Thieves in the Temple :wub: I didn't like it at all back then but now it's one of my favourite Prince songs... although my absolute favourite won't feature here until 1995 - at least I think it was 95 anyway.

Tom’s Diner is indeed fantastic. First had the song on Now! 18.

 

 

It was one of the reasons I bought Now 18.

I know that Madonna has several #2 peaking singles but I forgot that 'Hanky Panky' was part of that group, wow :drama: well, at least 'Vogue' was good this year.

 

I echo the love for 'Tom's Diner', gorgeous song :wub: I've had the aforementioned Now 18 in my record collection for a few months now and it's definitely one of the highlights. Elsewhere - I'm a fan of 'Thieves In The Temple' too. It sampling 'Batdance' when that song itself is an amalgamation of samples *.* how meta.

Would very much echo the love for “Tom’s Diner” - every time I listen to it I get lost in the lyrics.

 

DNA didn't do much else, they did come back in 1992 for the fun “Can You Handle It” featuring Sharon Redd.

I also remember la Serenissima from DNA

but they never matched Toms Diner

18TH AUGUST

 

 

Suffering a 12% sales hit Partners In Kryme keep the chart crown for a fourth week with 57,000 copies sold last week, it takes “Turtle Power”’s total sales to 288,000, not overly impressive for a month long chart topper but then it’s not been a stellar year for sales all around. The chances of “Tom’s Diner” being the next chart topper are also rather slim and it recedes 10% to 47,000 though it does narrow the gap at least.

 

 

 

 

Instead eyes are now turned to the song which shoots 11-3 (37,000) for new outfit Bombalurina who essentially compose TV personality Timmy Mallet and a couple of backing singers. The name of the group is taken from a character in the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical “Cats”, Webber approached producer Nigel Wright to make the version and the rather unique take on the Brian Hyland classic “Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini” was born, the song originally made No 8 thirty years ago so has already done better here! The last time we had a Hyland song covered it took Jason Donovan all the way to No 1 just last year- could this repeat that record? The “Wacaday” and “Wide Awake Club” presenter may be too divisive a character but it has certainly been the summer for Kids evidencing their purchasing power.

 

 

 

A No 48 hit last year when first released Roxette have decided to give “Listen To Your Heart” another chance in light of the massive success of “It Must Have Been Love” and it looks to have paid off. It’s been teamed with “Dangerous” as an AA side here in the UK, the track never had a UK release but did do phenomenally well in the US where the group have become a real phenomenon, “Dangerous” spent a fortnight a No 2 there but “Listen To Your Heart” went all the way to No 1 last November. Here the two tracks shoot 21-9 (25,000) to become the group’s third top 10 hit here.

 

 

New Kids On The Block are the only other climbers in the top 10 as they crawl 8-6 (29,000) but Blue Pearl hold at No 4 (35,000) despite losing sales. MC Hammer drops 3-5 (30,000), Soup Dragons reverse 5-7 (28,000) as their album also arrives at the same position, Madonna goes to the naughty step 6-8 (26,000) and Prince heads south 7-10 (22,000). Next week sees the first George Michael single for 2 years- expect a high new entry!

 

 

1- TURTLE POWER- Partners In Kryme (57,000)

2- TOM’S DINER- DNA Ft Suzanne Vega (47,000)

3- ITSY BITSY TEENY WEENY YELLOW POLKA DOT BIKINI- Bombalurina (37,000)

4- NAKED IN THE RAIN- Blue Pearl (35,000)

5- U CAN’T TOUCH THIS- MC Hammer (30,000)

6- TONIGHT- New Kids On The Block (29,000)

7- I’M FREE- Soup Dragons (28,000)

8- HANKY PANKY- Madonna (26,000)

9- LISTEN TO YOUR HEART/ DANGEROUS- Roxette (25,000)

10- THIEVES IN THE TEMPLE- Prince (22,000)

 

More Roxette! :wub:

 

I have very fond memories of both sides of that AA, they had such a strong run of singles for their first couple of albums.

The Big L was their first weak one.

Edited February 12, 20214 yr by Colm

Roxette saving the charts!!! Was checking their US discography for the first singles and it's just unbelievable:

1 The Look

14 Dressed for Success

1 Listen to your heart

2 Dangerous

1 It must've been love

1 Joyride

2 Fading like a flower

 

for me Joyride was their first one I didn't care very much...

Totally deserved run in the US tbh.

 

I agree that The Big L was their first falter, odd choice of release as there was stronger material on the album. At the time I always wanted Things Will Never Be The Same to be a single.

Ps I also feel I should ‘fess up to owning that Bombalurina single :blush:

it's also strange that Dressed for Success was the single from Look Sharp

that performed the worst in the US & UK

but it's become a classic, I'm sure it's among their most popular tracks

I was literally all about the new George Michael single at this point and bought it on 7" and 12" and prayed (pun intended) for a new entry at No 1

Alas your prayers wouldn't be answered then :(

 

25TH AUGUST

 

 

Silly season is upon us once more as Bombalurina effortlessly rise 3-1 with the cover of “Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini”, an outcome that was never in doubt from the off as it moved 61,000 copies in the last week to overpower the already waning “Turtle Power” which recovered in time to only fall 1-3 (37,000) a few hundred copies ahead of New Kids On The Block who continue to creep up the charts with “Tonight”, a song which seems to be appealing beyond their normal audience. In amoungst all that “Tom’s Diner” holds at No 2 (40,000) but its chances of topping the charts are now over.

 

 

 

Onto the big news of the week and although it faded slightly as the week progressed George Michael’s 10th solo single “Praying For Time” debuts at No 8 (24,000), it’s been newsworthy on the basis that it comes without a promo video and the single sleeve is devoid of anything other than his name and the title. Michael seems to be intent on letting the music speak this time around as he focuses less on the image, which of course explains the new album title “Listen Without Prejudice Volume 1” as he tries to shake the teen scream tag for once and all. Much has been made of the social commentary in the record so we’ll see if that can hamper sales in the next few weeks.

 

 

 

 

Betty Boo is also back with a second solo top 10 single (third in total) with “Where Are You Baby” which samples both “Really Saying Something” and also the Monkeys track “Mary Mary”. Boo (real name Alison Clarkson) is getting ready for the release of her first album “Boomania” in 4 weeks and is quickly becoming one of the biggest breakthrough acts of 1990 with her new single rising 17-9 (20,000).

 

 

Roxette continue to impress 9-6 (28,000) and now rest behind the falling Blue Pearl who slide 4-5 (31,000), MC Hammer also fades 5-7 (25,000) and The Soup Dragons fall 7-10 (18,000) to round off proceedings.

 

1- ITSY BITSY TEENY WEENY YELLOW POLKA DOT BIKINI- Bombalurina (61,000)

2- TOM’S DINER- DNA Ft Suzanne Vega (40,000)

3- TURTLE POWER- Partners In Kryme (37,000)

4- TONIGHT- New Kids On The Block (37,000)

5- NAKED IN THE RAIN- Blue Pearl (31,000)

6- LISTEN TO YOUR HEART/ DANGEROUS- Roxette (28,000)

7- U CAN’T TOUCH THIS- MC Hammer (25,000)

8- PRAYING FOR TIME- George Michael (24,000)

9- WHERE ARE YOU BABY?- Betty Boo (20,000)

10- I’M FREE- Soup Dragons (18,000)

 

Only the one episode on BBC4 tonight!

thought the George Michael song was just ok

much preferred Where are you baby, was kinda obsessed with Betty Boo and thought she was gonna be bigger than Madonna ;)

1ST SEPTEMBER

 

 

Bombalurina remain the top act this week and also continue to attract more sales as sales swell to 65,000 but with schools back in a fortnight their days may be numbered. On the other hand they may not last even that long with the activity right beneath them.

 

 

 

 

Deacon Blue’s previous best came in 1988 when “Real Gone Kid” made No 8 but in just a fortnight they’ve re-written that with the “Four Bacharach & David Songs EP” charging 11-2 (46,000). It does just what it says in the title with the band covering four of the best from the writers, namely “I’ll Never Fall In Love”. “Message To Michael” “The Look Of Love” and “Are You There” and has been done as a bit of a vanity project by the band who just recorded them because they love them. They’ve had a busy summer appearing at Glastonbury and Roskilde festivals and have an album of b-sides, rarities, and extra’s called “Ooh Las Vegas” out in a three weeks though it won’t contain this EP. It’s their cover of “I’ll Never Fall In Love Again” which is getting the airplay and it was of course a UK No 1 single back in 1969 for Bobbie Gentry though of course, like most Bacharach & David classics, it was first recorded by Dionne Warwick.

 

 

 

Is The Jive Bunny & The Mastermixers phenomenon over? It seems that the law of diminishing returns is kicking in after their first 3 releases topped the charts before “That Sounds Good To Me” faltered at No 4 and now new single “Can Can You Party” seems to be struggling as it moves 14-8 (26,000) in its second week on the survey. The “Can Can” forms the backbone this time around with “Grease”, Beach Boys and Jackie Wilson getting an overall in the track. A second album is still penciled in for Christmas so be warned.

 

 

http://www.cliffrichardsongs.com/clif90s.jpg

 

First recorded by The Rays in 1957 “Silhouettes” is the new Cliff Richard single and his 58th top 10 single and in the process enables Richard to become the first act to score top 10 singles in each of the last 5 decades. The song wasn’t a hit in the UK until 1965 when Herman’s Hermits took it to No 3, here Cliff’s version moves 17-10 (21,000) and is a live version recorded at Wembley last summer and will be followed by a live album in time for Christmas. Cliff’s last 3 singles all went top 20 without troubling the upper half but he seems back on track now.

 

 

New Kids On The Block may be the surprise hit of the year as it is still climbing for a 5th week on the trot 4-3 (36,000) but it is now losing sales so further progression may be limited. More likely would be a Betty Boo challenge, she powers 9-4 (34,000) flying past insiders bet on the next No 1 from George Michael who can only rise 8-6 (27,000). Fallers this week include DNA featuring Suzanne Vega 2-5 (27,000), Roxette 6-7 (27,000) and Blue Pearl 5-9 (25,000).

 

 

1- ITSY BITSY TEENY WEENY YELLOW POLKA DOT BIKINI- Bombalurina (65,000)

2- FOUR BACHARACH & DAVID SONGS EP- Deacon Blue (46,000)

3- TONIGHT- New Kids On The Block (36,000)

4- WHERE ARE YOU BABY- Betty Boo (34,000)

5- TOM’S DINER- DNA Ft Suzanne Vega (27,000)

6- PRAYING FOR TIME- George Michael (27,000)

7- LISTEN TO YOUR HEART/ DANGEROUS- Roxette (27,000)

8- CAN CAN YOU PARTY- Jive Bunny & The Mastermixers (26,000)

9- NAKED IN THE RAIN- Blue Pearl (25,000)

10- SILHOUETTES- Cliff Richard (21,000)

 

I bought that Deacon Blue EP, it was nice. Same week I bought Betty Boo, the cashier mist have thought it was quite a contrast!

You’re up to date now Gezza!