I would say that's perfectly reasonable for the period given it is April. Nothing amazing though.

Wiki says Jacko-Bad opened with 350K

So not on that league

More on the Whitney, George Michael level maybe

Edited April 16Apr 16 by Bjork

We’ll say 100k in both weeks so that is really good in either era. But werent most singles leading to an album released a month or so before the album release or was that not the case with this Madge era?

3 hours ago, dandy* said:

I’m a bit underwhelmed by the sales too, it was pretty lucky to make 3 weeks. I guess it may be one of those instances where the legacy of it makes us all assume it was more popular than it actually was at the time? I can well imagine that there was a fair chunk of religious people who would potentially have boycotted it due to the controversy

The controversy surely would have made it sell more anyway though. All news is good for sales.

Looking at U2's sales, Joshua Tree opened with 230K in week 1 (a record at the time, beating by Bad with 350K later that year)

then Rattle and Hum opened with 360K beating Bad, and that was just a few months before Like a Prayer

Madonna did 200K in 2 weeks, but what was the pattern like those days? Do you reckon she did 100-100K or more like

150-50K? @Gezza

Sorry I got it wrong it was 300,000 in a fortnight. I've estimated 184k to 114k as a breakdown over those weeks.

18 minutes ago, Bjork said:

Looking at U2's sales, Joshua Tree opened with 230K in week 1 (a record at the time, beating by Bad with 350K later that year)

then Rattle and Hum opened with 360K beating Bad, and that was just a few months before Like a Prayer

Madonna did 200K in 2 weeks, but what was the pattern like those days? Do you reckon she did 100-100K or more like

150-50K? @Gezza

Rattle and hum opened on 320k so "Bad" remained the biggest opening week sale to this point in time.

Interestingly it was outsold by Now 14 in both weeks so had compilations not been excluded from the main chart since January 1989 it would never have topped the charts at all.

Did the albums market not really have stellar sales until the late 80s? You always hear about huge singles success right back to the 60s whereas albums even by big artists don’t have those headlines? Obv the price had a impact!

According to Wiki, Like a Prayer album sold 1.2 mil in UK against True Blue having done 2 mil, so it was a drop in returns for her.

But True Blue was Madonna-Mania for a real pop album, whereas LAP is a bit more mature-sounding.

Madonna albums were released quite quickly off the back of the lead for LAP and Erotica, Bedtime Stories and Ray of Light. Within a month.

22ND APRIL

It started off brightly only narrowly behind “Eternal Flame” but in the end Simply Red’s “If You Don’t Know Me By Now” ended up significantly behind the Bangles track selling 65,960 copies to the latter’s 86,717. The album chart may also help to explain why the two tracks did not end up in reversal of position, Simply Red drive 3-2 while The Bangles rise 25-11, “A New Flame” is fast approaching the 500,000 mark whilst the Bangles are yet to sell a fifth of that.

With sales already over 900,000 “Rattle & Hum” is an unqualified success and now spawns a third top 10 single with “When Love Comes To Town” shooting 12-6 (25,670) for U2 in a remixed form, this time it features the talents of Blues legend BB King who makes his debut on the chart after he started his career over 30 years ago. It’s also a 9th top 10 hit for U2 and an 8th straight top tenner if we discount the import “In God’s Country” which made No 48.

First appearing in the film “Tin Man” back in 1987 the Fine Young Cannibals kept “Good Thing” back for two years tweaking it in preparation for inclusion on their second album “The Raw And The Cooked” which topped the charts in February. The band have also cracked the US where “She Drives Me Crazy” was No 1 last week, in the UK the follow up shoots 19-9 (21,352)- it comes in a limited edition version in a circular tin- handy for your biscuits!

Transvision Vamp shoot 7-3 (34,765) but won’t trouble the top 2 probably as Holly Johnson prowls 9-4 (33,558) and should overtake them next week as he leaves Kon Kan standing at No 5 (29,988) on a slight sales decrease. Paula Abdul topples 4-7 (24,395), Madonna ebbs 3-8 (23,766) and Donna Summer slides 8-10 (18,785).


1- ETERNAL FLAME- The Bangles  (86,717)
2- IF YOU DON’T KNOW ME BY NOW- Simply Red  (65,960)
3- BABY I DON’T CARE- Transvision Vamp (34,765)
4- AMERICANOS- Holly Johnson (33,558)
5- I BEG YOUR PARDON- Kon Kan (29,988)
6- WHEN LOVES COMES TO TOWN- U2 & BB King (25,670)
7- STRAIGHT UP- Paula Abdul  (24,395)
8- LIKE A PRAYER- Madonna (23,766)
9- GOOD THING- Fine Young Cannibals (21,352)
10- THIS TIME I KNOW IT’S FOR REAL- Donna Summer (18,785)

1 hour ago, Steve201 said:

Did the albums market not really have stellar sales until the late 80s? You always hear about huge singles success right back to the 60s whereas albums even by big artists don’t have those headlines? Obv the price had a impact!

The albums market had grown continuously (almost) since the 60s, in 1979 shipments were 97 million and 162 million in 1989 assisted I suspect by people replacing their vinyl versions with CD's which would last well into the 90s. At any rate the amount of albums sold went up in the 80s and so too opening weekly sales figures helped by the new phenomenon of marketing which also came into its own in the decade.

That's a rubbish week for new entries.

Madonna falling 3-8, looking at a fast decline from the top spot. I believe she held on to the albums for a second week, holding off Simply Red a No.2?

15 minutes ago, ChrisJK said:

That's a rubbish week for new entries.

Madonna falling 3-8, looking at a fast decline from the top spot. I believe she held on to the albums for a second week, holding off Simply Red a No.2?

Madonna was down at No 6 on the album charts by this point, it was Deacon Blue at No 1.

That feels like a really quick follow-up for Fine Young Cannibals!

20 minutes ago, Gezza said:

Madonna was down at No 6 on the album charts by this point, it was Deacon Blue at No 1.

Oh wow. Quick decline for single and album then.

1 hour ago, Gezza said:

The albums market had grown continuously (almost) since the 60s, in 1979 shipments were 97 million and 162 million in 1989 assisted I suspect by people replacing their vinyl versions with CD's which would last well into the 90s. At any rate the amount of albums sold went up in the 80s and so too opening weekly sales figures helped by the new phenomenon of marketing which also came into its own in the decade.

Thanks for the info 😀. My question was based on the fact huge artists of the era didn’t sell many albums for example Duran Duran.

51 minutes ago, Jessie Where said:

That feels like a really quick follow-up for Fine Young Cannibals!

The 80s was notorious for this, most pop acts were expected to have 4 releases a year.

2 absolute classics in a row from FYC!

Isnt Madonna notorious for (sadly) not having any million selling single?

1 hour ago, Bjork said:

Isnt Madonna notorious for (sadly) not having any million selling single?

Streaming has sorted that out! Think she has around 6 now