Yeh ‘Sweetest Smile’ clicked with me on second listen there reminds me of Japan!

 

As in 'Ghosts', I get what you mean, like it, it is a minimalist and atmospheric ballad and very unpoppy.

Edited February 2, 20241 yr by TheSnake

Gezza, do you know how the Terence trent D'Arby did in week 1? Big sales or average? Thanks

As in 'Ghosts', I get what you mean, like it, it is a minimalist and atmospheric ballad and very unpoppy.

 

Yeh exactly!

1ST AUGUST

 

 

After just one week Madonna is bounced off the top slot as “Who’s That Girl” slips 1-2 with a reduction at retail of just 4% to 72,709 as the parent soundtrack debuts at No 4. The album release proved fatal to the ongoing dominance of the single and it makes way for Los Lobos who were never far behind Madonna from the off but overtook with relative ease post TOTP and ended up selling 73,780 copies of “La Bamba” as it jumps 5-1. It is 1987’s 13th chart topper putting the year one ahead of the same point in 1986 and bringing the total No 1’s since 1952 at 595 so at the current rate the year will see the 600th chart topper at some point. It’s also the first time in 24 years that we’ve had back to back chart toppers from movies. I omitted to mention last week that with 5 chart toppers Madonna is now out in front in terms of chart toppers in the 80s!

 

 

 

Jamaican Freddie McGregor sees his reggae hit “Just Don’t Wanna Be Lonely” climb 12-9 (25,772) as he scores his first hit in a career that stretches back to the mid 60s. It appears to be a revival in lover’s rock which seemed to have quietly been dropped from the charts sometime earlier this year but clearly there is still a market, you may also note the backing vocals from Lorraine McIntosh and Heather Austin of the group The Cool Notes.

 

 

 

From punk to hip hop, the transition of the Beastie Boys is now complete. They supported Madonna on her “Like A Virgin” tour a few years ago before they starred (along with other hip hop acts Run DMC, Fat Boys and more) in the film “Krush Groove” which was the film version of the history of the Def Jam label. They’re more famous here for the recent Liverpool gig which erupted into violence back in May only 10 minutes after the group took to the stage and abused the crowd causing something approaching notoriety with the press. Featuring on the film soundtrack was a track called “She’s On It” which isn’t on their debut album “Licence to Ill”, that became the first rap album to top the US Billboard charts. Here the album hasn’t done quite as well peaking at No 7 in the wake of that infamous concert and currently lifts 19-13 generated 2 top 20 singles, now “She’s On It” goes even further 20-10 (24,021) in part due to its absence on the album.

 

 

Atlantic Starr get enough of a boost from TOTP to hold No 3 (45,730) Heart advance 6-5 (35,666), Bruce Willis recedes 4-6 (30,770) as Boogie Box High float 10-7 (30,447) and Mel & Kim slip a spot at No 8 (28,645)

 

Pet Shop Boys ebb 2-4 (39,355) with sales of “It’s A Sin” now just 50,000 short of “West End Girls” meaning they should have a new personal best seller in the next few weeks.

 

 

1- LA BAMBA- Los Lobos (73,780)

2- WHO’S THAT GIRL- Madonna (72,709)

3- ALWAYS- Atlantic Starr (45,730)

4- IT’S A SIN- Pet Shop Boys (39,355)

5- ALONE- Heart (35,666)

6- UNDER THE BOARDWALK- Bruce Willis (30,770)

7- JIVE TALKIN- Boogie Box High (30,447)

8- F.L.M- Mel & Kim (28,645)

9- JUST DON’T WANNA BE LONELY- Freddie McGregor (25,772)

10- SHE’S ON IT- Beastie Boys (24,021)

 

not a fan of those 2 newbies, never got Beastie Boys

Alone taking a slow climb up

How do I get you a loan? :wub:

The Beastie Boys and Freddie McGregor songs sound quite good, I don't really know them that well.

Great to see the legends Al that are the Beastie Boys in the top 10, the ingredients for a new era is upon us!!

Beastie Boys! Not huge on that particular track but did like them once they got to the likes of Sure Shot - albeit I don’t think any of those got anywhere near top 10

I've never liked any Beastie Boys song.

agree :o

8TH AUGUST

 

 

“La Bamba” triumphed by a mere thousand copies last week but this week is much more secure after improving to 80,223. It certainly won’t be in danger from the rest of the top 3 however who either fade or are increasing in sales too slowly, Madonna holds in the runner up slot selling 41,327 copies down 43% whilst Heart fly 5-3 (39,508) up 12%.

 

 

 

For an artist popularly credited with redefining the limits of pop video it is an odd decision that Michael Jackson has returned the charts this week with his first single from the new album “Bad” and not made a promo for it. I suppose he’s already generated enough excitement about his return for it to sell itself and true to form “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You” debuts at No 5 (33,235) this week to register his 17th top 10 single, but it’s the first for his duet partner Siedah Garrett whose previous best came in duet with Dennis Edwards on “Don’t Look Any Further” which was re-released a few months ago but couldn’t do better than its original No 45 peak in 1984. In truth however Garrett has already been at No 1 three times thanks to being one of the backing singers on Madonna’s “True Blue” album which means that she is a thrice chart topper of sorts, Jackson has 4 chart toppers counted in a similar vein including his appearance on The Jackson’s “Show You The Way To Go” and USA For Africa’s “We Are The World”. Interestingly Garrett was not the first choice of duet partner for Jackson, apparently it was offered to both Whitney Houston and Barbra Streisand who both declined. The Jackson camp are promising an “Epic” promo for the next single and title track for “Bad” but already this single has done something no previous Jackson has done- debuting straight into the top 10, watch out for this next week.

 

 

 

Hue & Cry are the product of two Brothers Greg and Pat Kane who recover from the disappointment of two flops with “Labour Of Love”. There aren’t many songs in the chart which offer even slight praise of the Thatcher government but this track does, if only in a retrospective angle, it’s written from the view of a disillusioned Conservative voter who has grown weary of government policy, of course the fact that the pair called the song “Labour Of Love” and contains lyrics including the word “Strike” indicate the tongue in cheek nature of the song. In any event it moves 13-6 (29,223)

 

 

 

Foreshadowing a new greatest hits collection of their 12” mixes “Substance” New Order are back in the top 10 for only the second time with new track “True Faith”, their only previous experience of the top flight came with 1983’s “Blue Monday” which remains the biggest selling 12” of all time and current sales of the track stand at just over 500,000 copies, incredible for a track that never made it higher than No 9. Back to 1987 though and “True Faith” leaps 19-7 (28,101) as it takes just a fortnight to become the band’s highest charting single. The album is out in three weeks.

 

 

 

Releasing her first single when she was just 15 back in 1971 Ivana Spagna soon left the charts and took to writing songs for other people in her native Italy. Fast forward 15 years and she decided to return to the limelight with continental hit “Easy Lady” which did nothing here but her second release from her debut album “Dedicated To The Moon” is having the desired effect, “Call Me” has already been a hit over most of Europe over the last few months and finally makes it across the English Channel and is on the up 28-8 (27,710). The video was filmed in our own backyard, Nottingham in fact with Belvoir castle featuring prominently.

 

 

Atlantic Starr can’t keep up with the pace and fall 3-4 (38,488) with Boogie Box High dipping 7-9 (23,256) and The Beastie Boys clinging to the No 10 spot (23,120)

 

 

1- LA BAMBA- Los Lobos (80,223)

2- WHO’S THAT GIRL- Madonna (41,327)

3- ALONE- Heart (39,508)

4- ALWAYS- Atlantic Starr (38,488)

5- I JUST CAN’T STOP LOVING YOU- Michael Jackson With Siedah Garrett (33,235)

6- LABOUR OF LOVE- Hue & Cry (29,223)

7- TRUE FAITH- New Order (28,101)

8- CALL ME- Spagna (27,710)

9- JIVE TALKIN- Boogie Box High (23,256)

10- SHE’S ON IT- Beastie Boys (23,120)

 

Incidentally the female vocalist standing in for Siedah in the clip is Sheryl Crow- Wonder if she'll end up making it herself a popstar?....

True Faith is the best song of the year for me.

 

Really like that Hue and Cry song though too, great sophistipop.

 

The Spagna song is rather cheesy but the instrumental 'drop' in place of the chorus makes it a bit modern and relevant.

 

'I Can't Stop Loving You' is a very understated first single from the album 'Bad', a nice enough song but a bit boring.

Edited February 4, 20241 yr by TheSnake

True Faith is the best song of the year for me.

This is almost certainly the case for me as well, it being one of the songs I would put in contention for my favourite song of all time.

 

 

I like all of the new ones this week to some degree. Labour of Love is one of the better songs of its genre and Spagna is a fun euro track. The MJ single is probably my least fave but it's still okay.

True Faith :wub:

 

'Call Me' is a classic but yes, total cheese. A bit of a humdrum, forgettable MJ single there.

I know it's cheesy but I really liked I Just Can't Stop Loving You, always like a classy ballad :)

 

True Faith is just fantastic, the best New Order song, as I never got Blue Monday

 

Also quite liked Call Me even if it's cheesy Italodance

I Just Can’t Stop Loving You is superb, one of my fave Jacko songs.

 

True Faith is obviously all kinds of amazing.

 

 

True Faith I much prefer to Blue Monday too.

 

'Call Me' is a classic but yes, total cheese.

 

Yeah with its instrumental drop its like the 80s equivalent of some of the poppy dance we had a few years ago, M22 + Medina - First Time especially, mid tempo dance and cheesy.

Wow came on here to give the unpopular opinion that ‘True Faith’ is my favourite New Order song but seems a lot of others feel the same. I had heard it before when I was younger but was blown away by their appearence when watching TOTP 87 as I thought it sounded like a Brit pop song and didn’t realise it was released this early, absolute classic!

 

Also love the Hue & Cry song I mean what pop star these days would wear a grey suit like that on a tv promo so 80s 🤣