June 22, 20232 yr Author 11TH AUGUST The good news for Frankie fans is that “Two Tribes” is the No 1 single for a ninth week, the longest chart topper in six years, and that it sold a further 99,365 copies last week bringing it to almost 1.3 million and move into No 2 position in both the YTD for 1984 and indeed for the whole of the 80s. Truly phenomenal numbers! However its total sales and rate of sales looks like it may not overtake "Relax" now with the latter track over 100,000 ahead and still selling well as it drops 3-6 (44,744). Meanwhile this is the first week that sales of "Two Tribes" drops below the six figure mark- again a new 80s record for an individual record but also the end of 10 weeks in a row when the chart topper sold in 5 figures- a new record in the 80s. j4UQGQGVpSE Now for the bad news, George Michael’s first solo single “Careless Whisper” arrived at No 12 last week and though it was heading to the top 5 anyway TOTP saw sales of the singles explode in the last 48 hours of chart action and it was unlucky not to bound 12-1, coming within just 2,000 of “Two Tribes” (selling 97,342 to be exact) and outselling it easily at the end of the week. Michael has confirmed that the single is being released as a solo single to contrast with the upbeat tempo of Wham!’s work and that the duo are still very much still together with a second album in the offing. Indeed to prove this the song is co-written by Ridgeley, a fact that doesn’t occur on most Wham! Tracks. izGwDsrQ1eQ Even if you aren’t particularly enamoured with “Careless Whisper” be thankful for its arrival otherwise next week’s No 1 could possibly be Black Lace’s “Agadoo” which flies 19-4 (50,201). The origins of the song date back to 1971 when a French version of the track was recorded by Michel Delancray and Mya Symille and subsequently has been covered by a few acts without troubling the UK charts until now. Black Lace apparently picked up on the song during a PA in Derby where bar staff had made up a dance routine to accompany the track and the current version of “Agadoo” was formed. Though it has been blasted and lauded in the music press depending on which side of the “ironic” fence you sit, it now proves popular at retail. The song was actually released three months ago when it missed the charts but those returning holiday makers started to buy it and it’s back with a vengeance. VSH--D0QBCA Hazell Dean proves that she is the leading lady of UK Hi-NRG music as she scores herself a second top 10 single this week with “Whatever I Do (Wherever I Go)” as it launches 13-8 (39,474). The song was apparently entitled “Dance Your Love Away” but Dean hated the lyrics so much that she insisted on a change and so it transformed into the hit single we have today. Dean’s second album is due before Christmas so we’ll see if the old adage that dance music doesn’t sell albums comes true or not. Incidentally if you think this sounds a lot like Divine’s “You Think You’re A Man” (No 18) then you’d be right as they’re both produced by new producers Stock Aitken & Waterman. c2glrm_8C-E Elsewhere Tina Turner has the biggest hit of her career on her hands as “What’s Love Got To Do With It” rises 5-3 (54,009) thanks to TOTP and a slight sales bump, everything else though goes into reverse. Prince falls 4-5 (46,206) and Neil hurtles 2-7 (41,95) in a distinct fall from grace, Queen slide 6-9 (34,884) and even the formerly resistant “White Lines” gives up the ghost 7-10 (34,748). 1- TWO TRIBES- Frankie Goes To Hollywood (99,365) 2- CARELESS WHISPER- George Michael (97,342) 3- WHAT’S LOVE GO TO DO WITH IT- Tina Turner (54,009) 4- AGADOO- Black Lace (50,201) 5- WHEN DOVES CRY- Prince (46,206) 6- RELAX- Frankie Goes To Hollywood (44,744) 7- HOLE IN MY SHOE- Neil (41,956) 8- WHATEVER I DO (WHREVER I GO)- Hazell Dean (39,474) 9- IT’S A HARD LIFE- Queen (34,884) 10- WHITE LINES (DON’T DO IT)- Grandmaster Flash & Melle Mel (34,748)
June 22, 20232 yr I'm anti-SAW productions more often than not but 'Whatever I Do (Wherever I Go)' was quite a recent discovery for me that I really liked :o it has an electric energy to it. 'Careless Whisper' an instant classic indeed.
June 23, 20232 yr The verses on Whatever I Do are better than the chorus, which feels a bit strained to be honest. Agadoo is a classic smothered in cheese isn't it. You want to say it's terrible, but people would still enthusiastically dance to it at an 80s disco now. Careless Whisper is a welcome entry to get rid of Two Tribes at No.1,
June 23, 20232 yr Yeh 9 weeks for two tribes is a mega run and deserved it nearly every week as it broke 100k sales. 1984 was the first year for the SAW sound that would come to dominate the rest of the decade and the early stuff with Hazel Dean and Dead or Alive did sound quite innovative but by the time you got to 1988 you were gonna pull your eyes out it all sounded exactly the same, thank god for piano house lol!
June 23, 20232 yr I am massively impressed that Two Tribes’ run wasn’t even slightly down to a fluke low sales period
June 23, 20232 yr Author 18TH AUGUST After 9 weeks at No 1 Frankie Goes To Hollywood finally give up the struggle and ebb 1-3 this week though they still attracted 77,537 buyers. The band announced this week that there will be an album in October and a Christmas single so the bets are surely off for this year’s festive chart topper. “Two Tribes” successor comes from George Michael who gets some revenge on the song which knocked Wham’s first chart topper “Wake Me Up Before You Go Go” off the top spot 10 weeks ago. “Careless Whisper” was never in any danger of not being the nation’s No 1 song this week after it sprinted away from the rest of the field selling 159,970 copies. Michael has revealed that Innervision had planned to release a version of the single late last year before his publisher’s refused the rights, a decision he must be thankful for now. Black Lace follow him 4-2 but with sales of 78,047 they were well off the pace. Qpk4bJOls0g You’ll recall Laura Branigan for her No 6 hit “Gloria” back in 1982, you may also recall that that was a cover of a Umberto Tozzi track. Well she returned to Tozzi to co-compose her new single “Self Control” which was written in English and proves her comeback to the top 10 as it shoots 13-6 (41,616) to match the peak of her only other UK hit. Interestingly another of the song’s co-writers, Raffaele Riefoli, known professionally as Raf has released his own version which has been a hit all over Europe topping the charts in Switzerland in between spells at the top by the Branigan version! Gjs7BeAI9Eg Howard Jones is between albums but that doesn’t stop the singles flowing, his first release from as yet untitled second album “Like To Get To Know You Well” debuted at No 33 last week and now springs to No 10 (29,733). It gives Jones a 80% top 10 strike rate with only one single missing the mark, it’s also his fastest selling single as no other Jones single has been top 10 in its second week, an indication of how bright his star currently is. l1aEWLNYo18 In other news Hazell Dean has her biggest hit on her hand as “Whatever I Do” accelerates 8-4 (47,260) and taking a surprise bounce Grandmaster Flash & Melle Mel move back up 10-9 (31,960) in its 31st week on the chart making 1984 a year for long chart runs! The track has now sold nearly 350,000 making it a slow burner. Tina Turner hits the skids 3-5 (47,226) while Frankie’s “Relax” gently recedes 6-7 (38,029) is itself in its 39th chart week though its sales tally is rather more impressive as it moves over the 1.55 million mark, and Prince heads south 5-8 (35,224). 1- CARELESS WHISPER- George Michael (159,970) 2- AGADOO- Black Lace (78,047) 3- TWO TRIBES- Frankie Goes To Hollywood (77,537) 4- WHATEVER I DO (WHEREVER I GO)- Hazell Dean (47,260) 5- WHAT’S LOVE GO TO DO WITH IT- Tina Turner (47,226) 6- SELF CONTROL- Laura Branigan (41,616) 7- RELAX- Frankie Goes To Hollywood (38,029) 8- WHEN DOVES CRY- Prince (35,224) 9- WHITE LINES (DON’T DO IT)- Grandmaster Flash & Melle Mel (31,960) 10- LIKE TO GET TO KNOW YOU WELL- Howard Jones (29,733)
June 24, 20232 yr Author 25TH AUGUST “Careless Whisper” proves it is in for the long haul as once again it lead from the off and set a punishing pace clearing 199,546 copies by the end of Saturday, a total which far outpaces anything he sold as part of Wham! and was just short of the 1984 record set by "Two Tribes". The song has now sold just over 483,089 copies in 4 weeks and is shaping up to be a very healthy seller. All of which left poor “Agadoo” out in the cold, despite a TOTP performance and a resulting 30% sales hike to 101,864 it was well adrift all week. vih9lTQmB00 Though he has 36 hits to his name Stevie Wonder has never debuted higher than No 9 which he did with “Happy Birthday” in 1981, until this week that is. “I Just Called To Say I Love You” zooms straight into the No 3 spot this week thanks to a helping hand from the current Gene Wilder flick “The Woman In Red” in which it features, indeed Wonder performs many of the tracks on the album and will release the soundtrack next month, ordinarily I’d be tipping this for No 1 next week but its sales of just 68,442 placed it well behind the leading two. 5qwRZdu4Y0k With the original version by Lionel Richie bouncing 39-35 this week Trevor Walters has recorded a “Lovers rock” version of the song and is rewarded with a bigger selling version of the Richie Song which only peaked at No 12. His version moves 15-9 (34,595) this week, Walters only other brush with the charts came three years ago with the No 27 track “Love Me Tonight” though he has been a reggae star since the late 70s. zoOVP8z_NDo Bar Wonder and Walters the charts have a cosy feel to them this week with no other new entries but watch Howard Jones go as he flies 10-4 (58,531) and could give Wonder a run for his money next week while Laura Branigan improves sales wise to 50,354 but can only cling to the No 6 position. That’s because she can’t quite overcome Frankie Goes To Hollywood’s “Two Tribes” which descends 3-5 (53,074). Also losing power are Hazell Dean 4-7 (47,005), Tina Turner 5-8 (37,332) and Grandmaster Flash & Melle Mel 9-10 (27,727). 1- CARELESS WHISPER- George Michael (199,546) 2- AGADOO- Black Lace (101,864) 3- I JUST CALLED TO SAY I LOVE YOU- Stevie Wonder (68,442) 4- LIKE TO GET TO KNOW YOU WELL- Howard Jones (58,531) 5- TWO TRIBES- Frankie Goes To Hollywood (53,074) 6- SELF CONTROL- Laura Branigan (50,354) 7- WHATEVER I DO (WHEREVER I GO)- Hazell Dean (47,005) 8- WHAT’S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT- Tina Turner (37,332) 9- STUCK ON YOU- Trevor Walters (34,595) 10- WHITE LINES (DON’T DO IT)- Grandmaster Flash & Melle Mel (27,727)
June 24, 20232 yr That Stevie Wonder song is truly awful. On the plus side, wow at the sales for Careless Whisper!
June 24, 20232 yr not the biggest fan of Careless Whisper and I usually love GM's ballads but rather that than Two Tribes
June 24, 20232 yr 'Wherever You Go' is better than 'Searchin' in my opinion, although in terms of hi-NRG it pales in comparison to 'Two Tribes'. 'Self Control' is brilliant I do really like most 80s Italo-disco anyway! 'Like To Get To Know You Well' is a good bit of 80s tropical pop certainly. Its a bit Ace of Base-esque. 'Careless Whisper' is a good number one. Edited June 24, 20232 yr by TheSnake
June 25, 20232 yr Author 1ST SEPTEMBER Powering to another easy victory “Careless Whisper” sold an impressive 185,266 copies last week as it shows no sign of surrendering the No 1 spot yet. It also crosses the 650,000 mark and is part of the generally improving second half of the year after record sales struggled for the first 6 months of 1984 but is now quickly catching up with 1983. Michael’s first solo effort is now the biggest of his shot career taking into account his hits as one half of Wham! with "Wake Me Up" its nearest competitor but that has yet to sell 600,000. 3sLP9yCMaIs The only cloud on the horizon comes from Stevie Wonder who creeps 3-2 this week with “I Just Called To Say I Love You” on a sale of 159,936, the song has been embraced by Radio this week and now records the highest sale for a No 2 record since Irene Cara's "Fame" way back in August 1982- it seems that it could prove a challenge even to the mighty “Careless Whisper”, the soundtrack album to “Woman In Red” is due in a month. Somewhat oddly, TOTP didn’t show the video last week which makes it sales hike an even greater achievement. Married life is clearly agreeing with Elton John who pulls a second top 10 single from his “Breaking Hearts” album which peaked at No 2 back in June and hasn’t left the top 20 since. “Passengers” arrives in the chart 15-6 (39,117) and becomes John’s 15th top 10, though of course only one, “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” has gone all the way to the top. EB86UzewPdo Recording primarily in Spanish The Miami Sound Machine released their first album way back in 1977 and became a relatively big name in Latin markets through the early 80s without troubling the UK Charts. Their eighth album “Eyes Of Innocence” however marks the band’s crossing into the English speaking market and their first UK Success with “Dr Beat” which powers 16-7 (37,672) this week. j70kjzb2cX4 Black lace fall 2-3 but they join in the sales bonanza recording a sale of 101,269 which is the highest for No 3 since Paul Young last December, and Laura Branigan also climbs 6-5 (49,504) to record her highest placed single. Howard Jones manages to cling on to the No 4 position and his sales continue to climb to 62,577, also heading the wrong way are Hazell Dean 7-8 (34,051), Frankie Goes To Hollywood 5-9 (32,300) and Trevor Walters who dips 9-10 (29,988). 1- CARELESS WHISPER- George Michael (185,266) 2- I JUST CALLED TO SAY I LOVE YOU- Stevie Wonder (159,936) 3- AGADOO- Black Lace (101,269) 4- LIKE TO GET TO KNOW YOU WELL- Howard Jones (62,577) 5- SELF CONTROL- Laura Branigan (49,504) 6- PASSENGERS- Elton John (39,117) 7- DOCTOR BEAT- Miami Sound Machine (37,672) 8- WHATEVER I DO (WHEREVER I GO)- Hazell Dean (34,051) 9- TWO TRIBES- Frankie Goes To Hollywood (32,300) 10- STUCK ON YOU- Trevor Walters (29,988)
June 25, 20232 yr huge sales again for Careless Whispers and good she's keeping the Stevie Wonder shitty song at #2 Kinda liked Dr Beat
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