Yeh my second favourite Bobby Brown song after ‘Two Can Play’. Didn’t actually realise the Britney one was a cover!

3 good dance tracks there with Ten City, Bobby Brown and Robert & Kym, the latter is my fave of the 3 but not by too much, dance music coming good again.

Pretty sure Mozza would hate all three, but his single isn't that great, it's OK but not as good as Everyday Is Like Sunday. Much missed Johnny Marr will be doing better before long I'm sure. Never did catch the Smiths, but I have seen Morrissey (eventually) after he cancelled a local date from being poorly, and Johnny Marr with Suedehead and the Pet Shop Boys at the Royal Albert Hall. By that I don't mean Johnny Marr covered Suedehead, it was our Simon. By that I don't mean Simon was on stage with the Pet Shop Boys and Johnny Marr.

oh loved the Morrissey song, his 3rd great great single in a row for me.

singles 4 & 5 were also good but then he lost it big time

Bobby Brown I also quite liked

but alway thought Don't be cruel was his debut album

didn't know he had a previous flop era

for a while it look like Bobby Brown was gonna be bigger than Mj but that never happened...

The male vocal in 'Wait' sounds very Erasure. Good song.

'That's The Way Love Is' is quite retro sounding I think compared to other house hits in the charts at the time.

My Prerogative has good production. It is an influential new jack swing track.

I do like My Perogative, but I do think more of Britney's version now.

I always liked The Living Years but forgot about it until this thread.

Had to listen to Holly Johnson as couldn't remember it and what a step away from Frankie. Such pop.

On 03/04/2025 at 20:01, dandy* said:

At the time I remember thinking it was most unfair that these older tracks were charting and threatening my more modern faves - they'd already had their chance! Guess I was like the OG djcheekymagpie.

This made me actual laugh out loud 😂

Djcheekymagpie v 1.0 😝

18TH FEBRUARY





On course to be sensationally dumped from the No 1 spot until the last moment, it took a TOTP performance to prevent that happening and thusly Marc Almond & Gene Pitney cling on to the top spot for a fourth week though it would certainly appear to be its final week. The track sold 65,416 copies last week to bring its total to 341,537 copies, not altogether impressive for a record which spent a month on top but still enough to lead the way for the year, after lamenting the lack of the album last week it duly re-enters at the dizzy heights of No 64.

So onto that new entry and only the second Scottish act to debut inside the top 10 are Simple Minds who have been absent from the charts for two years and haven’t released an original album since 1986 after which the band toured extensively to promote the album, built their own studio and appeared at last year’s Nelson Mandela Concert, so they’ve been far from idle. They’ve also recorded some new music and an album due this spring, “The Ballad Of The Streets EP”, to give it its official title, enters at No 2 this week (54,927) the lead track from it in terms of promotion is “Belfast Child” which is essentially a re-write of the traditional folk song “She Moved Through The Fair” with lyrics to reflect the current troubles in Northern Ireland, its teamed with “Biko” and “Mandela Day” which were both performed at last year’s concert. The song wasn’t available on 7” last week (that format is out this week) a fact that certainly cost it the top spot this week at least.

A new Andrew Lloyd Webber musical these days means hit singles after the success of both “Requiem” and “Phantom Of The Opera”, and so it proves with “Aspects Of Love” which is due to open in the west end in a few months. Its lead male part will be played by Michael Ball who sings the current hit “Love Changes Everything”, he’s already a big west end star having starred in “Phantom” and “Les Miserables” since his debut three years ago, his place as a pop star seems to be a happy one as he jumps 12-3 (48,620).

One of 1988’s biggest stars, Yazz had three top 10 singles including the five week chart topper “The Only Way Is Up”, she now plucks a third single from her “Wanted” album and it’s her first ballad. “Fine Time” follows in the footsteps of all her former singles bouncing 11-9 (31,603) to become another top 10 hit for the star.

Bobby Brown bucks the trend of the remainder of the top 10 in climbing 9-6 (39,814) but the game is up for some big hits including Mike + The Mechanics who dive 2-4 (46,886), Holly Johnson slips 4-5 (42,534), Roy Orbison falls 3-7 (37,077), Morrissey surprisingly cedes 6-8 (33,507) despite a small sales increase, and Robert Howard and Kim Mazelle dip 7-10 (27,234)


1- SOMETHING’S GOTTEN HOLD OF MY HEART- Marc Almond & Gene Pitney (65,416)
2- BALLAD OF THE STREETS EP- Simple Minds (54,927)
3- LOVE CHANGES EVERYTHING- Michael Ball (48,620)
4- THE LIVING YEARS- Mike & The Mechanics  (46,886)
5- LOVE TRAIN- Holly Johnson (42,534)
6- MY PREROGATIVE- Bobby Brown (39,814)
7- YOU GOT IT- Roy Orbison (37,077)
8- THE LAST OF THE FAMOUS INTERNATIONAL PLAYBOYS- Morrissey  (33,507)
9- FINE TIME- Yazz (31,603)
10- WAIT- Robert Howard & Kym Mazelle (27,234)

Nothing amazing this week, I don't mind the Simple Minds and Yazz ones, but Michael Ball I kinda hate that song

I do like me a bit of Lloyd-Webber but as we move into the 90's the golden years were behind him pretty much, gone from ground-breaking rock-opera and lush fantasy re-tellings with amazing arrangements and melodies and off into MOR tuneful pop with the very likeable Michael Ball. Not in the same league from here-on. Yazz showed she could do more than Big House-driven dance tunes, very nice, but the Simple Minds EP is the one, Mandela Day was a great track but Belfast Child is a key Simple Minds record. The Celtic touches were excellent and I didn't understand the Simple Minds backlash because they dared to move away from rocksynth New Wave to stadium-rock of the top-notch to global movie theme domination, and then abruptly change direction again, but they def did get slagged off from around here onwards, but the truth is they remained great (and still are, new stuff is also good). Co-incidentally Radio 2 is talking about Jim Kerr as I type.

I like Love Changes Everything. Not sure I particularly did at the time though.

I think my pop head really missed out on a lot as a teenager. Simple Minds in particular are such a good band, who I all but ignored in the 80s.

25TH FEBRUARY

No doubt at all this week that Simple Minds would claim their first No 1 in addition to a fifth chart topper for producer Trevor Horn who introduced “She Moved Through The Fair” to Jim Kerr which resulted in the song “Belfast Child”. The song boosted its sales to 77,877 copies thanks to a newly issued 7” inch version of the single which was purchased by a fair number of completists this week though it has also sold 25,000 CD's in a fortnight to become at a stroke the biggest selling CD single of all time overtaking The Pet Shop Boys "Always On My Mind".  At 6:39 in length it’s the second longest No 1 of all time behind “Hey Jude” by The Beatles, and is officially the third EP to hit the No 1 spot here after Demis Roussos and The Specials.

Simple Minds are not assured a long reign however as an incredible 8th release from “Bad” debuts in the charts at No 4 (47,294) for Michael Jackson, the reason for the high debut of “Leave Me Alone” (it's his highest entry of his career!) is that the song is only available on the CD edition of the album and is thusly a “new” single for many buyers. Lyrically answering his critics and the press for the many false stories circulated over the years about his behaviour “Leave Me Alone” comes with a promo culled from “Moonwalker” and gives Jackson his 17th top single of the decade pulling him level with Madonna who, as we all know by now, is back with a new album next month so should re-assert her dominance in the forthcoming months.  He is, however, the first US artist to debut in the top 10 since 1987 when he himself entered at No 5 with "Bad", and that despite 25 entries in the top 10 in the interim!

Following in her famous father’s footsteps Sam Brown can finally hold her head high at the family reunion with a hit single of her own, her dad is Joe Brown who himself had three top 10 singles in the early 60’s with “Picture Of You” being the highest peaking at No 2 behind Mike Sarne’s “Come Outside”, Sam is the fourth solo female act to have a solo hitmaking father following Nancy Sinatra, Kim Wilde and Natalie Cole, and “Stop” is a hit at the second time of asking after peaking at No 52 last summer, It was subsequently a hit across Europe toward the end of the year and was No 1 in Belgium and Netherlands, and top 10 in 8 other countries, it now gets its chance to shine here as it powers 17-5 (40,602).  She's an established backing singer too having already been on TOTP way back in 1986 on Jim Diamond's "Hi Ho Silver"

The principle of diminishing returns seems to be the story of Rick Astley who nevertheless scores his 7th top 10 single from seven releases, but only just, as “Hold Me In Your Arms” struggles 11-10 (23,902). It’s the title track from his second album and is, like “She Wants To Dance With Me”, penned by Astley himself, the album has done 300,000 copies so far, not bad but not a patch on the 1.2 million plus “Whenever You Need Somebody”, he does however seem to be keeping his US career on track with “She Wants To Dance” currently at No 6 over there.

Michael Ball follows Simple Minds towards the top spot, he notches 3-2 (49,895) jumping over the outgoing chart toppers Marc Almond & Gene Pitney who tumble 1-3 (49,487). Bobby Brown clings onto the No 6 position shifting 36,006 as both Mike + The Mechanics (4-7, 29,818) and Holly Johnson (5-8, 28,135) brush by on the way down and Yazz also remains static at No 9 (26,843) but is on her way out.


1- BALLAD OF THE STREETS EP- Simple Minds (77,877)
2- LOVE CHANGES EVERYTHING- Michael Ball (49,895)
3- SOMETHING’S GOTTEN HOLD OF MY HEART- Marc Almond & Gene Pitney  (49,487)
4- LEAVE ME ALONE- Michael Jackson (47,294)
5- STOP- Sam Brown (40,902)
6- MY PREROGATIVE- Bobby Brown (36,006)
7- THE LIVING YEARS- Mike & The Mechanics (29,818)
8- LOVE TRAIN- Holly Johnson (28,135)
9- FINE TIME- Yazz (26,843)
10- HOLD ME IN YOUR ARMS- Rick Astley (23,902)

Oh I like 'Belfast Child', that pennywhistle part of the instrumental always draws me in and I enjoy the emotive build-up. A surprising #1 to look back on though with 'Don't You (Forget About Me)' very much being their signature song. Did not know that CD single fact about 'Belfast Child'!

Our very own Seven compared Ed Sheeran's new song to 'Leave Me Alone' on Discord the other day and now I can't unhear it another good one from MJ.

Well, Sam Brown is the same case as Bobby Brown (oh my), in that I discovered the song via noughties cover ( Jamelia) but prefer the original now.

oh love love love Sam Brown-Stop, was totally obsessed with this song back then

and is one of my fav songs of the 80s. Too bad she never managed to have another top 10, great vocals

I was one of the many that didn't have bad on CD so for me Leave me Alone was a brand new single.

Was a great single too

the Rick Astley single really is weak, a miracle it went top 10, not sure if deserved that

just remembered that my fav bad at the time, All About Eve, had also released a cover of She moves thru the fair,

as part of their debut album, was never a single, but was one of the album highlights,

accappella, more folkish and faithful to the original and very much preferred that version to Simple Minds

Don't know whether I'm just being bias or not, this being my era and all but there seems to be a lot of good singles from 1989 that are now largely forgotten about. There will be more coming up later but one currently charting is the song by Ten City, which I bought at the time and still love it now.

That Jacko track is a bop!

I did always wonder how it did so well that far into the campaign, I guess that explains it!

Really like Leave Me Alone, I think it was the single of his that made me like his music - specifically I can remember finding the music video absolutely fascinating.

I also like that Sam Brown track, it's a really good example of an 80s ballad imo

Anyone know why Leave me alone was only a EU single and not in the US?

1 hour ago, Bjork said:

Anyone know why Leave me alone was only a EU single and not in the US?

I don't know categorically but I assume that having had 5 US number one singles then two singles that missed the top over there, they assumed that any further releases would perform poorly. Plus CD sales were higher in the US than in Europe so more people would already know the song and further impact sales?

guess you're right, it's insane how well the Bad singles did in the US:

I just can't stop loving you/1

Bad/1

The way you make me feel/1

Man in the mirror/1

Dirty Diana/1

Another part of me/11

Smooth criminal/7

while in the UK at this point:

I just can't stop loving you/1

Bad/3

The way you make me feel/3

Man in the mirror/21

Dirty Diana/4

Another part of me/15

Smooth criminal/8