Interesting facts about Snap! drama around RIAD.

 

And I am probably in minority here but I love 'Color Of Love' it's so underrated!!!

I'm out tomorrow so no update until Saturday on these!

 

No worries, enjoy :D

Great stuff from the Shamen and Who Is It has to be one of MJ's most underrated singles, great track.

 

The Madonna song is shit though, surely there on name power only. It's hardly one of her most remembered.

Totally disagree. That Madonna song is one of my favorites.

8TH AUGUST

 

 

Jimmy Nail’s new album “Growing Up In Public” arrives at No 2 this week and it plays a vital part in the downfall of the single “Ain’t No Doubt” which slides 1-2 (49,000). It is overtaken by Snap! who claim their second chart topper with “Rhythm Is A Dancer” as it sneaks in 2-1 (54,000), perversely their album is also out this week but limps in at No 46 subtracting far less sales from the single. The Snap! single has taken 6 weeks to climb to the top, nothing unusual pre 1990s but the last single to take as long was Chesney Hawkes some 16 months ago. Madonna looks on at No 3 (31,000) as she starts to fade here but the song does become her 10th US chart topper this week pulling her ahead of Whitney Houston as the most successful female act ever on Billboard.

 

 

 

With the Olympics in Barcelona now in full swing it’s only natural that Freddie Mercury & Montserrat Caballe’s 1987 #8 hit “Barcelona” gets a re-issue. It’s being used as the music for the BBC Coverage of the event and along with Mercury’s stock being so high at present it instantly makes a better impression second time around by debuting at No 5 (28,000)- keep an eye out for this next week it could easily top the charts with the daily promotion!

 

 

 

Arriving 13-6 (23,000) is another song that may be worthwhile keeping track of, it’s launched Billy Ray Cyrus as a major star in the US and helped to spawn a line dancing craze that is currently all the rage over there. “Achy Breaky Heart” was originally done by the Marcey Brothers last year under the title “Don’t Tell My Heart” but Cyrus is the first to make it a hit, it struggled here in the UK but an airing on TOTP helped to break the song and it is now doing the business even if it is something of a marmite record.

 

 

 

Rocketing 19-10 (16,000) is the new Enya single “Book Of Days”, you can also catch the song in the new Tom Cruise/ Nicole Kidman track “Far And Away” which is now in cinema’s. It is included on the recent Enya album “Shepherd Moons” but is sung entirely in Gaelic whilst the new single is sung partly in English, this is now Enya’s second top 10 single and returns her after a four absence, her only other top ten hit is of course the chart topping “Orinoco Flow”.

 

 

Was (Not Was) continue to inch 5-4 (28,000) but giving up the fight this week are The Shamen 6-7 (22,000), Smart E’s 4-8 (17,000) and Roy Orbison 7-9 (17,000).

 

 

1- RHYTHM IS A DANCER- Snap! (54,000)

2- AIN’T NO DOUBT- Jimmy Nail (49,000)

3- THIS USED TO BE MY PLAYGROUND- Madonna (31,000)

4- SHAKE YOUR HEAD- Was Not Was Featuring Kim Basinger & Ozzy Osborne (28,000)

5- BARCELONA- Freddie Mercury & Montserrat Caballe (28,000)

6- ACHY BREAKY HEART- Billy Ray Cyrus (23,000)

7- L.S.I- The Shamen (22,000)

8- SESAME’S TREET- Smart E’s (17,000)

9- I DROVE ALL NIGHT- Roy Orbison (17,000)

10- BOOK OF DAYS- Enya (16,000)

 

15TH AUGUST

 

 

With no TOTP last week (it was off air due to the Olympics) Snap! retain the No 1 title with a slightly improved sale of 60,000, the expected challenge of Freddie Mercury & Montserrat Caballe did come as they surge 5-2 (51,000) and did on occasion outsell Snap! on the odd day but never with consistency, with the closing ceremony tomorrow it will also lose a major part of its promo drive so may struggle. It is however the biggest hit of Mercury’s solo career.

 

 

“Rhythm Is A Dancer” has so far sold 262,000 copies enough to make it the 7th biggest seller of 1992, but it still has some way to go to overtake Jimmy Nail’s “Ain’t No Doubt” which has sold 308,000 which enters the top 5 on the YTD list, that includes the 38,000 it sold last week as it fell 2-3. Both tracks should clear the 400,000 mark ultimately and may yet challenge Shakespears Sister’s position at the top of the YTD chart.

 

 

 

Highest new entry time and it’s a superstar collaboration between Janet Jackson and Luther Vandross who have teamed up to give us “The Best Things In Life Are Free” which is taken from the new film “Mo Money”. Whilst the film isn’t released here until the Autumn the single is already unleashed having been a proven club hit and debuts with aplomb at No 7 (21,000), it’s Vandross’s first top 10 single but Jackson’s 4th, it features Bel Biv Devoe and Ralph Tresvant and comes hot of the heels of the record breaking $32 million deal Jackson signed to head to Virgin records last year, indeed her involvement is a thanks to producers Jam & Lewis who asked her to appear on the track even though it isn’t released on the Virgin label.

 

 

 

Jon Secada is a new name on the charts but you’ve heard his work before now, he was hired as a backing singer by Gloria Estefan in the late 80s and co-wrote her hit “Coming Out Of The Dark” last year. His debut single “Just Another Day” has already made No 5 stateside and now advances 12-8 (18,000) and if you look carefully you’ll even see Gloria popping up at the end of the promo!

 

 

 

 

So first it was an underground dance hit then it hit mainstream clubs and now the charts, yes Felix’s “Don’t You Want Me” moves 14-9 (18,000) after just a fortnight. The man behind the music is currently choosing to be anonymous but we do know is that the track samples the Jomanda song “Don’t You Want My Love” from 1989.

 

 

 

After Rough Trade went to the wall in 1990 WEA purchased the rights to the Smiths back catalogue and the first fruits of the purchase is this re-issue of “This Charming Man” originally a No 25 hit in 1983. The song smashes straight in at No 10 (13,000) instantly equaling the highest position that any Smiths made (“Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now” and “Sheila Take A Bow”) and will be followed by a new Smiths compilation album “Best….I” in two weeks.

 

 

Billy Ray Cyrus strides 6-4 (37,000) which pushes Was (Not Was) down 4-5 (24,000) and Madonna falls 3-6 (22,000).

 

 

1- RHYTHM IS A DANCER- Snap! (60,000)

2- BARCELONA- Freddie Mercury & Montserrat Caballe (51,000)

3- AIN’T NO DOUBT- Jimmy Nail (38,000)

4- ACHY BREAKY HEART- Billy Ray Cyrus (37,000)

5- SHAKE YOUR HEAD- Was Not Was Featuring Kim Basinger & Ozzy Osborne (24,000)

6- THIS USED TO BE MY PLAYGROUND- Madonna (22,000)

7- THE BEST THINGS IN LIFE ARE FREE- Luther Vandross & Janet Jackson (21,000)

8- JUST ANOTHER DAY- Jon Secada (18,000)

9- DON’T YOU WANT ME?- Felix (18,000)

10- THIS CHARMING MAN- The Smiths (13,000)

 

You gotta love the variety in the 90s, 3 newbies and you get

Freddie & Monsterrat Caballe, Billy Ray Cyrus and Enya ;)

22ND AUGUST

 

 

Snap! continue to dominate the charts with “Rhythm Is A Dancer” making it three weeks at the top, it increased sales again to a healthy 66,000, its victory grew bigger by the day as Freddie Mercury & Montserrat Caballe’s “Barcelona” started to run out of buyers as the week progressed and in the end sold 47,000 and with the Olympics now over it will struggle going forward especially given parent album of the same name has now been re-issued and enters at No 15. That should leave the way clear for both Billy Ray Cyrus and Luther Vandross & Janet Jackson who both threaten 4-3 (42,000 and 7-4 (33,000).

 

Further down Jon Secada also has a good week 8-5 (30,000) and Felix advance 9-6 (29,000) and even the Smiths rise 10-8 (22,000) as they reach a new zenith in their chart fortunes 5 years after the band split. Jimmy Nail drops 3-7 (26,000) and Was (Not Was) are finished 5-10 (18,000).

 

 

John Matthews is the name of the frontman for dance outfit Undercover, he was selling artificial limbs under fame came calling with a cover of Gerry Rafferty’s “Baker Street” a No 3 hit for him in 1978. A full album of covers is apparently in the making but for the now the single moves 17-9 (19,000).

 

 

 

1- RHYTHM IS A DANCER- Snap! (66,000)

2- BARCELONA- Freddie Mercury & Montserrat Caballe (47,000)

3- ACHY BREAKY HEART- Billy Ray Cyrus (42,000)

4- THE BEST THINGS IN LIFE ARE FREE- Janet Jackson & Luther Vandross (33,000)

5- JUST ANOTHER DAY- Jon Secada (30,000)

6- DON’T YOU WANT ME?- Felix (29,000)

7- AIN’T NO DOUBT- Jimmy Nail (26,000)

8- THIS CHARMING MAN- The Smiths (22,000)

9- BAKER STREET- Undercover (19,000)

10- SHAKE YOUR HEAD- Was Not Was Featuring Kim Basinger & Ozzy Osborne (18,000)

 

Don't You Want Me is easily my favourite of the new entries, an absolute dance mega bop and along with Snap - Rhythm is a Dancer bringing big synths back to dance music. Very influential in later electronic dance music particularly the early 10s!

 

I see we are firmly in the 1992 dance covers trend with Undercover - Baker Street following on from where East Side Beat and KWS started.

Edited March 19, 20223 yr by TheSnake

best from the last couple weeks is easily The Smiths - This Charming Man, such a classic,

and crazy they got their biggest hit 5 years after splitting up

 

I kinda became quite a Smiths fan after this and bought both Best 1 and Best 2 that came later

 

hated with a passion those 90s dance covers, especially Undercovr's Baker St

I have Don't You Want Me and RIAD on 12"

 

Just Another Day is just great and probably my favorite from that top 10.

Edited March 20, 20223 yr by Colm

Don't you want me is a banger, so long since I heard it forgot just how good it sounded. Just another day is good too.

I like Barcelona aswell and I'm not usually a fan of opera but Freddie is fantastic as always.

Edited March 20, 20223 yr by fiesta

I absolutely love the Undercover track :lol:

 

That's a seriously great top 10 actually!

29TH AUGUST

 

 

Another quite week in the top 10 with the summer lull in full effect, all of which means that Snap! score an easy fourth week at the top spot though they are at last subsiding in terms of sales, they’re off 13% to 57,000 but it now has total sales of 385,000 and should find itself atop the YTD chart is roughly three weeks as it now sits at No 4 with Erasure firmly in its sights. Its new nearest challenger is Luther Vandross & Janet Jackson’s “Best Things In Life Are Free” but its challenge is illusionary- it actually lost sales to 31,000 and was pushed all the way by Billy Ray Cyrus who holds at No 3 (30,000) though it too lost 28% in part thanks to the arrival of his album at No 9.

 

 

 

 

KWS’s last single “Please Don’t Go/ Game Boy” spent 5 weeks at No 1 back in May selling over 480,000 copies and now they hope to pull off the same trick again with “Rock Your Baby/ Total State of Konfusion” which again fended off a rival cover, this time Baby Roots’ “Rock Me Baby” which made No 71 earlier this month. The original was of course by George McCrae and made No 1 in 1974. An album has apparently been recorded and will be out before Christmas, meanwhile the single drives 14-8 (18,000).

 

 

 

 

Proving she can make it on her own Annie Lennox pulls a third hit from her “Diva” album and it’s already done better than her previous single “Precious” which petered out at No 23. “Walking On Broken Glass” explodes 23-9 (17,000) to become her second solo top 10, the promo features both Hugh Laurie and John Malkovich and is inspired by a film he starred in, “Dangerous Liaisons”.

 

 

Undercover power 9-4 (26,000) leaving Jon Secada stranded at No 5 (25,000) and Felix is stuck at No 6 (25,000), Freddie Mercury & Montserrat Caballe slump 2-7 (23,000) and Jimmy Nail clings on 7-10 (15,000)

 

 

1- RHYTHM IS A DANCER- Snap! (57,000)

2- THE BEST THINGS IN LIFE ARE FREE- Janet Jackson & Luther Vandross (31,000)

3- ACHY BREAKY HEART- Billy Ray Cyrus (30,000)

4- BAKER STREET- Undercover (26,000)

5- JUST ANOTHER DAY- Jon Secada (25,000)

6- DON’T YOU WANT ME- Felix (25,000)

7- BARCELONA- Freddie Mercury & Montserrat Caballe (23,000)

8- ROCK YOUR BABY/ TOTAL STATE OF KONFUSION- KWS (18,000)

9- WALKING ON BROKEN GLASS- Annie Lennox (17,000)

10- AIN’T NO DOUBT- Jimmy Nail (15,000)

 

5TH SEPTEMBER

 

 

Snap! make it five weeks at the top though again they lose sales and post 50,000 copies bought last week, The album “Madman returns” also fails to continue its upward climb as it drops 20-28. Its failure to ignite at retail in any real way has paradoxically helped “Rhythm Is A Dancer” to maintain its sales dominance.

 

 

Undercover move 4-3 (35,000) and put pressure on Luther & Janet who had to up their sales to cling onto the runner up spot which they did with 37,000 partakers, it’s both acts biggest hit now, not bad considering both are well into their careers now, and don’t discount Billy Ray Cyrus either, he drops 3-4 but his sales are up to 34,000.

 

 

The highest new entry lands at No 6 (23,000) and is the third straight top 10 single from the Shamen who’ve enlisted the help of comedian Jerry Sadowitz in the promo for “Ebeneezer Goode”. The song has generated some controversy in the press given its chorus and drug references but that certainly hasn’t hampered initial sales with the group penciled in to do TOTP this week. You won’t have long to wait for the album either, “Boss Drum” is out in three weeks.

 

 

 

Further down the top 10 and we have a song that was first recorded in 1988 by Queen for “The Miracle” album but it didn’t make the cut. Written solely by Brian May he premiered it publicly at the Freddie Mercury concert back in April and lyrically it deals with the breakdown of his first marriage and the start of his relationship with Anita Dobson, it enters at No 9 (19,000) to become his second solo top 10 single in just 10 months. By the way we’ve now chalked up 43 new entries in the top 10 this year (including remixes, re-issues and re-releases) making it a record year for these high debuts.

 

 

Jon Secada remains at No 5 (29,000) for a third week and Annie Lennox struggles up a spot 9-8 (21,000) but moving the wrong way are Felix 6-7 (23,000) and KWS 8-10 (16,000).

 

 

1- RHYTHM IS A DANCER- Snap! (50,000)

2- THE BEST THINGS IN LIFE ARE FREE- Janet Jackson & Luther Vandross (37,000)

3- BAKER STREET- Undercover (35,000)

4- ACHY BREAKY HEART- Billy Ray Cyrus (34,000)

5- JUST ANOTHER DAY- Jon Secada (29,000)

6- EBENEEZER GOODE- The Shamen (23,000)

7- DON’T YOU WANT ME- Felix (23,000)

8- WALKING ON BROKEN GLASS- Annie Lennox (21,000)

9- TOO MUCH LOVE WILL KILL YOU- Brian May (19,000)

10- ROCK YOUR BABY/ TOTAL STATE OF KONFUSION- KWS (16,000)

 

12TH SEPTEMBER

 

 

Taking a further 18% sales hit “Rhythm Is A Dancer” remains the No 1 song for a sixth week but it sold just 41,000 copies, the lowest tally for 17 weeks. Still the song’s total of 476,000 copies means it is now the third biggest hit of 1992 and will definitely top the YTD list next week and become the first single to breach the 500,000 mark.

 

 

The Shamen move 6-2 (32,000) finally sailing past Undercover at the death who are left at No 3 (30,000), also making room for them are Janet Jackson & Luther Vandross who slip 2-4 (29,000) and Billy Ray Cyrus 4-5 (27,000).

 

Brian May is up 9-6 (25,000) to equal his personal best, but bad news follows Jon Secada 5-7 (23,000), Annie Lennox 8-9 (19,000) and Felix 7-10 (17,000).

 

 

Our sole new track in the big ten rises 17-8 (20,000) for Nigerian born Dr Alban with this massive continental hit “It’s My Life”. Alban moved to Sweden when he was 23 to study dentistry and began DJing on the side to finance his studies and scored a top 10 single on most European Charts over the course of summer with this track. It was picked up by Tampax and used on their adverts here in the UK at present helping to promote the single

.

 

 

1- RHYTHM IS A DANCER- Snap! (41,000)

2- EBENEEZER GOODE- The Shamen (32,000)

3- BAKER STREET- Undercover (30,000)

4- THE BEST THINGS IN LIFE ARE FREE- Janet Jackson & Luther Vandross (29,000)

5- ACHY BREAKY HEART- Billy Ray Cyrus (27,000)

6- TOO MUCH LOVE WILL KILL YOU- Brian May (25,000)

7- JUST ANOTHER DAY- Jon Secada (23,000)

8- IT’S MY LIFE- Dr Alban (20,000)

9- WALKING ON BROKEN GLASS- Annie Lennox (19,000)

10- DON’T YOU WANT ME- Felix (17,000)

 

Ebeneezer Goode :wub:

 

What an anthem, and so quotable!

Annie Lennox & Dr Alban are both great there... and of course the iconic Ebeneezer Goode. I love the irony of the fact it hit #1 during the BBC's drug awareness week. :lol:

The Dr Alban zong is brilliant, just epic in the final chorus especially!