Yeah I'm impressed to see 'To Be With You' got as high as #2 in the UK! It's quite of-its-time but I've always been fond of that song.

I've recently flicked through every U.K. chart week of the 1980s (for inspiration while putting together my own 80s playlist) and was floored by how high The Jam always seemed to debut - like you said usually at #1 in a time where that was a lot more rare!

 

1981 is a favourite musical year for me too, Steve, although I'm not so huge on 'Green Door' :kink: wow at how big that was. The Human League though :wub:

 

 

I am really looking forward to viewing your 80s playlist. I need to revise mine.

One thing i've found interesting so far is the weeks where the #4 or #5 is within 90% of #1 sales! I wonder what the furthest out example of this we will see is, in a week of very low overall sales something outside the Top 5 might even have achieved this!

 

 

I don't think this is very likely to happen. Just from memory I can't recall a top 4 being that close, never mind a top 5 or more.

 

Looking forward to finding out.

Weren't The Jam's high debuts because they released their singles on Sundays while the convention at the time for most artists was releasing on Monday/Tuesday? I feel like I remember reading that somewhere but maybe I am making it up xx

 

I don't think I know any of the songs in this thread so far oops xx

From 'Going Underground' onwards, The Jam released all their singles on a Monday at a time when the norm was to release singles on a Thursday or Friday. Fans of the group were usually clued up on release dates and would rush out and buy the singles in the first week. Also a couple of their singles were initially available as double pack singles which helped sell the single in the first week.

 

What was the chart period around 1980-85 then?

 

If The Jam were releasing their singles on a Monday and others on a Thursday or Friday, how long was the initial first week period?

 

Guess what I am trying to say is why were those Monday to Wednesday sales not picked up in the previous week?

 

I remember listening to Radio 1 on a Tuesday lunch time back in the summer of 1982 and they would reveal the highest climber on the chart then play the highest new entry and then finally the complete new Top 5 singles. That was an exclusive back then. Top of The Pops would then follow on the Thursday evening and the full chart would be.played on Radio 1 5-7pm on the Sunday. The 'new' chart would then be revealed again on the following Tuesday.

 

So....my question is, what was the period which was eligible for one weeks chart and how did The Jam for example manage to get 2 or 3 extra days? Makes no sense surely?

What was the chart period around 1980-85 then?

 

If The Jam were releasing their singles on a Monday and others on a Thursday or Friday, how long was the initial first week period?

 

Guess what I am trying to say is why were those Monday to Wednesday sales not picked up in the previous week?

 

I remember listening to Radio 1 on a Tuesday lunch time back in the summer of 1982 and they would reveal the highest climber on the chart then play the highest new entry and then finally the complete new Top 5 singles. That was an exclusive back then. Top of The Pops would then follow on the Thursday evening and the full chart would be.played on Radio 1 5-7pm on the Sunday. The 'new' chart would then be revealed again on the following Tuesday.

 

So....my question is, what was the period which was eligible for one weeks chart and how did The Jam for example manage to get 2 or 3 extra days? Makes no sense surely?

No the chart period remained Sunday to Saturday (although with shops closed on Sunday in reality it was Monday to Saturday). So the Jam just utilised the whole week rather than just 2 or 3 days in its first week. Quite why singles were released at the end of the week back then I don't know- perhaps Robbie can expand on that.

 

There were occasions when the chart week was altered (early 1982 for example) when BMRB wanted to save on courier costs so altered the week from Saturday to Friday but with that exception the chart week was always Sunday to Saturday between 1980 and the current change in 2015.

 

I think the order of things pre 1983 was:

 

Chart week Sunday to Saturday

sales logs sent to BMRB on Monday by courier and information double checked

Tuesday- new chart revealed

Thursday- used on TOTP.

 

repeat.

 

Gallup continued with this system of unveiling on a Tuesday as they computerised the process until by 1987 it was all revealed on the Sunday.

I thought at the time no one was peaking on week 1 so no one cared to release on Monday?

songs climbed to #1 rather than debut at #1

 

 

Janet Jackson- All For You (91%)

 

 

W/E 21/4/2001

 

1- WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG- Emma Bunton (64,818)

2- IT WASN’T ME- Shaggy Ft Rik Rok Ducent (62,000)

3- ALL FOR YOU- Janet Jackson (59,000)

 

Another tale of midweek chart topper falling short. Janet Jackson’s nearest skirt with the No 1 spot was helped by bring a lead single from a new album and for the record yes it was closer to the top than either of her No 2 peaking tracks.

 

Janet is definitely my favourite of these unlucky songs so far!

 

Such a shame that she doesn’t have a #1 to her name here.

'All For You' was literally robbed of number one, that one still hurts.

Milli Vanilli- Girl You Know It’s True (92.4%)

 

 

W/E 12/11/1988

 

1- ORINOCO FLOW (SAIL AWAY)- Enya (53,000)

2- JE NE SAIS PAS POURQUOI- Kylie Minogue (52,500)

3- STAND UP FOR YOUR LOVE RIGHTS- Yazz (50,000)

4- GIRL YOU KNOW IT’S TRUE- Milli Vanilli (49,000)

 

Enya’s last week at No 1 was exceptionally close with three other records not far off the pace including Milli Vanilli who were of course shamed just over a year later when it was revealed they didn’t sing on their tracks. The song is a cover of a track by Numarx from the previous year and this version went to No 2 in the US.

 

Anne-Marie- 2002 (93.2%)

 

 

W/E 21/6/2018

 

1- I’LL BE THERE- Jess Glynne (37,959)

2- SOLO- Clean Bandit Featuring Demi Lovato (37,061)

3- 2002- Anne-Marie (35,395)

 

Another low selling week in general with Glynne posting the lowest weekly tally for a No 1 in the entire decade, that was almost enough to see Anne-Marie nip through.

 

Probably an unpopular opinion but i'm not really a fan of 'All For You'.

 

Milli Vanilli.... sigh.

 

Thank you Jess Glynne for the horror that is "2002" missing out #1! (and I suppose Clean Bandit too) - I forgot just how close it was.

 

That's rather unfortunate for Janet Jackson when her song is more remembered and better than Emma Bunton's, although it should've been Shaggy having another week at #1 - for how big that song was it certainly deserved more than a single week at the top.

Well we have gone from all songs I have never heard to a few that I wish I hadn't heard :P (the Janet one is decent I guess x)

also surprised at Kylie being only 500 copies away from Enya

 

I thought '2002' would be about here.

It Wasn't Me must be the shortest running #1 that was a bestseller of any year (not counting Love The Way You Lie which never got to #1).

 

One song that has probably just missed this first countdown is Olly Murs - Wrapped Up, as in its second week at #3, I make its sales 89.96% of Take That - These Days at #1. (Although if their sales had only been available to the nearest 1,000 or even nearest 100, it would have appeared at least 90%.)

I really had no idea 'Je Ne Sais Pas Pourquoi' came so close. :o

loved all for you !!!

Never realised 'Je Ne Sais Pas Pourquoi' was only 500 copies off number one :o

 

As for Milli Vanilli, they had some proper tunes, 'Girl You Know It's True' is an 80s classic, I also love 'Girl I'm Gonna Miss You' and I don't even care that they didn't sing on their tracks.