Had never heard of Deuce until TOTP, was surprised that the U.K. embraced the 3rd placed song in the national selection to this extent as well as the winner!

 

Yeah they are like a precursor to Steps, 'Call It Love' is fab eurodance-pop. 'I Need You' sounds a bit dated imo with its SAW style chorus.

I really love I Need You, probably one of the only UK Eurovision rejects to ever make the top 10 - indeed it peaked there before the actual entry by Love City Groove did too. Maybe there are some older examples, but I'm not familiar with any. Funny in comparison how Sweden's charts routinely see 4-7 Melodifestivalen non-winners make the top 10 every year, for example.

 

I'm not totally sure I Need You would have worked at Eurovision though as it was still the juries only era of the stuffy 90s (in Eurovision terms), when serious ballads were most in vogue. Gina G only came 8th with a stronger Europop song the following year, so I doubt I Need You would have troubled the top 10. Love City Groove was a bit of a genius if extremely ill-advised entry imo though, the music and production is so reminiscent of DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince's Summertime and I love the female rapper on the first verse. Rap and juries were never going to work results-wise though so it did well to come top 10 and become a genuine hit in this country.

Edited October 29, 20231 yr by gooddelta

I liked Love City Groove at the time. It was shafted by Eurovision deciding everything had to be love instruments if I remember? Or something like that? Either way, the performance they gave at Eurovision was only a shadow of how the track actually sounded.

Yes it had to be played with an orchestra behind it, so definitely sounded much weaker live as it was a rap summer jam type song that just didn't translate properly to that setting.

I just want to celebrate how utterly amazing most of this top 10 is:

 

1- BACK FOR GOOD- Take That (140,000) :wub: :sub:

2- DON’T STOP (WIGGLE WIGGLE)- Outhere Brothers (71,000)

3- TWO CAN PLAY THAT GAME- Bobby Brown (62,000) :wub:

4- HAVE YOU EVER REALLY LOVED A WOMAN- Bryan Adams (40,000)

5- BABY BABY- Corona (38,000) :cheeseblock: :cheeseblock:

6- U SURE DO- Strike (34,000) :cheeseblock: :cheeseblock:

7- CHAINS- Tina Arena (30,000) :cheeseblock:

8- IF YOU LOVE ME- Brownstone (27,000) :cheeseblock:

9- NOT OVER YET- Grace (26,000) :cheeseblock: :cheeseblock:

10- I NEED YOU- Deuce (19,000)

 

This really was the peak for 95 dance! Chains and If You Love Me are classic 90s powerhouse American ballads, Back For Good is TT's 90s best and Two Can Play At That Game really benefits from the Todd Terry touch!

 

On the Deuce debate, Call It Love is really decent, I Need You much less so.

Most of 2023?

 

:lol:

6TH MAY

 

 

As soon as the initial sales reports started to come in it was clear that Oasis were heading to the No 1 spot this week. It marks the arrival of Britpop at the hallowed top spot of the UK charts and also the movement of Oasis into the premiere spot in the genre, their previous peaks of 32,11,10,7, and 3 clearly show the ascension of the band in the hearts of the record buying public. It’s the first release from a second Oasis album which is primed for release later this year, in the meantime 138,000 were convinced enough to purchase this single and give the mancunian’s their first No 1.

 

 

Below them it is a battle of the boybands with a deposed Take That falling 1-2 (67,000) and a rising Boyzone moving 4-3 (66,000) the winning margin only a few hundred copies. Let loose drop out of the top 10 and MN8 go into immediate reverse 6-8 (33,000).

 

 

Two other new entries lower down the charts to deal with, first up from an act who some claim is the father of Britpop and who is certainly back in favour thanks to the current musical wind and that’s Paul Weller. He’s been missing from the top 10 in any guise since The Style Council in 1987 and even though he’s released six singles in the last 3 years which have gone top 20 the top tier has always evaded him, no longer though as “The Changingman” debuts at No 7 (34,000). The song features backing vocals from former Young Disciples frontwoman Carleen Anderson and Blow Monkey’s lead singer Dr Robert, and a healthy sample of ELO’s “10538 Overture” for good luck. Album “Stanley Road” is out in three weeks’ time and comes with rave reviews already in something of a career resurgence.

 

 

 

It seems odd that for an act with so much critical acclaim and clear visual flair this is the first time I’m writing about Bjork. After leaving the Sugarcubes behind in 1992 she set off on a solo career with the “Debut” album which has so far sold just under 400,000 here and generated 5 hit singles but nothing to dent the top 10 although she did co-write Madonna’s “Bedtime Story” which made No 4 in February. Indeed if you buy her new single “Army Of Me” then you can hear the “inspiration” for “Bedtime Story” in the lyrics of “Sweet Intuition” which is an addition track on CD1, regardless the single is new at No 10 (27,000) and previews her second album “Post” in shops next month. The song features in the new film “Tank Girl” out this summer but that will probably be too late to support the single but then it’s already her biggest hit!

 

 

Tina Arena is the only other gainer of the week, “Chains” clinks 7-6 (37,000) despite losing sales but 3 other tracks are losing propulsion, Bobby Brown drops 3-4 (49,000) and Outhere Brothers finally drop 2-5 (45,000) but the two tracks are now over the 300,000 and 500,000 mark respectively, finally Bryan Adams proves easier to shift than thought and dips 5-9 (31,000).

 

 

1- SOME MIGHT SAY- Oasis (138,000)

2- BACK FOR GOOD- Take That (67,000)

3- KEY TO MY LIFE- Boyzone (66,000)

4- TWO CAN PLAY THAT GAME- Bobby Brown (49,000)

5- DON’T STOP (WIGGLE WIGGLE)- Outhere Brothers (45,000)

6- CHAINS- Tina Arena (37,000)

7- THE CHANGINGMAN- Paul Weller (34,000)

8- IF YOU ONLY LET ME IN- MN8 (33,000)

9- HAVE YOU EVER REALLY LOVED A WOMAN- Bryan Adams (31,000)

10- ARMY OF ME- Bjork (27,000)

 

13TH MAY

 

 

Two records were neck and neck this week in the race for the top spot, the answer as to who won rests at the No 71 this week! That’s a new entry for the 12” format of Oasis’s “Some Might Say”, it has charted separately as chart rules now state that only three formats can contribute to chart position so the belated release of the 12” generates its own chart position but also steals around 3,000 copies from the main chart tally of the track which causes it to lose out on a second week at the top by just 500 copies!

 

Instead the nation has a new No 1 in the form of Livin’ Joy who do the very 1995 trick of re-issuing a small dance hit from the last few years and making it a smash in this year’s chart, “Dreamer” had formally hit No 18 last August in this instance. The single comes with new mixes and a new promo and if I tell you that the men behind the group are the Visnadi brothers then you might draw the connection to a record that also hit it big on re-issue in 1995, Alex Party’s “Don’t Give Me Your Life” as they are essentially the same act with different vocalists. The song is the 40th song to enter the charts at No 1 and the third song in a row to debut atop the charts equaling the record set in late 1991 and only the second song to re-enter the charts at No 1 after Queen back in 1991 (again). The 70,500 it sold to beat Oasis is the second lowest of 1995 and coupled with the Oasis error it could make this one of the luckiest No 1 singles in recent years.

 

 

On a side note a new agreement between distributors, the industry and stockists sees new releases now in shop the week before release so that shelves can be fully stocked on release day instead of new stock being supplied through the week as was the norm. As a result it should be easier, in theory, to debut at No 1 in the future- we’ll see.

 

 

The current record for longest wait between chart toppers is held by The Righteous Brothers at 25 years and 259 days but that could be smashed if Perez “Prez” Prado goes to the top with “Guaglione” which shoots up 11-3 (45,000). His previous chart topper was way back in 1955 with “Cherry Pink & Apple Blossom White” and he can owe his current resurgence to the current Guinness advert on TV which has plucked his 1958 version from obscurity to chart fame. The story of the hit is quite long winded but way back in late 94 Guinness were running the “Prez” advert in Ireland (where “Guaglione” went to No 1) whilst it was running the Louis Armstrong ad in the UK but getting clearance to re-release the single was proving troublesome so Guinness switched to the Prez ad here for a few weeks last November which caused the song to peak at No 41. In the meantime the Armstrong song was finally given a re-issue causing Guinness to reflip ads and give Armstrong the push which condemned the Prez version to flop status. Now with the old ad done and the Prez one back on TV we get the re-issue and the hit. Phew- hope you kept up.

 

 

 

Rather simpler explanation for the new entry at No 6 (34,000) for the 53 year old Scatman John (real name John Larkin) and his pan European hit “Skatman (Ski Ba Bop Ba Dop Bop)”. He discovered his talent for “Skat” as a cure to his stammer apparently and wrote this track as a support song to anyone who suffers with the affliction, it’s topped the charts in almost every European country- can the UK resist?

 

 

 

Supergrass are another band who are emerging from the Britpop school of music with increasingly better placed single positions. Their first two singles peaked at No 43 and No 20 and now third release “Lenny” nips in at No 10 (22,000). You can expect an album from them over the summer if you like what you hear from the Oxford trio.

 

 

 

 

A mixed week for boybands it seems Take That drop 2-4 (43,000) and are now about 120,000 away from the million mark, while Boyzone recede 3-5 (41,000) but on the album charts Take That make a mighty splash with “Nobody Else” shifting 240,000 to debut at No 1.

 

Tina Arena drops 6-7 (30,000) whilst Bobby Brown falters 4-8 (29,000) and the Outhere Brothers are almost done 5-9 (28,000).

 

 

1- DREAMER- Livin Joy (70,500)

2- SOME MIGHT SAY- Oasis (70,000)

3- GUAGLIONE- Perez “Prez” Prado & His Orchestra (45,000)

4- BACK FOR GOOD- Take That (43,000)

5- KEY TO MY LIFE- Boyzone (41,000)

6- SCATMAN- Scatman John (34,000)

7- CHAINS- Tina Arena (30,000)

8- TWO CAN PLAY THAT GAME- Bobby Brown (29,000)

9- DON’T STOP (WIGGLE WIGGLE)- Outhere Brothers (28,000)

10- LENNY- Supergrass (22,000)

 

Great sales for Oasis considering fans didn't have to buy multiple formats to get all the b-sides, just 1 CD.

3 classics in Some Might Say, Army of Me and The Changingman

the leads for 3 amazing albums to come

 

also love Dreamer, Guglione and Scatman

Ooh that closeness between 'Some Might Say' and 'Dreamer'! Glad they both got a turn at the top. Oasis' ascending chart peaks from their debut to 'Some Might Say' is very satisfying.

 

Love that an advert could propel something like 'Guaglione' into the top 3 decades after it was recorded *.*

 

Already commented on my love for 'Army Of Me' when it was lower down but happy it achieved a top 10 peak in the end <3

That Dreamer and Scatman double entry :w00t:

I despise that Scatman song! Awful.

 

Never realised the closeness of Dreamer and Some might Say! Both are the 2 best number 1s of 1995 imo so glad they both made it and that they repped the 2 best genres of the year - Britpop and Dance. Interestingly, Dreamer was the only number 1 of the year not featured in the Xmas special review of the year.

 

Also, good to read why so many songs entered straight at the top from now, due to distribution.

 

Finally :wub: at The Changingman and Supergrass’ debut with Lenny.

Love that an advert could propel something like 'Guaglione' into the top 3 decades after it was recorded *.*

 

Here's the ad that used the song. Called Anticipation - it really bugs me that I never see him drink :lol:

 

Now I am thinking that the advert use/return to the charts of 'Guaglione' influenced later brassy late 90s songs like

'Would You...' and 'Mambo No.5'.

Edited November 4, 20231 yr by TheSnake

Selected tracks outside the Top 10 TOTP 6th & 13th May 1995

 

 

Adina Howard - Freak Like Me

Chart entry this week: 33

Peak: 33

 

 

You know, a Tubeway Army sample would go really well with this!

 

 

 

Weezer - Buddy Holly

Chart entry this week: 12

Peak: 12

 

 

I think this is the cleverest video ever and a cracking song as well!

 

 

 

Montell Jordan - This Is How We Do It

Chart entry this week: 11

Peak: 11

 

 

I was sure this American number 1 was a top 10 hit! Sounds massive.

 

 

 

Shed Seven - Where Have You Been Tonight

Chart entry this week: 23

Peak: 23

 

 

Indie Britpop debut alert! Not one of their best known songs to be fair, but still decent.

 

Also, good to read why so many songs entered straight at the top from now, due to distribution.

 

 

Dreamer hitting number 1 always stood out in my memory as the point when the shops, the distributors and the record companies all started co-operating to maximise sales in week 1.

 

Was it also at that point when discounts were applied to week 1 stock to encourage buyers to buy in week 1?

The Weezer song sounds like a classic and that video is class!

 

Pity the songs now always peak on week one and there’s no room to grow, didn’t know that about the disrubution thing so would songs before have sold a lot less because of this?

Shed Seven - Where Have You Been Tonight

 

 

I love that second Shed Seven album.

Edited November 4, 20231 yr by Colm

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Edited November 4, 20231 yr by Colm