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?

I'm pretty sure 'Look At Me' was a lot closer than 1k!

748 copies to be specific!

What was the closest Sash! came with any of his? I know 'Stay' collided with the 'Candle in the Wind' juggernaut.

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?

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')

72,000 Mysterious Times (206k behind Boyzone's 'No Matter What')

 

This one in particular is an absolute crime!

wow at Ecuador opening with 130K and "only" making it to #2

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.

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.

And yet I much prefer every single one of the songs that kept it off the top spot :ph34r: 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? :lol:) 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!

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.

Beautiful Stranger DEFINITELY deserved #1!!

^ thought Elvis was the one with more #2s, but maybe it depends if you count those re-issues in the 00s or not

Don't Start Now by Dua Lipa

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.

^I remember it too, was quite the shock!

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

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.

 

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.

Kylie was so close so many times and I actually prefer many of her number 2 hits to her number 1s.

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

 

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.

 

I've always loved 'Kids' by Kylie & Robbie which also peaked at #2 behind U2 's 'Beautiful Day'.

And of course if Blur hadn’t moved the release of Country House, Roll with It would have got to #1