:lol: One way of putting it, there seems to be a lot of chart enthusiasts on here, how did you get into the charts and why are you interested in them.

 

I started way back late 70s, and it all started with a free top 40 singles sheet which came along every time I purchased a 7inch vinyl for just a mere 50p, and become interested in the charts. I don't really know why it just became a hobby for me. I've never been that interested in the albums though, the singles at the time was my main interest.

Believe it or not it was because of this site. I can't remember how I came across it but the first time I found this site there was a chart-related countdown going on. I started listening to the chart show and reading along with the Chart Show thread and then after a while I signed up to this site so I could join in in the thread.

Quite similar to Bray, it's because of this website. And I remember how I found it!

 

I think I was looking for a chart archive, so I could find new songs to listen to, and this site came up. I was un-signed for a couple of weeks mainly mooching around the UK Chart Forum, before I decided to sign up and join in the discussion :D

 

BuzzJack itself is to blame for the creation of iLoons!

Believe it or not it was because of this site.

 

Wow. To be honest, I wouldn't think many people would become a "chartfreak" because of this site. Like, I think you'd join this as a result of being interested in the charts, if you know what I mean.

 

For me, I don't know. I just really like chart music, so I'm interested in the charts. It makes me happy when my favourite artists and songs do well. :) I've not listened to chart music very long though. Well, I listened to music since I was born, like everybody else, but I can't remember anything pre-1997, although I have heard a lot of the songs from before then, but I just don't remember them being popular, if that makes sense.

Edited December 28, 201014 yr by Eric_Blob

I got interested in music in 1995. I was raised singing and listening to classical, folk, welsh language pop music. Pretty soon after getting into music i used to listen to Dr Fox chart show and write it down every week. I used to make up my own european chart LOL Every saturday night untill i was about 13 i used to do it.

 

I fell out of love with the chart around the time i went to uni, or a bit before, I didn't really listen to music except what people showed me and i liked. Then i found this site about 12 months ago and i was hooked again.

When I first became hooked on getting into the charts was simply by listening to them in the car with my family and watched TOTP from around 97 onwards. I then listened to H40UK around 10 years ago when Neil Fox did it and then about 4 years ago I was looking at the radio 1 message boards which got me into listening to radio 1, then I found this site and like some of you I was viewing the forum for a bit before I signed up and now I follow the charts even more. :)

Edited December 28, 201014 yr by I Am Rob

Well,my obsession with the charts started in June 1983.I was thumbing through the Daily Mirror and spotted the top 30,and for some unknown reason,it was like a thunderbolt had hit me and i just became hooked on the charts.I started then listening to the charts on radio 1 and cutting the charts out of the paper until i discovered Record Mirror,and the rest as they say is history! lol.When Record Mirror ceased publication,i started subscribing to Music Week which i still do today :)

I am 44 and still love and collecting the charts with a passion :) :)

I first became interested in the charts in 1988 and from 1989 i started keeping a record of the charts, i remember recording the top 40 run down onto casette and playing it back so i could write it all down and keep record of it. From 1991 i started keeping some discographies which is the part i loved doing. I dont really know what got me addicted to the charts but its my favourite hobby. I only took a real interest in the irish charts since 2000, i always followed the irish chart but never kept record of the chart of did discographies but since 2000 i have done so and have been trying to build it up as much as i can.

 

I still keep records of the charts but i still handwrite them, i buy journals every year for both the album and single chart and at the back i do up discographies of acts who have had hits that year, i probably spend about 2 hours a week on writing up the charts and updating discographies and i find it extremely relaxing. I did use the computer for a short period to record the charts but i didnt find it as enjoyable as handwriting them into my journals.

 

Buzzjack has added fuel to the fire for me as it gave me access to more information like new relesaes and sales etc, in later years where possible i have kept sales recoords aswell.

 

My girlfriend tells me its the weirdest hobby she has known anyone to have but as she says each to their own, sometimes i dont fully understand why i love it so much but i do and i think i will for as long as im alive.

To be honest, I don't really consider myself to be much of a chartfreak these days. I go through periods where I barely follow them (although I can never get out of the habit of checking them every Sunday night, even when I don't really follow them apart from that) and I don't bother keeping records or old charts any more (although I used to, but I got bored I guess? I don't know...), though I do still keep year-end charts and sales-related stuff. Probably the fact that musically I don't always get on with the charts (especially singles) these days doesn't help either, compared to years ago when it was the only music I knew basically. I'll probably never be able to cut it out completely though!! There hasn't been a week gone by in 12 years where I haven't known what the chart is, or at the very least the #1.

 

I did used to be slightly obsessed, writing the charts down neatly in pads (until I started using the computer, where I started writing them down in documents!) - I used to spend ages doing it as neat as possible with different coloured pens for climbers/new entries/fallers etc. And taking my walkman with me every Sunday afternoon when I went out with my family so I wouldn't miss the chart show, lol. And then telling people who was where in the charts and whatnot. I did the made up charts thing too, actually, in some kind of bizarre fantasy-type thing of an "alternative" chart, mixing and switching around the top 40. Probably the peak of my obsession was around late 1999 through to 2000...

 

I'm not really sure how I got interested in to be honest. I guess I have some interest in stats and things, so maybe that's why? I don't know.

I've been interested in the charts from a young age. My earliest memory of listening to the Radio 1 Top 40 was in May 1988 with my older sister and neice. We were listening to see if Kylie Minogue 'Got To Be Certain' had made #1 (it didn't, Wet Wet Wet were no. 1 and we were all gutted :lol: :ph34r: ).

 

From then onwards, listening to the Top 40 became a regular thing and I would say from 1991 til 1995 I listened to the Top 40 nearly every Sunday.

 

As for posting on music forums, back in the summer of 2003 I was doing a Google search for Spanish singles chart and the top results was a link to Top40-Charts.com where I managed to get the chart data I was looking for. Then I discovered the forums (well, it was more like a messageboard back then). I felt awkward at first about posting stuff because I'd avoided forums like CFR. In the end I decided to post a top 10 prediction ('Crazy In Love' to outsell 'Satisfaction' was the week in question). Then I started posting the UK Album Chart top 20 because people were requesting it.

 

So yeah, that's pretty much what's led to me being here today via Cool Clarity and ChC Media. I used to think I was the only person who was interested in UK charts. Now I realise I'm far from the only one. :D

I've been interested in the charts from a young age. My earliest memory of listening to the Radio 1 Top 40 was in May 1988 with my older sister and neice. We were listening to see if Kylie Minogue 'Got To Be Certain' had made #1 (it didn't, Wet Wet Wet were no. 1 and we were all gutted :lol: :ph34r: ).

One of my earliest memories is me being very annoyed when Manic Street Preachers beat Steps to #1 :lol: The first time I really got involved in the "chart battle"! I couldn't believe how it had happened, as I had never even heard of the MSP or the song until it was announced as #1.

 

Although as I got older I actually became glad about it, as I realised that If You Tolerate This is a far far better song than One For Sorrow.

Well it was when I became a fan of Madonna, I wanted to know how her singles/albums were doing etc so then got me interested in charts and sales in general.

I started listening to the chart show around 2003-4 and watched TOTP, I loved it and didn't like it ending. But if it came back I wouldn't watch it cos it won't tell me anything I don't already know, and will be filled with Cowell acts.

 

I wasn't too interested in charts after that but still listened to radio and had an idea what was most popular, then after the Joe and Rage battle I was listening to chart shows every week and was more interested in current music. Then I looked for websites with more music & chart info. I somehow found this site and looked on it for weeks b4 deciding to join and post.

 

This is my 1st music forum I joined but before finding this I found digital spy , they had midweek updates but didn't give sales and didn't have any games.

 

One of my earliest memories was being really annoyed at Peter Kay for being number one for SEVEN WEEKS, how boring. The song really got on my nerves and was so relieved when it finally went off the top spot. Also I remember jumping up n down when Busted were number one, looking back on it I wish I never liked them and the song was sooo awful.

 

Also I remember being gutted when Kelis missed out on number 1 with "Trick Me" , I forgot what woz number one that week

Edited December 28, 201014 yr by *xmasG*

One of my earliest memories is me being very annoyed when Manic Street Preachers beat Steps to #1 :lol: The first time I really got involved in the "chart battle"! I couldn't believe how it had happened, as I had never even heard of the MSP or the song until it was announced as #1.

 

Although as I got older I actually became glad about it, as I realised that If You Tolerate This is a far far better song than One For Sorrow.

 

A funny thing about Steps and Manic Street Preachers is that Manic Street Preachers released a song this year called Just the End of Love. It sounded SO familiar, then I realized part of the song has exactly the same melody as Stomp by Steps! Even though last time I had listened to Stomp must've been years and years and years ago at the time, I still remembered it so well, because I loved it so much when I was younger. :wub:

 

I'm greatful to Manic Street Preachers for re-introducing me to Stomp this year. :wub:

Hi, I got into the charts in late 1980 when the charts were dominated by the likes of Blondie (The Tide Is High), Abba (Super Trouper), Adam And The Ants (Antmusic) as well as Madness and the beginning of Spandau Ballet (To Cut A Long Story Short).

 

I became fascinated in December 1980 (I was 11 years old) when John Lennon was murdered and he ended the year with 3 singles in the Top 10. I started writing the chart down until I discovered Record Mirror. It was so exciting being able to study the whole Top 75 (as well as the bubbling unders: positions 76-100 I think) as opposed to just the Top 40.

 

Still have recordings of all the new entries from 1985 to 1995 from Radio 1's Sunday rundowns!

 

Tony Blackburn was still doing the countdown in 1980. He was followed by the late Tommy Vance (Who I thought was brilliant) He used to play the full 10 minutes of Gary Byrd and the GB Experience "The Crown" when it was 3 weeks at number 6 in the summer of 1983!

 

I remember Richard Skinner doing a short stint when they changed the format and attempted to play all of the Top 40 in the 2 hour slot. This meant playing snippets of all 40 songs so even climbers were cut short. A nightmare for us chart tapers!!! Lol

 

Simon Bates did some countdowns too and he was pretty good.

 

I think Bruno Brookes then Mark Goodier came next and I thought they both did an excellent job!

 

In recent years the countdown's been a bit of a travesty in my opinion. I can appreciate they're trying to make it entertaining but I'm of the old school and I really just want to hear the countdown with maybe some talk of the song but not into all this chat and trivia and sometimes having to wait up to 5-8 minutes to hear the next song while Reggie does a 1 man show!

 

I only discovered Buzzjack in recent years and even though I've not posted so much recently I'm here every day checking midweeks and enjoying reading all the comments from other like-minded chart enthusiasts.

 

Have fun peeps,

Ian :D

I got into the charts in late 1998. Basically because I became addicted to Cher's Believe but didn't have a CD or cassette player at the time, only a radio. And I knew that the only way I could guarantee that I could hear the song was to tune into the top 40 each week! Through doing this I discovered a lot of other great music and just stuck with it. And then throughout 1999 and onwards I became quite obsessed with how my favourites were doing and at one point could actually reel off where any song was in the top 40 that week from memory :drama:

My general interest became because of Madonna too. Well I was interested in how well her songs were doing week by week, peak etc. Then it grew with other acts I was interested in and the music I was buying. I always used to listen to Radio 1's chart show every sunday and recorded the songs I liked on cassette and if I liked it I would buy the tape or cd. I always got brought the chart books etc as I could look at other acts stats etc and of course polyhex has helped since and of course. Not forgetting this site.

^ I LOVED Believe by Cher so much too. Such a tune. It makes me sad to listen to it now, because of all the memories. At the school discos at the end of every term they used to play Believe every two or three songs, because we all kept asking for it obsessively. :lol: It was Believe by Cher, Barbie Girl by Aqua and that Blue Da ba dee song which Flo Rida sampled last year. Those were the days. :wub: It's no wonder love European dance music so much now. :lol:

^ I LOVED Believe by Cher so much too. Such a tune. It makes me sad to listen to it now, because of all the memories. At the school discos at the end of every term they used to play Believe every two or three songs, because we all kept asking for it obsessively. :lol: It was Believe by Cher, Barbie Girl by Aqua and that Blue Da ba dee song which Flo Rida sampled last year. Those were the days. :wub: It's no wonder love European dance music so much now. :lol:

Believe is amazing. And probably the most influental pop song of the last 15 or so years, even if it is perhaps not for positive reasons. I still remember how fascinated I was by it. I thought it was some robot singing, until I saw the music video and realised it was actually a woman (or at least I assumed it was)!

 

It's not the best Cher song though - that would be the criminally underrated One By One out two years before.

 

(But perhaps we shouldn't go too off-topic here :lol:)

i became interested in the chart because of my general interest in history, culture and current affairs.sounds strange but let me explain.i find the charts a good way to understand culture and the charts symbolise the soundtrack to peoples lives in a way.i first got interested in them because of the way every december the same nostalgic songs would be played like slade and wizzard and so i wanted to know where in the charts these songs got to and how popular they were at the time of release. this led to a need to know where other songs got to in the charts.it led me onto message boards like this, chart clarity, cool clarity and top 40 charts.com around 2003!!

 

every week i do my own radio 1 style playlist which basically is the same as radio 1s and radio 2s combined.added to that i write up my own personal chart top 30 and do a chart history.i also buy the physical copy of music week every friday!!