Mine is probably The Timelords number one in 1988!

I've just watched the second episode from last week. It was certainly curious that the bands at numbers 41 and 42 managed to get onto the programme. I knew this was Marillion's final TOTP appearance but didn't realise it was before Cover My Eyes had made its way into the top 40. I'll be interested to see if more songs from outside the top 40 get shown or if that episode was an exception.

I think it starts to happen quite a bit from now onwards! Always thought Marillion appeared in the noughties when they had a couple of top 40 hits?!

KLF TOTP performances were always ridiculous in the best possible way.

I think it starts to happen quite a bit from now onwards! Always thought Marillion appeared in the noughties when they had a couple of top 40 hits?!

They had a couple of top 20 hits in 2004 including one that got to number 7 but by that time, the producers would only invite cool bands that would appeal to the younger audience to perform rather than whoever happened to be the highest new entries.

 

8TH JUNE

 

 

Color Me Badd are the nation’s favourite track this week “I Wanna Sex You Up” nudging Cher aside after 5 weeks making some chart history, it’s the first time that three consecutive chart toppers have come from current film soundtracks. It sold 47,000 copies last week, only a marginal increase which doesn’t suggest a long stay, Cher is deposed 1-2 (42,000) but is still selling well thanks to the movie being on general release finally, Total sales of “The Shoop Shoop Song” now stand at 416,000 as it moves to No 2 on the YTD list behind The Simpsons and indeed should surpass them before the half yearly update in 4 weeks.

 

 

 

 

Also in cinema’s at the moment is the new Oliver Stone biopic “The Doors” which has seen the band have two albums in the top 20, the soundtrack at No 16 and a best of at No 18. One of their most famous singles “Light My Fire” has also been given a re-release, the original incredibly only made No 49 when released in 1967 (US No 1) though it was subsequently taken into the top 10 by both Jose Feliciano (No 6, 1968) and Amii Stewart (No 5, 1979, and No 7, 1985) which helped its fame. For a group of the stature of the Doors it is surprising to note they haven’t had a Top 10 single here, until this week anyway. The re-issued single flies 29-10 (19,000) almost 20 years after Jim Morrison’s death.

 

 

The rest of the top 10 just rearranges itself, Amy Grant lifts 5-3 (36,000), Beverley Craven holds at No 4 (29,000), Kylie rockets 10-6 (28,000) and R.E.M inch 9-8 (24,000). All heading the wrong way are Crystal Waters 3-5 (29,000), Marc Almond/ Soft Cell 6-7 (26,000) and The KLF drive 7-9 (21,000).

 

 

1- I WANNA SEX YOU UP- Color Me Badd (47,000)

2- THE SHOOP SHOOP SONG (IT’S IN HIS KISS)- Cher (42,000)

3- BABY BABY- Amy Grant (36,000)

4- PROMISE ME- Beverley Craven (29,000)

5- GYPSY WOMAN (LA DA DEE)- Crystal Walters (29,00)

6- SHOCKED- Kylie Minogue (28,000)

7- TAINTED LOVE- Marc Almond/ Soft Cell (26,000)

8- SHINY HAPPY PEOPLE- REM (24,000)

9- LAST TRAIN TO TRANCENTRAL- The KLF (21,000)

10- LIGHT MY FIRE- The Doors (19,000)

 

ouch CMB at #1, what a terrible song

 

I remember there was a lot of buzz about the Doors after the movie, so good to see Light my Fire finally being their first belated top 10, great track. The movie made me discover them too and bought their Best Of.

15TH JUNE

 

 

It holds at No 2 Stateside but in the UK Color Me Badd effortlessly take a second week at the top selling a healthy 59,000 into the bargain and actually stretching its lead over Amy Grant to 12,000 copies despite “Baby Baby”’s climb 3-2. Cher drops 2-3 (31,000) just above the very persistent Beverley Craven at No 4 (26,000) who is still losing sales every week albeit slowly.

 

 

 

The first of two new tracks this week comes from Madonna, it’s her 7th top 10 single of the 90s matching the current leaders NKOTB in that respect. It’s “Holiday”’s third release and a third appearance in the top 10, simply incredible and equaled only by the Righteous Brothers “You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling” in that respect, it made No 6 in 1984, then No 2 a year later and now a climber 13-5 (25,000) thanks to being used to continue to promote “The Immaculate Collection” which is still floating around just outside the top 20. It comes with a picture disk and an additional “Holiday Collection EP” version which brings together some hits not included on the album most notably the chart toppers “Who’s That Girl” and “True Blue”, an ingenious idea to lure fans into buying.

 

 

 

 

Former Boxer and BT Technician Kenny Thomas has been touted in some circles as Britain’s new voice of soul, his first single, a cover of the Gap Band’s “Outstanding”, made No 12 on re-issue back in February and his new single “Thinking About Your Love” performs fantastically jumping 22-10 (16,000) this week, it previews his debut album due in the autumn and is produced by ex-Dead Or Alive members Tim Lever and Mike Percy

 

 

R.E.M continue northward 8-6 (24,000) beating The Doors who rise 10-7 (22,000) whilst Crystal Waters tumbles 5-8 (19,000). A big week in the Minogue household, Kylie’s “Shocked” falls 6-9 (18,000) as her re-issued “Rhythm Of Love” re-enters at a lowly No 62, 54 places below her sister Dannii’s album “Love & Kisses”.

 

 

 

1- I WANNA SEX YOU UP- Color Me Badd (59,000)

2- BABY BABY- Amy Grant (47,000)

3- THE SHOOP SHOOP SONG (IT’S IN HIS KISS)- Cher (31,000)

4- PROMISE ME- Beverley Craven (26,000)

5- HOLIDAY- Madonna (25,000)

6- SHINY HAPPY PEOPLE- REM (24,000)

7- LIGHT MY FIRE- The Doors (22,000)

8- GYPSY WOMAN (LA DA DEE)- Crystal Waters (19,000)

9- SHOCKED- Kylie Minogue (18,000)

10- THINKING ABOUT YOUR LOVE- Kenny Thomas (16,000)

 

I love that Kenny Thomas song.

22ND JUNE

 

 

 

 

Just 200 copies separated the top two this week but Color Me Badd just hold on to the top slot selling 52,000 copies of “I Wanna Sex You Up” bringing its haul to 231,000 enough to place it in the top 10 for the year.

 

 

 

 

The song it was under threat from comes from someone who many had written off as yesterday’s popstar, Jason Donovan. The decision by Donovan to accept a role in the west end production of “Joseph And His Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat” was seen by many as an admittance that his pop star days were over, but he turns it around with the release of a single “Any Dream Will Do” a song already familiar to millions who’ve seen the production in the 20 odd years the musical has been performed. It’s never been a hit before however and Donovan has deserted S/A/W for Nigel Wright on production credits and sees himself debut at No 2 (51,800), not bad when you consider his last two singles peaked at No 22 and 17.

 

 

 

We’ve not heard much from Salt N Pepa since their 1988 success but they return with a greatest hits this year and a remix of “Do You Want Me” a single which was a US release only last year. The single features a sample of James Brown’s “Say It Loud, I’m Black, I’m Proud” and becomes the trio’s third top 10 single as it rushes 13-6 (23,000).

 

 

 

Last year there were two competing versions of “From A Distance” in the chart which pitted Cliff Richard against Bette Midler with Richard running out the winner peaking at No 11 to Midler’s No 45. Since then Midler’s version went on to hit No 2 in the US at the end of last year and with Richard’s version out of the way the record company have given it another whirl and it powers 25-7 (21,000) to end up the bigger version after all, it was first recorded by Nanci Griffith in 1987 but this is the first time it’s hit the top 10. Midler’s album “Some People’s Lives” will be getting a re-issue in a few weeks time as has become the norm in recent times, but this single is boosted by the appearance of both “Wind Beneath My Wings” and “The Rose” on the CD version.

 

 

 

We’ve already seen that leaving the S/A/W stable can revitalise a career with Jason Donovan, also see: Sonia, she secured five top 20 singles from her first album (a record for a UK Female Act) before splitting with her record company and S/A/W as producers. She’s back though with the song “Only Fools (Never Fall In Love)” which was originally penned with Diana Ross in mind but secured for Sonia, she’s not parted entirely with her old friends at PWL though, this is remixed by Pete Hammond, it extends her top 20 run as it scuttles 11-10 (17,000).

 

 

Jason’s arrival means that Amy Grant is knocked 2-3 (37,000) and Cher moves 3-4 (31,000) but “The Shoop Shoop Song” is now the best seller of the year!. Kenny Thomas rises 10-5 (27,000) but it’s all over for Beverley Craven as she drops 4-8 (20,000) and R.E.M who reverse 6-9 (18,000).

 

Finally from now on the maximum number of formats allowed per position on the charts gets reduced from 5 to 4 which accounts for why a mighty 23 new entries were on the chart this week in a last gasp attempt by record companies to get out the larger number of formats.

 

 

1- I WANNA SEX YOU UP- Color Me Badd (52,000)

2- ANY DREAM WILL DO- Jason Donovan (51,800)

3- BABY BABY- Amy Grant (37,000)

4- THE SHOOP SHOOP SONG (IT’S IN HIS KISS)- Cher (31,000)

5- THINKING ABOUT YOUR LOVE- Kenny Thomas (27,000)

6- DO YOU WANT ME- Salt N Pepa (23,000)

7- FROM A DISTANCE- Bette Midler (21,000)

8- PROMISE ME- Beverley Craven (20,000)

9- SHINY HAPPY PEOPLE- REM (18,000)

10- ONLY FOOLS (NEVER FALL IN LOVE)- Sonia (17,000)

 

forgot I Wanna Sex You Up "only" peaked at #2 in the US

pretty adult-oriented top 10

Glad we’ve very quickly skimmed over the Color Me Badd reign at the top.

 

Nothing in the new ones to really write about for me. Kenny Thomas is okay but most of the others are pretty forgettable

I hope they skim over Bryan Adams when he's number one

I hope they skim over Bryan Adams when he's number one

 

There’d be some cream on that skim :P

 

So was the format change something that made record companies like SAW start to panic and hold things back going forward in the later 90s?

I hope they skim over Bryan Adams when he's number one

 

No spoilers :D

There’d be some cream on that skim :P

 

So was the format change something that made record companies like SAW start to panic and hold things back going forward in the later 90s?

I'm not sure what you mean? SAW were producers, their label was PWL. In respect of your question it wasn't that records were held back but that promotion was pushed forward but that precedent was established by a certain record which we'll cover when it happens! :D Gallup were continually trying to address tricks that the record companies were coming up with, releasing different formats to get fans to buy more and increase their position so to keep it as fair as possible they started limiting formats that contributed to a chart position. There was a previous change in April 1990 when five format rule was introduced- previously there had been no limits.

If I remember correctly, Any Dream Will Do got more pre-release airplay than usual.

Edited August 7, 20213 yr by Colm

Not massively feeling the songs that have entered the top 10 since I last commented, well, minus the older hits coming back - ‘Holiday’ and ‘Light My Fire’ :heart:

I've always liked Any Dream Will Do, it reminds me of primary school. We did our own production of Joseph and I so badly wanted the lead role, and wasn't chosen. I did later play the lead in Moses though :lol:

 

I've become a bit obsessed with Promise Me and Baby, Baby all over again these last few weeks. I've realised the latter never seems to be on any 90s compilation weirdly, I must have hundreds and don't think I own it anywhere.

I think “Promise Me” has a great opening lyric:

 

You light up another cigarette

And I pour the wine

It's four o'clock in the morning

And it's starting to get light