because Gotye had to rush-release "Somebody That I Used To Know" after a top 40 chart show website unwittingly leaked the video. Otherwise it probably wouldn't have been able to ascend to the top in time. Maroon 5 have now had 5 #2 hits and never reached the top again since "She Will Be Loved". Combining this with the UK Chart, it really was a cursed campaign.
Posted by: Liam.k. 12th February 2021, 06:07 AM
From the 21st century, I believe these are the Top 5 weekly sales for #2 songs that never reached #1:
230,747 Westlife - What Makes a Man [30/12/2000]
222,561 The Darkness - Christmas Time (Don't Let the Bells End!) [27/12/2003]
193,744 Ed Sheeran - Castle on the Hill [19/01/2017]
180,854 True Steppers & Dane Bowers feat. Victoria Beckham - Out of Your Mind [26/08/2000]
147,773 One True Voice - Sacred Trust / After You're Gone [28/12/2002]
Posted by: 777666jason 12th February 2021, 08:57 AM
Yeah COTH would of been an easy number one under pretty much any other circumstance, probably long running too
Posted by: Dircadirca 12th February 2021, 09:06 AM
230,747 Westlife - What Makes a Man [30/12/2000]
222,561 The Darkness - Christmas Time (Don't Let the Bells End!) [27/12/2003]
193,744 Ed Sheeran - Castle on the Hill [19/01/2017]
180,854 True Steppers & Dane Bowers feat. Victoria Beckham - Out of Your Mind [26/08/2000]
147,773 One True Voice - Sacred Trust / After You're Gone [28/12/2002]
Ah cheers for the quick and detailed reply, they all definitely make sense!
Posted by: Colm 12th February 2021, 09:11 AM
We could say that about every song that was held off the top spot by the biggest seller of each year (assuming that the #2 wasn't a #1 before or after the biggest seller of the year)
Posted by: gooddelta 12th February 2021, 09:19 AM
It doesn't measure up to the examples here, but I also always think about how unlucky Rule The World by Take That was. It sold more than the majority of No.1s from 2007, and has gone onto become an enduring classic, it just ended up being released in the same week as another classic in Bleeding Love.
I can't really recall that many weeks - certainly after the mid 00s - where more than one future classic came out on the same day. Obviously Band Aid and Wham! was another much older example of that.
Posted by: Colm 12th February 2021, 09:20 AM
Shakira was unlucky too with Whenever, Wherever.
Posted by: gooddelta 12th February 2021, 09:22 AM
Yes, such a shame as that song really deserved to be No.1, it certainly felt gigantic at the time, just ran into the Pop Idol juggernaut at its peak.
I think iirc she'd have comfortably got it a week before over Westlife's World Of Our Own.
Posted by: Colm 12th February 2021, 09:39 AM
According to Music Week at the time, WW sold 109,000, beating every weekly sale in 2002 up to that point (apart from Will Young obv.)
http://scans.chartarchive.org/UK/2002/UK%20Charts%202002.03.09.pdf
Posted by: AcerBen 12th February 2021, 09:44 AM
I think iirc she'd have comfortably got it a week before over Westlife's World Of Our Own.
She probably sold more copies than she would otherwise have done though I reckon - her high sales would've partly been down to more people visiting their local chart wall to pick up Will's single.
Edit - mind you I misremembered how much i sold first week. I thought it was more like 250,000
Posted by: Dircadirca 12th February 2021, 09:46 AM
Not hits at the same time of course, but two of the very biggest hits from 2019, "I Don't Care" and "Dance Monkey" were released at the exact same time.
Posted by: Robbie 12th February 2021, 10:04 AM
I'd still go with Moves Like Jagger myself - even if the charts continue for another 70 years, I doubt there'll be another song held at #2 by new entries over so many weeks again.
The week the chart day moved from a Sunday to a Friday didn't just have the chart sales week curtailed to 5 days for that week, the chart was also compiled without any streaming data from Spotify. As Years & Years were ahead on what streaming data there was in the chart (David Zowie 1,706 streams, Years & Years 2,238) it's not inconceivable that they may have been able to make up the overall sales gap of 912 had Spotify data been included.
Posted by: chartjack2 12th February 2021, 01:50 PM
Doesn’t it feel like a relief that we don’t have to talk about Mariah or Wham! anymore in this context?
Posted by: dan :: G 12th February 2021, 03:25 PM
absolutely not only cos they're both classics but now we won't have to have the 'will this year finally be the year' and 'OCC robbed Mariah of a #1 peak' discussion anymore!
Posted by: Feel_The_Fever 12th February 2021, 03:26 PM
moves like jagger
Posted by: ClaudiaKinkleman 12th February 2021, 04:40 PM
Moves Like Jagger was my first thought before I even clicked on the thread
Posted by: Bré 12th February 2021, 05:35 PM
230,747 Westlife - What Makes a Man [30/12/2000]
222,561 The Darkness - Christmas Time (Don't Let the Bells End!) [27/12/2003]
193,744 Ed Sheeran - Castle on the Hill [19/01/2017]
180,854 True Steppers & Dane Bowers feat. Victoria Beckham - Out of Your Mind [26/08/2000]
147,773 One True Voice - Sacred Trust / After You're Gone [28/12/2002]
Westlife topping another list, AND they're still in the EU!!!
Posted by: Scene 14th February 2021, 10:26 AM
Moves Like Jagger definitely, from those listed. The midweek Rihanna release really sabotaged its chance of getting a week.
I'd say Better In Time was pretty unlucky too. It was only a mere 300 copies behind Mercy but if the downloads for Footprints In The Sand were combined with BIT (since it was a double A-side single) then it would have easily made #1.
Posted by: Rob 14th February 2021, 10:56 AM
"Despite limited promotion, it charted as the Christmas number two in the UK Singles Chart. Although appearing on Top of the Pops that week, the broadcast was delayed for 14 months due to pressure from EMI Records, Robbie Williams' Management (David Enthoven who had managed him in King Crimson) and the City of London Bank who were arranging a 42 million pound deal with Williams. It is generally accepted that had he been broadcast he would have taken the No 1 from Williams and no explanation or apology was ever given by the BBC Executive Producer."
Apparently Radio 2's most requested song ever.
Is this actually true? It really reads like fan fiction. I've never even heard of the artist nor song so for them to be Radio 2's most requested song seems... implausible?
Posted by: chartjack2 14th February 2021, 11:30 AM
Why would he perform on Top of the Pops before the single had even charted?
Posted by: jimwatts 14th February 2021, 12:59 PM
Better In Time / Footprints In The Sand is an intriguing one. People could buy the physical single or download bundle which contained both tracks, or download one of the tracks individually, and the track which sold more on its own would be combined with the sales of the first two for chart purposes, while the other track would be left to chart on its own. I'd always thought those rules were fair, since many people would have downloaded both tracks individually and keeping these separate made more sense that counting them as two sales of the same product.
Thinking about it again, if there had been no option to download the tracks separately, how many of the people who downloaded enough of Footprints In The Sand to get it to #25, but didn't care enough for Better In Time to buy that, would instead have bought the double A-side? Perhaps we'll never know, but it hardly seems a stretch that it may have been enough to overturn the 311 sales margin that would have given it the #1.
Posted by: Suedehead2 14th February 2021, 08:01 PM
As is the idea that a TOTP broadcast was delayed for 14 months. Clearly someone taking the proverbial.
Posted by: Bré 14th February 2021, 08:51 PM
His performance on Top of the Pops was apparently not aired at the time (there's a recording of it on YouTube that says it's taken from a Top of the Pops 2 broadcast in February 2003 so that lines up with 'being delayed 14 months'). He mentions being pulled from TOTP in https://www.psychedelicbabymag.com/2020/05/gordon-haskell-interview.html and there's also a https://www.theguardian.com/g2/story/0,3604,623295,00.html that states it was Radio 2's 'most requested song ever'.
The last sentence, 'It is generally accepted that had he been broadcast he would have taken the No 1 from Williams and no explanation or apology was ever given by the BBC Executive Producer.', does sound a little speculative / overdramatised but the rest of it appears to be true.
Posted by: Jade 14th February 2021, 08:56 PM
Yeah the reason why this intrigued me so much is because I’d never heard of the song before either! He died recently and the most requested quote was in the BBC article regarding that, I promise I’m not pulling it out of thin air :’) and Bray has pulled up the exact same information that I found from YouTube, too. Maybe I should’ve worded it clearer - not the entire TOTP show, just his performance. So it looks dodgy! Blame Wikipedia for further OTT speculation about the Robbie drama 
Posted by: Suedehead2 14th February 2021, 10:28 PM
A postponement of the performance makes more sense but it is still all very odd. I have no memory of the song or the incident either.
Posted by: shindymindy 15th February 2021, 08:47 AM
Destiny’s child - Lose my breath
4 weeks at number 2 behind:
Eminem - just lose it
U2 - vertigo
Girls aloud - I’ll stand by you
Posted by: T Boy 15th February 2021, 09:19 AM
Gordon Haskell would have been an awful Christmas no.1 so even if there were shenanigans, I’m glad because Robbie and Nicole was a much better song. I never hear How Wonderful You Are outside of the chart show though my grandparents hyped it up after listening to Radio 2 and 13 year old me looked at them like they had 2 heads.
The story is still doubtful. It’s likely Gordon recorded at Top Of The Pops performance intended for the Christmas show in the event he went to no.1 but it wasn’t shown because, outside of the Christmas no.1, the show focused mainly on the hits of the year back then so they might not have included the Christmas no.2. The was no TOTP the next week when it was still top 3 and it had fallen from the top 10 by the time the show returned in 2002. They may have just thought no one would care.
And if Robbie’s label were that desperate then why didn’t they hold back the release until Christmas week rather than allowing it a week at no.1 beforehand?
Posted by: gooddelta 15th February 2021, 09:47 AM
The story is still doubtful. It’s likely Gordon recorded at Top Of The Pops performance intended for the Christmas show in the event he went to no.1 but it wasn’t shown because, outside of the Christmas no.1, the show focused mainly on the hits of the year back then so they might not have included the Christmas no.2. The was no TOTP the next week when it was still top 3 and it had fallen from the top 10 by the time the show returned in 2002. They may have just thought no one would care.
And if Robbie’s label were that desperate then why didn’t they hold back the release until Christmas week rather than allowing it a week at no.1 beforehand?
I agree with this. It was released on Xmas week, so essentially was No.1 or bust for his performance being shown on the Christmas edition. I doubt there was any malice in not showing it, it just slipped through the net of relevancy due to its quick fall and the way the dates of broadcast lined up. There are loads of acts that recorded TOTP performances in advance for them to never be shown, albeit usually songs that ended up flopping. This would have been a rare case of a huge hit not being shown, and maybe they should have tried to squeeze it into the Christmas Day show, but I don't blame them for not playing a freefalling No.12 in the first week of 2002.
I do recall it was being hyped as the favourite for Xmas No.1 in the week just beforehand (after Country Roads by Hermes House Band had been tipped a couple of weeks earlier), and I remember the song too, a sort of laidback jazz and blues style number. Of course Robbie and Nicole stayed ahead in the end but I can't remember the sales difference.
Posted by: Liam.k. 15th February 2021, 09:52 AM
'Something Stupid' sold 110k, up 11k week-on-week, whilst 'How Wonderful You Are' sold 86k.
Posted by: Bjork 15th February 2021, 09:54 AM
What was the difference between RW and Gordon? Was it close?
Posted by: gooddelta 15th February 2021, 09:55 AM
Thanks. Seems relatively unlikely then that the performance would have boosted it to No.1 (also would it not have had to climb there the following week anyway, seeing as they wouldn't have shown it in advance of it charting?)
But who knows, it was the same year that a TOTP2 performance had sent Eva Cassidy's album to No.1, but I'm not sure Gordon's intended audience were regularly watching the main show.
Posted by: Tawdry Hepburn 15th February 2021, 10:00 AM
I'm really quite dubious about whether a TOTP performance could have overturned a 24,000 difference.
Posted by: Jade 15th February 2021, 10:06 AM
Thanks guys for the TOTP info! The show was (sadly) over before I'd even reached a double-digit age so I'm not too hot on context like that. I've seen this dramatic telling of events on Gordon's Wikipedia page for a while (I was first alerted to the song by looking through a list of every UK #2, then reminded of it again by his recent death) - again I don't know what the kind of impact would've been at the time, hence me bringing this example to BuzzJack in the hope that others knew more about it from the time I just found the details like the Radio 2 stat and delayed TOTP performance interesting. Then Gordon obviously mentioned the 'Robbie rigging' situation himself in the interview Bray linked above. But that sales gap doesn't lie - perhaps the alternate outcome wasn't so 'generally accepted' then.
Posted by: gooddelta 15th February 2021, 10:15 AM
I just found the details like the Radio 2 stat and delayed TOTP performance interesting. Perhaps the alternate outcome wasn't so 'generally accepted' then.I think by 2001, TOTP impacts were negligible, as was seen by most songs immediately falling after entering high, even those that had a performance. Maybe it helped to cushion the blow for a few songs, but there are few examples I can look at a chart run from that period and think 'ah, a TOTP boost!'.
Also, Christmas Day TOTP tended to be shown at 2pm back then iirc, while people were eating. I'm not so sure that How Wonderful You Are would have been a great festive mood lifter and inspired thousands of people to go out and buy it the following week! The story does seem bizarre, were his team expecting the performance to be shown the week before it charted or something? They usually only did preview performance with huge names like Spice Girls and Steps etc...
Posted by: Bjork 15th February 2021, 10:21 AM
and what was the difference on the week after Xmas?
Posted by: Liam.k. 15th February 2021, 10:22 AM
1- SOMETHING STUPID- Robbie Williams & Nicole Kidman (68,000)
2- GOTTA GET THRU THIS- Daniel Bedingfield (42,000)
3- HOW WONDERFUL YOU ARE- Gordon Haskell (38,000)
Posted by: Bjork 15th February 2021, 10:25 AM
^thanks
so again a huge gap that a Xmas TOTP performance wouldn't have compensated for
Posted by: Jay❄ 15th February 2021, 10:39 AM
I remember How Wonderful You Are from the time, like T Boy I was also a 13 year old who found it to be very dull. 
I was bemused that it was even as high as #2 (the fact it was so requested and loved by Radio 2's audience is something I didn't realise at the time). I preferred Robbie/Nicole being #1, although I didn't particularly like that song either. I did help it out though, because I bought the CD single as a gift for a friend!
Sophie Ellis-Bextor - Murder on the Dancefloor was the best song in the Christmas Top 5 imo. *.* https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/singles-chart/20011223/7501/ A #2 peaking song of course, but I don't think I could claim it to be one of the unluckiest #2s. I think it really deserved #1, it felt inescapable at the time and it's stood the test of time, so I wish it had managed to outdo Gotta Get Thru This for one week at least.
Also, while Spice Girls - Stop is certainly not one of the unluckiest #2s in terms of closeness in sales between it and the #1 song... from a stats point of view, it ended a streak of #1s for them (they had 6 #1s prior to it, and then they went on to have 3 in a row after it), so that's a shame. 10 #1s in a row would have been an amazing achievement. With the passing of time, Stop has ended up becoming one of their most definitive hits, and it's arguably more known and memorable these days than quite a few of their #1s! They were unlucky in a sense though, because for some reason the release of Stop was delayed by one week. Had they stuck with the original release date, there's a slight chance they might have made it to #1 instead of Celine Dion - My Heart Will Go On (Celine sold 112k in that week at #1, Spice Girls sold 115k to be #2 a week later... but that's with the assumption they'd have sold the same amount a week earlier).
Westlife also had #2 single between a long run of #1s. Their #2 single What Makes a Man ended a streak of 7 #1s, and then they had 3 #1s after that - so that would have been 11 #1s in a row! As mentioned by Liam, that single sold an impressive 230,747 in its first week. Only two of their #1 singles achieved better sales than that in a week. 231,000 for I Have a Dream (I wonder if that figure is rounded up or down? Maybe What Makes a Man sold more than it?) and 292,319 for Uptown Girl.
As for the songs in the poll, a case can be argued for all of them of course, but Madonna peaking at #2 twice with different releases of Crazy for You, 6 years apart... that hurts! 
Side note: It's weird to think that songs which weren't even particularly old were re-issued and became big hits again. It has reminded me of Peter Andre - Mysterious Girl, which was a case of third time lucky... #53 in 1995, #2 in 1996 [10 consecutive weeks in the Top 5 - in most weeks it was 3 Lions and Killing Me Softly that stood in its way] and finally #1 in 2004!
Posted by: Liam.k. 15th February 2021, 10:52 AM
I'm not convinced of 'How Wonderful You Are' being Radio 2's most requested when this was its airplay chart run: 38-33-33-29-40-48. I believe this was when the airplay chart was based on amount of plays rather than audience numbers.
Posted by: T Boy 15th February 2021, 11:02 AM
Of course, it is possible Gordon Haskell’s performance would have been recorded for TOTP the week before Christmas. I remember Spice Girls’ Goodbye was on the show before Christmas in 1998 and possibly because they knew it would be a close battle for the top. On that note, I can’t remember whether they ever showed Chef’s video for Chocolate Salty Balls on TOTP. They didn’t in the Christmas show and there wasn’t a show the week it was no.1 but I can’t remember if it was shown in 1999 or not.
But I still doubt the case for Haskell, the week before Christmas that year there were loads of new entries that would have qualified for a slot over him.
Posted by: Bjork 15th February 2021, 11:10 AM
and the most requested song thing sounds like something people say but actually without data behind to back it up
does R2 keep track of all requests? how? by email? by phone? do they have someone writing down every song that someone calls and requests and
then they do statistics? I doubt it...Sure people requested it and probably lots but I doubt there's a reliable list...
Posted by: Suedehead2 15th February 2021, 11:15 AM
I was bemused that it was even as high as #2 (the fact it was so requested and loved by Radio 2's audience is something I didn't realise at the time). I preferred Robbie/Nicole being #1, although I didn't particularly like that song either. I did help it out though, because I bought the CD single as a gift for a friend!Sophie Ellis-Bextor - Murder on the Dancefloor was the best song in the Christmas Top 5 imo. *.* https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/singles-chart/20011223/7501/ A #2 peaking song of course, but I don't think I could claim it to be one of the unluckiest #2s. I think it really deserved #1, it felt inescapable at the time and it's stood the test of time, so I wish it had managed to outdo Gotta Get Thru This for one week at least.
Also, while Spice Girls - Stop is certainly not one of the unluckiest #2s in terms of closeness in sales between it and the #1 song... from a stats point of view, it ended a streak of #1s for them (they had 6 #1s prior to it, and then they went on to have 3 in a row after it), so that's a shame. 10 #1s in a row would have been an amazing achievement. With the passing of time, Stop has ended up becoming one of their most definitive hits, and it's arguably more known and memorable these days than quite a few of their #1s! They were unlucky in a sense though, because for some reason the release of Stop was delayed by one week. Had they stuck with the original release date, there's a slight chance they might have made it to #1 instead of Celine Dion - My Heart Will Go On (Celine sold 112k in that week at #1, Spice Girls sold 115k to be #2 a week later... but that's with the assumption they'd have sold the same amount a week earlier).
Westlife also had #2 single between a long run of #1s. Their #2 single What Makes a Man ended a streak of 7 #1s, and then they had 3 #1s after that - so that would have been 11 #1s in a row! As mentioned by Liam, that single sold an impressive 230,747 in its first week. Only two of their #1 singles achieved better sales than that in a week. 231,000 for I Have a Dream (I wonder if that figure is rounded up or down? Maybe What Makes a Man sold more than it?) and 292,319 for Uptown Girl.
As for the songs in the poll, a case can be argued for all of them of course, but Madonna peaking at #2 twice with different releases of Crazy for You, 6 years apart... that hurts!
Side note: It's weird to think that songs which weren't even particularly old were re-issued and became big hits again. It has reminded me of Peter Andre - Mysterious Girl, which was a case of third time lucky... #53 in 1995, #2 in 1996 [10 consecutive weeks in the Top 5 - in most weeks it was 3 Lions and Killing Me Softly that stood in its way] and finally #1 in 2004!In the pre-download days it wasn't that unusual for a song to be a hit twice within a fairly short period. The big difference between then and now is that, in the interim period, the song would have been unavailable to buy on its own. If you didn't want to buy the album (assuming it was on one), you couldn't buy the song at all.
Posted by: Dark Horse 15th February 2021, 11:21 AM
anything by Kylie... she has had a zillion number 2 hits and only 7 number 1s...
Posted by: Bré 15th February 2021, 11:32 AM
This didn't completely stop happening in the digital era - see DJ Fresh's 'Gold Dust' and Years & Years' 'Desire'. (Of course lots of songs have had multiple chart runs in the digital era for various reasons but those 2 come to mind as having been given a full single push twice within a couple of years and both times having a fairly substantial chart run from it).
Posted by: Suedehead2 15th February 2021, 12:09 PM
I'm sure we will always get record companies trying to repromote a modest hit after an act has had a major success.
Posted by: Dill Doe 15th February 2021, 02:15 PM
By FAR the unluckiest EVER was Victoria Beckham's!!! It basically is a no.1 though, as without PRESS MANIPULATION it would have been no.1. Its sales were INSANE and up their with Spice no.1s, too!
Posted by: Dot Branning 15th February 2021, 02:18 PM
IIRC a lot of her Number 2 hits were very close shaves as well.
Posted by: Rob 15th February 2021, 02:39 PM
I think the Buzzjack collective needs to get editing Gordon's Wiki page
Why does this post read like a tweet from Trump
Posted by: BillyH 15th February 2021, 02:41 PM
From memory 'Gold Dust' charted in two different versions, a remix outpeaked the original a few years later.
A big reason for several 1980s songs getting new leases of life in the 1990s was because they were on CD for the first time, often coinciding with a Greatest Hits album release - as people binned their vinyl collection and bought CD players they'd be purchasing their favourite songs all over again, similar to when DVDs overtook videos in the 2000s. A TV premiere or video release of a film would also bring back a movie hit to the charts, I think that's the reason It Must Have Been Love by Roxette went top 10 again in 1993.
Posted by: Liam.k. 15th February 2021, 02:45 PM
To be fair, Victoria was #1 all week and only overtaken on Saturday, the last day of the chart week back then.
Posted by: spiceboy 15th February 2021, 02:46 PM
The first thought that came into my head was Moves like Jagger as that was HUGE! But then I saw Love the way you lie and thought damn now I can't choose!
Posted by: chartjack2 15th February 2021, 02:49 PM
No love for Frank Chacksfield yet? It did spent 8 weeks at #2 - a record for a single that never reached #1
Posted by: Dot Branning 15th February 2021, 02:53 PM
It's true that 'Out Of Your Mind' took massive sales and could easily have made #1 in a different week so it was unlucky in that regard, but 'Groovejet' outsold it by 20,000 copies so it was well beaten in the end.
Posted by: Jay❄ 15th February 2021, 02:57 PM
The Victoria Beckham vs Sophie Ellis-Bextor battle is an interesting one considering that Victoria was #1 in the midweeks all week, and then got overtaken on the final day, ending up a significant 21,707 behind.
It seems the scheduling of Out of Your Mind was done in order to avoid a battle with bandmate Melanie C (I Turn to You was out a week earlier) and Madonna (Music was released a week later)... the launch single off Madonna's new album would have been considered very formidable competition. It seems they must have completely underestimated Groovejet, if they thought that was the easier week to release in.
"Victoria Beckham beats Madonna to #1" would certainly have been a huge way to launch her career! Instead she was written off for "only" making it to #2.
19/08/2000 #1 Melanie C - I Turn to You - Almost 122,000
26/08/2000 #1 Spiller - Groovejet - 202,591 | #2 True Steppers - Out of Your Mind - 180,884
02/09/2000 #1 Madonna - Music - 114,925
Out of Your Mind is the 5th best selling solo Spice single. Interestingly the top seller also isn't a #1, that is Bryan Adams/Melanie C - When You're Gone which reached #3. 2nd, 3rd and 4th are: Geri Halliwell - It's Raining Men, Melanie C - Never Be the Same Again and Melanie C - I Turn to You, all #1 hits.
Posted by: spiceboy 15th February 2021, 02:59 PM
Actually quite a few Spice ones were unlucky
- Stop released same week as monster Run DMC hit would have been #1 if released the week before
- Look at me only one CD release not a 2CD and was only a few hundred sales away from Boyzone with their 2CD release so likely would have made it with a 2CD release.
- What I am lost out to Geri's Life me up in a 'chart battle' if released the week before she would have got her own #1.
- Out of your mind was #1 all throughout the week by a big lead then mysteriously SEB overtook at the last min. Again a 1CD release a 2CD would probs have secured her it.
Posted by: chartjack2 15th February 2021, 03:03 PM
What is the biggest selling single week of sales for #2? (Even those that went to #1 before or afterwards?) Is it The Climb on 450,000?
Posted by: Jay❄ 15th February 2021, 03:04 PM
It's been 22 years and I'm still not quite over this tbh
Geri's CD price in week 1 was £3.99, while Boyzone were £1.99. Presumably Geri would have breezed to #1 with a 2 CD set at £1.99, or even £2.99.
Posted by: gooddelta 15th February 2021, 03:05 PM
I guess a lot of people out clubbing on the Friday went and bought it on the Saturday.
Also I remember I bought it on the Saturday, even though I had it already on Now 46, because the chart battle was so publicised that I wanted to contribute with support for my favourite.
Posted by: Dot Branning 15th February 2021, 03:06 PM
Yikes! You can see why without the power of hindsight they thought it would be best to avoid going up against a new Madonna release but the fact that it would have definitively beaten 'Music' to the top must have had them kicking themselves the week after.
'When You're Gone' is probably my favourite solo Spice hit actually, Mel C and Bryan Adams work really well together on that track.
Posted by: Tawdry Hepburn 15th February 2021, 03:08 PM
I think the only time she came particularly close was one week with 'The Locomotion'.
Posted by: Dot Branning 15th February 2021, 03:12 PM
I'm pretty sure 'Got To Be Certain' came very close one week as well.
Posted by: Bjork 15th February 2021, 03:20 PM
It's crazy how many massive single miss cos of picking the wrong week, like all those Spice singles
and then on the other hand, you had Westlife (and Boyzone maybe too) who were really smart at picking the easiest and less competitive weeks
and got lots of "free" #1s
Posted by: Bré 15th February 2021, 03:30 PM
The remix was the version being played on the radio during its second push but it was actually the original* version that was selling the most still iirc.
*not technically the original version either as the first version of the song was an instrumental
The second push for 'Desire' was focused on the remix with Tove Lo but I don't remember if it actually became the most popular version or not.
Posted by: dan :: G 15th February 2021, 03:32 PM
Gold Dust was promoted with a new remix (Shy FX) on the radio but as I recall it was actually the original that placed higher on iTunes during its second run [the two versions being combined for the chart of course].
Posted by: Robbie 15th February 2021, 03:36 PM
- Stop released same week as monster Run DMC hit would have been #1 if released the week before
- Look at me only one CD release not a 2CD and was only a few hundred sales away from Boyzone with their 2CD release so likely would have made it with a 2CD release.
- What I am lost out to Geri's Life me up in a 'chart battle' if released the week before she would have got her own #1.
- Out of your mind was #1 all throughout the week by a big lead then mysteriously SEB overtook at the last min. Again a 1CD release a 2CD would probs have secured her it.
Posted by: dan :: G 15th February 2021, 03:36 PM
I seem to recall the original remained the most popular version at least on streaming, the remix may've done better on iTunes. Although now that I look it up, it appears that the original and Tove Lo remix have their streams combined on Spotify, but I think they were split at the time. The Tove Lo version is only available on random compilations now, so is probably getting negligible streaming at the moment in comparison.
Interestingly, it's actually a different remix (Gryffin) which is the most popular version of the song on Spotify now:
183m Gryffin remix
144m original
Posted by: BillyH 15th February 2021, 03:58 PM
*not technically the original version either as the first version of the song was an instrumental
The second push for 'Desire' was focused on the remix with Tove Lo but I don't remember if it actually became the most popular version or not.
Ah thanks. makes more sense as I remember the original the most!
Similar situation with Sonny J's Can't Stop Moving, it charted top 40 for the first time in 2008 with the lead track on the CD single being a Mirwais remix, but on iTunes it was the 2007 original that sold the most. Still feel like that would have been a bigger hit had it not been released during two of the wettest and coldest summers in recent memory...
Posted by: Dill Doe 15th February 2021, 04:44 PM
and then on the other hand, you had Westlife (and Boyzone maybe too) who were really smart at picking the easiest and less competitive weeks
and got lots of "free" #1s
Yes, I agree. We on music forums at the very least should recognise this and recognise VB and the solo Spice and Stop hits as no.1s, and the Westlife and other fake no.1s as no.2.s
Posted by: Tawdry Hepburn 15th February 2021, 04:48 PM
Oh, can we?
There are loads of songs I'd love to pretend were #1s had they been released in a different week/alternate reality.
Posted by: T Boy 15th February 2021, 04:52 PM
It would have been awful to look back on Out Of Your Mind being no.1 over Groovejet. The former may have made sense as a no.1 at the time but it has aged terribly whereas Groovejet is still a classic now. One example of the ‘right’ song getting to no.1 if you ask me.
Posted by: Dill Doe 15th February 2021, 06:37 PM
Out Of Your Mind still sounds great though?
Posted by: vibe 15th February 2021, 08:30 PM
Groovejet not being on streaming is a shame (original)
Posted by: Liam.k. 15th February 2021, 08:38 PM
Yeah, 'Got To Be Certain' was an estimated 4k behind Wet Wet Wet's 'With a Little Help From My Friends' on its third week at #2. 'The Loco-motion' was an estimated 2k behind Yazz's 'The Only Way is Up' upon its debut week, which made it the highest debut for a female artist at the time. 'Je Ne Sais Pas Pourquoi' was an estimated 6k away from #1 on its first week at #2 and an estimate 500 copies away on its third week at #2!
'Especially for You' spent 4 weeks at #2 behind Cliff Richard's 'Mistletoe & Wine' including 3 weeks above 100k, but of course did end up going to #1. On its debut week, 'Hand On Your Heart' was less than 2k behind The Bangles' 'Eternal Flame' and had lost out on 11k sales due to the cassette being priced lower than chart rules allowed, but again did end up going to #1 anyway the following week.
'Love at First Sight' was unfortunate to be up against Elvis' 'A Little Less Conversation' which sold 243k compared to her 80k, which would have been enough for #1 the previous week. 'I Believe in You' sold 39k upon debut but was stuck behind Band Aid 20 so obviously no chance there either. I do think it was odd that it was released physically two weeks after album release but had been available for download for four weeks, which would all have been ineligible at the time. If they released the same week of the album it would have been an easy #1 against Girls Aloud's 'I'll Stand By You' which sold 30k. At least it spent an impressive six weeks at #1 on airplay.
Posted by: T Boy 15th February 2021, 08:58 PM
I didn’t realise Kylie would have beaten Eminem if Love At First Sight came a week earlier!
Posted by: Liam.k. 15th February 2021, 09:08 PM
It was Will Young's 'Light My Fire' at #1 the week before, which was it second week and sold 62k.
Posted by: T Boy 15th February 2021, 09:46 PM
Of course it was, I don’t know why I thought it was different, I knew she’d never have beaten Eminem!
Posted by: chartjack2 15th February 2021, 10:57 PM
IIRC She Doesn’t Mind by Sean Paul was a bit of a mini Moves Like Jagger the following year
Posted by: Rob 16th February 2021, 09:48 AM
What did Out of Your Mind sell in its second week?
And how far behind was Geri's Look at Me from #1?
Posted by: Liam.k. 16th February 2021, 10:28 AM
86k
'Groovejet' was only 1k away from remaining at #1 over Madonna's 'Music'! Likewise...
...'Look at Me' was only 1k away from #1!
Posted by: Tawdry Hepburn 16th February 2021, 10:32 AM
I'm pretty sure 'Look At Me' was a lot closer than 1k!
Posted by: Mangø 16th February 2021, 10:42 AM
What about 'I'm Too Sexy'? IIRC that was stuck at #2 for 6 weeks behind the juggernaut that was Bryan Adams' 'Everything I Do'.
Reading through the above stats, Kylie must be the unluckiest '#2' artist overall with the sheer number of songs that narrowly missed out on #1.
Posted by: Bjork 16th February 2021, 10:52 AM
there's also Sash, think that's even unluckier than Kylie, cos Sash never got a #1
Sash's first 3 hits all peaked at #2 and he had 2 more #2s later
anyone know if any of his #2s was particularly close to #1?
Posted by: Liam.k. 16th February 2021, 10:52 AM
748 copies to be specific!
Posted by: Tawdry Hepburn 16th February 2021, 10:54 AM
What was the closest Sash! came with any of his? I know 'Stay' collided with the 'Candle in the Wind' juggernaut.
Posted by: Liam.k. 16th February 2021, 11:01 AM
Sash's first 3 hits all peaked at #2 and he had 2 more #2s later
anyone know if any of his #2s was particularly close to #1?
They weren't close but were always stuck behind huge hits:
98,000 Encore Une Fois (42k behind No Doubt's 'Don't Speak')
130,000 Ecuador (26k behind Puffy Daddy's 'I'll Be Missing You')
71,000 Ecuador (95k behind Puffy Daddy's 'I'll Be Missing You')
117,000 Stay (157k behind Elton John's 'Candle in the Wind')
72,000 Mysterious Times (206k behind Boyzone's 'No Matter What')
56,000 Adelante (32k behind Gabrielle's 'Rise')
Posted by: Tawdry Hepburn 16th February 2021, 11:06 AM
This one in particular is an absolute crime!
Posted by: Bjork 16th February 2021, 11:08 AM
wow at Ecuador opening with 130K and "only" making it to #2
Posted by: Dobbo. 16th February 2021, 11:13 AM
It has to be Moves Like Jagger. I remember the charts at the time and it was bordering on farcical that it kept losing out to different #1s each week, many of which tumbled right down the charts afterwards and are largely forgotten now in comparison.
Posted by: coi 16th February 2021, 11:27 AM
And yet I much prefer every single one of the songs that kept it off the top spot
MLJ definitely is more well remembered than those though (sadly).Love The Way You Lie was similarly robbed, it again went on to be bigger than any of the four songs that kept it off the top (I mean, I enjoyed it at the time but how many people still play Green Light by Roll Deep?
) and is again more well remembered.I went for Foundations because of its fairly long run at #2 combined with how incredibly close the gap was behind a song that had more than one week at number one in the end!
Posted by: Liam.k. 16th February 2021, 11:33 AM
Madonna has the more #2 singles than any other artist so I thought I'd have a look at which of those were particularly unlucky:
1985: 'Crazy for You' was 1k away from #1 and 'Holiday' was stuck behind her own hit 'Into the Groove'.
1986: 'Live to Tell' was 4k away from #1.
1991: 'Crazy for You' had another narrow miss from #1, only 2k away in its second week at #2.
1999: 'Beautiful Stranger' sold a 136k but stuck behind S Club 7's 'Bring It All Back' which sold 190k.
Also, 'Like a Virgin' had a couple of weeks above 100k on the week before and on Christmas week - it wasn't even in the Top 3! I wouldn't say any of her other #2s were particularly unlucky, but worth mentioning that 'American Life' was under 3k away from #1 but the #1 only sold 33k (the lowest of the year) so really it was probably lucky to have got as high as #2 in such a pathetic week for sales.
Madonna's also had a few lucky #1 moments:
'True Blue' was only 1k ahead of #2 when it reached #1, then sold 100k+ in the following two weeks when it was #2.
'La Isla Bonita' was also only 1k ahead of #2 in its first week at #1 but had a more comfortable lead in its second.
As mentioned already, 'Music' was only 1k ahead of #2.
Posted by: Dill Doe 16th February 2021, 11:46 AM
Beautiful Stranger DEFINITELY deserved #1!!
Posted by: Bjork 16th February 2021, 11:48 AM
^ thought Elvis was the one with more #2s, but maybe it depends if you count those re-issues in the 00s or not
Posted by: k👠th 16th February 2021, 11:51 AM
Don't Start Now by Dua Lipa
Posted by: Tawdry Hepburn 16th February 2021, 12:00 PM
I remember 'American Life' was #1 all week and it was projected to be #1 right up until the last minute (even on that chart prediction thing Popworld always did on a Sunday), it came as quite a shock to me when it was announced as #2 on the chart show.
Posted by: Bjork 16th February 2021, 12:10 PM
^I remember it too, was quite the shock!
Posted by: Jay❄ 16th February 2021, 12:21 PM
Bands/groups with the most #2 hits:
6 #2s - Boyzone / Oasis / Queen
5 #2s - The Beatles / Girls Aloud / S Club 7 / Steps / U2
This is how many #1s they had:
17 #1s - The Beatles
8 #1s - Oasis
7 #1s - U2
6 #1s - Boyzone / Queen
4 #1s - Girls Aloud / S Club 7
2 #1s - Steps
Obviously this is a moot point given that some of these #2s would have emphatically missed out on #1, but had they managed to go all the way, these artists would have had...
22 #1s - The Beatles
14 #1s - Oasis
12 #1s - Boyzone / Queen / U2
9 #1s - Girls Aloud / S Club 7
7 #1s - Steps
Posted by: Dot Branning 16th February 2021, 02:10 PM
'Especially for You' spent 4 weeks at #2 behind Cliff Richard's 'Mistletoe & Wine' including 3 weeks above 100k, but of course did end up going to #1. On its debut week, 'Hand On Your Heart' was less than 2k behind The Bangles' 'Eternal Flame' and had lost out on 11k sales due to the cassette being priced lower than chart rules allowed, but again did end up going to #1 anyway the following week.
'Love at First Sight' was unfortunate to be up against Elvis' 'A Little Less Conversation' which sold 243k compared to her 80k, which would have been enough for #1 the previous week. 'I Believe in You' sold 39k upon debut but was stuck behind Band Aid 20 so obviously no chance there either. I do think it was odd that it was released physically two weeks after album release but had been available for download for four weeks, which would all have been ineligible at the time. If they released the same week of the album it would have been an easy #1 against Girls Aloud's 'I'll Stand By You' which sold 30k. At least it spent an impressive six weeks at #1 on airplay.
Yeah I knew there were a lot of situations where Kylie was stuck at #2 and either there was a close gap between her and #1 or she had been unlucky with the week she had chosen to release. It just shows you how easy an artists total of Number 1s could have been dramatically different. I think it's generally accepted that it was the opposite story with Westlife in that for some of the weeks they got their many number 1s, they were lucky or you could say clever enough to have strategically picked the right weeks.
Posted by: Feel_The_Fever 16th February 2021, 02:14 PM
Kylie was so close so many times and I actually prefer many of her number 2 hits to her number 1s.
Posted by: Dot Branning 16th February 2021, 02:17 PM
6 #2s - Boyzone / Oasis / Queen
5 #2s - The Beatles / Girls Aloud / S Club 7 / Steps / U2
This is how many #1s they had:
17 #1s - The Beatles
8 #1s - Oasis
7 #1s - U2
6 #1s - Boyzone / Queen
4 #1s - Girls Aloud / S Club 7
2 #1s - Steps
Obviously this is a moot point given that some of these #2s would have emphatically missed out on #1, but had they managed to go all the way, these artists would have had...
22 #1s - The Beatles
14 #1s - Oasis
12 #1s - Boyzone / Queen / U2
9 #1s - Girls Aloud / S Club 7
7 #1s - Steps
Interesting figures.
I knew Oasis had a lot of #2 peaking singles as well and there are a few situations with their 90s singles where they either might have been #1 or one of their #1's could have got a second week due to the format issue with the 12" single charting separately in the lower end of the chart. On a more hypothetical note i'm pretty sure 'Stand By Me' would have made #1 if it didn't get stuck behind the Candle In The Wind mania in 1997.
Posted by: Dot Branning 16th February 2021, 02:23 PM
I've always loved 'Kids' by Kylie & Robbie which also peaked at #2 behind U2 's 'Beautiful Day'.
Posted by: chartjack2 16th February 2021, 02:24 PM
And of course if Blur hadn’t moved the release of Country House, Roll with It would have got to #1
Posted by: Dot Branning 16th February 2021, 02:58 PM
Very true! Although I think Blur themselves have had a couple of near misses with the top of the chart, Song 2 is the one I remember off the top of my head but I think the symmetry of it peaking at #2 is worth it missing #1!
Posted by: Dot Branning 16th February 2021, 03:00 PM
One more artist we have to mention if we are talking about the most #2 peaks is surely Rihanna. On top of her 9 #1s, 9 more of her singles have peaked at #2 which I think puts her only behind Kylie and Madonna in that respect.
Posted by: chartjack2 16th February 2021, 03:08 PM
The Sweet had 5 #2s and just 1 #1
Posted by: dan :: G 16th February 2021, 03:13 PM
Calvin Harris also had a lot of #2s, seven, four of which were from the same album too admittedly the very drawn out era that was 18 Months, but impressive nonetheless. His later three were even more unlucky for being genuinely massive hits not boosted by being a held back release:
"How Deep Is Your Love" was especially unlucky to have climbed to #2 the week One Direction decided to drop a new single in "Drag Me Down" (which proceeded to drop 1-9), then the following week it remained at #2 as "Marvin Gaye" got its download release and shot to the top.
"This Is What You Came For" was likewise unlucky to be stuck behind "One Dance". Then "Giant" for spending as many as 5 weeks at #2 because of "Someone You Loved".
Posted by: chartjack2 16th February 2021, 03:16 PM
One Dance was very lucky to stay at number one for so long - almost like Moves Like Jagger in reverse - it seemed to have crept over the line week after week towards the end
Posted by: Dill Doe 16th February 2021, 03:16 PM
It's a shame Girls Aloud didn't get nine no.1s. Imagine that PLUS their 20 top 10 consecutive hits?
Posted by: chartjack2 16th February 2021, 03:19 PM
Some of their fans would have swapped all their #1s for Untouchable getting once place higher!
Posted by: Dark Horse 16th February 2021, 07:29 PM
dont forget Tender who almost reached number 1 but Britney’s baby one more time prevented it with the biggest sales of the year for a number 1
Posted by: Liam.k. 16th February 2021, 07:35 PM
It was Britney's second week at #1, but yes 'Tender' debuted with 176k which would have been enough for #1 any other week previously in 1999 had it not been for 'Baby One More Time'. Same goes to the #3, Whitney Houston's 'It's Not Right, But It's Okay', which debuted with 161k - huge sales for a #3!
Posted by: Dot Branning 16th February 2021, 07:38 PM
Very true, I knew there was another near miss for Blur I couldn’t quite remember!
Posted by: Dot Branning 16th February 2021, 07:42 PM
Those are massive sales for a #3!
Did Whitney’s My Love Is Your Love come very close to #1 the week it was at #2?
Posted by: Liam.k. 16th February 2021, 11:01 PM
Did Whitney’s My Love Is Your Love come very close to #1 the week it was at #2?
It sold nearly 130k in its first week but was up against '9PM (Till I Come)' which sold 270k, would have been #1 if pushed back a week.
Posted by: Dot Branning 16th February 2021, 11:09 PM
Cheers for the stats Liam!
Singles sales were huge around the turn of the millennium! It's a shame Whitney didn't release the week after though, its one of my favourite of her songs so would have been nice to see it get #1.
Posted by: Bjork 17th February 2021, 08:57 AM
How did we go from those crazy sales of nearly 200K for a #2 in the late 90s/early 00s
to Elvis being #1 with 20K and the Manics being #2 with 12K in 2005!!!!!
Posted by: Last Dreamer 17th February 2021, 09:00 AM
Oasis - Wonderwall
Geri Halliwell - Look At Me (She deserved five consecutive # 1 singles in UK)
Westlife - What Makes A Man
Posted by: T Boy 17th February 2021, 09:03 AM
to Elvis being #1 with 20K and the Manics being #2 with 12K in 2005!!!!!
Downloads. Took way too long to introduce them.
Posted by: garyfeld 17th February 2021, 05:05 PM
Madonna's rerelease, Holiday was unlucky to have been stopped from reaching number one by her already charting Into The Groove,
Posted by: vibe 18th February 2021, 08:21 AM
Brandy and Monica The Boy Is Mine was number 2 for a few weeks (from memory). Def had a healthy chart run.
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