20. "3 is family" Dana Dawson (2 weeks)

 

Reached #1: 12 Jan 1996

UK chart peak: #9

 

A UK top 10 hit in the summer of 1995, "3 Is Family" only got my attention after I got a CD compilation in Christmas 1995 that included the track. At the time, the New York-born singer was living a new step on her career after being a former Broadway child star and having a string of hits in France in her teens, "3 Is Family" was the biggest hit from her "Black Butterfly" album that showcased her as a new r&b talent, a mementum which sadly she was never able to emulate. Even more sadly, Dana Dawson passed away in 2010 of colon cancer at age 36.

 

As you will find out later on, this wasn't the only 1995 hit to claim the topspot of my chart well into 1996.

 

21. "Beautiful life" Ace Of Base (2 weeks)

 

Reached #1: 26 Jan 1996

UK chart peak: #15

 

Second single from Ace Of Base's "The Bridge" album, this one is widely considered one of their best loved and perhaps the most popular outside the "Happy Nation" debut album. The football scene in the music video was shot at the Fulham stadium.

 

22. "One sweet day" Mariah Carey & Boyz II Men (2 weeks)

 

Reached #1: 9 Feb 1996

UK chart peak: #6

 

At the time a mammoth ballad by Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men was a sure #1 to me but now it has since gone down as a song I loved back then but don't care much for it now. However at the time, there was no stopping the success of the track, that stayed a record 16 weeks at #1 in the US and also topped the charts in Canada and New Zealand.

 

Edited December 28, 201311 yr by N-S

23. "Gangsta's paradise" Coolio (2 weeks)

 

Reached #1: 23 Feb 1996

UK chart peak: #1

 

"Gangsta's Paradise" entred my chart in November 1995 and went up and down in the following months peaking at #10. It only reached #1 heights after the film "Dangerous Minds" was released in Portugal and I went to see it, thus become the first rap track to top my chart. Coolio (born Artis Leon Ivery jr.) had in total 4 top 30 hits in my chart.

 

24. "Earth song" Michael Jackson (1 week)

 

Reached #1: 8 Mar 1996

UK chart peak: #1

 

The UK Christmas #1 in 1995, "Earth song" entered my chart in December and also had a meandering run until it finally topped the chart for a solitary week. The track was originally written for the "Dangerous" album but would only be released in Jackson's 1995 part-greatest hits part-new material album "HIStory".

 

This would be Jacko's only #1 hit in my chart though follow-up "They Don't Care About Us" almost did it too, instead peaking at #2.

 

Edited December 28, 201311 yr by N-S

25. "Right here" Ultimate KAOS (2weeks)

 

Reached #1: 15 Mar 1996

UK chart peak: #18

 

Simon Cowell's first #1 in my chart! The London r&b quartet was doing backups for Sinitta and Cowell saw the potential for a boyband. After a first release under the name of Chaos in 1992, it was under the moniker Ultimate KAOS that they got noticed. "Right Here" was their 4th UK top 40 hit. In leading vocals was a then only 13-year old Haydon Eshun.

 

Ultimate KAOS would chalk three more top 40 hits in my chart, all in 1998: "Casanova", "My Lover" and "Anything You Want".

 

Edited December 28, 201311 yr by N-S

26. "Count on me" Whitney Houston & CeCe Winans (2 weeks)

 

Reached #1: 29 Mar 1996

UK chart peak: #12

 

Like "One Sweet Day", I too loved this back then but now I wouldn't place this so high in my chart. Taken from the "Waiting To Exhale" soundtrack, her "The Bodyguard" follow-up acting stint, "Count On Me" saw Whitney teamed up with CeCe Winans from the Winans gospel royal family, sister to the slightly more famous BeBe and Mario. Nowadays I regret having this topping the chart for two weeks allowing only the next tune coming up a sole week at the top.

 

 

 

 

EDIT

Edited December 29, 201311 yr by N-S

27. "Children" Robert Miles (1 week)

 

Reached #1: 12 Apr 1996

UK chart peak: #2

 

Doubtlessly one of the biggest hits of the year, Swiss-born Italian DJ Roberto Concina came up with this legendary instrumental dance track inspired by footage of children in war-torn Bosnia and as a way to calm down clubgoers at the end of the raves and club parties, thus reducing the risk of road accidents on their way back home. The track spent 13 weeks at #1 in the Eurochart and topped the charts in 12 countries, and in mine as well.

 

Edited December 28, 201311 yr by N-S

28. "Falling into you" Céline Dion (2 weeks)

 

Reached #1: 19 Apr 1996

UK chart peak: #10

 

Originally recorded in 1994 by Argentine singer Marie-Claire D'Ubaldo, "Falling Into You" was first meant to be covered by Belinda Carlisle, but it was Céline Dion who finally recorded it, the track even giving the title to her brand new English album and becoming its first single in Europe and Australia. It topped the charts in Spain and Greece, as well in my chart making Dion the first act with 3 #1s.

 

Edited December 28, 201311 yr by N-S

29. "I'll never break your heart" Backstreet Boys (4 weeks)

 

Reached #1: 3 May 1996

UK chart peak: #8

 

By May 1996, following their manager's tactic to start their career in Germany, the Backstreet Boys were conquering Continental Europe but UK success would only come later that year (and in their native US a couple of years later). Their debut hit "We Got It Goin' On" was followed by this sugary but still quite endearing ballad. "I'll Never Break Your Heart" goes down in my chart's history as the first track ever to enter straight at #1.

 

Edited December 28, 201311 yr by N-S

30. "He's on the phone" Saint Etienne (1 week)

 

Reached #1: 31 May 1996

UK chart peak: #11

 

I discovered this song through my copy of NOW 36 and instantly fell hard for it and still love it today. A new track to promote their Greatest Hits album "Too Young To Die", "He's On The Phone" was a remixed version by Motiv8 of one of the tracks (originally titled "Accident") from 1995's "Reserection" EP, where the band collaborated with famous French singer-songwriter Etienne Daho which in turn was an English-language rework of Daho's 1984 hit "Weekend À Rome". Daho's spoken-word part was lifted from the intro of the title-track of "Reserection". The lyrics are about a young girl trying to escape her relationship with a married man.

 

It remains the band's biggest UK hit under the Saint Etienne moniker, apart from their 2000 collaboration with Paul Van Dyk.

 

Edited September 2, 201410 yr by N-S

31. "Brighter day" Kelly Llorenna (4 weeks)

 

Reached #1: 7 Jun 1996

UK chart peak: #43

 

After famously singing lead vocals in N-Trance's "Set You Free", Kelly Llorenna's first solo offer fell short of the UK top 40. Yet, having discovered it on a cassette compilation, I was swept away by the track and it rapidly shot to the top of my chart.

 

Kelly Llorenna would have two more solo top 30 hits in my chart, both cover versions: "Tell It To My Heart" (2002) and "This Time I Know It's For Real" (2005).

 

Original version

 

The version in my cassette compillation

Edited September 3, 201410 yr by N-S

32. "Because you loved me" Céline Dion (1 week)

 

Reached #1: 5 Jul 1996

UK chart peak: #5

 

Here is Madame Dion again, this time with "Because You Loved Me", featured in the soundtrack of Robert Redford and Michelle Pfeiffer movie "Up Close & Personal". A chart-topping hit in the USA, Canada and Australia, a trademark in Dion's repertoir and a wedding-song favourite ever since, the song was penned by Diane Warren as tribute to her father.

 

Edited December 28, 201311 yr by N-S

33. "Fable" Robert Miles

 

Reached #1: 12 Jul 1996

UK chart peak: #7

 

There was no need to change the winning formula, so the follow-up to "Children" was yet another massive instrumental dance hit. However, a version with vocals by Fionnuala Quinn (dubbed the "Message Version") was also featured in his "Dreamland" album.

 

34. "Killing me softly" Fugees (6 weeks)

 

Reached #1: 19 Jul 1996

UK chart peak: #1

 

"Killing Me Softly With His Song" was originally recorded in 1972 by Lori Lieberman allegedly inspired after seeing Don McLean in concert, however it was Roberta Flack's 1973 version the most celebrated one. The Fugees intended to change the lyrics into something about poverty and drug abuse but both out of respect for Flack and without permission from the writers, their version ended up being Lauryn Hill crooning the song along hip hop beats put together with Praz and Wyclef's intro and occasional "One time, two times" ad libs. Still, the rework worked wonderfully and introduced the song to a new generation.

 

Not only this was my year-end #1 of 1996, it was the first #1 song to spend more than 4 weeks in my chart, and with a total six weeks on top, a record that would last ten years.

 

 

(Lauryn has already six kids, seven kids to go)

Edited December 28, 201311 yr by N-S

35. "Wannabe" Spice Girls (4 weeks)

 

Reached #1: 30 Aug 1996

UK chart peak: #1

 

One of the songs that instantly pop into everyone's minds when anyone think of the 90's, in my opinion this hasn't aged as well as it should but no doubt about how arresting it was. It debuted in my chart straight at #1, ending the Fugees reign at the top.

 

Despite allegedly taking 22 takes to shoot the video, the final cut isn't a continuous take, as it contains two cuts: one before the dance routine in the stairs and other when Victoria pulls the tablecloth.

 

Edited April 18, 201411 yr by N-S

36. "Se a vida é (That's the way life is)" Pet Shop Boys (2 weeks)

 

Reached #1: 27 Sep 1996

UK chart peak: #8

 

Pet Shop Boys have made their fair share of blissful and summery tunes and this is one of their most memorable. Having the extra of containing a few words in Portuguese ("Se a vida é" means "If life is"), resulting from the Brazilian influences for their "Bilingual" album, it rapidly reached #1 in my chart.

 

Even today, whenever I watch the music video, starring a pre-fame Eva Mendes, I feel like jumping into it and join the fun.

 

37. "Ready or not" Fugees (2 weeks)

 

Reached #1: 11 Oct 1996

UK chart peak: #1

 

Returning to downright hip hop for the follow-up of the massive "Killing me softly", this track famously contained an unauthorized sample of "Bodicea" by Enya, who pursued legal action, eventually things were settled out of court. It also famously contains the word "defecate". A 1997 dance version by The Course was a top 20 hit in my chart.

 

The respective music video was one of the most expensive ever at the time. A part of budget was spent on swimming lessons for Pras Michel.

 

Edited April 18, 201411 yr by N-S

38. "Incancelabile" Laura Pausini (1 week)

 

Reached #1: 25 Oct 1996

UK chart peak: DNC

 

By this time, Pausini was a huge star in Italy, Portugal, Spain, France and Latin America and her third album was eagerly waited. Its first single "Incancelabile" ("Uncancelable") duly hit #1 in my chart, thus becoming her third chart-topper. Her fourth would come quite unexpectedly seven years later.

 

Edited December 29, 201311 yr by N-S