No Spoilers :D

Fantastic top 10 there and the sales are decent!

31ST DECEMBER

 

 

It’s an extraordinary week in the top 10 this week with all the singles in it selling over 50,000, the first time in exactly 11 years that we’ve had the feat executed. Two factors combined to make it happen, firstly 1994 has seen a recovery in the market which fell almost continually from over 89 million in 1979 to just 52 million in 1992 but should clock in at around 63 million in 1994, the highest figure since 1987. Secondly all the Christmas sales were crammed nicely into one week making it a bumper one!

 

 

Oasis’s new single didn’t disgrace itself this week but it couldn’t deny East 17 of the Christmas No 1 for 1994, “Stay Another Day” had built up too much a head of steam for anything to stand in its way and after its slight sales drop last week it returned to favour with the public smashing through the 200,000 mark to register 204,000 bringing its haul to a now substantial 684,000 with the 800,000 mark in sight for year end as it darts 9-3 on the YTD but Whigfield and Wet, Wet, Wet are way too far ahead to be caught in that time. Their album “Steam” also reaches a new peak driving 4-3 as it sells half millionth copy rounding off a great year for the east end boys which sees the festive No 1 revealed live on TOTP.

 

In the end Mariah Carey had to do with the runner up spot this year, “All I Want For Christmas Is You” holds at No 2 for a third week but can boast a best ever weekly tally of 142,000, that’s also a best ever week for any Carey track and sales of the track bulge to 368,000. Its hopes of going any further must now be over with only a steep decline its near future prospect.

 

 

So in the end Oasis had to settle for bronze with new single “Whatever”, it continues the groups upward trajectory with every release which if they continue must result in a chart topper in 1995. At 6 minutes long it is something of an opus from the Gallagher Brothers who have quickly become the face of the group, and doesn’t feature on the “Definitely Maybe” which only helped it to sales of 126,000 making it already their biggest selling single after just one week.

 

 

Oasis are also the only new song in the top 10 with everything else re-arranging itself, Boyzone drop 3-4 (119,000) though again sales are up (indeed for every song in the top 10 this is so), Rednex continue to threaten 7-5 (101,000) as Celine Dion ebbs 5-6 (82,000). Jimmy Nail falls 6-7 (79,000) with Zig & Zag holding at No 8 (79,000), and somewhat incredibly Mighty Morphin Power Rangers increase sales to 78,000 though they dive 4-9, with Louis Armstrong holding down anchor position with 57,000 sales.

 

 

1- STAY ANOTHER DAY- East 17 (204,000)

2- ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS YOU- Mariah Carey (142,000)

3- WHATEVER- Oasis (126,000)

4- LOVE ME FOR A REASON- Boyzone (119,000)

5- COTTON EYE JOE- Rednex (101,000)

6- THINK TWICE- Celine Dion (82,000)

7- CROCODILE SHOES- Jimmy Nail (79,000)

8- THEM GIRLS THEM GIRLS- Zig & Zag (79,000)

9- POWER RANGERS- Mighty Morp’n Power Rangers (78,000)

10- WE HAVE ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD- Louis Armstrong (57,000)

 

7TH JANUARY

 

 

1994 and the first half of the decade comes to an end with a fifth week at the top for East 17. They see their sales cut by 52% week on week but still sold an impressive 98,000 and will break the 800,000 mark next week, meanwhile the parent album remains at No 3.

 

 

It has a new challenger now though as Mariah Carey predictably collapses 2-8 (29,000), it allows Boyzone’s “Love Me For A Reason” to rise 4-2 (90,000) with a more modest 24% decrease of its own. Following them are a raft of other climbers all with sales decreases, Rednex continue their march to the top 5-3 (69,000), Celine Dion goes back up 6-4 (55,000) and Zig and Zag move 8-5 (43,000). Further down Oasis are definitely down and out 3-6 (41,000) and Jimmy Nail snaps 7-9 (27,000).

 

The most remarkable about face of the week comes from Whigfield whose “Another Night” had moved 13-10-12-13 during the festive period but now shoots to No 7 (33,000) to get a new peak.

 

 

The only new entry in the big ten comes from Ini Kamoze who recently topped the US charts with “Here Comes The Hotstepper”. Kamoze was a reggae star back in the early 80s before disappearing for a few years before he submitted the song for the soundtrack of the new Robert Altman film “Pret-a-porter”. It samples the base from “Heartbeat” by Taana Gardner and lifts the chorus refrain from “Land Of A 1000 Dances” by Cannibal & The Headhunters and in case you wondered a hotstepper is apparently patois for someone on the run from the police. It debuts at No 10 (22,000) this week and is shaping up to be a big hit in 1995.

 

 

1- STAY ANOTHER DAY- East 17 (98,000)

2- LOVE ME FOR A REASON- Boyzone (90,000)

3- COTTON EYE JOE- Rednex (69,000)

4- THINK TWICE- Celine Dion (55,000)

5- THEM GIRLS THEM GIRLS- Zig & Zag (43,000)

6- WHATEVER- Oasis (41,000)

7- ANOTHER DAY- Whigfield (33,000)

8- ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS YOU- Mariah Carey (29,000)

9- CROCODILE SHOES- Jimmy Nail (27,000)

10- HERE COMES THE HOTSTEPPER- Ini Kamoze (22,000)

 

The first TOTP of 1995 will be shown on 14/7 (and will feature the last chart posted above) but all its sales will be from 1994 hence it's in this thread.

Anywhere just for fun...here's the top 10 best selling singles acts of the 90s at the mid way point of the 90s.

 

1. Take That 2,562,000

2. Bryan Adams 2,424,000

3. Madonna 2,341,000

4. Wet wet wet 2,313,000

5. Mariah Carey 2,231,000

6. Whitney Houston 2,115,000

7. Snap 2,085,000

8. East 17 1,995,000

9. 2 Unlimited 1,889,000

10. Elton John 1,813,000

Over and out for 1994- thanks as always to all who commented!

'Whatever' was a slow burner for me but I love it now. Amazing to see the top 5 all on 100k+ and really healthy sales across that whole top 10 as mentioned.

 

Thanks for the wonderful coverage of 1994 as ever, Gezza! My 90s TOTP fix has been a bit thin on the ground over the past fortnight, with the women's cricket on last week instead and just the one festive episode yesterday, looking forward to the return of the double bill in a fortnight as cricket is on next Friday too.

Thanks as ever Gezza! Enjoying Think Twice’s epic climb - wonder if it can go any higher in the New Year. :D

Never knew that Whatever had such high first week sales.

Thanks Gezza! Cannot wait for 1995 - my favourite year for music ever!

In the end Mariah Carey had to do with the runner up spot this year, “All I Want For Christmas Is You” holds at No 2 for a third week but can boast a best ever weekly tally of 142,000, that’s also a best ever week for any Carey track and sales of the track bulge to 368,000. Its hopes of going any further must now be over with only a steep decline its near future prospect.

but were they...? :thinking:

 

Glad Oasis outsold Boyzone, fantastic sales all round in that Top 10. Thanks Gezza for taking us through 1994!

love Whatever, one of Oasis best songs, crazy they released it during Xmas, they could easily have waited a couple months and grab their first #1

 

thanks as usual for the thread Gezza, you're a star

A shame that Whatever wasn’t able to make #1, it’s still one of my favourites of theirs.

What a classic top 10, it was all downhill for Xmas music from here on!

 

Loving Think Twice rising slowly!

Thanks Gezza - only 11 and bit more years of TOTP repeats to go!