Oh I knew that 'Wonderwall' was blocked by Robson & Jerome (a travesty) but had no idea about the sales gap. Well, at least they weren't close at all, but a different story for the opposite direction - glad they narrowly held on ahead of Coolio. Fab sales for all of the top three!

 

That Saint Etienne song was a discovery for me on TOTP yesterday, sounded great ^_^

Good to see that even when it became the norm for #1s to debut there, some would still increase in sales in later weeks - huge week 2 & 3 sales for Coolio! Hard to imagine if 'Wonderwall' had a #3 peak...

 

Assuming it’s to do with the film release and the lack of airplay compared to other songs as it’s a rap song?

Yes the lack of airplay prior to release was a factor, but I thought the film wasn't out in the UK until early 1996 (if I remember correctly that that's what caused it to climb back up 18-11 that week).

Airplay wise Coolio was at 19 and 13 for the two weeks covered last so not terrible. Release date for the film was January 19th, 1996 in the UK

Selected tracks outside the Top 10 TOTP 4th & 11th November 1995

 

 

Echobelly - King Of The Kerb

Chart entry this week & Peak: 25

 

 

The rather fab follow up to Great Things. Its a shame this didn't chart higher :(

 

 

McAlmont & Butler - You Do

Chart entry this week & Peak: 17

 

 

Another great follow up. Nowhere near as well known as Yes, this is still a great showcase for 2 huge talents.

 

 

 

Saint Etienne feat. Etienne Daho - She's On The Phone

Chart entry this week & Peak: 11

 

 

 

How the hell was this not top 10?! Glorious, glorious glorious tune.

 

I already posted the St Etienne one just 2 posts before you :D

 

my fav top 40s from recent weeks also included

 

Smashing Pumpkins - Bullet with butterfly wings, was obsessed with this, how come this wasn't bigger!!!

 

Alanis Morissette - Hand in my pocket, another gem from Jagged Little Pill and another semi-flop

 

Lightning Seeds - Lucky You, their best single, pure pop perfection

 

I already posted the St Etienne one just 2 posts before you :D

I know, given I regularly post songs outside the top 10 on TOTP, I’d appreciate it if you could wait for me first!

Pretty weak top tens for me, although Gangsta's Paradise is a classic, one of the only rap songs Heart FM plays too I think?

 

Love He's On The Phone and it definitely deserved top ten, anyone know how far out it was sales wise from Def Leppard?

 

Didn't realise Wonderwall was so close to missing No.2 even, but maybe not a huge surprise as Coolio was such a big No.1, just the juggernaut of Robson & Jerome saw it off. I think I'd have put Wonderwall out in August instead of Roll With It (the chart battle would have been a lot closer!) and probably just canned Roll With It altogether and released She's Electric or Morning Glory in November.

 

I don't agree that You'll See is average, far from it. It's a lovely ballad, with tender verses and a powerful chorus, and I love the Spanish guitar. Four weeks top ten and 11 in the top 40 too, so it crossed over more than many of her prior singles managed to.

Edited March 24, 20241 yr by gooddelta

Yes I think that You’ll See was quite a turning point, together with the accompanying ballads compilation it successfully realigned the public to her side after a lot of them had left her during the Erotica/Bedtime Stories period

Lucky You is fabtastic - keep hearing more and more Lightebing Seeds outside of Three Lions and they really did some fantastic tracks and seemed a bit undervalued in terms of their chart peaks!

I know and really like 'Lucky You' and 'Hand In My Pocket'.

 

'He's on the Phone' is good on first listen there, thought Saint Etienne were more indie.

Edited March 24, 20241 yr by TheSnake

yes St Etienne were more experimental in the past, here they're almost Eurodance or Europop :D

18TH NOVEMBER

 

 

The Robson & Jerome phenomenon continues unabated this week with another 224,000 copies sold of “I Believe/ Up On The Roof” last week, it’s the 15th production credit for a Stock and Aitken chart topper placing them equal third in the all time list of producers with the most No 1’s with Norrie Paramor. The current No 1 has failed to ignite in the airplay charts and has been avoided by Radio 1 with just 3 plays all week but that seems to mean that if punters want to hear the song then they have to buy it, sales are now 482,000 after just a fortnight! The only potential black spot on the horizon for the single is the release of the duo’s album this week which will detract from sales.

 

 

Beneath them there is just a spot of re-arranging the furniture with Coolio reclimbing 3-2 and Oasis dipping 2-3 in the main due to the latter taking a steeper decline 36% for Oasis and just 15% for Coolio, the answer to why lies on the album chart where Coolio’s new album debuts at No 18 whilst Oasis still sit at No 2. “Wonderwall” sold 104,000 last week to “Gangsta’s Paradise”’s 138,000- total sales of the Coolio track are now at 574,000 enough to place in the top 10 YTD already.

 

 

Not many tracks get three releases in a year but the Happy Clappers “I Believe” was first given a shot in January when it missed the charts until a re-issue in the summer saw the song make No 21. Back with a slew of new mixes to support it the splash is much bigger at No 7 (38,000).

 

 

 

It’s been two and a half years since we last heard from Tina Turner but she now follows in the footsteps of Gladys Knight in doing a Bond theme. “Goldeneye” is out in a fortnight and the theme is new at No 10 (29,000) an is penned by Bono & The Edge of U2, it beat other entries to the honours from Ace of Base amongst others. It is her 10th top 10 single including all her duets and primes us for her return with a new album next year (her first studio album in 6 years).

 

 

Everything But The Girl are on the move again 6-4 (63,000) and are followed by Madonna 8-5 (58,000), “You’ll See” is the first of her singles to climb for 2 weeks consecutively since “Erotica” in 1992 and comes despite her album “Something To Remember” debuting at No 3 this week. One of the albums blocking her was Queen’s new album “Made In Heaven” which unsurprisingly makes the top spot, meanwhile the single falls 4-8 (35,000) and is overtaken by the still falling East 17 5-6 (47,000). Meat Loaf drops 7-9 (32,000) to complete the recap, next week should be a much busier one with new singles by Bon Jovi, Blur, M People, and Boyzone all looking for top 10 berthing.

 

1- UP ON THE ROOF/ I BELIEVE- Robson & Jerome (224,000)

2- GANGSTA’S PARADISE- Coolio Ft LV (138,000)

3- WONDERWALL- Oasis (104,000)

4- MISSING- Everything But The Girl (63,000)

5- YOU’LL SEE- Madonna (58,000)

6- THUNDER- East 17 (47,000)

7- I BELIEVE- Happy Clappers (38,000)

8- HEAVEN FOR EVERYONE- Queen (35,000)

9- I’D LIE FOR YOU (AND THAT’S THE TRUTH)- Meat Loaf (32,000)

10- GOLDENEYE- Tina Turner (29,000)

 

25TH NOVEMBER

 

 

Every time they release something it seems to sell effortlessly and this week belongs entirely to Robson & Jerome who grab the double with their album selling an amazing 270,000 copies, a record for a debut album! “Up On The Roof/ I Believe” meanwhile makes it three weeks at No 1 though sales are off a whopping 47% to 118,000 though they easily retain the top spot. Total sales of the tracks now stand at 600,000 exactly and it’s chasing Coolio up the YTD listings where he stands on 668,000 as he holds at No 2 this week with sales of 94,000. Everything But The Girl equal their highest ever peak as “Missing” moves up a notch 4-3 (85,000).

 

 

 

Beneath the top 3 Oasis slip 3-4 (84,000) but it must give them some satisfaction that not only has “(What’s The Story) Morning Glory” easily outsold rival’s Blur’s album “The Great Escape” already but Blur’s new single “The Universal” debuts at No 5 (64,000) behind them. The second release from the album comes with a cover lifted from the film “2001: A Space Odyssey” and a promo which is heavily inspired by the film “A Clock Orange”- it’s their 5th top 10 hit in all.

 

 

 

Enya has been missing from the top 10 for three years now but “Anywhere Is” is now her second highest charting single ever as it lifts 12-7 (46,000) placing it behind her 1988 chart topper “Orinoco Flow” in her discography. It previews a fourth album from the singer “The Memory Of Trees” in shops this week.

 

 

 

Boyzone are back with a second cover version of their short UK career but Cat Stevens’ “Father & Son” delivers them a fourth top 10 hit without any problems as it enters at No 8 (42,000). It’s the first time that the song has been a hit in the UK and may have all the festive feel needed for a Christmas No 1- some have commented that the new arrangement seems to make little sense in the context of the meaning of the song. Written as a conversation between a wise father and a son who wants to go his own way Steven’s original version is sung in different registers to denote the different characters whilst Boyzone’s is all in one register but it seems the nuances are lost on modern ears or we don’t particularly care. Parent album “Said And Done” topped the charts in August though it currently rests outside the top 50.

 

 

 

 

Bjork’s solo career has been going for three years now but she seems to only just be getting into her stride now with ever bigger hits, earlier this year she got her first top 10 with “Army Of Me” and now her new single “It’s Oh So Quiet” debuts at No 9 (39,000). The single is a cover of a song first registered in 1948 and recorded in German before being translated to English and becoming a B-side to “Murder, He Says” by Betty Hutton in 1951 which wasn’t a hit here. Bjork’s version comes with a memorable promo which is heavily influenced by the 1964 film “Les Parapluies De Cherbourg”.

 

 

 

Bon Jovi are currently on the most successful chart run of their long career now with a 7th straight top 10 single in “Lie To Me”. It’s another cut from “These Days” album and keeps their career plodding along whilst the band are on a world tour which returns here in the summer. They are new at No 10 (33,000) this week.

 

 

Madonna falls 5-6 (55,000).

 

Next week we’ll count down the runners and riders for the festive No 1 this year- though if you believe the bookies then it’s a done deal…..

 

 

1- UP ON THE ROOF/ I BELIEVE- Robson & Jerome (118,000)

2- GANGSTA’S PARADISE- Coolio Ft LV (94,000)

3- MISSING- Everything But The Girl (85,000)

4- WONDERWALL- Oasis (84,000)

5- THE UNIVERSAL- Blur (64,000)

6- YOU’LL SEE- Madonna (55,000)

7- ANYWHERE IS- Enya (46,000)

8- FATHER AND SON- Boyzone (42,000)

9- IT’S OH SO QUIET- Bjork (39,000)

10- LIE TO ME- Bon Jovi (33,000)

 

3- MISSING- Everything But The Girl (85,000)

4- WONDERWALL- Oasis (84,000)

5- THE UNIVERSAL- Blur (64,000)

6- YOU’LL SEE- Madonna (55,000)

7- ANYWHERE IS- Enya (46,000)

 

 

I am quite sure that this is the only time I had purchased 5 consecutive hits - although The Universal and Anywhere Is were purchased at the time - the others in early 1996.

Amazing run of sales increases for EBTG, it genuinely was getting more and more popular

I watched A Clockwork Orange for the first time a couple of months ago so it was cool to immediately recognise the references in the music video for 'The Universal' tonight on TOTP, what a great song too.

Goldeneye, The Universal and Its Oh So Quiet are the picks from the newbies from me.

 

 

It's Oh So Quiet is such a unique single. I never listen to it as part of Björk's discography because it's jarring against her other singles (and indeed I wish it wasn't on the Post album) but I do really enjoy it on its own.

 

Great to see Enya back with a really strong single. I remember I bought it at the time because there was a CD single that was backed with her three other biggest hits - after a few plays it more than matched its company.

 

The Universal is indeed lovely - Damon Albarn seems to still play it a lot live so I assume it must be a favourite of his work with Blur

'Father and Son' is a really nice song, covering the 1970 original shows more of the 70s nostalgia that was popular in the 90s.

 

'Its Oh So Quiet' and 'Goldeneye' are iconic.

Edited March 29, 20241 yr by TheSnake