2ND AUGUST





It wasn’t the midweek No 1 but Puff Daddy & Faith Evans staged a mighty comeback to claim a fifth week at the top making it the longest chart topper of the year so far. “I’ll Be Missing You” was far from a default chart topper however increasing sales by 3% to 127,000 enabling it (just) to become the best selling single of 1997 so far, and even the appearance of a Puff Daddy album at No 11 this week can't dent its success.

That midweek chart topper came from Boyzone who for the second time in their chart career lose a midweek chart leader and must be querying their decision to price their CD at £3.99 from the off. Their last single “Is It Any Wonder” faltered against the Spice Girls and now “Picture Of You” fails against Puff Daddy, the last act to lose midweek chart topping honours with two successive releases was Kylie Minogue back in 1988, and with this 9th consecutive single making the top 5 it moves them one step nearer beating Minogue’s record of 13 top 5 singles from the off. The single features in the new “Bean: Ultimate Disaster Movie” which is out this Friday and is also the first single from their forthcoming third album and sold 98,000 copies last week.

Boyzone at any rate beat the competition in the boyband battle, that was against Backstreet Boys who are themselves on the cusp of releasing their new album “Backstreet’s Back”- out in 3 weeks. A fifth top 10 single in a year “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)” explodes into the chart at No 3 (75,000) this week and comes with a big budget promo which the band had to finance themselves after they failed to sell the idea to the record company, it features actor Antonio Fargas who is better known as Huggy Bear in “Starsky & Hutch”.

No 2 in the US at present for a fourth week behind Puff Daddy & Faith Evans, Meredith Brookes’ “Bitch” can’t quite achieve the same feats in the UK where it’s new at No 6 (50,000). It marks the debut for Brookes who as drawn many Alanis Morissette comparisons.

The power of the TV advert strikes again this time Carling Beer who use the Mamas & Papa’s “Califronia Dreamin” in their latest ad. The song was originally recorded in 1965 by Barry McGuire with John and Michelle Phillips on backing vocals before the Mamas & Papas did their version a year later which gave them their first hit at No 23. The song returned most recently in a version by The River City People (No 13, 1990) but the honour of highest charting version now returns to the Mamas & Papas as the re-issue makes a splash at No 9 (35,000).

U2 have another top 10 on their hands, their 18th in total and third from the album “Pop”. The tour comes to the UK later this month in time to celebrate the success of “Last Night On Earth” which is new at No 10 (34,000). The song was one of the last to be recorded for the album and was done in such a rush that the band have re-recorded the vocals for the single version, let’s hope it helps the album which is still shy of the 300,000 mark.

Gala gets squeezed out of the top 3 and drops to #4 (73,000) but increased sales as airplay picks up. Oasis fall 2-5 (59,000) and cross the 500,000 mark but they lose another 51% week on week, and Coolio dips 4-7 (42,000). Showing remarkable tenacity Ultra Nate drifts 5-8 (38,000) but dips below the 40,000 per week mark for the first time.



Next week sees a challenge by Peter Andre- can the most famous six pack in pop dislodge Puff & Faith Evans?


1- I’LL BE MISSING YOU- Puff Daddy & Faith Evans (127,000)
2- PICTURE OF YOU- Boyzone (98,000)
3- EVERYBODY (BACKSTREET’S BACK)- The Backstreet Boys (75,000)
4- FREED FROM DESIRE- Gala (73,000)
5- D’YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN?- Oasis (59,000)
6- BITCH- Meredith Brooks (50,000)
7- C U WHEN U GET THERE- Coolio Featuring 40 Thevz (42,000)
8- FREE- Ultra Nate (38,000)
9- CALIFORNIA DREAMIN- Mama’s & Papa’s (35,000)
10- LAST NIGHT ON EARTH- U2 (34,000)

California Dreamin' is by far the best track in the top 10 this week, an all time classic <3 I bought that re-issue, it was good value as it had Mama Cass's 'Dream a Little Dream of Me' on it as well.

Aside from that - we've finally reached a week where I'm happy to champion a Backstreet Boys single, Everybody was peak boyband for me

was Ronan alwasys the lead vocalist in all Boyzone songs?

He was on most of them, Stephen had co-lead vocals on a few singles, like No Matter What and I Love The Way You Love Me. Mikey was actually lead singer on their first single in Ireland, Working My Way Back To You.

Ronan did co-write Picture Of You so it’s fair he took the lead on this one. It’s a real shame it couldn’t overtake Puff Daddy, it’s definitely one of their best singles and the only one I ever hear on the radio still these days.

Everybody is a classic too though and more fool the label for not backing the video concept, it’s an iconic video that helped make the song a Halloween classic despite its summer release.

Always liked Bitch too, ridiculously catchy and it was fun to sing along to as a kid as it felt mildly rebellious to shout that chorus 😂

Yes the 90s when having the word bitch in a song felt remarkably risky! I remember being amazed that they would play it on the radio and my parents thought it was disgraceful 😂

Funding the video for 'Everybody (Backstreet's Back)' must be the best decision the band made - it may have been their best song already but that's helped cement its legacy.

'Picture of You' is about the only Boyzone single I like.

Considering how massive and enduring 'Backstreet's Back' has been over the years, it always surprises me it wasn't bigger at the time it was released!

oh I really liked Bitch back then, now I find it kinda annoying

Echo Everybody being a classic Backstreet Boys track - the video certainly adds to this.

9TH AUGUST





Another week that didn’t go to script results in Puff Daddy & Faith Evans managing a 6th week at the top, the longest run since Spice Girls “Wannabe” last August, and it also just squeezed past the 100,000 mark to mean that total sales now stand at 935,000, that puts it on course for the magic million mark next week. It’s the seventh week that the song has sold over 100,000 in each week, that’s a record for the 90s and indeed it has been 13 years since a record performed that well (that was Stevie Wonder in case you wondered), no record has done 8 weeks over that mark certainly since the beginning of the 80s. Puff Daddy’s LP moves 11-10 but it seems, for now, people aren’t overly willing to bet on an album’s worth of material.

The Subject of the current No 1 is of course the death of Notorious B.I.G back in March and the man himself debuts at No 6 (44,000) this week to record his biggest hit. “Mo Money Mo Problems” features Puff Daddy as well along with Ma$e and samples Diana Ross’ “I’m Coming Out” throughout though the vocal on that part comes from Kelly Price, and is climbing fast in the US currently sitting at No 2 behind….you guessed it Puff Daddy & Faith Evans!

It wasn’t the highest new entry however, that went predictably to a returning Peter Andre who scored four top 10 hits from his last album including two chart toppers. Much was expected from his new single “All About Us”, which features an uncredited appearance from Montell Jordan (who co-writes the track) designed to break the US market, but it has underperformed only entering at No 3 (83,000) after it got overtaken by Gala (92,000) toward the end of the week. All eyes on his new album later this year to see if the bubble has burst for him.

No such album worries for Texas, “White On Blonde” climbs 4-2 this week having already topped the charts in February and has shifted over half a million whilst now being able to boast three big hits. “Black Eyed Boy” becomes their third airplay chart topper this week as it enters at No 5 (48,000) proving just how popular the band have been this year. Hard to believe that prior to January the band only had a solitary top 10 hit to their name in a career dating back 8 years.

Backstreet Boys fade 3-4 (61,000) but do much better than Boyzone who hurtle 2-7 (43,000). Elsewhere Meredith Brookes slides 6-8 (39,000) Coolio tumbles 7-9 (34,000) and Oasis are down and out 5-10 (31,000) but it will go platinum next week.

Can Gala finally overcome Puff Daddy & Faith Evans next week?


1- I’LL BE MISSING YOU- Puff Daddy & Faith Evans (100,000)
2- FREED FROM DESIRE- Gala (92,000)
3- ALL ABOUT US- Peter Andre (83,000)
4- EVERYBODY (BACKSTREET’S BACK)- The Backstreet Boys (61,000)
5- BLACK EYED BOY- Texas (48,000)
6- MO MONEY MO PROBLEMS- Notorious B.I.G (44,000)
7- PICTURE OF YOU- Boyzone (43,000)
8- BITCH- Meredith Brooks (39,000)
9- C U WHEN U GET THERE- Coolio Featuring 40 Thevz (34,000)
10- D’YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN- Oasis (31,000)

I’ve now officially been born

‘I’ll Be Missing You’ is a tainted birthday #1 oops.

‘California Dreamin’ is one of my favourite songs so I’m delighted that it eventually got a top 10 peak.

Ahhh Black Eyed Boy is soo good from Texas.

Totally forgot about that Peter Andre non event.

Texas really were on fire at this point. What a run of singles!

Black Eyed Boy is one of Texas bestest singles, easily in my Top 5 from them

Good they persisted and didn't give up after the flops from albums 2 & 3

that Peter Andre song is beyond bad

I see Gala is still gaining in popularity, raising to over 90K on week 4 is great and it feels very unlucky really to have not topped the chart so far

16TH AUGUST





A moment of perfect symmetry between the film charts and the singles chart occurs this week with “Men In Black” topping both. The new flick features Mr Will Smith who raps the title track all the way to the top selling 182,000 in the process, of course it isn’t his first chart topper having reached the zenith back in 1993 with “Boom! Shake The Room” under the pseudonym Fresh Prince the role he played in the TV show “Fresh Prince Of Bel Air”. Since then he finished in that role and has carved out a role for himself in movies with a large degree of success and can add solo popstar to his CV. The song samples Patrice Rushen’s “Forget Me Nots” throughout which of course formed the basis of George Michael’s “Fastlove” chart topper last year

“I’ll Be Missing You” can’t get a record 8th week over the 100,000 mark as it drops to 96,000- still impressive and raises its total to 1,031,000 the first million seller of the year and the 14th of the decade, already a marked improvement on the amount of 80s million sellers. The strong performance from the top 2 means there’s little room for Gala who falls back 2-3 (77,000) but quietly amassed sales of 375,000 during its 5 week run so far.





Having already gifted us with the recent Boyzone single “Picture Of You” (falling 7-10, 38,000 this week) the new Mr Bean movie now gives up its second hit in the form of Wet, Wet, Wet’s “Yesterday” which is a double A-side with "Maybe, I'm In Love". The Wets have covered the Beatles twice before, their version of “I Feel Fine” made No 30 in 1990 but back in 1988 they reached No 1 with “With A Little Help From My Friends” and of course the last time they had a song in a movie “Love Is All Around” spent 15 weeks at No 1 three years ago so combining movie soundtrack with a Beatles cover had to be a success. It gives them a 12th top 10 single as it crashes in at No 4 (58,000) and becomes the highest charting version of the track which made No 8 for both Matt Monro and The Beatles themselves. Their one Wembley show has expanded to a 9 date UK tour kicking off in a fortnight.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLJas1Ggmxk

(Maybe I'm In Love- link won't embed)

Not quite a cover but certainly heavily reliant on both James Brown’s “The Payback” and The Stylistics rendition of “You Are Everything”, Mary J Blige’s “Everything” is also a new hit in the top 10 at No 6 (46,000). Jam & Lewis are on production here to give Blige her biggest hit yet here.

Backstreet Boys show they have sticking power as they dip 4-5 (48,000) in their third week, and Notorious B.I.G/ Puff Daddy similarly relent 6-7 (42,000). The lack of big releases sees Meredith Brookes hold at No 8 (41,000) and Coolio at No 9 (40,000) but both increase their sales.

Also of note at No 37 is a new entry for Coldcut, the single “Meats, Beats & Pieces” is the first to take advantage of a change in chart rules to allow CD singles to contain video and text formatting and therefore to include the promo of the single. We’ll see if it catches on.



1- MEN IN BLACK- Will Smith (182,000)
2- I’LL BE MISSING YOU- Puff Daddy & Faith Evans (96,000)
3- FREED FROM DESIRE- Gala (77,000)
4- YESTERDAY/ MAYBE I'M IN LOVE- Wet, wet, wet (58,000)
5- EVERYBODY (BACKSTREET’S BACK)- The Backstreet Boys (48,000)
6- EVERYTHING- Mary J Blige (46,000)
7- MO MONEY MO PROBLEMS- Notorious B.I.G (42,000)
8- BITCH- Meredith Brooks (41,000)
9- C U WHEN U GET THERE- Coolio Featuring 40 Thevz (40,000)
10- PICTURE OF YOU- Boyzone (38,000)

And we've finally caught up with the re-runs!

Everybody is a great track. I guess the sleeve having a photo of them next to a swimming pool, in comparison to the video and performances being a bit darker showed how much they couldn't sell the idea to the label?

Mo Money is also good.

Don't like Picture of You. So cheesy.

Couldn't remember the Peter Andre song so had a listen and had to stop it when that atrocious rap came in.

Wow, nice sales for Gala, didn't realise it sold so much when it climbed to No.2.

Black Eyed Boy is great, White On Blonde was such a good album, everything clearly fell into place for them when making that album.

I'm quite confident I'd never heard the Peter Andre song before, it's not on any Now or Hits albums and I wouldn't have sought it out to check. Seems it was on Smash Hits 98, which I don't have. Very average track with an awful rap. Surprised that he managed to get the likes of Coolio, Montell Jordan and Brian McKnight on his album, he's always literally only ever had one good single for me (Mysterious Girl) so not sure how he got this credibility in the industry.

Found the cover of Yesterday pretty pointless, Wet Wet Wet were running on fumes by this point though.

Men In Black was a good No.1, many of Will Smith's biggest hits stalled at No.2 or No.3 so at least he got this to No.1 (along with the one under his Fresh Prince alias of course).

Edited March 20Mar 20 by gooddelta

Not a fan of Will Smith or Men in Black

Poor top 10 overall

And that WWW cover of Yesterday :/