I think the album having sold an absolute shedload at that point was probably the biggest hindrance to it being a #1 contender.

 

It was released about 5 months after 'Head', I don't think they could have really waited any longer - especially when about 3 months was the norm back then. I'm under the impression they even initially planned to have a second single out sooner but had to delay it for the obvious reason.

Edited February 9, 20223 yr by Tawdry Hepburn

I remember it feeling like a long time coming for her to release In Your Eyes, so I agree, I don't think that feasibly they could have waited any longer than they did. Like Liam said, she avoided the Will Young / Gareth Gates onslaught by releasing when she did!

 

 

If anything, they should have been a bit more confident and released it earlier. A week earlier and she could have been #2:

 

1- HERO- Enrique Iglesias (98,500)

2- YOU- S Club 7 (46,500)

3- POINT OF VIEW- D.B Boulevard (41,500)*

4- WHAT ABOUT US?- Brandy (37,000)*

5-GET THE PARTY STARTED- Pink (26,000)*

6- A MIND OF ITS OWN- Victoria Beckham (24,000)

7- HEY BABY- No Doubt (22,700)*

8- ADDICTED TO BASS- Puretone (18,100)*

9- MOI...LOLITA- Alizee (17,800)

10- ALWAYS ON TIME- Ja Rule Featuring Ashanti (16,300)*

 

 

This was In Your Eyes' release week:

 

1- WORLD OF OUR OWN- Westlife (75,183)

2- HERO- Enrique Iglesias (60,000)

3- IN YOUR EYES- Kylie Minogue (52,000)

4- THE WORLD’S GREATEST- R Kelly (48,000)*

5- B WITH ME- Mis – Teeq (46,500)*

6- YOU- S Club 7 (38,000)*

7- POINT OF VIEW- DB Boulevard (37,000)*

8- GET THE PARTY STARTED- Pink (29,000)*

9- NOTHING- A (22,000)*

10- WHAT ABOUT US- Brandy (21,000)*

 

(Thank goodness she charted higher than R. Kelly, at least!)

 

I wasn't too shocked or disappointed about #3. Westlife had only missed #1 on one previous occasion so that felt like a foregone conclusion, and Enrique's Hero was still massive. (I never particularly liked Hero... but I really liked World of Our Own, so I couldn't begrudge them being #1 on that occasion!).

 

 

If the In Your Eyes release had happened a week later instead, it seems she might have only managed to make it to #6! Assuming she sold the same amount, of course.

 

1- EVERGREEN/ ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE- Will Young (1,108,269)

2- WHENEVER, WHEREVER- Shakira (109,000)

3- HERO- Enrique Iglesias (67,000)

4- SOMETHING- Lasgo (56,000)*

5- HOW YOU REMIND ME- Nickelback (54,000)*

6- WORLD OF OUR OWN- Westlife (51,000)*

7- IN YOUR EYES- Kylie Minogue (32,000)*

8- THE WORLD’S GREATEST- R Kelly (29,000)*

9- YOU- S Club 7 (22,000)*

10- SHOULDA WOULDA COULDA- Beverley Knight (21,000)*

 

 

Throughout the 7 week reign of Will Young and Gareth Gates at #1, Kylie's 52k would not have been enough to go Top 3. In Gareth Gates' release week she would have likely missed the Top 5 as well. Blue - Fly By II only made it to #6 despite strong sales of 50k. That same week, George Michael - Freeek! was #7 with 48k, which I'm pretty sure was treated like a disappointment/flop... even though that was more sales than S Club 7 needed to be #2 a few weeks earlier. Timing is key!

 

 

Ultimately I'm pleased that In Your Eyes made the Top 3. Anything less would have been so unbefitting... and that seemingly would have been the case if Parlophone had held it back any longer.

 

 

In Australia it was released on 21st January 2002. If she had released that early in the UK, and still sold 52k, she would have got to #3:

 

1- HERO- Enrique Iglesias (101,056)

2- CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE- A1 (56,500)

3- GET THE PARTY STARTED- Pink (44,000)*

4- MY SWEET LORD- George Harrison (42,000)*

5- OVERPROTECTED- Britney Spears (35,500)

6- ALWAYS ON TIME- Ja Rule Featuring Ashanti (34,500)*

7- TRUE LOVE NEVER DIES- Flip & Fill Featuring Kelly Llorena (32,000)*

8- ADDICTED TO BASS- Puretone (30,000)*

9- AM TO PM- Christina Milian (27,000)*

10- CRAZY RAP- Afroman (24,000)*

 

A week later... #2:

 

1- HERO- Enrique Iglesias (98,388)

2-GET THE PARTY STARTED- Pink (37,000)

3- CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE- A1 (27,200)*

4- OVERPROTECTED- Britney Spears (31,000)*

5- ADDICTED TO BASS- Puretone (28,400)*

6- ALWAYS ON TIME- Ja Rule Featuring Ashanti (26,800)*

7- TRUE LOVE NEVER DIES- Flip & Fill Featuring Kelly Llorena (25,700)*

8- MY SWEET LORD- George Harrison (25,400)*

9- AM TO PM- Christina Milian (22,600)*

10- I THINK I LOVE YOU Kaci (21,900)*

 

And another week later... #2:

 

1- HERO- Enrique Iglesias (82,500)

2- HEY BABY- No Doubt (32,000)

3-GET THE PARTY STARTED- Pink (23,000)

4- ADDICTED TO BASS- Puretone (20,000)*

5- MOVIES- Alien Ant Farm (18,000)

6- ALWAYS ON TIME- Ja Rule Featuring Ashanti (17,600)*

7- CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE- A1 (17,400)*

8- SO LONELY- Jakatta (17,300)*

9- OVERPROTECTED- Britney Spears (15,800)*

10- TRUE LOVE NEVER DIES- Flip & Fill Featuring Kelly Llorena (15,700)*

 

(The week after that is the week S Club 7 were #2).

 

 

Essentially #2 or #3 was her most likely outcome over these weeks - never a #1 contender.

 

 

(Sorry for the essay :kink: )

Love this data, really takes me back 20 years, thank you Jay. Happy memories.

 

So did Victoria hold back A Mind of Its Own because of the mega success of Not Such an Innocent Girl, ha ha.

 

I don’t remember Kylie hammering the promo of IYE in the UK….the Brits focussed on Head and Fever and it paid off with big album sales. She also was in demand around the world think she was promoting Head/ Fever in the US etc.

 

CD singles were well into their decline by then and paid downloads did they even exist? They certainly weren’t recorded until 2004. Still it’s strange seeing the decent numbers by supposed flops like Victoria, 24k doesn’t look bad. Enrique really did well with Hero didn’t he. Mega sales for the Pop Idols of course total market outliers.

 

 

The only UK promo I can find for In Your Eyes at the time of its release was TOTP (she also performed it on An Audience With Kylie when Fever was released). Additionally there was promo on Germany’s TOTP and Bravo Super Show and Italy’s Sanremo. Interestingly, there was no UK TOTP performance for Love at First Sight but it still managed 80k in its first week. I feel like Can’t Get Blue Monday Out of My Head helped it out but still feels quite a climb from the 52k that In Your Eyes managed.

 

Thanks as always for sales analysis Jay!

I love these types of analysis!

Looking at the analysis number 3 was good but if she had gone a week earlier number 2 would have been nicer.

Oh well, I'm sure if they had the ability to predict the future. :lol:

Thanks Jay for the analysis. I had no idea Will Young could ship a million copies for his debut single (as I didn't live in the UK at that time).