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Unluckiest #2's?

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Union J - You Got It All

 

This is certainly the most unlucky #2 of all time! (so far)

 

In a way but in a way not.

All things being equal, it's not the kind of song that has #1 written all over it.

It is quite dull/safe and no one though it would chart high anyway.

They had a week with little competition and would not have been a contender if it wasnt for that and the x factor performance.

 

They got a better charting than deserved.

In a way but in a way not.

All things being equal, it's not the kind of song that has #1 written all over it.

It is quite dull/safe and no one though it would chart high anyway.

They had a week with little competition and would not have been a contender if it wasnt for that and the x factor performance.

 

They got a better charting than deserved.

The bolded statements are subjective though. The fact is that if the charts still had the criteria of only a few months ago Union J would be #1 now.

SUNCHYME :'(

 

I do see why it never got to #1 because of course Elton was #1 at the time with Candle In The Wind. However, I really feel sorry for it because it's fantastic and did not deserve to have the biggest gap of sales between #1 and #2 :(

 

I guess that makes it the luckiest #2 though :P

I would have to say Union J very much fit the bill here. The first instance an act missed out since streaming was added was always going to be significant and the fact it would have been their first adds even more emphasis.
I would have to say Union J very much fit the bill here. The first instance an act missed out since streaming was added was always going to be significant and the fact it would have been their first adds even more emphasis.

And also let's face it, it was probably their one and only chance of getting a #1, which will surely add salt to their wounds.

The bolded statements are subjective though. The fact is that if the charts still had the criteria of only a few months ago Union J would be #1 now.

You're right. When it comes to "unlucky #2s", it applies to situations where the #2 could have been #1, such as this instance or a song being a few copies away from #1 or achieving high sales that would have seen it go to #1 in pretty much any other week of the year. Obviously saying "if this song didn't exist, then this song would be #1" doesn't count!

 

When it comes to songs like, say, 'Fairytale of New York' and 'All I Want for Christmas is You', it's a case of "should have been a #1" due to their classic status.

You're right. When it comes to "unlucky #2s", it applies to situations where the #2 could have been #1, such as this instance or a song being a few copies away from #1 or achieving high sales that would have seen it go to #1 in pretty much any other week of the year. Obviously saying "if this song didn't exist, then this song would be #1" doesn't count!

 

When it comes to songs like, say, 'Fairytale of New York' and 'All I Want for Christmas is You', it's a case of "should have been a #1" due to their classic status.

I think "If this song didn't exist" can be used for something like Candle In The Wind. However, it doesn't apply to Always On My Mind / Fairytale Of New York even if you follow my suggestion that AOMM should have been released earlier to coincide with the anniversary of Elvis's death.

As a matter of historic record and objective analysis, Union J do have an unenviable achievement in being the first to manage a sales-only Number One but miss out on its equivalent on the combined sales and streams mainstream chart. Some people are assuming they must be ruing the day that they opted not to offer their track on audio streaming, but I think it is clear that had they done so, they still would've missed out on a combined No 1, as the initial week of streaming wouldn't have been that impactful and sales would certainly have been less had the streaming option been available (the reason why their label chose to keep it sales-only was of course to maximise its chances of securing a chart-topper in a week of relatively weak competition). Unfortunately for them, Ed Sheeran's enduring appeal in the streaming sector of all his tracks from 'X' was still too much to fend-off, and in the 'combined chart' era, that can make all the difference.

 

Saying all that, this could be a case of no publicity is worse than bad: Union J's single will, for chart enthusiasts at least, live longer in the memory than many authentic chart-toppers in that it was the first - probably of many to come - to be denied an 'official' No 1 thanks to the introduction of audio streaming criteria at the end of June this year. In a sense, that makes the song far more significant in chart history than it ever would be in musical history, given that it is inoffensive but entirely generic in terms of composition, performance and production.

 

'Thinking Out Loud' on the other hand may not be musically innovative, but I believe it will likely live far longer in the average memory than 'You Got It All' as it is arguably a superior and more distinct piece lyrically, by an artist who I think will prove to have far-greater longevity. Moreover, it will also be readily-recollected by chart buffs too, for it is now not only the track that took longest from initial chart entry to reach No 1, but also holds the record for a return to the top after the longest period in the chart - 24 weeks.

 

  • 2 months later...

 

GOOD MORNING.

 

Surprised that this wasn't mentioned. Debuted at 7, but promptly climbed to 2 and managed a couple more weeks in runners-up position against the usual boring #1 debuts that have ruined the UK chart since about 1995. Would have been one of a very few early 2000s genuine climbers to #1. We had to wait until 2004 for one ("The Cha Cha Slide"), oh dear..

 

Chart Run: 7-5-{2}-4-2-2-4-8-10-18-21-27-33-48-73 (15 wks)

I am tempted to add Take Me To Church but I just can't justify it :(
I am tempted to add Take Me To Church but I just can't justify it :(

 

:(

 

Another unlucky soul is Dr. Alban and "It's My Life" - which spent 3 consecutive weeks stuck behind the juggernaut of The Shamen's "Ebeneezer Goode". Though in all honesty it never really looked liked challenging for #1. Its stability in the runner's up slot was more a consequence of a quiet couple of weeks, just like Philip George's recent triple week stay at 2 with "Wish You Were Mine".

 

 

Chart Run: 18-8-4-{2}-2-2-5-7-12-21-32-57 (12 wks)

Edited by Doctor Blind

:(

 

Another unlucky soul is Dr. Alban and "It's My Life" - which spent 3 consecutive weeks stuck behind the juggernaut of The Shamen's "Ebeneezer Goode". Though in all honesty it never really looked liked challenging for #1. Its stability in the runner's up slot was more a consequence of a quiet couple of weeks, just like Philip George's recent triple week stay at 2 with "Wish You Were Mine".

 

Chart Run: 18-8-4-{2}-2-2-5-7-12-21-32-57 (12 wks)

The juggernaut that was Ebeneezer Goode was the better song by far.

As a matter of historic record and objective analysis, Union J do have an unenviable achievement in being the first to manage a sales-only Number One but miss out on its equivalent on the combined sales and streams mainstream chart. Some people are assuming they must be ruing the day that they opted not to offer their track on audio streaming, but I think it is clear that had they done so, they still would've missed out on a combined No 1, as the initial week of streaming wouldn't have been that impactful and sales would certainly have been less had the streaming option been available (the reason why their label chose to keep it sales-only was of course to maximise its chances of securing a chart-topper in a week of relatively weak competition). Unfortunately for them, Ed Sheeran's enduring appeal in the streaming sector of all his tracks from 'X' was still too much to fend-off, and in the 'combined chart' era, that can make all the difference.

 

Saying all that, this could be a case of no publicity is worse than bad: Union J's single will, for chart enthusiasts at least, live longer in the memory than many authentic chart-toppers in that it was the first - probably of many to come - to be denied an 'official' No 1 thanks to the introduction of audio streaming criteria at the end of June this year. In a sense, that makes the song far more significant in chart history than it ever would be in musical history, given that it is inoffensive but entirely generic in terms of composition, performance and production.

 

'Thinking Out Loud' on the other hand may not be musically innovative, but I believe it will likely live far longer in the average memory than 'You Got It All' as it is arguably a superior and more distinct piece lyrically, by an artist who I think will prove to have far-greater longevity. Moreover, it will also be readily-recollected by chart buffs too, for it is now not only the track that took longest from initial chart entry to reach No 1, but also holds the record for a return to the top after the longest period in the chart - 24 weeks.

Somehow, I keep thinking this is the reason that Union J could be dropped after their non-event of an era :P
:(

 

Another unlucky soul is Dr. Alban and "It's My Life" - which spent 3 consecutive weeks stuck behind the juggernaut of The Shamen's "Ebeneezer Goode". Though in all honesty it never really looked liked challenging for #1. Its stability in the runner's up slot was more a consequence of a quiet couple of weeks, just like Philip George's recent triple week stay at 2 with "Wish You Were Mine".

 

 

Chart Run: 18-8-4-{2}-2-2-5-7-12-21-32-57 (12 wks)

 

Love it! Deserved the #1 so much more

The juggernaut that was Ebeneezer Goode was the better song by far.

 

 

I dont agree. :o

 

 

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