Mikey on lead…never happened again (on a single anyway).

And Ronan barely featured, cringey dancing aside

As an aside, I was firmly team Mariah this year for #1. As overplayed as it is now, back in 1994 it was great that someone had released a new Christmas song that sounded so fresh and different to the ones you heard everywhere

I definitely wasn’t aware of the Mariah song until circa 2000, when I added it to a Mini-Disc compilation I’d made :lol:

 

Seeing as I listened to the charts and radio a lot from 1998 onwards, that makes me think it dropped out of focus between release and the early 00s. I know Love Actually is what helped turn it into an enduring classic in the UK, but I think it was being picked back up at the start of the decade.

 

I just can’t remember it at all from the 1998-1999 Christmases, that were dominated by Wizzard, Slade, Band Aid, Wham, Paul McCartney etc…

It definitely dropped out of focus. Christmas music in shops etc throughout the 90s was very much all the standard stuff from the 70s and 80s, followed by a second disc of the Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra style stuff.

I think with most Xmas songs that’s what happens before 10 years later it’s realised it’s a classic. 1994 probably the last year with an Xmas classic released until 2003 unless you count 2 Become 1 as a recurrent seasonal track.

 

I have been looking at the new top 10 songs over the past few months of 1994 and it’s still fair to say that most still rose to the top apart from Take That releases. What was the situation like at this stage. I know many rose to peak with one week and others were slow burners but were the songs sent to radio weeks in advance at this stage or was it a mix before record companies enforced the held back releases (like new music Fridays in our era)?

It seems to me like TOTP was breaking many big singles by new acts as exclusives around two weeks before release in 1994. Not sure though if they were just video exclusives and they had prior radio airplay.

TOTP loved an ‘exclusive’ around this time :lol:

 

I’ve seen some great dance songs in the lower top 30 over the last few months that would be re-released in 95 and be big hits - U Sure Do, Push The Feeling On and Sunshine After The Rain for example.

^^^ Not cool.

Hey Gezza, could we please have the sales for the two missing weeks ahead of Xmas when you get the chance?

Will do so at the weekend- BBC4 seems done with 1994 other than the Christmas edition

Cheers :) Yeah Gary Glitter’s playing out on one and hosting the other, so obviously they’re skipping them.

Fun fact

 

Love Spreads was the 37th single to enter the chart at the number 2 position.

 

Of those, 18 jumped the extra place to number 1 - unfortunately Love Spreads was one of the 19 that didn't make number 1.

 

In fact, only 1 of the last 9 songs to enter at number 2 went on to top the chart - Gabrielle.

Which were the songs?

Which were the songs?

 

The first song to enter the chart at number 2 was not until December 1965.

 

The songs which entered at number 2 but failed to get to number 1 were:

 

Mar 70 - Let It Be - Beatles

Sep 73 - The Ballroom Blitz - Sweet

Dec 84 - Last Christmas / Everything She Wants - Wham!

Dec 87 - When I Fall In Love / My Arms Keep Missing You - Rick Astley

Aug 88 - The Loco-Motion - Kylie Minogue

Dec 88 - Cat Among The Pigeons / Silent Night - Bros

Jun 89 - The Best Of Me - Cliff Richard

Jul 89 - Too Much - Bros

Aug 89 - Wouldn't Change A Thing - Kylie Minogue

Jun 90 - Step By Step - New Kids On The Block

Mar 91 - Crazy For You ( remix ) - Madonna

Apr 92 - Be Quick Or Be Dead - Iron Maiden

May 92 - Knockin On Heavens Door - Guns N Roses

May 92 - Raving I'm Raving - Shut Up And Dance

Feb 93 - Why Can't I Wake Up With You - Take That

May 93 - That's The Way Love Goes - Janet Jackson

Sep 93 - Go West - Pet Shop Boys

Oct 94 - Confide In Me - Kylie Minogue

Dec 94 - Love Spreads - Stone Roses

 

 

As at December 1994, Kylie Minogue has entered the chart at number 2 on 6 occasions - 3 got to number 1.

 

^I think I'm ok with most of those peaking at #2

…apart from The Sweet :(

17TH DECEMBER

 

 

On the surface this week everything is looking as though it is squaring up for an almighty battle for the Christmas chart in a fortnight but appearances can be deceptive. East 17 make it for a second week but their sales explode by another 80% to 174,000, an impressive tally bettered in only 2 weeks of the year both by Whigfield and lifts the overall tally for “Stay Another Day” to an impressive 309,000 in three weeks and will become their biggest seller (overtaking “It’s Alright”) this week.

 

2nd version

 

Mariah Carey darts 5-2 but sold a comparatively poor 85,000 in doing so, she’s actually fallen further behind East 17 and will have to go some to catch the boys now and may become a side show depending on how the record which debuts at No 3 goes.

 

 

It’s been awhile since we’ve seen a track produced by both Mike Stock and Matt Aitken in the top 10 (Kylie Minogue’s “What Do I Have To Do” in fact back in 1991) with Aitken leaving the fabled Stock/ Aitken/ Waterman team that summer. Mike Stock continued to work with Pete Waterman through until late last year before splitting and now he seems to be back with his former producer partner who together have produced the theme from the Children’s TV Show “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers” which was an early favourite for the festive chart topper though it has cooled over recent weeks. After opening brightly at No 2 at the start of the week it relented the pace slightly selling 72,000 to debut at No 3 and may very well challenge East 17 for the top next week.

 

 

 

Bon Jovi have two reasons to be very thankful this week, firstly their album “Cross Road” has crossed the 800,000 mark and becomes the biggest selling album of the year, and a new single “Please Come Home For Christmas” debuts at No 7. The original was performed by Charles Brown in 1960 but is better recalled for the Eagles cover in 1978 which went top 20 stateside though never charted here, it was also covered in 1992 by a solo Jon Bon Jovi for the album “A Very Special Christmas 2” but is now recycled for his group. The single isn’t on the “Cross Road” compilation but is instead a charity release for the “Special Olympics” charity and sold 38,000 copies last week helped by a promo featuring Cindy Crawford.

 

 

 

Black Duck’s “cover” of “Saturday Night” debuts inauspiciously at No 33 indicating it may not be troubling the original which is still at No 24, meanwhile Whigfield’s follow up “Another Night” moves 13-10 (27,000) in its second week safely removing her from one hit wonder territory. It’s already been a sizeable top ten single in much of Europe but you’ll be waiting a while for the album is just starting to be recorded.

 

 

Boyzone could yet be the surprise bet for the Xmas chart topper as their cover of “Love Me For A Reason” powers 10-4 (59,000) which pushes Jimmy Nail down 4-5 (57,000) despite increasing his sale week on week. Louis Armstrong falls 3-6 (50,000) and Baby D collapse 2-9 (30,000) as it makes way for the festive favourites and finally Celine Dion nudges 9-8 (36,000).

 

 

1- STAY ANOTHER DAY- East 17 (174,000)

2- ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS YOU- Mariah Carey (85,000)

3- POWER RANGERS- The Mighty Morph’n Rangers (72,000)

4- LOVE ME FOR A REASON- Boyzone (59,000)

5- CROCODILE SHOES- Jimmy Nail (57,000)

6- WE HAVE ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD- Louis Armstrong (50,000)

7- PLEASE COME HOME FOR CHRISTMAS- Bon Jovi (38,000)

8- THINK TWICE- Celine Dion (36,000)

9- LET ME BE YOUR FANTASY- Baby D (30,000)

10- ANOTHER DAY- Whigfield (27,000)

 

24TH DECEMBER

 

 

With the Christmas Chart unveiled next week (live on Top Of The Pops) only three tracks (at a stretch) are in with a shout now that all the contenders are charted with the exception of Oasis. The smart money must still be on East 17, “Stay Another Day” relents slightly to 171,000 which raises its total to a healthy 480,000 after 4 weeks, that places it 9th for the year already with a week of big sales still to come! Parent album “Steam” has improved week on week since the single charted and this week climbs 5-4 to match its debut peak whilst also becoming their biggest album.

 

 

Mariah Carey remains the main challenger, her album “Merry Christmas floats 45-32 to reach a new high whilst “All I Want For Christmas Is You” sells another 106,000 up 25% week on week, that’s just shy of the best week that her chart topping “Without You” ever recorded, if it can do it again whilst East 17 continue to drop then she could still do it. If you want an outside punt then try Boyzone who inch 4-3 (86,000) and have now sold 167,000 in total of their debut single.

 

Lower down Celine Dion is the surprise of the week with “Think Twice” moving 8-5 (59,000) in its 10th week on the chart prompting the album “The Colour Of My Love” to re-enter at No 72. One place above her album we get the debut of the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, it may have affected sales of the single which improve just 8% to 77,000 but it drops 3-4 and it now looks out of the race for the Christmas chart topper. Also heading down are Jimmy Nail 5-6 (59,000), Bon Jovi 7-9 (41,000) and Louis Armstrong 6-10 (38,000).

 

 

The brainchild of Swedish producer Pat Reniz he discovered the backing band for the project whilst in the US and asked them to front his record after he saw the group at a barn dance. He took a traditional American folk song “Cotton Eyed Joe” retitled it “Cotton Eye Joe” and saw it become a massive hit on the continent, it tops off what has been a very successful year for European pop in 1994 as it climbs 11-7 (57,000) this week.

 

 

 

If you’re up early in the morning and watching Channel 4 then you’ll be familiar with Zig & Zag who are the alien stars of “The Big Breakfast”. They’ve teamed up with Eric Morillo (better known as Reel 2 Real) to produce “Them Girls, Them Girls” and when you hear it you’ll see the resemblance for yourself to Morillo’s other work. The puppets first rose to prominence on Irish TV back in the late 80s and scored two Irish chart toppers in 1990 and 1991 but now they’ve hit the UK it’s time for us. “Them Girls” arrives At No 8 (45,000).

 

 

See you in 7 days for the Christmas chart!! Can the new Oasis single pull off a last minute upset?

 

 

1- STAY ANOTHER DAY- East 17 (171,000)

2- ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS YOU- Mariah Carey (106,000)

3- LOVE ME FOR A REASON- Boyzone (86,000)

4- POWER RANGERS- Mighty Morph’n Rangers (77,000)

5- THINK TWICE- Celine Dion (59,000)

6- CROCODILE SHOES- Jimmy Nail (59,000)

7- COTTON EYE JOE- Rednex (57,000)

8- THEM GIRLS THEM GIRLS- Zig & Zag (45,000)

9- PLEASE COME HOME FOR CHRISTMAS- Bon Jovi (41,000)

10- WE HAVE ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD- Louis Armstrong (38,000)

 

3 future chart toppers in that top 10 - that doesn’t happen often!

Especially when one of them takes another 26 years to get there!