9TH JANUARY

It took 8 weeks to make it but this week Steps’ “Tragedy/ Heartbeat” makes the top spot whilst almost no-one predicted it! Debuting at No 2 back in November it’s been floating around the top 10 moving 2-5-5-8-8-6-4-1 so far and selling a whopping 626,000 as it makes the top spot. That includes a tally of 98,080 last week as the competition around it slumped it in the usual post Christmas manner.

It is the first No 1 for the group whose profile has been increasing through the year enabling them to sell over 770,000 copies of their debut set “Step One” so far, it holds at No 3 but was a midweek No 1 before falling back- that double was oh so near! The single meanwhile is the first to climb to pole position since The Tamperer back in May, and has taken the longest time to make the top in a straight run since the All Saints almost a year ago. It’s a funny old world in pop! It also illustrates the turn around in appreciation for the brothers Gibb who in the last 3 years have seen their work taken to No 1 by Take That, Boyzone and now Steps, and No 2 hits for 911 and N-Trance all making them richer!

The Spice Girls hold at No 2 shifting another 91,000 inching ahead of Chef who is toppled 1-3 (88,000) and joining them are other former chart toppers from Cher (3-4 56,745) and B*Witched (6-5, 47,000).

Bryan Adams & Mel C are proving very resilient moving back up again 7-6 (37,000) and have crossed the 300,000 mark, and also getting a lift back up the charts are Will Smith 9-8 (34,000) and The Honeyz 10-9 (27,000) though obviously everything in the top 9 is losing sales including Denise & Johnny 5-7 (36,000).

The only new song in the top 10 comes predictably enough from Prince who opportunely re-releases “1999”, a No 25 hit in 1983 and a much more impressive #2 in early 1985. It’s the original mix which has been re-released and proves to be his first appearance in the big league since “Gold” way back in 1995. This re-emerges at No 10 (25,000) as we say goodbye to 98!

1- TRAGEDY/ HEARTBEAT- Steps (98,080)
2- GOODBYE- Spice Girls (91,000)
3- CHOCOLATE SALTY BALLS- Chef (88,000)
4- BELIEVE- Cher (56,745)
5- TO YOU I BELONG- B*Witched (47,000)
6- WHEN YOU’RE GONE- Bryan Adams & Mel C (37,000)
7- ESPECIALLY FOR YOU- Denise & Jonny (36,000)
8- MIAMI- Will Smith (34,000)
9- END OF THE LINE- Honeyz (27,000)
10- 1999- Prince (25,000)

And that really is it for 1998! onwards and upwards!

That journey to #1 for Steps really is quite something!

It's often spoken about as if it got lucky to grab that week in the January slump, and I suppose to a degree that is true but 98,000 is still a mighty respectable figure to do it with.

I think Steps totally deserved #1 - it really felt like the biggest song and was everywhere over Christmas and new year.

Glad Cher made it to 10 weeks over 100K, what a huge achievement! Presumably it’s never been equalled since?

Yes quite a journey for Steps, and I was starting to hear 'Tragedy' more often then 'Heartbeat' at this point. It wasn't in fact the first to climb to #1 since The Tamperer, as Chef had done so only the previous week, albeit after a much shorter run.

Interesting to see that Cher was the first to sell 100k+ for 10 weeks in a row - I'm fairly sure that's the only time it's ever happened!

'1999' is a classic and was always going to do well on re-release at this time, even though it was surely written about the end of that year. Unless the whole year was supposed to be one big party (which I suppose it sort of was... 😀)

Thanks Gezza for taking us through 1998!