#8 would have been percieved as a bit of a flop for Say Say Say at the time I reckon

Insane they went with it as lead for the album when they had Billie Jean, Beat it, PYT, the title track etc

 

That TOTP performance is 100% why I ended up buying Young Guns.

It's still my fave Wham! song.

Must have the looks that sold those Wham first singles

cos the music quality was zero, total pedestrian music

Instant chart-topper for me, Mirror Man gave Human League a 3rd number in a row as they lined up to fill the void over ABBA as my "Top current chart act" which they had held for 7 years. Not surprising it was about Adam Ant, he dominated 1981 totally. Harry's Game remains a haunting track, and Clannad might arguably be the first example of "World Music" popping up as a genre in the charts, or New Age as it sort of morphed into.

 

Wham! gave a classic TOTP appearance for Young Guns, a great single with energy and attitude, but it would take a later single to convince me they were more than just a 12-month wonder, and another year after that to make me see George Michael as a talent to be appreciated.

 

I really like Mirror Man good track, I read before that it was intended to be electronic northern soul.

 

Haunting is definitely the word for that Clannad track and would be sampled in 1999 on a great top 10 Trance track Chicane - Saltwater!

 

The Wham song is catchy but not one of their best.

Clannad and Human League both delivering great songs there, probable the best “non-Dare” track from the latter.

27TH NOVEMBER

 

 

Eddy Grant makes it three weeks at the top today and it was a relatively easy ride after selling 101,000 copies coupled with the fact that the opposition more or less collapsed into the bargain. “I Don’t Wanna Dance” has now sold 530,000 copies to sneak into the YTD top 15.

 

 

Last week’s challengers all suffer badly, Dionne Warwick slips 2-3 (71,000) and Tears For Fears bomb 3-6 (65,000), instead all eyes are on the Human League who dart 9-2 (74,000) and don’t mount the kind of challenge that many had expected- however given Eddy Grant’s decline in sales they may still be able to sneak it next week!

 

 

Only two new tracks in the top 10 this week, Blancmange being the first with “Living On The Ceiling”. This is the groups third release having successfully outpeaked the previous single on every occasion so far, “God’s iamspamspamami peaked at No 65 followed by the No 46 high of “Feel Me” and they now have a massive hit on their hands with their current track moving 12-7 (54,000), parent debut album “Happy Families” has already been on the charts but has struggled to advance beyond No 30 to date, that might be about to change. Interestingly the band came to the attention of many after being featured on the “Some Bizzare” album back in 1981 which was the first to feature many bands that went on to become chart regulars, Soft Cell and Depeche Mode most notably!

 

 

 

Christmas must be approaching as the first novelty track makes its presence felt, “Save Your Love” by Renee and Renato darts 24-9 (44,000). It was written by Johnny Edward who was guitarist in the band Manish Boys with David Bowie back in the mid 60s and subsequently went into the production side of the business writing this song way back in 1976 in response to “Save Your Kisses For You” as a kind of joke record. It stayed on the shelf whilst Edward’s turned his attention to TV creating, voicing and controlling “Metal Mickey” for ITV, for whatever reason he decided now was the time to release “Save Your Love” on us, incidentally the female in the video is not Renee as during the interim between the recording and the release the original singer decided that she didn’t want to be involved in promotion for the single.

 

 

Elsewhere those Christmas contenders line up nicely, most notably Wham! who leap 10-4 (70,000) but Marvin Gaye drops 4-5 (67,000) even with a sales bump, Clannad slip 5-8 (44,000) and Hall & Oates dive 6-10 (40,000)

 

1- I DON’T WANNA DANCE- Eddy Grant (101,000)

2- MIRROR MAN- Human League (74,000)

3- HEARTBREAKER- Dionne Warwick (71,000)

4- YOUNG GUNS (GO FOR IT)- Wham! (70,000)

5- (SEXUAL) HEALING- Marvin Gaye (67,000)

6- MAD WORLD- Tears For Fears (65,000)

7- LIVING ON THE CEILING- Blancmange (54,000)

8- THEME FROM HARRY’S GAME- Clannad (44,000)

9- SAVE YOUR LOVE- Renee & Renato (44,000)

10- MANEATER- Hall & Oates (40,000)

 

 

And with Christmas a matter of a month away it's time to review the potentials for the festive No 1

 

BEAT SURRENDER- The Jam

 

Final release from the band as they go for their 4th chart topper- could it give them an appropriate farewell with the festive No 1?

 

BLUE CHRISTMAS- Shakin Stevens

Shaky has had a patchy year but he’s hoping to score himself a festive No 1 with this cover.

 

CHRISTMAS WRAPPING- The Waitresses

Originally released last year this missed the charts but has built up a cult following which may make it a hit this year and it could take off!

 

MIRROR MAN- Human League

 

Last year’s Christmas No 1 came from these guys- can they do it again with their first new single since then

 

PEACE ON EARTH/ LITTLE DRUMMER BOY- David Bowie & Bing Crosby

Some big money going on this unsual duet taking the festive chart prize- discount at your peril

 

RIO- Duran Duran

 

Perhaps the pin ups of the year? Well they are still looking for their first No 1 could the title track from their album do it?

 

SAVE YOUR LOVE- Renee & Renato

Another outside chance here for an equal dose of cheese and romance

 

SINGALONG-A-SANTA- Santa Claus & The Christmas Trees

 

Novelty maybe but at Christmas anything can happen

 

THE OTHER SIDE OF LOVE- Yazoo

 

Their first two singles went top 3 and this may follow suit and might go all the way

 

TIME- Culture Club

 

Follow up to a chart topper from one of the most discussed bands of the year- plus it’s a ballad which has that cosy warm festive feeling

 

WHERE THE HEART IS- Soft Cell

 

After 5 top 5 hits on the trot can Soft Cell get their second No 1 with this one

 

Even with the 3-6 drop, Tears For Fears were still less than 10k away from #2, for a 4th week in a row!

 

'Living On The Ceiling' is a fabulous new addition. 'Save Your Love' has (for me) a certain charm to it, but does sound like a relic of several years earlier.

20TH NOVEMBER

 

 

An interesting chart this week though the entire top 3 are static! They all gain sales as well and their grip on the upper reaches remains solid, and leading the charge is still Eddy Grant expands another 35% to 149,000 but that increases the total sales to 429,000 for "I Don't Wanna Dance" as it overtakes "Do You Feel My Love" as his best seller.

 

 

Dionne Warwick remains Heartbroken at No 2 though she loses ground on Grant as hew sales increase to 92,000 but does pass 270,000 sales so has some reason to be cheery and one place behind is "Mad World" by Tears For Fears which is up marginally up at 86,000 thanks to TOTP as its total sales near 400,000 - we can call that a success!

 

 

Moving onto the new entries and getting a toe hold in the top 5 are Clannad, you may currently be watching the ITV series "Harry's Game" and this is the song that you'll hear throughout the series. It's the first hit here for the Celtic folk band and the first time a track sung in Gaelic has been a top 40 hit in the UK charts, the band of course being successful within their genre since the early 1970's, this track arrives 11-5 (55,000)

 

 

 

Putting re-issues of old tracks to one side, this is the official follow up single to last years Christmas No 1 single "Don't You Want Me" as Human League seem to be going for the prize again! "Mirror Man" becomes the 8th track of the year to debut in the top 10 (there were 9 last year) and so befits its follow up status . Though the subject of the track remains a mystery they have confirmed it is a current pop star- interesting. The band have of course been busy scoring a US Chart topper with DYWM and have been too busy to yet enter the studios to record a new single though they are doing so in 1983, "Mirror Man" therefore seems to be a stand alone single and debuts this week at No 9 (43,000) and you have to fancy a chart topper in the immediate future!

 

 

 

Blazing a trail into the top 10 are a new duo Wham! who hail from Watford. Their first single "Wham! Rap" fizzled out just shy of the charts at No 105 but they have a lot more luck with "Young Guns (Go For It)" which rises 24-10 (43,000), it owes a lot of its success to the fact that Marvin Gaye was pencilled in to do TOTP but withdrew at the last minute which allowed the group a slot as they stood outside the Top 40 at No 42 (an unusual though not unprecedented feat) and perform an eye catching dance routine- a fortnight later here they are, the fact the group are quite photogenic I suspect won't harm them in the slightest.

 

 

Outside of the tracks already mentioned there are three climbers, the aforementioned Marvin Gaye glides 5-4 (57,000), Hall & Oates leap 10-6 (54,000) and Michael Jackson & Paul McCartney nip a spot 9-8 (48,000), whilst former No 1 "Do You Really Want To Hurt Me" slips 4-7 (48,000) for Culture Club who release the follow up "Time" this week.

 

1- I DON’T WANNA DANCE- Eddy Grant (149,000)

2- HEARTBREAKER- Dionne Warwick (92,000)

3- MAD WORLD- Tears For Fears (86,000)

4- (SEXUAL) HEALING- Marvin Gaye (57,000)

5- THEME FROM HARRY’S GAME- Clannad (55,000)

6- MANEATER- Hall & Oates (54,000)

7- DO YOU REALLY WANT TO HURT ME- Culture Club (48,000)

8- THE GIRL IS MINE- Paul McCartney & Michael Jackson (48,000)

9- MIRROR MAN- Human League (43,000)

10- YOUNG GUNS (GO FOR IT)- Wham! (43,000)

 

 

This top 10 is just full of classics!

 

The Blancmange songs is fantastic with a Middle Eastern feel in the production.

 

Renee appearing here - Last Dreamers fav Xmas song!!

 

We’ve nearly come full circle and I might just continue re reading the 1983 thread to keep informed before 1988 starts!

4TH DECEMBER

 

 

5 Singles have entered the charts at the top position in the 1980s so far, and three of those singles have now come from the Jam. Since they announced their split back in late October anticipation has been high for their final single and this week “Beat Surrender” duly obliges and smashes straight into the No 1 position on a sale of 95,000 copies, it was available as a two track 7” and 12” but also as an EP in both formats containing 5 tracks on each version which all saw the track rush into a rapid lead that meant it was all over before the race really began. Live album “Dig The New Breed” is out next week and is also expected to unseat John Lennon at the top of that chart (if Lennon holds on this week), another couple of trivia tip bits for you- the girl on the cover is Weller’s girlfriend Gill Price and the backing vocals on the track come courtesy of Tracie Young, his new protégée whom he plucked from obscurity through an ad in Smash Hits magazine for a singer for his Respond label, Young will release her first single next year but already now features on a No 1. If this is to go on to become the festive No 1 it will need to do what no other Jam chart topper has done and stay at No 1 for 4 weeks!

 

 

Despite its speedy start “Beat Surrender” was already cooling significantly toward the end of the week when “Mirror Man” closed the gap steadily ending up just 10,000 copies short of the Jam song and even outsold “Beat Surrender” marginally on Saturday- it may not be all over!

 

 

Currently No 1 in the US Lionel Richie’s debut solo track “Truly” proves he was right to ditch the Commodores. Of course he appeared on last year’s No 7 hit in duet with Diana Ross (again another US chart topper) but he’s now a fully fledged solo act, the self titled album rockets 79-22 on the album charts, all the signs are good as the single leaps 17-6 (58,000).

 

 

 

Their previous chart topper rests at No 30 this week but Culture Club are back in the top 10 already with follow up “Time (Clock Of The Heart)” which zooms 34-9 (45,000). The song is not featured on their current album “Kissing To Be Clever” despite the album only being released 8 weeks ago, clearly they didn’t want anything impacting on their run for the Christmas No 1 spot! Their previous track “Do You Really Want To Hurt Me” has now crossed the 800,000 mark just out of interest.

 

 

 

With the implosion of Haircut 100 earlier this year Duran Duran are now clearly the leaders in the posters on girls walls chart (if such a thing existed), they’re also back from the US just long enough to promote the “Rio” single. The parent album is now back in the top 5 and the top 10 for the year and indeed reflects the way the band have really taken off, naturally the promo for the single is another typically exotic affair featuring models, yachts and sunnier shores, few bands have had as much money thrown at them this year as Duran Duran but it looks like it’s all been a wise investment as the title track of the album grinds 11-10 (45,000) to become their third top 10 hit on the trot.

 

 

There’s lots of action elsewhere, Wham! continue to threaten with “Young Guns” which has life left as it moves 4-3 (83,000) but lost out on runner up spot at the last minute and Renee & Renato float 9-5 (71,000) whilst Blancmange hold at No 7 (56,000) with a small sales increase. Having less luck this week are Eddy Grant who tumbles 1-4 (74,000) but was never in with a shot of 4th week at No 1, and Dionne Warwick who falls back 3-8 (45,000)

 

 

 

1- BEAT SURRENDER- The Jam (95,000)

2- MIRROR MAN- Human League (85,000)

3- YOUNG GUNS (GO FOR IT)- Wham! (83,000)

4- I DON’T WANNA DANCE- Eddy Grant (74,000)

5- SAVE YOUR LOVE- Renee & Renato (71,000)

6- TRULY- Lionel Richie (58,000)

7- LIVING ON THE CEILING- Blancmange (56,000)

8- HEARTBREAKER- Dionne Warwick (45,000)

9- TIME (CLOCK OF THE HEART)- Culture Club (45,000)

10- RIO- Duran Duran (45,000)

 

Rio - my favourite Duran Duran song :wub:

Rio is a great track, my favourite of their 80s songs but probably not quite matching Ordinary World or Come Undone in my affections.

 

 

Not particularly fussed about any of the other new songs this time... talking of Time, I'm not sure I particularly like any of Culture Club's singles. Karma Chameleon is their strongest but even that isn't something I'd choose to hear particularly often.

Blancmange another classic number one for me. Love it. Saw Blancmange a few years ago great to hear the hits again. Save Uour Love was tuneful cheese. It appealed to older generations including dad and grandma who loved it. Mum was into Culture Club big time in 1983 and i liked Time but not as much as the first hit.

 

The Jam final single was a bit meh to me. Their most ordinary single since err David Watts. Rio not a big fan of either. Its ok the videos appealing but Simon was getting on my nerves a bit duringvthis period and i wasnt convinced he was a good singer. He became a great star and singer though. Still great Evil Woman is fab.

 

Lionel richie starting as he means to go on with a turgid ballad. He will have to depart from that to impress me at all....

'Living on The Ceiling' is a good song - basically almost like a house song with the beats.

 

'Rio' is very good too.

 

I used to think 'Save My Love' was an actual serious opera song. I actuallly like it anyway, even if it is more 50s than 80s.

11TH DECEMBER

 

 

December has arrived and with it the party season, the charts meanwhile could only be described as very scrappy! Floating above all that however were The Jam who ride out a second week at No 1 as "Beat Surrender" increases sales by a mere 5% to 99,000- its margin of victory was much easier but the small increase may suggest that it isn't appealing to those outside of their sizeable fanbase.

 

 

Below that was a mess however with three tracks all within 1,500 copies of each other and once again TOTP mixed things up giving airtime to both Wham! and Human League at the expense of Renee & Renato who looked on easy street at No 2 for the majority of the week. In the end Human League inched past the serenading duo to maintain No 2 (75,000) whilst Wham! narrowly lost out by a few hundred copies to them and drop 3-4 (74,000)- the same tally as "Save Your Love" which nevertheless improve 5-3.

 

 

They’ve been threatening a big hit all year and finally A Flock Of Seagulls manage it as the only new entrants in the top 10. They’ve already hit it big in the US where their previous single “I Ran” made No 9 in October, here that single couldn’t progress beyond No 43 but this week “Wishing (If I Had A Photograph Of You)” moves that all important one spot 11-10 (47,000), it’s the first release from their second album “Listen” which is out next year. The song owes some of its success to the lead singer Michael Score’s hairstyle which has certainly gained some notoriety!

 

 

Another challenger to the top next week include Culture Club who jump 9-5 (66,000) and have a fortnight to make ground on that No 1 spot before the festive chart topper is revealed, Duran Duran also manage a slight improvement 10-9 (49,000). Everything else in the top 10 looks like a spent force, Eddy Grant spirals 4-8 (50,000) whilst both Lionel Richie (No 6, 64,000) and Blancmange (No 7, 53,000) hold steady.

 

1- BEAT SURRENDER- The Jam (99,000)

2- MIRROR MAN- Human League (75,000)

3- SAVE YOUR LOVE- Renee & Renato (74,000)

4- YOUNG GUNS (GO FOR IT)- Wham! (74,000)

5- TIME (CLOCK OF THE HEART)- Culture Club (66,000)

6- TRULY- Lionel Richie (64,000)

7- LIVING ON THE CEILING- Blancmange (53,000)

8- I DON’T WANNA DANCE- Eddy Grant (50,000)

9- RIO- Duran Duran (49,000)

10- WISHING (IF I HAD A PHOTOGRAPH OF YOU)- A Flock Of Seagulls (47,000)

 

Interestingly in a side note- a member of staff at BMRB was sacked this week for fiddling the figures- no details are known of the track or tracks in question and the record company who bribed them!

 

^ Intrigued by that drama!

 

Oops fell a few pages behind, my favourites to appear since last commenting are: 'The Message', 'Why?, 'Mad World', 'Maneater', Living On The Ceiling' + 'Rio' :wub:

 

Oh my at the week that included both 'Do You Really Want To Hurt Me?' and 'Jackie Wilson Says' as newbies in the top 10 - two performances that went down in TOTP history!

Wishing I Had A Photograph is very good; the synth riff reminds me of Deacon Blue - Real Gone Kid, so the song sounds more late 80s than early 80s to me.

Wonder if 'Danger Games' had anything to do with the BMRB controversy...

 

'Beat Surrender' isn't one of my favourites by The Jam, but it's neat that they could finish on the high of a #1 single - also it's nice to learn of songs which entered at #1 increasing in sales on their second weeks, as it's easy to assume they would have just fallen after the initial splash.

Edited November 16, 2024Nov 16 by jimwatts

Mirror Man, Living On The Ceiling and Wishing (If I Had A Photograph Of You) are all excellent synthpop tunes as is Hymn by Ultravox which is in the top 20 at the moment.

18TH DECEMBER

 

 

Next week’s chart is the big one- Christmas! Not that the charts are exactly alive at the moment, Renee & Renato duly take the top billing that they threatened last week but “Save Your Love” whilst advancing 3-1 can only post an increase of 10% to 81,000, that takes the tracks total to 327,000 copies, pretty poor for a chart topper at this time of the year.

 

 

 

Just when he looked to be struggling Shaky has pulled it out of the bag with a Christmas EP containing four tracks most of which are covers. The songs in question are “Lawdy Miss Clawdy” originally by Lloyd Price, “Que Sera Sera” by Doris Day, “Blue Christmas” a song by many artists including Elvis Presley, and his own composition “Josephine”, the set jets in from 35-4 (57,000) this week and could become a surprise No 1 next week! Sneaky old Shaky......

 

 

 

A twelfth top 10 hit is now in the bag for Madness with “Our House” climbing 12-5 (52,000). The single is taken from their fourth studio album “The Rise & Fall” which peaked at No 10 a week after release (a significant come down in performance for them) but has risen again to that position just in time for the Christmas boost.

 

 

 

Modern Romance may have replaced their frontman (Geoff Deane out and Michael Mullins in) but the hits continue for the outfit as “Best Years Of our Life” sweeps in 11-9 (44,000), it’s the fifth hit for the group and now it’s already their highest charting track, seems a change has done them good!

 

 

 

Recording for Bing Crosby’s 1977 TV Special (he died just 5 weeks after taping) “Little Drummer Boy” is a track that Bowie didn’t want to sing considering it rather too twee for his personal taste and in order to placate the star Ian Fraser, Larry Grossman, and Alan Kohan wrote “Peace On Earth” as a counterpoint for Bowie to sing on the show. It has become over the years a much sought after bootleg that RCA are now issuing as a single and are rewarded with a 22-10 (43,000) climb, marking the first top 10 single for Crosby since “White Christmas” was finally a hit single here in 1977, it’s also Crosby’s 8th top tenner and Bowie’s 16th, and with 43 years separating the two duettists, it marks the biggest discrepancy age wise on a duet.

 

 

The Jam debut at No 2 on the album charts with “Dig The New Breed” and are in the same position on the singles chart as “Beat Surrender” can only do a fortnight at the top and sell a further 69,000 copies, after 3 weeks it now totals 263,000 copies and doesn’t look it will come anywhere near their other 1982 chart topper “Town Called Malice” which has sold 597,000, perhaps they were wise to exit when they did.

 

Other runners and riders for next week’s big chart include Culture Club who rise 5-3 (69,000) and were unlucky not to pass The Jam, Lionel Richie who clings to the No. 6 spot (51,000) whilst the threat is over from Human League 2-7 (48,000) and Wham! 4-8 (46,000) who are down and out.

 

So who will it be? Renee & Renato, Culture Club, Shakin Stevens, Madness or Crosby/ Bowie- six days until we find out!

 

1- SAVE YOUR LOVE- Renee & Renato (81,000)

2- BEAT SURRENDER- The Jam (69,000)

3- TIME (CLOCK OF THE HEART)- Culture Club (69,000)

4- THE SHAKIN STEVENS EP- Shakin Stevens (57,000)

5- OUR HOUSE- Madness (52,000)

6- TRULY- Lionel Richie (51,000)

7- MIRROR MAN- Human League (48,000)

8- YOUNG GUNS (GO FOR IT)- Wham! (46,000)

9-BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES- Modern Romance (44,000)

10- PEACE ON EARTH- LITTLE DRUMMER BOY- David Bowie & Bing Crosby (43,000)