2ND JANUARY

 

 

This week’s chart rests on sales of just four days, and for that The Pet Shop Boys have to be truly thankful. “Always On My Mind” was the clear leader on Monday to Wednesday thanks to the publicity over grabbing the festive No 1, but on Christmas Eve The Pogues and Kirsty McColl’s “Fairytale Of New York” outstripped the boys and reduce a healthy 23,000 advantage down to 18,000 by close of play, the end tallies being 97,189 to 79,084. There is little doubt that had Christmas Day fallen on a Sunday then the UK would have a new No 1 today. The sales collapse of 13% for the Pet Shop Boys despite the run into Christmas may in part have something to do with the less festive “feel” for the song coupled with the fact that this is not the “Christmas Chart”. In short the boys must have been very thankful indeed when the last record shop closed its doors for the holidays.

 

 

Anyway it is what it is and Pet Shop Boys grab a third week at the top and had the Christmas edition of TOTP to assist its sales next week, though it doesn’t contain the single the boys album “Actually” re-enters the top 10 shifting 14-9 and sells its 600,000th copy into the bargain.

 

Kim Wilde & Mel Smith hold at No 3 (54,094) fending off Nat “King”Cole who seems unstoppable as he moves 7-4 (52,122) outpacing Rick Astley’s version which is in decline 4-7 (34,476). Astley’s version is officially “flipped” this week to promote “My Arms Keep Missing You” this week with new mixes so we’ll see if it can push it back up.

 

 

There are two tracks in between them, Belinda Carlisle jumps 8-5 (50,830) and Alison Moyet dips 5-6 (39,780).

 

 

Michael Jackson continues to drift 6-8 (39,780), T’pau also hold at No 9 (26,707) and just below them is the sole new track in the top 10. Wet Wet Wet have had a pretty amazing 1987 with two top 10 singles and a No 2 album with “Popped In Souled Out”, and just before the year is out they get a third smash with “Angel Eyes”. Originally a demo which helped get them signed, the track was called “Home And Away” which is kept as in parenthesis for this single, before being re-written and re-recorded in its current form. The song rises 13-10 (25,279) and should continue to climb with the impending falling festive hits over the next few weeks.

 

 

 

We’re not quite done with 1987 yet…..

 

 

1- ALWAYS ON MY MIND- Pet Shop Boys (97,189)

2- FAIRYTALE OF NEW YORK- The Pogues & Kirsty MacColl (79,084)

3- ROCKIN AROUND THE CHRISTMAS TREE- Mel Smith & Kim Wilde (54,094)

4- WHEN I FALL IN LOVE- Nat King Cole (52,122)

5- HEAVEN IS A PLACE ON EARTH- Belinda Carlisle (50,830)

6- LOVE LETTERS- Alison Moyet (39,780)

7- WHEN I FALL IN LOVE/ MY ARMS KEEP MISSING YOU- Rick Astley (34,476)

8- THE WAY YOU MAKE ME FEEL- Michael Jackson (32,861)

9- CHINA IN YOUR HAND- T’Pau (26,707)

10- ANGEL EYES (HOME AND AWAY)- Wet, wet, wet (25,279)

 

keep climbing Belinda <3

 

3 good ones in a row for Wet Wet Wet :)

and why didn't PSB re-release Actually with Always on my mind added?

guess same as why Alison Moyet didn't add Love Letters to Raindancing

 

but Madonna did add Into the Groove to the Like a Virgin album so it's not unprecedented

I’m a bit biased because I prefer the PSBs song but I’m not sure I buy the narrative that the Pogues and Kirsty would have been #1. If they closed the gap by 5K on Christmas Eve then they would have needed three extra days at the same rate to end up victorious. It just came up against a more popular song and I think I could read into the stats there that there was possibly only one day throughout their respective chart runs when PSBs didn’t outsell Pogues.

I’m a bit biased because I prefer the PSBs song but I’m not sure I buy the narrative that the Pogues and Kirsty would have been #1. If they closed the gap by 5K on Christmas Eve then they would have needed three extra days at the same rate to end up victorious. It just came up against a more popular song and I think I could read into the stats there that there was possibly only one day throughout their respective chart runs when PSBs didn’t outsell Pogues.

Assuming that Christmas would have been later in the week than it was (like in 1988 for example) it would have given a full week run in for the festive week (plus 60% of all weekly sales in a normal week were sold on Friday and Saturday) then I think it's possible- but of course all speculation.

Yeah I guess it is possible. I'm surprised by how low the sales for FONY have been, it hasn't really shifted that much in 1987 and I assume the sales nosedive after this week for it. Although I guess these sales are higher than any of the acts involved would usually obtain.

Good to see a third great track from Wet Wet Wet in a row.

 

Got their debut album at a charity shop the other day!

9TH JANUARY

 

 

So 1987 comes to an end with Pet Shop Boys scoring a fourth week at the top, it means that each PSB chart topper has now clung on for one week longer than the previous one, “West End Girls” spent a fortnight at the top and “It’s A Sin” spent 3 weeks there in July. Sales of “Always On My Mind” are off 43% to 55,947 copies last week bringing the song’s 1987 sales to 393,737 making it the 14th biggest single of the year, it’s also under 60,000 copies away from becoming the duo’s biggest seller.

 

 

It was actually their closest call at the top with Belinda Carlisle breathing down the boys necks, she pushes 5-2 (47,175) despite a 10% sales decrease, her ability to go one step further may depend on the speed of decrease shown by the current No 1 single. Predictably sales are well down on last week, so much so that Michael Jackson suddenly reverses his chart trajectory powering 8-3 (23,086) in the face of a 26% sales drop and a figure which is the lowest needed for a top 3 single in the 80s to date, but the biggest drop in sales terms is predictably reserved for “Fairytale Of New York” which only dips 2-4 (22,423) but is accompanied by a 71% slide week on week in copies sold.

 

 

British House music may turn out to be one of the success stories in the charts of 1988, Krush are riding on the back of the trend with the song “House Arrest” overcoming Christmas opposition and flying 20-7 (17,306). The song contains a sample of “White Lines” among other tracks and is already a club favourite.

 

 

 

Created by comedians Tony Hawkes, Paul Boross, and Phil Judge, Morris Minor and the Majors are the self styled UK answer to the Beastie Boys, their first “single” is a parody of the Beastie’s “No Sleep Til Brooklyn” called “Stutter Rap (No Sleep Until Bedtime)” and boasts a promo which features John Deacon of Queen and is produced by Grandmaster Jelly Tot (real name comedian Jakko Jaksyzyk. It rises 23-8 (15,929).

 

 

 

Though it failed to chart here “I Found Someone” was a single by Laura Branigan in 1986 which was a minor US chart hit, now it forms the backbone for the comeback of Cher. She’s been away from the music scene for the past 5 years concentrating on a rather successful film career but she’s back now and her version of the Branigan single which moves 21-9 (15,827) to become her 7th top 10 including her output with Sonny and her first chart hit in 13 years, the promo features her real life boyfriend Rob Camilletti, 17 years her junior. Comeback album “Cher” is out this week.

 

 

Wet Wet Wet improve 10-5 (21,386) which equals their previous best, Alison Moyet holds at No 6 (17,680) and Mel Smith & Kim Wilde are put out to pasture 3-10 (15,385).

 

 

1- ALWAYS ON MY MIND- Pet Shop Boys (55,947)

2- HEAVEN IS A PLACE ON EARTH- Belinda Carlisle (47,175)

3- THE WAY YOU MAKE ME FEEL- Michael Jackson (23,086)

4- FAIRYTALE OF NEW YORK- The Pogues Featuring Kirsty MacColl (22,423)

5- ANGEL EYES (HOME AND AWAY)- Wet, wet, wet (21,386)

6- LOVE LETTERS- Alison Moyet (17,680)

7- HOUSE ARREST- Krush (17,306)

8- STUTTER RAP (NO SLEEP TIL BEDTIME)- Morris Minor & The Majors (15,929)

9- I FOUND SOMEONE- Cher (15,827)

10- ROCKIN AROUND THE CHRISTMAS TREE- Mel Smith & Kim Wilde (15,385)

 

And there we have it peeps- 1987. I think we can sum it up as the first half largely uninspiring and the second half rather good! Thanks to all who contributed!

1987 has absolutely flown by!

 

Thanks as always Gezza

House Arrest - what a BANGER!

Another great year and thread, thanks Gezza!

Glad Pet Shop Boys won the battle (and stuck around further!), one of my favourite Christmas #1s :wub:

 

Thanks again Gezza ^_^

HOUSE ARREST- Krush is the first dance song I ever loved. I got it on double vinyl in a second hand record shop in Belfast a few years ago. :wub:

me too love love love House Arrest and was obsessed with it as a kid, don't think I ever liked any dance songs before

 

also love the Cher one

I wonder were Krush named after that 'Krush Groove' film mentioned in the Fat Boys and Beach Boys entry mentioned on page 14 of this thread.

 

Anyway, 'House Arrest' is a very good track, doesn't sound very dated at all and also sounds big, like the start of a new musical era.

 

Thanks Gezza for this thread :)

Edited February 26, 20241 yr by TheSnake

thanks for this gezza, easily the best thread around

 

one question, is there a thread in here with the 1st week sales for albums in 87 or the 80s in general?

thanks for this gezza, easily the best thread around

 

one question, is there a thread in here with the 1st week sales for albums in 87 or the 80s in general?

No Afraid not- mainly because we only got a handful of them pre 1987 and then erratically (when noteworthy) from 87-89

The year ending with 'Fairytale Of New York' and 'Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree' in the Top 10, surely that could only be a one-off...

 

Brilliant thread again Gezza, thanks for taking us through 1987!

Thank you for this Gezza, it's been fascinating to look at my birth year so indepth!